15 Nov 2010 – Week 17

This is a very short week, three days.  Read as # sets x # reps @ dumbbell weight (lbs).

Everyday:  Abs and calves, in that order.

• Weighted jackknifes, straight – 1 x 8, 12 lb ball at feet, 15 lb ball at head, extended overhead and back on slow descent.
• Weighted jackknifes, oblique – None.
• Slow sit-ups-and-downs – None.
• Slow weighted incline situps – 1 x 4 @15 lbs ball overhead, medium incline, knees bent.
• Fast weighted incline oblique twists – 1 x 20 @15 lb ball, medium incline, knees bent.
• Slow weighted incline oblique situps – None.
• Seated calf raises – Warmup with 1 x 8 x 90 lbs, 2 x 8 x 180 lbs, slow.

Monday:  Arms.  Workout rating – very good.  No real discomfort.

• Seated incline hanging dumbbell bicep curls – Warmup set, 1 x 6 @ 30 lbs,  1 x 5 @ 25 lbs, 1 x 5 @ 20 lbs very slow, short rests between sets.
• Prone hanging dumbbell bicep curls – None.
• Standing overhead tricep cable presses – 1 x 8 @ 30 lbs (warmup), 1 x 8 @ 57 lbs, 1 x 8 @ 50 lbs, 2 x 8 @ 42 lbs, very slow.
• Seated decline dumbbell preacher curls – 1 x 8 @ 25lbs, 1 x 6 @ 25 lbs, 1 x 6 @ 20 lbs, very slow.
• Horizontal dumbbell tricep kickbacks – None.
• Overhead standing dumbbell tricep presses – None.
• Standing cable one-arm tricep presses – 1 x 6 @ 30 lbs per arm, 1 x 6 @ 20 lbs per arm, very slow.
• Standing cable tricep pushdowns – 1 x 8 @ 30 lbs (warmup), 1 x 8 @ 60 lbs, 1 x 8 @ 50 lbs, 1 x 8 @ 40 lbs, 1 x 8 @ 30 lbs, very slow.
• Standing dumbbell concentration bicep curls – 2 x 6 @ 15 lbs (slow burnout, last exercise).

Tuesday:  Legs.  Workout rating – very good.  I used the leg press machine again.

• Dumbbell wide stance lunges – Dry warmup only.
• Dumbbell squats – Dry warmup only.
• Seated Smith leg presses – None.
• Standing leg curl machine – 1 x 8 @ 10 lbs per leg, 2 x 6 @ 15 lbs per leg, tail tucked in, feet limp, very slow.
• Seated leg press machine – 1 x 8 x 240 lbs, 1 x 8 x 375 lbs, 1 x 8 x 395 lbs.  All done very slow, with seat as close as possible for maximum extension, feet placed high on press plate.
• Lying hamstring squeezes – None.
• Ball-assisted hamstring crunches – None.

Wednesday:  Shoulders, back and chest.  Workout rating – good.  Shoulders first, then chest, then back, with warmups.  My right shoulder hurts some, but I am hoping a four-day weekend will give it some rest.

• Seated dumbbell military presses – warmup with 25lbs, then 1 x 8 @ 40lbs.
• Standing dumbbell windmills – None.
• Prone hanging dumbbell shoulder flys – 4 x 4 x 3 positions @ 10 lbs.
• Standing dumbbell pullups – None.
• Standing cable pullups – None.
• Standing dumbbell circles (moving arms slowly in a large circle, as if to stretch and warm up) – 1 x 8 @ 10 lbs.
• Standing dumbbell rotated lifts (arms out to sides, elbows ninety degrees down, rotate weights up to vertical and back down) – 1 x 8 x 10 lbs.

