SociallyChallenged Workout Journal

[SociallyChallenged]

Today's Workout:

Back Squat
10x45
8x135
5x185
5x215
3x5x245

DB Pushups (for depth)
8xBW+45 (plate too big)
2x8xBW+35

Pullups
5xBW
5xBW+25
5xBW+35
5xBW+45
3x5xBW+50

Shoulder Rehab (later today)

Weight: 154.0

245 was physically challenging, but if I took anything from the sets of 10 in the cyclic program, it was mental toughness. I could have done 250, but since I'm already getting 15 pounds a week on the squat, I need to work up to things at a constant rate and pay attention to recovery. I don't need hip tendonitis again.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Today's Workout:

Rowing
2km - 9:17
3-4min rest
2km - 9:37

I was going to run, but since it was raining, all the cardio rats came inside. It's no biggie though since I didn't have to wait for the erg. I was challenged, but not dying. It was pretty hard for LSS cardio though.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Tuesday 4/13/10 Workout

Deadlift
10x45
10x135
5x185
5x225
3x5x255 (felt off)

T-Bar Rows
10x45
8x90
5x135
3x5x145

Handstands and HSPU
3x30s holds, finishing with 3 HSPU after each set.

Tuesday was a funky day. I was stressed out about my new job and trying to organize my resources. Deadlifts felt way off for some reason. I had noticeable weakness, but not tightness, in my right gluteus medius/minimus. It was really, really uncomfortable and I couldn't drive from the sumo stance. I'm thinking of integrating DL's into each and every week (maybe sometimes twice a week for just a set or two like SL's). I need to stop enabling myself to be bad at deadlifts. If I have to, I'm just going to up the volume at lighter weights until I can get somewhere.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Wednesday 4/14/10 Workout

Run: 30min

My girlfriend wanted to run, but not by herself. I was going to do intervals but decided to go with her. We ate before we ran and she got a stomach ache and had to walk/run. I ran the whole time, but clearly I was just bouncing around at walking pace.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Today's Workout:

Back Squat
10x45
8x135
5x185
5x225
2x5x250

Dips
10xBW
5xBW+25
5xBW+35
3x5xBW+45

Pullups
5xBW
5xBW+25
5xBW+37.5
3x5xBW+45

Weight: 157.6

I used the dip belt today so it shifted the way I could do dips and pullups. It seems I must've been cheating somehow before since I did BW+50 last week for pullups. It was a pretty good day. Squats weren't too hard and it was nice to do some chest/tricep stuff that didn't bother my shoulder. I'm heavy today from high sodium/carb intake last night. We made burritos and they were carbier and saltier than I would've liked. I'm also supplementing with creatine now so I'm gaining some extra water weight.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Yesterday's Workout:

Run 25min, moderate intensity.

My back got really tight and I had trouble running continuously because of it. I had to stop three times for ~1 minute to stretch it out and flush new blood into it. I really must not be used to the upright posture while running anymore.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Today's Workout

Back Squat
10x45
6x135
5x185
5x225
3x5x255

T-Bar Rows
10x45
8x90
5x135
3x5x150

Shoulder Rehab

Handstands and HSPU
Did handstands for max comfortable time with optimal tightness.
HSPU: 3x4xBW

I really like T-Bar rows since I can maintain good form while really hitting my rhomboids. I have trouble hitting these with normal DB rows and BB rows so I'm glad I stole this from Deeko's journal. Squats were a bit more challenging than I would have liked, but that's what I get for only squatting once last week.

