Brofessor Arm Wrestling
Did some decent work today but I'm very distracted by other issues.
DB OHP
2 sets @ 40 lbs - 16, 15
Wrist Curl
2 sets @ 30 lbs - 15, 8 (need to rest more)
Reverse Grip Bench
Worked up to 135 x 11 and 185 x 3
Flypress
15 @25 lbs, 15 @30 lbs (some pain on the second one. sticking with Bench for awhile)
Reverse JM Press
3 sets @ BW - 12, 12, 12 (add a rep next time?)
Laterals
3 sets @ 7.5 lbs - 12, 12, 12
Session went well today overall. No real discomfort in my shoulder to speak of. I decided to change the order of the exercises to pre-fatigue for the Meadows Rows since they were hurting my shoulders when I was horsing the weight around to compensate for the strength curve. The green band is much better for facepulls than the red, I was actually challenged on the concentric the last few reps there. Since it's an isolation, I don't mind doing high reps. Meadows Rows went well. I was very very happy with the pullovers because 2 months ago those would have destroyed my left shoulder. Glad I can work up in weight on those. 45 lbs is my new weight for those.
Curls
5 sets @ 20 lbs - 12, 12, 12, 10, 9
Facepull
3 sets @ green band - 20, 20, 20
Meadows Row
3 sets @ 50 lbs. - 12, 12, 12
Pullover
4 sets - 15 @ 35 lbs, 15 @ 40 lbs, 15, 15 @45 lbs
Not a bad session. Still figuring things out, obviously. Finding situations in which my cardio is limiting me and dropping reps while upping weight. At the same time, I think, my lower bodyweight is helping my cardio capacity, but not much. The only real frustrating point here is the quad training. Regular squats, even with a high bar, is too much for my shoulders to handle. I saw a video on setting up a sissy squat with a tie down strap on the squat stand so I may try that soon if I'm not happy with my depth with the chain tighter on belt squats next time. Reminding myself it's all a process.
Calf Raise
2 sets @ BW - 30, 30
Wrist Curl
3 sets - 21 @ 17.5 lbs, 20 @ 22.5 lbs, 16 @ 30 lbs (new training weight = 30, new rep range = 16-18)
Belt Squat
3 sets @ 3p+25 - 15, 15, 15 (shortened chain for next legs session)
RDL
3 sets - 15 @ 135 lbs, 15 @ 135 lbs, 10 @ 185 lbs (new weight = 185, new rep range = 10-12)
Still feeling out my chest work here. I'm just not sure what to do. It's clear from my massage and stretching that my left pec major is the root cause of the issues I'm having, so I guess it would make sense to really pay attention to pain in my shoulder when I'm doing pec stuff. I really like doing the flyes and flypresses but they do seem to put more pressure on my shoulder. I think what I'll do for my next push workout is use the grips I normally use for pull movements and do an actual reverse grip (rather than the talon grip which is uncomfortable) on the bench and see how high I can work up in weight doing maybe sets of 10 or 12. I think this will be easier on my shoulders than the flypresses and will still get me some decent chest stimulus. As for laterals, I stood up against the wall this time and it seemed to help me with my technique.
DB OHP
Right upper back has been feeling really sore when I've been sitting. I'm realizing the pain in my left triceps at the elbow is also posture-related so I really just need to work on it and stand up or walk as much as is practical. Lateral raises felt good and I really focused on technique breakdown with those and the meadows rows. I was definitely putting a bunch of body english in with the rows last time, so cleaning that up is going to prevent me from putting too much stress on my upper back/shoulder while it's still recovering. My right hip is sore as I write this, so apparently I'm using some low back on the laterals. Maybe I'll try standing against the wall next time to prevent hitching.
Curls
5 sets @ 20 lbs - 12, 12, 12, 12, 12
Meadows Rows
3 sets @ 50 lbs - 15, 12, 10
Pullovers
4 sets @ 40 lbs - 15, 15, 15, 15
Laterals
3 sets @ 10 lbs - 12, 10, 10
Session time: 1:24
Took a long time to figure out the best belt squat setup. I think I'm going to stick with 3 sets on belt squats at least for now. I'm happy with my leg size for now, at least until I get some substantial amount of fat off so I can see them better and get a more "accurate" measurement. Plus, it just takes so long to do. Shoulder felt fine today, so that's good.
