All push

Jun08
by Duf on June 8, 2015 at 5:48 pm
Posted In: Daily Workouts, Injuries

maxresdefault[1]My bench press buddy was at the gym today so that was all we did for 40 minutes.  I didn’t feel as strong as I’d like, my left shoulder felt on the border of troublesome.  Still, my numbers weren’t bad and throwing a set of 25 push ups at the tail end after burning out all my pushing reserves on the bench was a nice “buyout”.

Today’s Workout

5 minutes cardio/stretching

Barbell bench press – 135lbs x 10, 185lbs x 5, 225lbs x 2, 235lbs x 1, 225lbs x 2, 205lbs x 6, 205lbs x 5, 185lbs x 9, 185lbs x 5, 185lbs x 6, 135lbs x 12

25 push ups

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Limping through it, +5

Jun05
by Duf on June 5, 2015 at 6:15 pm
Posted In: Daily Workouts

index222So today I again limped through my sets at the gym. still suffering from pretty acute IT band/knee pain.  It sort of sucks.  I tried to counteract the negative way I was feeling about my current state of wellness by pushing rep numbers in a couple movements.

I opened up up with a set of 55 push ups.  I haven’t done more than 50 push ups in a single set for at least a couple years, maybe more.  Hell the last time may have been when I grinded out a 75 rep set in 2013.  I also upped my hanging knee raise sets from 20 reps to 25 reps each.  It’s very easy to stay at a certain level with your reps for a movement if you aren’t thinking about it.  If you want to get bigger, better, stronger you have to keep pushing upward, one rep at a time.

Today’s Workout

5 minutes cardio/stretching

55 push ups

25 hanging knee raises

10 ab wheel nose to floor roll outs (on knees)

Cybex abdominal stiff arm machine – 110lbs x 10, 130lbs x 10, 150lbs x 8

25 hanging knee raises

Roman chair back extension – 15reps x 3 sets

25 hanging knee raises

10 ab wheel nose to floor roll outs (on knees)

 

 

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Lousy leg

Jun04
by Duf on June 4, 2015 at 5:33 pm
Posted In: Daily Workouts, Injuries, Today at the Gym

shoulder-press[1]Well I paid the price for stupidly running yesterday when my IT band was already irritated.  I have been limping around to varying degrees ever since.  I need to do daily rolling of my lower body to try to kick this, no matter how painful the rolling process is. My workout today definitely felt like it had a dull edge from the painful jolt every step sent down my right side.

I was able to distract myself from some of the discomfort watching some real bad form around the gym.  One young, short guy used massive momentum in every single tricep pushdown and bicep curl rep he did.  His pushdowns would start at his forehead before he violently yanked down, using the velocity to reach the lower locked out position.    He also had a rather funny habit of admiring the physique his momentum assisted reps have built in the mirror in between nearly every set.

There was another guy that was doing seated overhead dumbbell shoulder presses.  His range of motion for the movement went down to the top of his head and then back up.  He was probably 5’6″ or shorter so you can imagine how short the stroke was.

Finally there was an older guy that was bench pressing and incline bench pressing.  At first I couldn’t really see him, I just saw the weights moving.  He did 245 for 2 reps which is decent strength but then I got to watch how they were completed.  The man had a very substantial belly that hung out the bottom of his gym shirt.  When he would do his reps he used his inflated core as a springboard for the olympic bar, bouncing the weight severely for every single rep.

It was so bad that for a brief moment the bar would disappear from view as it was enveloped by flesh at the bouncing bottom of the reps.  Doing reps in that manner may help build a false sense of accomplishment which is harmless but I’m not so sure the same can be said of the repeated impact of 240 pounds across your sternum.

Today’s Workout

5 minutes cardio/stretching

60 second wall handstand

20 pull ups

Seated overhead tricep extension – 50lbs x 12, 60lbs x 10, 70lbs x 8

10 pull ups

Standing overhead dumbbell shoulder press – 40lbs x 10, 50lbs x 8, 60lbs x 3

10 pull ups

Standing cable machine curl – 100lbs x 10

Standing cable machine tri push down – 80lbs x 12

Standing cable machine curl – 110lbs x 8

Standing cable machine tri push down – 100lbs x 10

Standing cable machine curl – 130lbs x 4

Standing cable machine tri push down – 140lbs x 4

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Limp to the run

Jun03
by Duf on June 3, 2015 at 5:55 pm
Posted In: Daily Workouts, Endurance activities

Running%20man%20infographic%20CSS[1]So despite nursing a small limp walking into the office from the parking lot this morning I decided that my brick at the gym would include 20 minutes on the treadmill.  My hope is if I just keep running, even running poorly, eventually whatever in my knee/leg that has been causing me issues will smooth themselves out.  I know it isn’t a great plan.

At this point it feels like most of my issues are IT band related on my right side.  Quite often I can feel tightness on the outside of my right leg that starts around the hip and ends just below the knee which is textbook IT band.  If I can make myself roll it out on my sports roller on a regular basis it would help things I am sure.  My problem is I don’t do it enough, probably because it is extremely painful to do.

Even with my bad wheel, the 20 minutes on the treadmill felt slightly better than the session two weeks ago but nowhere near comfortable.  I decided to double up my suffering by adding 10 minutes of rowing after the run.  I was sucking major wind by the end of it.

Today’s Workout

Run/Row Brick

20 minutes treadmill running – 2.16 miles covered

10 minutes rowing – 2195 meters covered

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Sled instead of squat

Jun02
by Duf on June 2, 2015 at 5:47 pm
Posted In: Daily Workouts

45-leg-press[1]I decided to swap out smith machine squatting for leg press this week.  I got as high a 5 plates plus a 25lbs on each side (roughly 545 total).  The two reps I squeezed out at that weight felt like they were going to make my head pop off.  I guess that is good.

Today’s Workout

5 minutes cardio/stretching

Leg press sled – 225lbs x 10, 315lbs x 10, 405lbs x 8, 495lbs x 5, 545lbs x 2

Seated leg extension with 1 sec pause at top – 90lbs x 10, 110lbs x 10, 170lbs x 5

Seated leg curl – 100lbs x 10, 120lbs x 10, 140lbs x 8

One leg calf raises + 45 lbs x 10 x 3 sets

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