Gym regimen - December 2010

A1: Quads and Biceps
(MONDAY): 60 mins
95kg, BMI 27.5

Warmup: Exercise bike, stretching, pec deck, curls, squats

CIRCUIT:

Leg extension: 15, 12, 9 @ 45kg, 50kg, 55kg

Hyper-supinated dumbbell curl: 12, 10, 8 @ 16kg, 18kg, 20kg

CIRCUIT:

Rope cable curl: 10, 8, 6 @ 30kg, 35kg, 37.5kg [LINK]
[Contrary to the LINK's advice, I did bring my hands together at the top of the curl, as I found this gave a great squeeze-lock at the end and really kept my elbows tucked in. A new favorite!]

Incline leg press: 12, 10, 8 @ 140kg, 160kg, 180kg

CIRCUIT:

Squat: 12, 9, 6 @ 70kg, 85kg, 100kg
[I went very deep and used a slightly wider stance. Felt good!]

High cable curls: 16, 13, 12 @ 27kg, 32kg, 36.5kg [LINK]
[I admit it, I cheat on these by bringing my elbows inward at the end of the contraction, almost like flye. I need to cut it out and keep good form. It's a concentration exercise.]

Ab cable pulldowns (alternating): 24/12, 16/14, 14/10 @ 30kg, 35kg, 37.5kg

+ + +
Where have I been, you ask? (Even if you don't ask….) I strained my neck last week on the squat. Come again? Yes, I strained my neck on the squat! I think what happened is, I had the bar higher on my traps than I like/am used to, and by the third set, I was so tired that I craned my head up too much just to finish the reps, like a cat forcing its head out of a box. That craning combined with a heavy bar bearing down on my traps led to a bad kink the next day. I guess I made it worse by using an electric massage club on the muscle the first couple nights. A couple days later my neck was so sensitive I couldn't turn my head more than a few degrees and I had a headache on the entire left hemisphere of my head. After some acupuncture, massage, anti-infllammatory medicine pads, endless neck warming, and lots of sleep, however, I finally felt good this morning. I can turn my head fully to both sides, though there is some residual stiffness. I decided to go very light on the squat today and I made a point of not tilting my nose above the transverse plane. My neck gave me no discomfort and my shoulder is feeling much better too.

Patience, Humility, Confidence…

Gym regimen - December 2010

A2: Chest and Calves
(TUESDAY): 50 mins
95kg, BMI 27.5

Warmup: exercise bike, stretching, cable crossover

CIRCUIT:

Seated lever press: 14, 14, 14, 14 @ 55kg, 60kg, 65kg, 70kg

Pec deck: 16, 16, 14, 14 @ 45kg, 50kg, 55kg, 50kg

Cable crossover: 16, 16, 12, 9 @ 36.5kg, 41.5kg, 45kg, 41.5kg

Alternating standing calf raise (Smith machine): 36, 45, 55 @ 55kg (incl. bar)

CIRCUIT:

Dumbbell pullover: 18, 16, 14, 14 @ 22kg, 26kg, 32kg, 36kg

Seated calf raise: 36, 42, 50 @ 50kg

Alternating ab cable pulldown: 36, 32, 26 @ 30kg, 35kg, 40kg

+ + +
Chest! You are the weakest link! I've taken a certain consolation in just working my pecs intensely without being able to do flyes for bench press for a while. Hence, the four as opposed to three sets, which I also did with a quickness. My shoulder is feeling better but I still need to give it time. I sure do love pullovers.

Last night I fell asleep at just about 11PM, which was as unusual as it was wonderful. Granted, I did a lot of semi-wakeful turning until I finally removed the hot-cold medicine bandage from my neck around 2:30AM. I woke up after 7AM feeling rested and lucid. NSW! My cat slept in the crook of my thighs virtually the whole night, as far as I could tell. By morning, though, she got all up in my face to meow-meow-meooowww me into feeding her.

Having creatine in me is a bit weird, mostly just a slightly puffy feeling in my head.