• Incline dumbbell bench press – 1 x 6 x 35 lbs (warmup), 1 x 8 x 60 lbs.
• Flat dumbbell bench press – None.
• Decline dumbbell bench press – None.
• Flat dumbbell bench press – None.
• Incline dumbbell bench press – None.
• Seated cable lat alternating pulldown, wide grip – 1 x 8 x 180 lbs (after warmup), very slow.
• Seated cable lat alternating pulldown, narrow grip – 2 x 4 x 180 lbs, very slow.
• Seated cable lat rows – 1 x 12 x 120 lbs, very slow.
• Standing cable flys – 1 x 6 x 25 lbs, 1 x 6 x 20 lbs, 1 x 6 x 15 lbs, non-stop, slow.
• Incline dumbbell flys – None.
• Flat dumbbell flys – None.
• Seated nautilus bench press (horizontal grip) – 1 x 8 x 140 lbs,  1 x 8 x 110 lbs, 1 x 8 x 80  lbs, very slow.
• Seated nautilus bench press (vertical grip) – 1 x 8 x 140 lbs, 1 x 8 x 125 lbs, 1 x 6 x 90 lbs, very slow.

End-of-week weight:  186 lbs.

8 Nov 2010 – Week 16

This is a very short week, three days.  Read as # sets x # reps @ dumbbell weight (lbs).

Everyday:  Abs and calves, in that order.

• Weighted jackknifes, straight – 1 x 8, 12 lb ball at feet, 15 lb ball at head, extended overhead and back on slow descent.
• Weighted jackknifes, oblique – None.
• Slow sit-ups-and-downs – None.
• Slow weighted incline situps – 1 x 4 @15 lbs ball overhead, medium incline, knees bent.
• Fast weighted incline oblique twists – 1 x 20 @15 lb ball, medium incline, knees bent.
• Slow weighted incline oblique situps – None.
• Seated calf raises – Warmup with 1 x 8 x 90 lbs, 2 x 8 x 180 lbs, slow.

Monday:  Arms.  Workout rating – very good.  Shoulder and elbow discomfort, so this is a light week focused on reps instead of weight.

• Prone hanging dumbbell bicep curls – Warmup set, 2 x 12 @ 15 lbs,  very slow, short rests between sets.
• Standing overhead tricep cable presses – 1 x 8 @ 30 lbs (warmup), 2 x 12 @ 42 lbs, 1 x 6 @ 42 lbs, 1 x 6 @ 30 lbs, very slow.
• Seated decline dumbbell preacher curls – 2 x 12 @ 20lbs, 1 x 12 @ 15 lbs, very slow.
• Horizontal dumbbell tricep kickbacks – None.
• Overhead standing dumbbell tricep presses – None.
• Standing cable one-arm tricep presses – None.
• Standing cable tricep pushdowns – 1 x 8 @ 30 lbs (warmup), 2 x 8 @ 40 lbs, 2 x 8 @ 30 lbs, 2 x 8 @ 20 lbs, very slow.
• Standing dumbbell concentration bicep curls – 3 x 6 @ 15 lbs (slow burnout, last exercise).

Tuesday:  Legs.  Workout rating – very good.  I used the leg press machine again.

• Dumbbell wide stance lunges – Dry warmup only.
• Dumbbell squats – Dry warmup only.
• Seated Smith leg presses – None.
• Standing leg curl machine – 4 x 6 per leg @ 10 lbs per leg.
• Seated leg press machine – 1 x 8 x 220 lbs, 2 x 8 x 360 lbs.  All done very slow, with seat as close as possible for maximum extension, feet placed high on press plate.
• Lying hamstring squeezes – None.
• Ball-assisted hamstring crunches – None.

My back is fine – the pain went away after a couple days of using a heating pad.  By staying upright on the leg curl machine (not leaning over the arm rest), sucking in my gut and tucking my tail in, I am isolating my hamstrings extremely well.  I also relax my feet so only my hamstrings get the work.  I had to drop the weight to 10 lbs – there is no way I can manage 25 lbs this way.

Wednesday:  Shoulders, back and chest.  Workout rating – good.  Shoulders first, then chest, then back, with warmups.  My right shoulder hurts, but I am hoping a four-day weekend will give it some rest.

