Mon., 6/30/14, Chest/ Calves/ Delts

I set a PR today. I'm pretty stoked about that. On the incline press I got the 130s for 7 reps. I also hit a different calf exercise- the linear hack press for calves. It was great. Here's how it looked:

calf press: 180-20; 360-20; 540-20; 720-?
linear hack press: 180-20; 270-?,?
incline dumbbell press: 20s-10; 40s-6; 60s-6; 80s-6; 80s-6; 100s-6; 130s-7
flat dumbbell press: 120s-6; 100s-8; 80s-13
dip: 15
cable fly: 100-8
pullover: 75-9
lateral raise: 20s-15; 30s-12; 40s-10 + 2
Hammer Strength shoulder press: 90-12; 180-12, 11+1
machine rear lateral: 160-15; 190-9, ?

Fri., 6/27/14, Arms

I got in a killer arm pump this morning. It was short and sweet as usual. Control and focus are always the key ingredients for my workouts, with short rest periods and high intensity. Get in, kill it and get out! Here's how it looked:

barbell curl:                                           45-15; 65-12; 95-10;   115-6; 95-?,?
  super-set with rope pushdown: 60-25; 80-15; 90-15; 110-15; 140-?,?,?

concentration curl: 50-6,4,3+1

lying extension: 110-10,5

hammer curl:                       40s-10,4+drop
  s/s seated 1-arm extension: 40-8,5

preacher curl: 60-10+?
1-arm reverse grip pushdown: 50-15,15

Thur., 6/26/14, Legs

I got in a great leg workout this morning. We changed out several pieces of equipment in the gym, so I was really just feeling out some of them today. And, having just taken a week off, I was easing my way back in with a little less volume and intensity. The pump was awesome though. Here's how it looked:

squat: 45-20; 135-10; 225-10; 315-10; 405-6
linear hack squat (This is a new piece. It's hard to nail the right form, but when you get it, it's a great pump with low stress on the knees and back.): 90-20; 180-12,6 + 90-12
leg curl (This is a new leg curl. I'm not sure it's quite as nice as the old one.): 95-20; 110-15; 125-4+1
ham/glute raise: 6
walking lunge: 90-10 steps each leg
machine calf raise (This is a new one too. It is not a calf machine. It is a pin loaded leg press with an upright seat (our old pin loaded leg press was a horizontal one -very different feel.) It is a pretty good pump.): 150-30; 210-20; 290-15

Wed., 6/25/14, Diet Update

Today is a scheduled rest day. I just did about 20 minutes of stretching this morning and I'm eating plenty of quality nutrients. Since I have no workout today here's what my diet has been looking like:

meal 1: 5oz chicken; 1c oatmeal; apple; 1 tbs olive oil; 2 fishoil
(immediately after workout): 40g whey protein
meal 2: 5oz chicken; 2 sweet potatoes
meal 3: 5oz chicken; 1c oatmeal; almonds
meal 4: 5oz chicken; 1/2 oatmeal
meal 5: shake (whey protein, milk and oatmeal)
meal 6: 2 giant bowls of white chili
before bed: 30g whey protein

Tue., 6/24/14, Back/Traps/Calves

I got in a great workout this morning. I didn't do a whole lot of volume on anything, but put in the focus and got an excellent pump on everything. It was all basic stuff: 5 sets of calf presses; 2 sets of seated calf raises; 5 sets of bent over rows; 3 sets of medium grip pulldowns and 3 sets of machine rows. It was pretty fast pace. The reps were focused in the 20+ range for calves and 8-12 for lats.

