Skip a week, back to basics

Jan03
by Duf on January 3, 2017 at 6:25 pm
Posted In: Daily Workouts, Injuries

I decided to abstain from any bench pressing today after last week’s session left my left shoulder feeling dangerously painful.  I instead went with basic push ups doing a downward ladder of 50,40,30,20, and 10 reps.  I haven’t done that many push ups in quite awhile so I think it will provide adequate shock value to my chest.

Today’s Workout

5 minutes cardio/stretching

Push ups x 50

Push ups x 40

Push ups x 30

Push ups x 20

Push ups x 10

Dumbbell chest pull over – 60lbs x 10

Dumbbell chest pull over – 60lbs x 10

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They’re coming

Dec30
by Duf on December 30, 2016 at 6:21 pm
Posted In: Daily Workouts, Today at the Gym

Today was a good preview of what I can expect for the next few weeks at the gym.  There were more bodies in there than I have seen in a very long time.  It is the annual migration of the gym resolutionists. I think today however was more people doing pre-emptive exercise to offset expected calorie consumption.

The resolutionists are those people that wait until the turning of the new year as motivation to finally make the effort to take responsibility for their health.  Of course I would argue that if you are using a date on a calendar as a reason to get in shape you are likely not going to enjoy any long term success.  If you decide you are sick of being overweight or unhealthy you make the change immediately instead of allowing some external thing to control when you begin.  If you aren’t motivated enough to start right away, you aren’t motivated enough to succeed, period.

This was my last gym workout of 2016.  I didn’t go crazy, my badly swollen right knee and sore right shoulder sucked some of the energy out of me.

Today’s Workout

5 minutes cardio/stretching

20 pull ups

50 push ups

Seated weighted ab crunch – 100lbs x 10

Seated weighted oblique rotations – 100lbs x 10

Seated weighted ab crunch – 115lbs x 8

Seated weighted oblique rotations – 115lbs x 8

Seated weighted ab crunch – 130lbs x 6

Seated weighted oblique rotations – 130lbs x 6

Hanging L-seat hold x 20 seconds – Neutral grip

Hanging L-seat hold x 20 seconds – Pronated grip

Hanging L-seat hold x 20 seconds – Supinated grip

 

 

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Candy crush guy

Dec29
by Duf on December 29, 2016 at 6:27 pm
Posted In: Daily Workouts, Today at the Gym

Today the guy I have talked about before for excessive phone usage at the gym was at it again, longer and harder than ever before.  In the roughly 35 minutes he was there I saw him complete exactly four sets.  Three of them were 135lb incline bench press and then 135 pounds on the flat bench for one set.  The rest of the time he was playing some sort of Candy Crush style game.

For those of you that may have forgotten this gentleman, he is not some millennial, most of which are hopelessly addicted to their smart phones.  This guy is a bald, dumpy looking middle aged man, probably around my age.  Somehow he has determined gyms are mostly about gaining a level or two in your phone game instead of putting in the work towards a healthy lifestyle.  Even though I have never spoken a word to this man in my life I already have determined I dislike him, a lot.

I guess it wasn’t a good idea to do lower body weight work yesterday on a knee that was already sore.  It’s all sorts of swollen and sore today.  Enough to give me an all day limp.  I’m dumb.

Today’s Workout

5 minutes cardio/stretching

20 pull ups

Cybex seated shoulder press – 115lbs x 10

Plate loaded lat pull down – 200lbs x 10

Cybex seated shoulder press – 135lbs x 10

Plate loaded lat pull down – 250lbs x 5

Cybex seated shoulder press – 145lbs x 8

Plate loaded lat pull down – 270lbs x 3

Seated dumbbell shoulder shrug – 65lbs x 10

One arm dumbbell row – 65lbs x 10

Seated dumbbell shoulder shrug – 75lbs x 10

One arm dumbbell row – 75lbs x 10

 

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Up is bad, down is good

Dec28
by Duf on December 28, 2016 at 6:36 pm
Posted In: Daily Workouts, Injuries

I am in one of those increasingly frequent time periods where I am just trying to find movements to do that don’t hurt too much.  Currently my left shoulder, right elbow, and right knee all are pretty painful depending on what I try to do with them.  I laid off tricep exercises that use the elbow as a fulcrum for something like 3 weeks, hoping it would feel better.  I tried overhead dumbbell tricep extensions today and stopped after the third rep as the pain in the right elbow was still there.  It was weird that later I tried tricep push downs and it didn’t feel bad.  Somehow the angle of the upper arm affects the severity of the elbow pain.

Today’s Workout

5 minutes cardio/stretching

Hack squat – 135lbs x 10

Seated bicep dumbbell curls – 25lbs x 12

Bench dips x 25

Hack squat – 185lbs x 8

Seated bicep dumbbell curls – 40lbs x 8

Bench dips x 25

Hack squat – 225lbs x 5

Seated bicep dumbbell curls – 50lbs x 4

Bench dips x 25

Seated leg extensions – 115lbs x 10

Seated leg curls – 115lbs x 10

Standing calf raise – 250lbs x 10

Standing cable machine bicep curl – 100lbs x 10

Standing cable tricep press down – 60lbs x 10

Seated leg extensions – 145lbs x 10

Seated leg curls – 145lbs x 8

Standing calf raise – 295lbs x 8

Standing cable machine bicep curl – 120lbs x 8

Standing cable tricep press down – 75lbs x 10

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Not what I hoped

Dec27
by Duf on December 27, 2016 at 6:15 pm
Posted In: Daily Workouts, Injuries

I had hoped to really have a solid chest pushing day session to help burn up the caloric surplus I took in over the Xmas weekend.  My bench press buddy is out of town so I went at it alone.  It quickly became evident that my left shoulder was not going to cooperate.  Don’t get me wrong, my shoulders always bother me to some degree when bench pressing but this was worse than what I accept as normal nowadays.  It was so bad that I tapped out of my final set at a measly 135 pounds after six reps, it hurt that much.

The funny thing is I finished my chest workout with three sets of push ups and felt absolutely no shoulder pain.  I think someone is trying to tell me something….

Today’s Workout

5 minutes cardio/stretching

Barbell bench press – 135lbs x 10, 185lbs x 5, 215lbs x 1, 220lbs x 1, 205lbs x 3, 185lbs x 7, 135lbs x 6

Pec dec – 115lbs x 10, 145lbs x 10, 175lbs x 8

Pushups x 25

Push ups x 25

Push ups x 25

 

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