Oct. 30 to Dec. 16/98

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Dec.19-30, 1998
Oct.30-Dec16, 1998
Aug. 26-Sept. 12, 1998
January 4 - February 12, 1999
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These are my actual workouts that I do on a day to day basis.  I train somewhat instinctively these days so there is no set routine.  After each workout I will write down here which bodyparts I did, the exercises and the actual poundages I used.  I've never seen this done before so I'm going to do it as I think people might be interested.  In the future I hope to get pictures of me training but I might have to wait until I get a digital camera instead of the old Polaroid.  I hope this section is useful to you, try doing the same workouts and adjust the poundage to your level.  My schedule is a bit out of the ordinary and I often try new exercises so it may seem a bit weird at first (like doing the same bodypart 3 days in a row sometimes) but it is very effective.  Anyone who trains with me tends to achieve personal bests on the first day and gains noticeable size in a couple of weeks.  Here we go:

Starting at Oct. 30, 1998:  Chest, Biceps, Triceps
November 1, 1998:  Back, Quads, Calves
November 2, 1998:  Back, Shoulders, Biceps, Calves, Triceps
November 3, 1998:  Chest, Traps
November 7, 1998:  Chest, Back, Biceps, Triceps, Calves
November 9, 1998:  Legs--Just did 2 sets of  20 and 12 squats at 200lbs.   Had to train at home, my gym is still closed, opening tomorrow!
November 11, 1998:  Gym is finally open!   Back, Quads, Calves
November 12, 1998:  Chest, Arms
November 15, 1998:  Deadlifts, Quads, Calves, Back
November 16, 1998:  Chest, Biceps, Shoulders, Traps
November 18, 1998:  Quads, calves
November 21, 1998:  Back, Chest
November 22, 1998:  Shoulders, Traps, Quads
November 25, 1998:  Back, Biceps, Triceps
November 28, 1998
:  Legs!
November 29, 1998:  Chest, Arms, Calves
December 2, 1998:  Olympic Lift Day!
December 4, 1998:  Chest, Back, Abs
December 6, 1998:  Arms
December 8, 1998:  Legs, Triceps, Abs
December 9, 1998:  Chest
December 11, 1998:  Back, Biceps
December 12, 1998:  Shoulders, Calves
December 14, 1998:  Legs, Abs
December 16, 1998:  Chest

 

For previous workouts, go here

 

 

Oct. 30, 1998         Weight - 190 lbs.      Average time between sets - 4 minutes

Trained:  Chest, Biceps, Triceps

   I started with Dumbbell Bench Press and warmed up with 75 pounders for an easy 12 reps, I wanted to go heavy (for me) today so I pyramided up doing 6 reps with 90 lbs. and 6 reps with 110 lbs.  Then I went to my planned on working weight of 130 lbs.  I got all psyched up but only managed 3 reps with it.  I took a 4 minute break and tried again, for another 3 reps.   I must say, they were 3 GOOD reps and with no spot whatsoever.  I then lowered the weight back down to 110 dumbbells and did 3 good sets of 8.

    Next was Incline Barbell Press.  I started with a plate a side (135 lbs.) for 15 reps, then raised it to 185 lbs. for 2 sets of 10.  By this time, my chest was almost toast so I started on Biceps.  I did E-Z bar curls with 45 lbs. per side for a set of 12 and 3 sets of 10.   I did the positive portion of the rep as fast as possible without swinging it and controlled the weight on the way down.  My biceps were so pumped after this I could hardly bend them, as they were a bit pumped before I started from the Dumbbell Presses.

    Triceps were next, and I did V-bar dips.  I started with a set of 30 standard dips, then reversed my grip (Palms out) and went closer grip.  This is a bit awkward but it sure works the Triceps!   I did a set of 15, and 2 sets of 12 like this. That was good for Triceps, as they got worked quite well from training Chest. 

    My last exercise was Cable Crossovers which is a great upper body finishing exercise.  I set it at 90 lbs. per side and did 2 sets of 12, and 1 set of 10.  I then did a double biceps with the cables for 5 reps, and finished with 6 more crossovers.  That was enough, home time!   My arms are still pumped as I write this 3 hours later!