• Seated dumbbell military presses – warmup with 25lbs, then 1 x 8 @ 40lbs, 1 x 8 @ 30 lbs, 1 x 8 @ 20 lbs.
• Standing dumbbell windmills – None.
• Prone hanging dumbbell shoulder flys – None.
• Standing dumbbell pullups – 1 x 6 @ 25 lbs.
• Standing cable pullups – None.
• Standing dumbbell circles (moving arms slowly in a large circle, as if to stretch and warm up) – 1 x 6 @ 10 lbs, 1 x 6 @ 15 lbs.
• Standing dumbbell rotated lifts (arms out to sides, elbows ninety degrees down, rotate weights up to vertical and back down) – None.

• Incline dumbbell bench press – 1 x 6 x 35 lbs (warmup), 1 x 8 x 50 lbs.
• Flat dumbbell bench press – None.
• Decline dumbbell bench press – None.
• Flat dumbbell bench press – None.
• Incline dumbbell bench press – None.
• Seated cable lat alternating pulldown, wide grip – 1 x 8 x 140 lbs (after warmup), very slow.
• Seated cable lat alternating pulldown, narrow grip – 1 x 8 x 140 lbs, very slow.
• Seated cable lat rows – 1 x 8 x 140 lbs, 1 x 12 x 120 lbs, very slow.
• Standing cable flys – 1 x 6 x 30 lbs, 1 x 6 x 20 lbs, 1 x 4 x 10 lbs, non-stop, slow.
• Incline dumbbell flys – None.
• Flat dumbbell flys – None.
• Seated nautilus bench press (horizontal grip) – 1 x 8 x 110 lbs,  very slow.
• Seated nautilus bench press (vertical grip) – 1 x 8 x 90 lbs (warmup), 2 x 8 x 110 lbs, very slow.

End-of-week weight:  186 lbs.

1 Nov 2010 – Week 15

This is a short week, four days.  Read as # sets x # reps @ dumbbell weight (lbs).

Everyday:  Abs and calves, in that order.

• Weighted jackknifes, straight – 1 x 8, 12 lb ball at feet, 15 lb ball at head, extended overhead and back on slow descent.
• Weighted jackknifes, oblique – None.
• Slow sit-ups-and-downs – None.
• Slow weighted incline situps – 1 x 4 @15 lbs ball overhead, medium incline, knees bent.
• Slow weighted incline oblique twists – 1 x 6 @15 lb ball, medium incline, knees bent.
• Slow weighted incline oblique situps – 1 x 4 @ 15 lb ball, medium incline, knees bent.
• Seated calf raises – Warmup with 1 x 8 x 90 lbs, 2 x 8 x 180 lbs, slow.

Monday:  Arms.  Workout rating – very good.  No real pain to speak of.  Still will ice in the evening.

• Prone hanging dumbbell bicep curls – Warmup set, 1 x 6 @ 25 lbs, 1 x 6 @ 20 lbs, 1 x 6 @ 15 lbs, very slow, short rests between sets.
• Standing overhead tricep cable presses – 1 x 8 @ 30 lbs (warmup), 1 x 6 @ 50 lbs, 1 x 6 @ 42 lbs, 1 x 6 @ 30 lbs, very slow.
• Seated decline dumbbell preacher curls – 1 x 6 @ 25lbs, 1 x 3 @ 25lbs, 1 x 5 @ 20 lbs, 1 x 6 @ 15 lbs, very slow.
• Horizontal dumbbell tricep kickbacks – None.
• Overhead standing dumbbell tricep presses – None.
• Standing cable one-arm tricep presses – None.
• Standing cable tricep pushdowns – 1 x 8 @ 30 lbs (warmup), 1 x 8 @ 60 lbs, 2 x 6 @ 40 lbs, 2 x 8 @ 30 lbs, very slow.
• Standing dumbbell concentration bicep curls – 1 x 6 @ 15 lbs (slow burnout, last exercise).

Tuesday:  Shoulders.  Workout rating – good.

