Striking a Balance

A quick session today…

Warmup: Band pull-aparts, static leg stretches

Sit-ups 20,20,30
Reverse hypers: 20,20,20
Floor corkscrews: 20
Band corkscrews: 20
Band sledgehammer: 20
Sideplank w/twist: 20
Band hip hinge - kneeling: 35

Pull-ups, band assisted:
4, 4, 4, 4, 4

Farmers walk: 50kg - 100 steps


Workout tunes: Power Trip: Nightmare Logic

Pretty busy at work currently, so have tried to do some shorter, focussed workouts this week.

Warm-up: Band pull-aparts, rotator cuff, ax face-pulls

Today, just overhead press. I wanted to test where i actually stand - usually I do a lot of warm-up exercises and sets, but I am beginning to think that this limits my max lifts. So with timelimit and all, I decided to keep it short and simple with 3-rep sets working upwards.

Overhead press:

22 x 3
32 x 3
42 x 3
52 x 3
54,5 x 3
57 x 3 (PR)
59,5 x 3 (PR)
62 x 3 (PR)
52 x 5
52 x 5
42 x 5
42 x 5

So yeah, that worked - new personal bests and all. I could probably have lifted a couple kilos more, but 60 are the limit of my current bar* and I fast am nearing the limit of what I can safely swing up - and more importantly get back down, without having some kind of rack.
(Or learning some proper power clean technique.)

*Today the 150cm bar I have been waiting for finally got back in stock, so next week, I can load up to 200kgs on the bar. (I train in my study, using 30 mm equipment, space is at a premium, so can’t really see myself swinging a large bar around in here. 150cm should be enough for most purposes, I hope.)

And with a success under the belt and it being Friday and all, it is time for a few well deserved beers. :beers:

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Another busy day - so a quick warm-up and then just the essential exercises:

Warm-up: Band pull-aparts, @j4gga2 pull-aparts, :smiley: V-crunch

Chin-ups, band-assisted:
5, 5, 5, 5, 5

Barbell floor press:
32 x 5
42 x 5
52 x 6
62 x 15
62 x 15
62 x 15
62 x 15
62 x 15

Barbell row:
20 x 8
62 x 12
62 x 12
62 x 12
62 x 12
62 x 12

And done.

So. More focussed training, cutting back on assist exercises & warm-up sets and dropping the timed restpauses, allows me to lift better in the heavier sets. Who would have thought it.


Workout tunes: Pale Divine: Consequence of Time
(Their new album, this is a cracking 70’s style heavy rock / doom record)

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Finally! My own exercise :joy:. FWIW I call them Greco pull-aparts after the guy in the video I shared

That would probably be more fair. Sorry you just lost your exercise :laughing:

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I’m sure I’ll find ways to cope with the pain

Another quick(ish) session.

Warm-up: Static leg stretches, band pull-aparts, band facepulls.

Mains:

Push-ups:
10, 20, 20, 20, 10

Pull-ups, band assisted
5, 5, 5, 5, 5

Finishers:

One-arm flye - low to high:
12, 12, 12, 12 (blue band)

One-arm crossover band press, high to low
15, 15, 20 (yellow band)

Today a little bit of core and sprinkling of back.

Warm-up: Static leg stretches, band pull-aparts.

Core: Band good mornings, V-crunches, Sideplanks w/twist, band corkscrews

Back:
Chin-up, assisted:
6, 6, 6, 5, 5

Barbell rows:
I finally got my new bar. While cheap and not all I had hoped for, it can actually hold some weight. So thought I would explore what my new working load should be.

18kgs x 5
28kgs x 5
38kgs x 5
58kgs x 5
68kgs x 5
78kgs x 5
88kgs x 5
98kgs x 4
100kgs x 2
78kgs x 5
78kgs x 5
78kgs x 5

At the top form began to suffer and grip became harder - so I think I will aim at around 80 kilos as my working weight and work up from there.

Another quick & focussed session aimed at shoulders.

Warm-up: Static leg stretches, band pull-aparts, ext rotator cuff exercises.

Mains:

Overhead press:
8 (bar) x 3
18 x 3
28 x 3
38 x 3
48 x 3
53 x 5
53 x 5
53 x 5
48 x 5
38 x 10

Yep, definitely have gotten stronger/better at this.

Dumbbell lateral raises:
7,3 x 15
7,3 x 15
7,3 x 15


Workout tunes. AC/DC: High Voltage

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Ok. Time for the first full workout, since I got the new bar.

Warm-up:
Band pull-aparts, Grecco pull-aparts, static leg stretches, bird dogs, v-crunches, shoulder mobility stuff.