SUPER SET
-Calf Raise
--3 sets @ BW - 30, 28, 28
-Wrist Curl
--2 sets @ 17.5 lbs - 20, 20
Belt Squat
3 sets @ 3 plates - 15, 15, 15 (probably move up in weight next week, won't be as tired next time)
RDL
3 sets @ 135 lbs - 15, 15, 15 (no pauses this time, calf raises and squats are fatiguing me ahead of these)
Session time: 48 minutes
Threw laterals in with the push day since my last pull day took a lot more time. I'm also only doing one lift for the chest now. Still trying to find what works. I'm going to work up heavier on rev. grip bench next time to see if that is viable. The flypress really packed some soreness into my chest but it was pretty hard on my shoulders at least during the day yesterday. I do feel better today, but I want to also play around with bent arms on the band flyes with the low setup to see if that is better on my shoulders while still working my chest effectively. This whole feeling-things-out phase is a mental challenge but I'm trying to enjoy it. The punished bodybuilder arc!
DB OHP
2 sets @ 40 lbs - 16, 12
Flypress
4 sets @ 35 lbs - 15, 12, 12, 12
Rev. JM Press
3 sets @ BW - 12, 12, 12
Wrist Curl
2 sets @ 15 lbs - 20, 18 (incr. weight to 17.5)
Laterals
4 sets @ 10 lbs - 12, 12, 10, 8 (dropping to 3 sets next time, too hard on shoulder)
Session time: 1 hour 5 minutes
Felt great today. Lots of sweat and arm pump. Felt the pullovers in my lats this time with a little form tweak from Atlas Power Shrugged. Abs are tired from 4 sets of those too. Tried the Meadows Row today and not sure what to think of it. I need to watch more videos because I'm concerned about my ability to load it. I had 25s on the bar (landmine set up) and it seemed like it was about to touch the floor at the bottom. I'm concerned that 20 reps are gassing me rather than giving me max muscle stimulation, but I'm a little concerned about loading it too heavy. I'll plan to add weight and drop reps slowly til I get to something like 10-12 range.
Meadow's Row
3 sets @ 50 lbs - 20, 20, 20
Laterals
4 sets @ 15 lbs - 12, 12, 10, 10
Pullover
4 sets @ 35 lbs - 15, 15, 15, 15 (need to add weight to these)
Face Pull
2 sets @ red band - 20, 20 (need to add reps)
Curls
5 sets @ 20 lbs - 12, 12, 10, 10, 10
Time: 1:07
Was concerned my cardio was my limiting factor on squats, so I tried working up. I was still able to get 12 reps with 205 at the end, so I'm concerned I'm "too strong" for squats to make sense in my program anymore. It irritates my hip flexor and my shoulder/neck issues and fights with my lower back since I round a lot at the bottom of deep squats. For my next leg day I'm going to do belt squats standing on the bumpers. At some point this might justify buying a pendulum squat machine. I wasn't able to get as much done on RDLs I think in part because of working up on the squats, so I'm going to keep the rep goals the same for next time when I replace squat with belt squat. Then again, I'm fine with keeping glutes/hams on the back burner and focusing on quads.
Calf Raise
3 sets @ BW - 20, 30, 31 (change rep goal to 30-32)
Wrist Curl
2 sets @ 15 lbs - 20, 20 (too easy, more weight next time)
Squat
3 sets - 105 lbs x 20, 185 lbs x 14, 205 lbs x 12
RDL
3 sets @ 135 lbs - 15, 12, 12
Session time: 35 minutes
Shoulder felt okay, but not great. Still playing around with where I end up on my flyes to keep it from hurting but I was able to finish all reps this time. I credit that in part to my new elbow sleeves on the JM press. Legs on Sunday tomorrow.
DB OHP
2 sets @ 30 lbs - 20, 20
RG Bench Press
3 sets @ 80 lbs - 20, 18, 20
Band Flyes
3 sets @ red band - 12, 12, 12
Rev. JM Press
3 sets @ BW - 12, 12, 12 (a bit lower this time)
Wrist Curl
2 sets @ 15 lbs - 20, 20
Felt decent today, which makes sense, given that I had yesterday off. It was off except that I spent 6 hours standing over a fry vat making fair food. This morning my low back was fried to shit.
Left shoulder and triceps limited me on a couple of exercises but I'm going to keep pushing week on week to get to the goal # of sets.