• Seated dumbbell military presses – warmup with 25lbs, then 1 x 5 @ 50lbs, 1 x 4 @ 45 lbs, 1 x 3 @ 40 lbs, and 3 x 4 @ 30 lbs.
• Standing dumbbell windmills – None.
• Prone hanging dumbbell shoulder flys – None.
• Standing dumbbell pullups – 1 x 6 @ 25 lbs.
• Standing cable pullups – None.
• Standing dumbbell circles (moving arms slowly in a large circle, as if to stretch and warm up) – 1 x 6 @ 10 lbs, 1 x 6 @ 15 lbs..
• Standing dumbbell rotated lifts (arms out to sides, elbows ninety degrees down, rotate weights up to vertical and back down) – None.

I focused on form – straight back in the seat, arms wide, dumbbells held parallel (not inline) to each other.  Slow down, faster up, and making sure my arms were out to the side, not pulled forward.   Today I felt a little weak and could feel my right shoulder and elbow, but did not think they were holding me back.

Wednesday:  Legs.  Workout rating – very good.  I used the leg press machine again.

• Dumbbell wide stance lunges – Dry warmup only.
• Dumbbell squats – Dry warmup only.
• Seated Smith leg presses – None.
• Standing leg curl machine – 4 x 4 per leg @ 25 lbs per leg.
• Seated leg press machine – 1 x 8 x 200 lbs, 1 x 8 x 300 lbs, 1 x 8 x 400 lbs.  All done very slow, with seat as close as possible for maximum extension, feet placed both high and low on press plate.
• Lying hamstring squeezes – None.
• Ball-assisted hamstring crunches – 4 x 4 per leg, slow.

I tweaked my lower back on the standing leg curl machine.  In trying to best figure out how to use it, I found that by rotating my pelvis inwards while pushing my hips away from the machine (so my hips were not braced against the machine), I immediately got a deep curl from my hamstrings that I had not been getting before, and the exercise became much more intense.  However, while trying to get this form right, I inadvertently hurt my lower back, right above my right hip joint, probably by pressing my hips into the frame and trying to curl my lower back to lift instead of using my hamstrings.  Anyway, ibuprofen, heat, and rest…  I expect this will pass soon.

Thursday:  Back and chest.  Workout rating – good and solid.  Chest first, then back, with warmups.  My back was not hurting at all, and my entire right arm felt good.  I tweaked my right shoulder a little near the end on rows, but after the workout, I hardly felt it at all.  Will ice and take ibuprofen anyway, and stretch using heat pad as well, later this evening.

• Incline dumbbell bench press – 1 x 6 x 35 lbs (warmup), 1 x 8 x 60 lbs.
• Flat dumbbell bench press – 1 x 6 x 70 lbs.
• Decline dumbbell bench press – 1 x 5 x 70 lbs, 1 x 4 x 70 lbs, 1 x 3 x 60 lbs.
• Flat dumbbell bench press – 1 x 5 x 60 lbs.
• Incline dumbbell bench press – 1 x 6 x 50 lbs.
• Seated cable lat alternating pulldown, wide grip – 1 x 4 x 180 lbs (after warmup), very slow.
• Seated cable lat alternating pulldown, narrow grip – 2 x 2 x 180 lbs, very slow.
• Seated cable lat rows – 1 x 4 x 180 lbs, 1 x 3 x 140 lbs, 1 x 5 x 120 lbs, 1 x 8 x 120 lbs (last set of the day), very slow.
• Standing cable flys – 1 x 6 x 30 lbs, 1 x 6 x 20 lbs, 1 x 4 x 10 lbs, non-stop, slow.
• Incline dumbbell flys – None.
• Flat dumbbell flys – None.
• Seated nautilus bench press (horizontal grip) – 1 x 4 x 140 lbs,  very slow.
• Seated nautilus bench press (vertical grip) – 1 x 8 x 90 lbs (warmup), 1 x 4 x 140 lbs, 1 x 4 x 110 lbs, 1 x 4 x 80 lbs, very slow.

End-of-week weight:  188 lbs.