Mon., 6/23/14, WAR

I'm back in the game this morning. Feeling strong and amped to grow some muscle. My game plan is to use a 4 day split with 3 rest days: #1 chest and delt  #2 back and trap  #3 legs and  #4 arms. I actually started back after a week off and picked up right where I left off, and set a record for myself with the incline dumbbell press. Here's how it looked this morning:

incline dumbbell press: 20s-15; 40s-6; 60s-6; 80s-6; 100s-6; 130s-6
flat dumbbell press: 120s-6; 100s-10; 80s-12
bent over cable fly (for upper chest): 80-10,8,6
lateral: 20s-15; 30s-12; 40s-7
Hammer Strength shoulder press: 90-15; 180-12,7
incline rear lateral raise: 35s-15; 50s-8

Fri, 6/20/14, Rest (day 7)

I've survived a whole week! Anyone who thinks I'm an addict is officially wrong! I have pumped iron since last Friday. No weights at all (except the ones I'm handing to client, maybe the occasion curl when they're not looking). I haven't even had any withdrawal symptoms- just a little ancy, some day dreams of squatting, some night mares about getting on stage fat, the occasional twitch, slight crawly feeling under the skin... but nothing you'd consider out of the ordinary.
......look out Monday...

Thu., 6/19/14, Rest (day 5)

I've managed to make it to my 6th day without lifting! This is the longest I've been without pumping iron since 2011. Yes, I may have a problem. The diet is pretty much the same, with 6 whole food meals and 2 shakes, taking in 3500-4000 calories a day. I did have a piece of lasagna yesterday. I've been sticking with 15 minutes stretching and 20 minutes treadmill a day. I'm feeling good. Joints are calming down a bit, they had been feeling inflamed. So, there may yet be something to this whole obnoxious rest thing.

Tue., 6/17/14, Rest (day 4)

Yes, I have successfully completed 4 whole days without lifting weights (though maybe I've cheated a little by spotting clients and demonstrating exercises;) lets see if I can manage another 5. Today I did the same 15 minutes stretching and 20 minutes cardio as yesterday. My diet has been pretty much the same, though yesterday I got a little less protein than usual: I had 6 whole food meals and 2 protein shakes; 230g protein, 350g carb and 160g fat.

Mon., 6/16/14, Rest

Yes, rest! I'm not lifting this week. It pains me to type it, but it is necessary. I can feel the joints complaining and I begin the official contest prep 2 weeks from this coming Saturday, so I need to be rested and ready. This morning I did 15 minutes of stretching prescribed by my chiropractor and 20 minutes on the treadmill. The diet will remain pretty much the same, maybe a hair less, to recover and grow.

Fri., 6/13/14, Arms

So I'm pretty much in pain from top to bottom today. Calves, quads, hams, glutes, lower back, lats, abs, shoulders, tris, forearms! My bis and chest are ok though. In light of all this I opted for a pretty lite arm pump today. It was a great pump, just not crazy intense. Basically for 20 minutes I didn't stop moving from biceps to triceps, keeping the weight moderate and the reps 8-15 (all over.) 5 exercises for biceps and 5 for triceps with a total of 12 sets. Boom- they were tight.

Thur., 6/12/14, Legs

I got in a killer leg workout this morning. After last weeks intense set of squats, I felt like a break to the knees and back was in order. So, the focus even more on hamstrings and glutes than usual. My goal was to not use much weight on the squat.... achieved! Here's how it looked

seated leg curl:                                              50-20; 80-15; 110-15; 140-15
  super-set with walking lunge: 12 without weight;   50-8;     80-8; 110-8 + 10 reverse lunges

lying leg curl:            90-12; 120-6
  s/s Bulgarian squat: 45-20, 15

squat: 135-15; 225-10,12

Boom! That's it. Not a whole lot of volume, and, to be honest, it wasn't the most intense. But, my legs were so pumped it was stupid and I even thought about throwing up for a couple minutes.