Gym regimen - December 2010

A1: Quads and Biceps
(MONDAY): 70 mins
94.5kg, BMI 27

Warmup: Exercise bike, stretching, curls, squats, pullups

CIRCUIT:

Leg extension: 13, 10, 7 @ 45kg, 50kg, 55kg

Squat: 12, 9, 6 @ 90kg, 100kg, 110kg

CIRCUIT:

Close-grip EZ barbell curl: 12, 10, 8 @ 35kg, 42.5kg, 47.5kg

Walking lunges: 16, 16, 20 @ 20kg, 25kg, 30kg

Hyper-supinated dumbbell curl: 10, 8, 6 @ 16kg, 18kg, 20kg

CIRCUIT:

Ab cable pulldowns: 36, 32, 32 @ 30kg, 35kg, 35kg

Stair machine: 3 min, 3 min, 3 min

High cable curls: 16, 16, 16 @ 27kg, 32kg, 36.5kg

+ + +
I felt absolutely dead today. Spanked. Sapped. Sluggish. Draggin' ass. Just look at my squat! I made a point of going very deep, but still, I was drained. It didn't help that it was, and still is, unpleasantly humid all of a sudden... and that I wore a full-body sweatsuit. "The heat'll zap ya," as they say in Florida. And in Taiwan. Simply put, last week I was had too much beer and good eating, and, alas, my sleep pattern is still not normalized. Between bosses and friends treating me and me taking last week more or less off, "getting back into it" this week is a huge mental challenge. I did some jump rope and plyometric stuff in my room Saturday and went to a hot spring with friends Sunday, so it's not like I was a complete slob. But man--I just want to go to bed.

I invested in a bottle of creatine powder, as I'm curious to see what effects it has (as a post-workout). There was a disturbing side-effect this evening with my eyes, but that may just have been a fluke.

I'm coming up on my 6-month mark "under the iron" and I must admit that my shoulder injury, last week's erratic hedonism, and today's humbling workout have combined to form banshees to my motivation. But I shall not give up. I just need to sleep earlier and I think I'm going to try working out in the afternoon as much as I can, rather than after work. Not only will it be nice to be able just to go home after work, but also I think it takes me a while to wind down after a workout, which is to say, a nighttime workout keeps me up later. I've also made a resolution that I will not accept invitations to social events on weekdays. NSW! Nothing Social on Weekdays! I've recently been working through two advanced, very stimulating books in metaphysics, so my desire to study is even stronger.

Stay tuned.

Shoulder injury…

Excerpts from this article:

"The two exercises that I see causing the greatest frequency of injuries to the AC joint in bodybuilders are heavy bench presses and dips. These movements frequently cause cumulative microtrauma to the distal or outer end of the clavicle, resulting in destruction of the bony tissue in this area leading to degeneration of the joint. …

Indeed, my shoulder got worse after a heavy day on the bench last week, and that after a couple weeks or adding dips to my regimen.

"The joints of the shoulder are involved in almost all upper body movements. Stress is put on the shoulder not only when you’re training the deltoids, but during chest, back and arm workouts as well. Therefore, one of the primary causes of shoulder problems is simply overuse. When you overuse an area of the body there is a resulting degree of microtrauma. This damage, although small, can be cumulative. If you keep training in spite of fatigue and mild pain, the damage is made worse and eventually leads to inflammation or more serious damage and the likelihood of chronic or incapacitating problems in the area.

It's been a long, tough growth cycle, time to cut back and recuperate. Squats and Milk wants me at my finest!

"Damage can also be done by a single incident of momentary overstress, such as lifting too heavy a weight or a multiplication of stress that comes from using poor technique. Faced with a sudden stress the shoulder is not prepared to deal with, the ligaments and musculotendinous structures of the shoulder can stretch, tear or rupture. However, it is possible that what may appear to be an injury resulting from a single incident of overstress may actually be the result, in part, of cumulative microtrauma in the injured area due to repeated overuse of which you were unaware."

As I mentioned, my shoulder flared up after I went bowling. Regardless how much people titter when I mention that––"Bowling!? Don't you lift weights!?"––, I was sure even before reading this article, and even more certain now, that the repeated stress of flinging a 12lb ball across the room, without really warming up, all amidst heavy training, left my shoulder tissue vulnerable enough that a bowling ball got me where I am now. Due to some work and social obligations, I will not hit the gym again until Friday. Shift my back workout by a day and then work my tris Saturday.

A2: Chest and Calves
(TUESDAY): 50+ mins
95kg, BMI 27.5

Warmup: exercise bike, stretching, pec deck, pullovers, cable crossover

CIRCUIT:

Pec deck: 12, 10, 14, 14 @ 45kg, 50kg, 45kg, 45kg

Cable crossover: 18, 18, 18, 18 @ 27kg, 32kg, 36.5kg, 41kg

Dumbbell pullover: 15, 13, 11, 11 @ 22kg, 26kg, 32kg, 32kg

CIRCUIT:

Jump rope: 100, 100, 100, 30, 120, 120, 120, 150, 150

CIRCUIT:

Rowing crunches (alternating): 50, 50, 50

+ + +
I had to work half an hour later tonight, so I hurried to the gym just to get my chest work done, then went home to finish off my calves and abs. My cat was intrigued by the rope and tried darting in a couple times––until she got whapped and then went to hide until the "pyak-pyak-pyak" sound was gone.

