Old faces familiar places

Oct01
by Duf on October 1, 2015 at 5:45 pm
Posted In: Daily Workouts

s[1]It’s been really nice seeing old familiar faces start showing up again at Retro as word of mouth starts to work it’s magic.  Today was a bittersweet example where I saw a woman I used to talk to pretty regularly.  She told me her son, whom also used to work out at Retro, passed away suddenly in January which of course was very shocking.  After offering my condolences repeatedly I moved on with my workout with thoughts of how hard it had to be for her in the back of my mind.

Today I got to do expanded versions of my shoulder and back routines.  I am really liking being able to concentrate more on resistance exercise with equipment that gives me the ability to push my limits more if I feel up to it.

Today’s Workout

5 minutes cardio/stretching

30 second wall hand stand

Belly to wall handstand push ups x 5

Seated low row 100lbs x 10

Belly to wall handstand push ups x 5

Seated low row 130lbs x 10

Belly to wall handstand push ups x 5

Seated low row 150lbs x 6

Standing dumbbell straight arm raise alternating front/side – 20lb x 12

Australian pull ups pronated grip x 10

Standing dumbbell straight arm raise alternating front/side – 20lb x 12

Australian pull ups pronated narrow grip x 10

Standing dumbbell straight arm raise alternating front/side – 20lb x 12

Australian pull ups supinated grip x 10

Standing behind the back barbell shrug – 225lbs x 8

Lat pull down – 100lbs x 10

Standing front barbell shrug – 225lbs x 8

Lat pull down – 130lbs x 10

 

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Getting “Fat”

Sep30
by Duf on September 30, 2015 at 5:39 pm
Posted In: Daily Workouts

bullet-points-bg[1]The last time I used my Fat Gripz was when I still went to Royal Fitness, close to a year and a half ago.  I used them today for arms day which is now replacing the Wednesday brick I had been doing for awhile.  Sure it’s nice to get that extra cardio in but from a strength/aesthetics viewpoint I would rather get more resistance training in.

My arm work has really suffered since trying to cram shoulders/bi’s/tri’s/back into one day with my old schedule.   I can tell the difference in how my arms look from getting significantly less reps per week..

It also makes a difference having dumbbells that go up to 120lbs (75 at PF) and barbells that scale to 110lbs (60lbs at PF).  My arms were confused when I asked them to curl an 80 pound bar.  Adding the Fat Gripz into the equation puts more shock value into the workout.  I tried to work at a relatively quick pace, supersetting between biceps and tricep movements to keep some element of cardio to the workout.

I also did some weighted dips, all the way up to 80 lbs for one rep.  I am trying to build a gradual ramp back towards my 2011-2012 fitness levels.

Today’s Workout

5 minutes cardio/stretching

20 pull ups

Seated Fat Gripz dumbell curls – 25lbs x 10

Bodyweight dips x 20

Seated Fat Gripz dumbell curls – 40lbs x

Bodyweight dips + 40lbs x 8

Seated Fat Gripz dumbell curls – 50lbs x 2

Bodyweight dips + 60lbs x 5

Standing Fat Gripz barbell curl – 60lbs x 10

Bodyweight dips + 80lbs x 1

Standing Fat Gripz barbell curl – 70lbs x 8

Bodyweight dips x 20

Standing Fat Gripz barbell curl – 80lbs x 5

Bodyweight tricep extensions x 8

Seated behind the head concentration curl on lat pull down cable – 30lbs x 12

Bodyweight tricep extensions x 8

Seated behind the head concentration curl on lat pull down cable – 40lbs x 10

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Felt different

Sep29
by Duf on September 29, 2015 at 5:29 pm
Posted In: Daily Workouts

squat-form[1]Another advantage of returning to RetroFitness is I once again have access to a squat rack and a place to do dead lifting.  I have not done barbell squatting in around 9 months since my only option at PF was the smith machine.