The routine:

Exercise Body Part # of Sets 
Dumbbell Bench Press Chest 8
Incline Press Chest 3
E-Z Curls Biceps 4
Dips Triceps/Chest 30 reps
Reverse-grip Narrow Dips Triceps 3
Cable Cross-overs Chest 3

 


November 1, 1998      Weight = 191 lbs.   Average time between sets = 2 - 3 minutes

Trained:  Back, Quads, Calves

   Today I started on back with bent-over rows.  After stretching a bit I put 2 plates a side on the bar (225 lbs.) and using a medium overhand grip, repped out 15 fairly easy ones.  After about 3 minutes, I added 25 lbs. a side (275 lbs.) and got 2 tough sets of 8 reps. On the last 2 reps I did a few partials in the middle range of motion.  I can really feel it in the lats when I do this.  I then lowered the weight to 245 lbs. and did a set of 12 using an underhand grip, then a set of 12 with an overhand grip.  That was enough for back today, next: SQUATS!

    I warmed up with 135 lbs. for 15 reps, then went to 225 for 12 reps.  My knee felt fairly good, so I went to 3 plates (315lbs.) and did 2 hard sets of 8 reps.  I paused a bit between the last few reps in both sets.  I didn't want to push the squats after training back so I switched to leg press.

  I started with 5 plates a side for 15 reps, then went up to 8 plates a side and did 3 sets of 10.  When I do leg press, I lower the weight slowly, then blast it up with a smooth steady motion almost to lockout, then bring it down again. I like to keep constant tension on the muscles when I do these.   After a good set, it takes about 30 seconds or more before I can stand up. and about another 2 minutes to recover.  I would normally go heavier, but I'm still recovering from knee surgery from a skiing injury last spring, and don't want to really push it yet.  I know, bad excuse.

    That was enough for quads, and since I had the leg press loaded I did my calves on it.  I left the 8 plates a side on and did 1 set of 20 and 3 sets of 15 calf raises stretching them between sets. After this I could hardly walk and I called it a day.

Exercise Body Part # of Sets 
Bent-over Rows Back 5
Squats Legs 3
Leg Press Legs 4
Leg Press Calf Raises Calves 4

dcalves.jpg (2524 bytes)A shot of my calves after I got home.


 

November 2, 1998       Weight = 190 lbs.  Avg. time between sets = 1.5 - 2 minutes.

Trained:  Back, Shoulders, Biceps, Calves, Triceps

     I started the workout with bent-over rows (this is one of those times where I do the same body part twice in a row).  I warmed up with 135 lbs. for 20 reps, then went to 225 lbs. for 2 sets of 10 slow reps (underhand grip) holding and squeezing at the top of the motion.  These were followed by 2 sets of 8 reps done the same way except with an overhand grip.  I then cut the weight to 185 lbs. for a finishing set of 12 reps.

    I started shoulders with wide-grip  upright rows using 135 lbs. for 5 sets of 10 reps.  The grip I use is about 4 inches wider than shoulder width and I lean slightly forward and bring the bar to my upper chest or lower neck area, crunching my shoulder blades and pausing for a second at the top.   This way it really hits the side and rear delts!  After the last set, I cleaned the weight and military pressed it for 8 reps.

    Next was biceps, and since I was there, I did barbell curls.  I went fairly light (95 lbs.) and did 7 sets of 12 with 1 1/2 minutes between sets.  Major pump after that,  and they were burning like fire, felt good.

    I did leg press calf raises yesterday so today I did Standing Calf Raises.  I started with the stack (500 lbs.) for 20 reps to warm up, then went one calf at a time for 2 sets of 10 and 3 sets of 8 reps each calf.  I finished with another set of 20 using both legs.

    My last body part was Triceps.  Started with Triceps Press Downs using 90 lbs. for 15 reps and 4 sets of 10 with 110 lbs. I think the weight stack I used is heavier than it says because with the 110 lbs. it was almost lifting me off the floor every rep.  Next was bent-over Rope Pullovers using one side of a cable crossover machine.  I used the stack for 2 sets of  15 and 2 sets of 12 reps and finished off with Single Arm Reverse-grip Pressdowns with the pin on 75 lbs. for 8 reps each arm.

    Looking forward to training Chest tomorrow!   See ya then.

Exercise Body Part # of Sets 
Bent-over Rows Back 6
Wide-Grip Upright Rows Deltoids 5
Military Press Deltoids 1
Biceps Curls Biceps 7
Standing Calf Raises Calves 7
Triceps Pressdowns Triceps 5
Triceps Rope Pullovers Triceps 4
1-Arm Reverse-grip Pressdowns Triceps 1

 

November 3, 1998          Weight = 192       Avg. time between sets = 2.5 minutes

Trained:  Chest, Traps

     I started the workout with Flat Dumbbell Bench Press using 75 lb. dumbbells for sets of 12 and  15 reps to warm up, then went to 100 lbs. for 11 reps.  The next set, I used the 100's for 6 slow reps, then 2 more sets of 8 and 6 normal speed reps.