DB Row
3 sets @ 40 lbs - 20, 20, 18
Laterals
4 sets @ 10 lbs - 12, 12, 12, 10 (cup pouring style)
Pullover
4 sets @ 35 lbs - 15, 15, 15 (left triceps at the elbow felt weird so I quit)
Face Pull
2 sets @ red band - 20, 20
Curls
5 sets @ 20 lbs - 12, 12, 10 (left shoulder tweaked on last rep)
Shoulder didn't feel great today but the pain wasn't really bad. Had to use ropes on the squats to keep the shoulders happy but not a huge deal. The whole hip hinge thing finally clicked for Dominic and he was pretty excited. It made my day. He did a good job squatting to parallel. Putting calves at the end makes it tough to do more than 2 sets and I couldn't do more than 3 sets on forearms. Better than never doing them at all, which is 100% of my training history. Used my new knee sleeves on squat and my knees feel better than usual. We'll see how it goes when the soreness hits tomorrow. Almost certainly taking tomorrow off unless my shoulder feels literally 100% by training time.
Squat
4 sets @ 105 lbs. - 15, (sleeves on) 15, 18, 18
RDL
3 sets @ 135 - 15 each (more rest between sets this time, so I got more reps total than last week)
Calf Raise
2 sets @ BW - 20 each
Forearm Curls
20 x 10 lbs, 15 x 25 lbs, 15 x 25 lbs
Next time I'm going to stick with 15 lbs and try to get 20 for 3 working sets plus the warmup
Shoulder was a little sore and annoying early on in the session. I think this is mostly because I didn't sleep on it right last night. Felt good about halfway thru the session, so I'm going to just keep up what I've been doing and hope it gets even better. I did a few reps of band flyes the normal way with my hands out to the side, but with the bands set up low, and was able to do that. I'll call that a progression. Tried the talon grip on the reverse grip barbell bench and it seemed to work well. Band pullovers were kinda tough to set up but I definitely could feel my chest working since I had my palms facing each other.
DB Overhead Press
2 sets of 20 @ 30 lbs
Reverse Grip Bench
3 sets @ 80 lbs bar weight - 15, 18, 18
Band Pullover
2 sets of 20 @ red band
Band Flyes
3 sets of 12 @ red band
Reverse JM Press
3 sets @ bodyweight - 12, 12, 7 (right triceps started to hurt intensely so I stopped)
Shoulder is still wonky but I can do all this just fine with minimal symptoms. Neck traction still seems to be helping me generally but I'm hoping full recovery on the shoulder is going to happen soon.
On pullovers, I tried the supposed "chest version" on the second set and I could def feel it in my chest. Going to do that version on push day.
DB Rows
3 sets @ 40 lbs - 20, 16, 12 reps
Laterals
4 sets @ 15 lbs - 10, 8, 7, 6 reps
Pullovers
2 sets @ 35 lbs - 15, 12 reps
Face Pull
2 sets @ red band - 20, 18 reps
Curls
3 sets @ 20 lbs - 12, 10, 7
Tried out some stuff I haven't been able to do without pain the past couple months. Overall it went well, but reverse grip bench is fuckin weird.
DB Reverse Grip Bench Press
15, 25, 35, 40, 40, 40 lbs. x 12
DB Pullover
15, 30, 35, 35, 35 lbs. x 15
DB Lateral Raises
15 lbs. x 12, 10, 6
Everything moved fine today except the upright rows felt a bit weird, so I only did half the sets. I'll try lateral raises next time. Slowly moving weight upward.
Superset:
DB OHP 20, 14, 7, 10 reps @ 30 lbs (last set had more rest)
BW JM Press 4 sets of 12 @ bodyweight
Upright Row
2 sets of 12 @ 50 lbs
DB Row
4 sets of 15 @ 40 lbs
Felt really good today going in but my left shoulder/neck is feeling a little sore. I think the culprit is the ab roller. Gonna put that off a week and see if I can do it again when I heal up more. Warmed up with jumping jacks.
Hip Circle
2 sets of 6
RDL (paused)
45x12, 95x8, 135x 20, 15, 15, 10
Squat (high bar)
3 x 15 @ 100 lbs
Calf Raise
3 x 20
Ab Roller
2 x 10
Skipped the DB rows due to tingling/numbness in the left rhomboid. Did some neck traction the other day which seems to help my shoulder in general so I'll be doing that more often. Doc gave me a rhomboid stretch to try, so I'll be doing that as well.