I think the milk is helping, even though I haven't begun a milk regimen in full. I've got to be at least 95kg now. Just need to get more sleep.

My shoulder is still bothering me, hence, no bench or flyes tonight. I suppose it is the fall that came after my pride with the deadlift?

I realized that Wookiees are just giant, bipedal cats.

I've also decided to use no emoticons until 2011 at least.

About that "more sleep" thing….

Gym regimen - December 2010

A1: Quads and Biceps
(MONDAY): 60 mins
94.5kg, BMI 27

Warmup: Exercise bike, stretching, jump rope, squats

CIRCUIT:

Leg extension: 12, 9, 6 @ 45kg, 50kg, 55kg
[Having the backrest father back put more work into the quads proper.]

Squat: 12, 9, 6*, 5* @ 90kg, 105kg, 115kg, 120kg
[Felt basically weaker on the squat than last week but, then again, felt stronger at 120kg than before. As I said last week, I'm more or less toning things down after a 5-week growth cycle to prepare for the Squats and Milk regimen.]

CIRCUIT:

Close-grip EZ barbell curl: 10, 8, 6 @ 40kg, 45kg, 50kg

Hyper-supinated dumbbell curl: 10, 8, 6 @ 16kg, 18kg, 20kg
[Hand off-center to accentuate inward supination. Felt stronger than last week.]

CIRCUIT:

Walking lunges: 16, 14, 14 @ 20kg, 20kg, 25kg
[Plate hoisted on the back of head/ high shoulders, like last week.]

High cable curls: 10, 8, 6 @ 27kg, 32kg, 36.5kg
[Yet again felt stronger on these.]

"Cooldown":
Rowing crunches (alternating): 52, 46, 40

+ + +
Felt some discomfort in my right shoulder on curls, but this is just the kind of pain I want to tolerate: it strengthens the weakened area without directly overtaxing it. Tomorrow for my chest day it will be all flyes and presses, no bench!

I would have liked to have gone a bit deeper on my squats the last couple sets, but the spotter hemmed me in a bit, which is fine, since I'm glad I did as well as I did. Awesome pump!

Gym regimen - December 2010

A3: Back and Hamstrings
(THURSDAY): 60+ mins
95kg, BMI 27

Warmup: ski machine, calisthenics, stretching, good mornings, leg curls

CIRCUIT:

Leg curl: 12, 9, 6 @ 40kg, 45kg, 50kg

Good mornings: 13, 10, 7 @ 50kg, 55kg, 60kg
[I went much heavier on these compared to last week. Letting my legs bend a little on the way down gave me more confidence and stability.]

Deadlift: 12, 9, 6, 3 @ 100kg, 120kg, 130kg, 140kg

CIRCUIT:

Pullups: 15, 13, 12*
[* A kip-and-negative for the last rep.]

Ski machine: 1-2 minutes

Stiff-leg deadlift: 12, 9, 6 @ 70kg, 80kg, 90kg
[I liked how these simulated a barbell row to some extent.]

+ + +
Folks, it's official: I'm spanked. As I got dressed for the gym today, I distinctly thought, "Ugh, I don't want to work my back. What about my shoulder?" But I went anyway. All I cannot do safely right now is any heavy motion that makes my delts flex above the clavicle line (e.g. bench press, military press, upright row, etc.). Rowing and curling are no problem. I'm taking Friday off and, indeed, taking next week very, very light: increase my reps by a third and lower the weight by as much.

Perhaps you noted my deadlift. 140kg like last week, but only 3 reps instead of 5. Then again, I went heavier on all three sets before that. As well, going heavier on the good mornings, combined with the nagging insecurity about my right shoulder--combined, for all I know, with a residual fatigue from last week's dead PR--drained me quickly on the deadlift. My wrists have also been sore lately, which is all for the good (the swiveling handle I use for the cable curls and cable flyes really work the forearms), but it meant I struggled with "roly-poly bar" on the deads. King Chalk could only help so much. I shouldn't feel bad, I guess, about my deads today, but I admit I sacrificed good from on a few reps.

So it's time to ease off the throttle for the next couple weeks, get some recovery, and brace myself for the Squats and Milk regimen! Coming off a 4-day routine into a 3-day split will be a Christmas gift to my body. Patience, Humility, Confidence...