 

[Deeko]

:thumbsup: T-bars definitely hit the mid back differently than other rows. I've been avoiding them a little bit lately - they're how I hurt myself (by doing them improperly, my own fault) last fall, plus my BB row is generally weak so I've been focusing more there. Definitely a good exercise though.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Hm, so the day after my last lifting session, I had notable swelling on the medial aspect of my left knee. It wasn't swollen inside the knee, but at the tendon-muscle junction of the vastus medialis. I have no idea what happened, as I didn't feel any pain the last lifting session at all. I took the last lifting day off and did some active recovery through light biking. I'm not quite sure what to make of it, but I've been eating healthily (not bulking) to reduce the inflammation, taking fish oil, and taking ibuprofen at night. I was going to lift today, but it's a bit sore today after my 4-mile run last night. I'll take today off and maybe do some stiff leg DLs tomorrow and upper body stuff.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Ran 5 miles today.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Today's Workout:

Rowing
1000m warmup
500m: 1:43
500m: 2:00
500m: 1:53

I rested 4 minutes in between sets. I wanted to do 4-6 rounds, but had to leave early due to class. I'm scheduled to be a subject for a VO2max test next week on a bicycle ergometer. I wanna get some good HIIT in before next week to see if I can hit 50ml/kg/min.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Today's Workout:

Back Squat
10x45
8x135
5x185
5x225
5x255
2x5x260

Chinups
2x6xBW
5xBW+27.5
5xBW+37.5
5xBW+45
2x5xBW+50
3xBW+50 (failed 5 rep set)
Dips
8xBW
5xBW+25
5xBW+35
2x5xBW+45

I anticipate that the infrequent weight training is responsible for my lack of upper body strength today. I was glad to move up in squats, but didn't expect it. I'm gonna work out again today to help prep myself for the VO2max test.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Yesterday's Second Workout:

Cycling
5min at 85rpm (10 resistance)
5min at 85rpm (12 resistance)
5min at 85rpm (15 resistance)
5min at 90ish rpm (10 resistance)
The rest of the time entailed doing one-legged 30s intervals with 1 min rest (after a set for both legs). I have less drive with my left leg so I wanted to work on that while pushing the pace. I want my quads to adapt ASAP so I don't fail the VO2max from local muscle fatigue, rather than actual VO2max.

Total: 35 min

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Today's Workout:

5min @ 3.0mph
5min @ 6.0mph
10min @ 7.0mph
3 min @ 3.0mph
5min @ 6.0mph with 2% grade
3min @ 3.0mph
5min @ 6.0mph
5min @3.0mph

Total time: 41min

I wanted to keep working on my oxidative capacity, but wanted to allow my body to recovery from last night's bike HIIT. This was actually pretty challenging - not because of quad soreness, but just because of general discomfort with working for that long. I haven't been used to running for long periods of time, especially on a treadmill. I would rather have run outside, but it was pouring rain outside. I'll be doing an even lighter session tonight on a recumbent bike or elliptical - whichever doesn't bother my feet.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Today's Second Workout:

Recumbent Bike
20min at 80-85rpm (resistance 3 mostly)
Rest 2 min
10min at 80-100rpm (resistance 2)
5min cooldown

Total: 35min

Gah, bikes are hard. The unavoidable burn in my vastus medialis muscles is a true limiting factor for my cycling. 75min of cardio today... haven't done that in a while. I may continue these two-a-days when I have the time. God knows my time comes in sways so I may as well bank on it when I have it.

 

[norsy]

I really like T-Bar rows since I can maintain good form while really hitting my rhomboids. I have trouble hitting these with normal DB rows and BB rows so I'm glad I stole this from Deeko's journal.

Do you start from the ground on every rep in T-bar rows like in BB rows? And how do you keep the other end of the bar from being lifted up everytime

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Do you start from the ground on every rep in T-bar rows like in BB rows? And how do you keep the other end of the bar from being lifted up everytime

No, I don't set the weight on the ground every time. My arms aren't long enough to do that. I pull until the bar nearly hits my crotch and the weights tough my chest. I then let the weight come down until my arms are extended and my back is slightly stretched. Most people I know put it into a corner of some sort (corner of a wall, power rack, etc). My gym actually has a an apparatus that holds the bar in place and rotates with you.

 

[conorvansmack]

I have seen some people put a heavy dumbell over the "ground" end of the bar while it's against a wall to keep in in place. It seems to do the job for them.

 

[Deeko]

No, I don't set the weight on the ground every time. My arms aren't long enough to do that. I pull until the bar nearly hits my crotch and the weights tough my chest. I then let the weight come down until my arms are extended and my back is slightly stretched. Most people I know put it into a corner of some sort (corner of a wall, power rack, etc). My gym actually has a an apparatus that holds the bar in place and rotates with you.