Tue., 6/10/14, Back and calves

I got in a killer calf pump this afternoon. It was pretty short and sweet, just 2 exercises, but very intense. I started with calves to give them the priority, then hit back hard and fast. Here's how it went:

calf press: 180-20; 360-20; 540-33; 750-12
seated calf: 100-20; 150-16; 200-8 + 3 drop-sets
row: 45-20; 135-10; 185-6; 225-6; 315-4 + 2 drop sets
V-grip pulldown: 210-12; 255-6
1-arm dumbbell row: 150-8
medium grip pulldown: 180-11,11
barbell shrug: 225-15; 325-10

Mon., 6/09/14, Chest/ Delt

I got in a great workout this morning. I am definitely getting stronger. I keep pushing the numbers. The week before last I got 6 with the 120s, last week I got 10 and this week I got 11 on the incline dumbbell press. Here's how it looked this morning:

incline dumbbell press: 20s-?; 40s-6; 60s-6; 80s-6; 100s-6; 120s-11
flat dumbbell press: 120s-6; 100s-8; 80s-12
cable crossover: 100-10 + 3 drop sets
laterals: 20s-15; 30s-12; 40s-10
incline rear lateral: 50s-10,7
military press: 95-15; 145-6,8

 

Fri., 6/06/14, Arms (with a side of calves)

I got in a good arm pump this morning. I like to take my time and warm them up good, then just keep moving til my arms are so full of blood that I can't touch my shoulder and can't catch my breath. That's pretty much the "Levi arm workout" right now. The exercises very, but that's pretty much the deal. I beat my calves nicely on Tuesday, so I just tossed in 5 sets with some very slow reps sets of smith machine calf raises:

seated dumbbell curl:                10s-15; 20s-12; 30s-10; 40s-6; 50s-7; 35s-10
 super-set with rope pushdown: 60-30; 80-15; 100-12; 130-12; 160-?; 130-9

preacher curl:                       70-10,8,6
 s/s seated rope extension: 130-12,8,6

spider curl:                          60-?,?
 s/s lying triceps extension: 110-8,6

hammers:                                 25s-15,9
 s/s lying dumbbell extension: 25s-15,9

Thur., 6/05/14, Legs

Brutal.... Short, intense, brutal- Leg Day; Fun Day. This is what separates the men from the boys on stage- who put it in? Every leg day I'm totally devoted to being the dude that put it in. It hurt today. It took a lot of focus and determination to complete the workout, even though it was only about 45 minutes long (+ 20 min cardio to carry some acid out of the legs.) Here it is:

squat: 45-6; 95-6; 135-6; 225-5; 275-5; 345-22
leg press: 450-15; 660-15
walking lunge: 135-? (I don't know how many steps)
 leg curl: 90-15; 120-8
ham/glute raise: 8,8

Wed., 6/04/14, Back/ Traps/ Calves

I got in an excellent workout this morning. It was totally focused and controlled- I took my time with everything and really put the intensity into it. Here's how it looked:

calf press: 90-20; 180-20; 270-20; 360-20; 450-20; 520-20; 590-15; 660-12
seated calf: 90-20; 140-16
machine calf: 225lb for 2 sets of 8-12 reps, these reps were a slow 4 count down and again up.
wide pulldown: 75-15; 120-12; 165-10; 210-10; 255-8
seated low row: 160-12; 180-10; 200-6+2
close pulldown: 255-6
row:                               225-  8,8
   super-set with shrugs:225-10,10
wide seated row: 150-13+2

Mon., 6/02/14, Chest/ Delt

I made a PR today! I got the 120s on the incline bench press for 10 reps- that's a first for me. It was a pretty short workout this morning, because I just trained my chest on Friday. This is the new split:
Monday: chest and delts
Tuesday: back, traps and calves
Thursday: legs
Friday: arms
This will allow 3 days of rest to help recover and grow muscle. I'm not sure how long I'll keep this split, but we'll see.
Here's what todays workout looked like:
incline dumbbell press: 20s-20; 40s-6; 60s-6; 80s-6; 100s-6; 120s-10
flat dumbbell press: 120s-6; 100s-10; 80s-12
cable fly: 80-10; (bent over for upper chest) 80-9
lateral raise: 20s-15; 30s-12; 40s-8
machine rears: 150-15
cable rears: 60s-12
bent over rears: 40s-12
hammer strength press: 180-12,8,8
I will incorporate more chest work in the future, but I did not want to over do it.