Landmine Rows
45 lbs - 30, 20, 20, 20
Face Pulls
red band - 12, 20, 20
Curls
15 @ 12.5, 12 @ 20, 12 @ 20
Felt a little tight this morning but otherwise relatively good. Stretches felt good and, after set 2, my shoulders felt warm and, dare I say it, normal.
DB Rows
5 sets of 25 @ 20 lbs
One-Arm Preacher Curls
2 set of 15 @ 15 lbs
Face Pulls
3 sets of 25 @ orange band
Tried doing pullovers with 7.5 lbs but I felt some tweaking pain in my left shoulder so I didn't do any more.
Shoulder is feeling much better today in general. Stretches felt good before. Got a great sweat going since I wore a hoodie. Going to continue that. Felt a little pressure on set 2 of the DB flyes (which I haven't been able to do at all) so I shut that down early. Probably need to stick with bands for another couple weeks on that, but it's good to feel it out. Felt the D-handle rows in my chest. Not sure if that's normal.
DB OHP
3 x 12 @ 25s
BW JM Press
20, 20, 20 (toes behind the line, bar above the green tape)
DB Flyes
18, 12 @ 10s (stopped due to pain)
D-Handle Row
22, 22, 22 @ 25 lbs (fast on the first couple, then slow on the last one)
Couldn't do DB bench press due to "grinding" in my shoulder and some pain there too. Found a new nerve floss stretch to address the numbness and nerve issues in my left shoulder. Got some instant relief earlier in the day but had to do the stretch several times while lifting. Also tried to OHP the bar and the grinding showed up again.
Band Flyes
3 sets to pain
Single Arm DB Row
up to 30s for 2 sets slow
Band Triceps Pushdown (red)
1 set to 15, 2 sets to failure
Added some banded rhomboid stretches to the existing shoulder rehab protocol. Made my shoulder feel much better during the day and I think it helped me get thru this workout with minimal symptoms. Tomorrow is Independence Day so I may not get any work in, but the next workout on the "schedule" is legs.
Superset - 3 Rounds
*Band Chest Flys
*DB Curls
Head-Supported DB Row
3 sets
Tri Extensions
3 sets
Saw my PT for the first time today. Basically gave me the same stretches I've been doing (lats, long head of tris, and chest). He also gave me a couple of exercises to do with therabands. Ruled out rotator cuff issues. Told me to train light and don't do things that aggravate the injury. Not sure I'll be able to completely comply with that because there's really nothing to do for my chest and shoulders without doing something that gives at least a little soreness after the workout. I paused my work with Scott Tulley so I can focus on BB stuff for now and get my strength back later. PT said he's hopeful we should be out of the woods within 8 weeks, but he also wants to see me 2 times per week which seems like a lot. Also we got some Bowflex adjustable dumbbells over the weekend and it's been great using them. The kids really enjoy participating.
All sets slow eccentric, pausing in the stretch when possible.
DB Flyes
3 sets with puny weight
DB Skull Crushers
4 sets with puny weight
Head Supported DB Rows
4 sets up to 25 lbs
Band Lat Pulldown
1 set with orange, 2 sets with red
Maybe a breakthrough on my left lat. I think it and my left long triceps head just need to be stretched a lot. Feeling better already. Still some tingling in my left scap area after RDL and some very quiet grinding in my left shoulder joint. Also some pain in my left forearm (brachioradialis) with hammer curls. Not doing those again! Everything was slow, controlled, strict form, and with a pause on the RDLs. Lost grip on last set of RDL, so I need to use the grips next time.
DB OHP
up to 2 x 10 @ 20lbs
RDL
95 x 30, 95 x 20, 95 x 12
DB Hammer Curl
20lbs x 30
DB Curl
20lbs x 15, 20lbs x 8
Over the past week I've been on "vacation" and wanted to get some light work in to get blood flowing. I start Monday with Scott's program and I'm hoping my neck/shoulder can handle the work. I also see a PT Monday morning. Lots of pain and numbness in general in the area and I'm really hoping he can help me get this behind me.