I was quite surprised how uncomfortable squatting 135 pounds felt.  The first few reps were especially bad where I had that weird pain/weakness on my right side, similar to what I experienced the last couple weeks at PF.  It was uncomfortable enough that I almost quit at rep 5 on set 1.  Things felt a little better as I repped but I kept the weight the same for all three sets.  I am hoping whatever weirdness that I am feeling goes away with more regular squatting.

I also jumped back in to dead lifts.  My overhand grip felt very weak. I did three pulls at 275 and stopped because it felt like I would drop it.  When I jumped up for a single rep at 325lbs I used mixed grip and the weight felt pretty decent because my grip felt secure.  Obviously I have a long way to go until my squat and dead lift approach more respectable numbers.

Today’s Workout

5 minutes cardio/stretching

20 pull ups

Barbell squat – 135lbs x 10, 135lbs x 10, 135lbs x 10

Barbell dead lift – 225lbs x 10, 275lbs x 3, 325lbs x 1

Seated leg extension – 100lbs x 12, 130lbs x 10

Prone leg curl – 90lbs x 10, 130lbs x 5

Standing calf extension – 205lbs x 10. 265lbs x 8

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First push

Sep28
by Duf on September 28, 2015 at 5:45 pm
Posted In: Daily Workouts

11410255_476700209156629_621899343_n[1]So today was my first bench pressing session at the newly reopened RetroFitness.    My bench buddy showed up to push along with me.  The first thing I noticed was the olympic bar felt noticeably thicker than what I have been accustomed to pushing at Planet Fitness for the last 8-9 months.  It wasn’t a bad thing.

One thing that was bad was the volume of the music in the free weight area, a complaint that I had repeatedly with the gym in the past was a member.  When they have the volume up front at an acceptable level it translates into conversation drowning decibels in the rest of the gym. We practically had to yell to hear each other even when standing a few feet apart.  They have to get a handle on that quickly as it will quickly accelerate on my annoyance meter since it was a problem before.

I felt weak overall on the bench and my left shoulder still is giving me shots of pain if I hit the wrong combination of angles.  I barely got 235 pounds off my chest and my reps at lower weight numbers were below average.

I did some dumbbell pull overs afterward and they hurt my abs like crazy since they are still torn up from Friday’s dragon flags. The ab pain kept the amount of weight I was using down.

Today’s Workout

5 minutes cardio/stretching

Barbell bench press – 135lbs x 10, 185lbs x 5, 225lbs x 1, 235lbs x 1, 225lbs x 2, 205lbs x 4, 185lbs x 8, 185lbs x 6, 185lbs x 5, 135lbs x 10 (dead stops)

Dumbbell pull overs – 55lbs x 10, 55lbs x 10, 55lbs x 10

 

 

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Like an old pair of sneakers

Sep25
by Duf on September 25, 2015 at 5:31 pm
Posted In: Daily Workouts

__7012233[1]So I rejoined RetroFitness last night and wasted no time, heading there today for my lunch workout.  I loved that at most there were six other people there although I don’t expect that to be the case for long since they have only done an unannounced “soft opening” with no public ad dollars being spent.

Going back to Retro felt slipping on a pair of old sneakers, it was just comfortable.  I had a productive core session and felt good about my decision to flip back.  As I left I was introduced to the owner who seemed like a nice guy.  I thanked him for resurrecting the gym and told him I would spread the word.

Today’s Workout

5 minutes cardio/stretching

20 hanging knee raises

Dragon flags x 5

Standing one arm weighted side crunches – 60lbs x 10 (both sides)

Dragon flags x 5

Standing one arm weighted side crunches – 65lbs x 10 (both sides)

Dragon flags x 5

Standing one arm weighted side crunches – 70lbs x 10 (both sides)

50 push ups

Hanging straight leg raises x 8

Standing straight arm torso rotations x 20

Hanging leg curl raises x 10

Standing straight arm torso rotations x 20

Hanging knee raises x 30

Standing dowel torso rotations x 20

Prone lower body extension hold x 30 seconds x 3 sets

Static skin the cat hold – 30 secs

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