Mains:
Chin-ups, band assisted:
4,4,4,4,3.
Really struggled, did much better last time.

Floor press:
28x5
38x5
48x5
58x5
78x8
78x8
68x10
68x10

Barbell rows:
22x5
32x5
42x5
58x5
68x5
80x8
80x8
80x8
68x10
68x10

Overhead press:
22x3
32x3
42x3
48x8
48x8
48x7

Failed the last rep so decided this was enough.

Finishers:
One-arm band crossover chest press: 3x12 - purple
Band straight arm pull downs, two-hand: 3x10 yellow&green

Conclusions:
This was the heaviest workout in a long time. After the initial fail on the pull-ups, the rest of the workout felt good and I got some good work done. But are fairly knackered now.

On the Floor press, I am probably nearing my limit for what I can safely do without some kind of rack to lift the bar from. (Currently I roll it to my gut and sort of flip it up in my hands for the heavier weights. But I can see that this could pose some risk to my wrists when the weights go up.)

Post workout treat: Nutramino XL protein chocolate shake - just love those, even if they are a bit heavy on the calories.


Workout tunes: Hydra: From Light to the Abyss, Black Sabbath: Master of Reality, Pentagram: Be Forewarned

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Time for a chest oriented workout.

Warm-up. Static leg stretces, band face-pulls, band pull-aparts, band leg exercises

Mains:

Push-ups:
10,20,20,20,15

Chin-ups, band assisted
6, 6, 6, 6, 5

Chin/pull-ups are still very much a work in progress and I am not doing full bottom to top roms - but have decided to focus more on this aspect and make at least the last set full rom and amrap.

Dumbbell lateral raises:
7,3kg x15
7,3kg x15
7,3kg x15
7,3kg x10
7,3kg x10

Finishers:

One-arm flye - low to high:
12, 12, 12, 14 (blue band)

One-arm crossover band press, high to low
20,20, 15 (Purple band)


Workout tunes: Visigoth: The Revenant King

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And a bit of core work:

Warmup: Static leg stretches, glutes bridges, external rotator cuff training

Mains:
Sit-ups 20,20,40
Reverse hypers: 20,30
Band good mornings: 20
Floor corkscrews: 20
Band corkscrews: 20
Band sledgehammer: 20
Sideplank w/twist: 20
Band hip hinge - kneeling: 40
Band jack hammers: 10,15,15
Farmers walk: 50kg - 110 steps

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Is this 25kg in each hand or 50kg in each?

25 in each hand - I am a good way from being able to do 2x50 I am afraid.

I have two 25 kg rubbercoated plates with cutouts, which are great for carrying, so for the foreseeable future I plan to increase time / steps rather than weight.

Alright. Back day. Feeling the old carcass today, so let’s see how it goes.

Warm-up: Static leg stretches, birddogs, band pull-aparts, Grecco pull-aparts

Mains:

Pull-ups, band assisted:
6,6,5,4,3

Last 3 sets were full rom (from total stretch hang to mouth over bar), so decidedly better than last time. Am pleased

Barbell rows:
28x3
38x3
48x3
58x3
68x3
78x3
88x5
88x5

Should have done at least one set more at 88kg, but developed a sharp pain in both shoulders, so decided to stop here. But hey, another new recently arrived toy, was a slightly longer dumbbell bar, so now I can do some heavy db rows.

Dumbbell rows:
32x8
32x8
32x8

Better for shoulders - not great but doable.
Still, an ok session all in all.

I have probably overdone things a bit lately, because the shoulders are acting up - which is usually a sign that I should dial down for a few days. But tomorrow is shoulder day. And I have come to really like my presses. So not sure what I will do.

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Last night I could not lift my left arm. This morning is better but still painful. One of my training principles (learned from these forums), is that “it is a marathon, not a sprint”. I have probably been sprinting just a little bit. Oh well, will take a couple of rest days and see how things look on Sunday.

Did you wake with it numb and dead or do you mean in bed evening after training you couldn’t lift it.?

Not lift is a bit exaggerated. Could lift it around 45 degrees out from my body - if having arm straight out, it then locked with sharp pain in the middle of it. If arm was bent, I could get at bit farther - but not much.

I think it is the old impingement problem rearing it’s head, since I had that, I have had problems when ever I overtax my shoulders. I expect it will go away in a day or two. Thanks for asking.

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As Vanilla Ice said, “Ice,Ice, Baby”.

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He also said “We are who we are because of who we were”.

As in “I was the fool, who did not listen to the signals, and now I am the fool with a painful shoulder” :laughing:

Oh well. Much better today, will give a it go and see what happens.