Belt Squat
up to 3 plates for 30
Dumbbell Bench Press
3 sets
High Bar Inverted Row
3 x 10
Been working on my shoulder a lot. Went to doc but didn't get much help. Might go for an "adjustment" after the vacation trip if things aren't progressing. I've been doing lat stretches along with various internal and external rotation exercises with bands. Left shoulder started giving me very small signals of pain today so I took it very very easy. Tomorrow or Saturday will be belt squats just to get some kind of work in and maintain muscle.
Deadlift
135x8, 3 x 5 @ 195
Decided to add a 5th day to the week. Tomorrow I will attempt to OHP with Lana. The following is intended to be 5 working sets of 15. I plan to progress this by adding weight each week.
Bent Row (Landmine, D-handle)
sets of 15 @ 25, 50, 60, 70, 70, 70
Upright Row
bar x 4 x 12
Band Triceps Extensions
3 x 15 @ red mini band
Finally got back into bench press. It was week 1 of 5/3/1 so the weights were fairly light. On the other hand, I'm using a close grip (pinkies on the rings) meaning that the weights are harder... I think. This is the grip I plan to go with because I want to take care of my shoulder. I may end up going wider when I get strong enough to hit my 400 lbs goal. My shoulder made a lot of noise, but I got through it without any real pain and I'm still doing rehab and massage.
Bench Press
145 & 165 x 5, then 195 x 10, then 195, 205, 215 x 5
That's it. No assistance because I didn't want to put more pressure on my shoulder joint.
We've been going to the neighbor's pool each morning this week so I'm counting that as my GPP even though I probably shouldn't. My shoulders are both bothering me and interrupting my sleep but I think I'm making progress. My right biceps tendon was really flaring up yesterday, so I think I'm going to cut out the curls and just stick to rows. My left lat is feeling shitty but I think part of that was the band pulldowns I did last night just goofing around. Hopefully when my left shoulder is working properly, my left lat will too.
Today's belt squat was fun and I'm not feeling any hip/psoas major tightness. I'm concerned about my ability to load it more but I think by the time I'm really concerned about that, I'll end up buying the FringeSport thing.
All that said, I'm very excited about Friday as it'll be the first day I'm programming a row variation seriously in my life. I think it's a better choice for me than OHP because I think it's better for my shoulder health.
Belt Squat
3x10 @ 1 plate, 2 plates, 3 plates
1x20 @ 3 plates
And that's it. Today was a test to see how my psoas responds. If I'm pain free the next couple days, next week I will add sissy squats or split squats.
No walk today. Feeling sick. Worked a LOT on my TOS today. Lana gave me some massages to help work it out so I could stretch effectively. I think the reality is that I'm going to be doing a lot of rehab and flexibility work. I think I'm going to mess with my deadlift assistance work to something else and make some kind of rows as my primary exercise on this day. Thanks to the work on my TOS today, I was able to do some upright rows without pain, so I think that might be part of my deadlift assistance work. If my TOS stays under control, I will probably plug the landmine rows into 5/3/1 at some point, maybe in July unless my coach gives me something.
Landmine rows with rope
3x15@25, 1x18@25
Barbell curls
3x12@45, 1x18@45
35 minute walk, then straight into dynamic stretch and lifting
Deadlift
5 reps @135, 205, 240 then 270x11
Nothing else because barbell rows were hurting. More about that below. On deadlift, I lost my grip and had to regrip. 20 year old me would be pissed, but I'm planning to get a grip aid so I can really crank out reps. I'm not competing anymore and there's no reason to use a mixed grip and mess with my biceps. My thoracic outlet syndrome is rearing its ugly head on my left side, so I'm doing everything I can to correct it and hopefully be able to bench without a bunch of pain. Might look into getting my standup desk fixed at work so I can stand more. Easier to hold good posture that way.
Oh yeah, and this is my first 5/3/1 session. 270x11 was pretty good I think.
CHEST AND TRIS BRO CHEST AND TRIS
Lateral Raises
4 sets
Flyes
4 sets
Hammer Curls
4 sets
Triceps Extensions
2 sets
All done with 12 to 20 reps using 10 lbs plate and rope "dumbbells." Controlled eccentric. Fuckin smoked me.
Tuesday
Walk around the schools
Squat
up to 2x3@275, 1x5@275
Plate row
3x12@45
Weight is down 1.5 lbs today. Shoulders/chest a little sore.