Do you start from the ground on every rep in T-bar rows like in BB rows? And how do you keep the other end of the bar from being lifted up everytime

We have something in our gym similar to this:

The one we have is a bit simpler, its just a metal plate with that pivot piece on top. Same effect though. I'd imagine what conorvansmack suggested would work too, although it wouldn't be quite as secure.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

We have something in our gym similar to this:

The one we have is a bit simpler, its just a metal plate with that pivot piece on top. Same effect though. I'd imagine what conorvansmack suggested would work too, although it wouldn't be quite as secure.

Yep, looks like that. If you pull the bar hard into the corner and maintain that position, it tends to move around a lot less. If you do that plus weight it with a heavy dumbbell, you'll probably be alright.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Today's Workout:

Cycle Ergometer
20min at 90rpm (10 resistance)
10min at 50-100rpm (flushed the metabolites out for about 2 min and then picked the pace back up at 11-12 resistance)
6x1min HIIT at (14, 13, then 12 resistance for the last 4), 2 min slow cycling in between rounds
5min cooldown

Total: 48min

Afterward, I realized I had quite a bit of time left before class so I rented out a basketball to shoot some hoops. I was invited to participate in a game, but 1) hadn't shot a basketball in months and 2) my right hip flexor was a bit tender so I decided to play it safe. It was actually a lot of fun shooting around and thinking about the motor processes/skills going on (I know, I'm a nerd). Toward the end, I actually had a fair amount of consistency and nailed 5-6 near half-court shots. I'm thinking I may start playing some pick-up games once or twice a week to keep the cardio fun and interesting.

Oh, in other news, I'm going to complete a cycle ergometer Wingate Test next Wednesday. It's the test of anaerobic power capacity. Since I was a sprinter, have a fairly good vertical leap (30in), and still have a decent squat, I really wanted to complete it. However, participating in the VO2max test on Monday disqualified me from that... so I e-mailed some TA's and found one that would let me complete it on Wednesday. I'm pretty stoked for the data I get from both of these tests. It'll be really interesting to quantify some of my physical attributes.

 

[sundev]

Any idea what your BF% is, and what it was in the pics you posted?

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Any idea what your BF% is, and what it was in the pics you posted?

I'd estimate that my BF% is 10-12% right now. I've been a bit leaner than this, but I was taking in fewer carbs and was lifting heavy. I was almost exactly 10% then (got a DEXA scan).

The posted pictures... I'm not quite sure. The "before" pictures probably have me at 8-9% BF. The "after/during" pictures are likely to have me a bit higher at 12-14%.

I've been kicking my ass with this interval training so I bet that will lead to a slight decrease in body fat %, especially since I'll continue lifting.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Today's Workout

20min Cycle Ergometer at varying intensities

I'm excited for tomorrow's VO2max test. I haven't felt the competitive drive in a while and I'm really looking for a 50ml/kg/min. I know that may be asking a bit much, but I'm gonna give it my all. Will report back late tomorrow.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Yesterday's result:

Completed nearly 30s into the 262W resistance stage. My cardio wasn't totally burned, but my legs were, which is a pretty common limiting factor on the cycle ergometer. Overally, my peak absolute VO2 was 3.41L/min and my peak relative VO2 was 48.7ml/kg/min. I was talking to my TA and it's pretty common for those built for sprinting to have lower VO2maxes. My TA was a college hurdler and maxed at 48 as well. Sean Crawford (won the 2004 Olympics in the 200m dash) has a VO2max of 43. I guess I'm alright with that number, but will be conditioning a bit more to make sure I'm a well-rounded athlete. I'm going to lift today and complete the Wingate tomorrow. Based on my vertical leap data, I should be able to hit 1000W on the Wingate, which is pretty good. The only guys who have gotten higher than that are a 300 pound weightlifter and a 250 pound rugby player (both got 1200W). I may or may not do heavy squats today, but I'll definitely do something for upper body.