    Weighted dips were next. Since I was warmed up I started with 3 - 45 lb. plates on the belt for 8 reps.  I waited about 1 minute, dropped down to 2 plates and got 12 followed immediately by another 12 with bodyweight.  That was enough chest for today, next:  Shrugs!

    I did Standing Barbell Shrugs for the whole workout starting with 315 lbs. for an easy 15, then up to 405 lbs. for 12.   Next was 5 plates per side (495 lbs.)  I got 8 reps when my grip slipped (I use straps), so I re-gripped and got another 8.  I followed this with 3 more sets of 8 with 5 plates, then finished off with 405 for 12. 

    Now I get 2 days off!

Exercise Body Part # of Sets 
Dumbbell Bench Press Chest 6
Weighted Dips Chest, triceps 2
Shrugs Traps 7

 

November 7, 1998      Weight = 190 lbs.      Avg. time between sets = 2-4 minutes

Trained:  Chest, Back, Biceps, Triceps, Calves

   My regular gym is closed for renovations this week so I'm taking to opportunity to check out other gyms in the city.  Today I went to the new Gold's gym (it's about a year old) for the first time and finally got to try out some Hammer Strength equipment.  I used the incline bench machine, and it was pretty impressive.   Because of the new gym, and the fact that I wanted to get my money's worth (they let me in for free) I had a rare  2 1/2 hour workout.  This workout is higher in volume than my usual.  Here it is!

    I started with flat Bench Press warming up with 135 lbs. for 20 reps, and 12 reps.  I went up to 2 plates (225 lbs.) for sets of 12 and 10 reps, then upped it to 285 for 5 reps and back to 225 for 8 reps.

     Next was Hammer Incline Press, I started with 2 plates a side and got 15 fairly easy ones.  I put another plate on and only got 3 reps.   The lift seems to get harder as you reach the end of the motion making the lockout difficult but the machine has a good feel to it.  I dropped the weight to 2 1/2 plates and got 2 more sets of 12.

    For the final exercise, I chose weighted dips, I did 20 with body weight, then put 3 - 45 lb. plates on the belt for a sets of 8 and 6 reps, finishing with another 25 with bodyweight.

    I wanted to use the Hammer machine for back, but it was in use so I did bent-over rows using 2 plates per side (225 lbs.) for sets of 12, 10, 10, 8.   These were quite tiring after the chest workout, I almost fell down after the first set!  They had a supported T-bar machine there so I used that next starting with 3 plates for 12 reps, then 4 plates for 10, 8, and 8 reps.

    For Biceps, I tried a machine I thought was Hammer but wasn't.   It was kind of a single-arm incline biceps machine but it had no real "feel" to it.  It started too easy and finished too hard, with nothing in the middle (if that makes any sense) After 3 sets, I went to the tried and true E-Z bar curls! 

    Here I started with 45 lbs. per side on the E-Z  bar for 3 sets of 12, 12 and 10 reps, then dropped it to 35 a side for 12 reps, then up to 50 lbs. a side for 8 dropping to 25 a side for 10.  Good pump after these!

    Triceps were next, they had a cool pressdown pulley machine with a back rest on it which I used. You still stand but your back is against the pad so there is no cheating or swinging (not that I would do that *g* ).  I started with 75 lbs. on the stack for an easy 12 reps, then went to 90 for another easy 12. (feeling out the machine).  Up to 100 for 10 (starting to get harder), then 120 for 8 reps.   At this point, I was nearly lifted off the ground at the start of each rep, guess I have to gain some more weight.  I dropped it back to 90 lbs. for a final 12 reps.

    Calves were next, I looked all over for a calf machine and didn't see one so I asked someone and they showed me this strange looking machine that was almost a hack squat machine for calves.  It turned out to simulate the motion of standing calf raises so I put the pin at the bottom of the stack and did sets of 25, 30, 20, and 15 reps.  (They never put heavy enough stacks on calf machines forcing me to do high reps)

    After that, I managed to find a seated calf raise machine, this was more like it!  I loaded it with 4 plates and got an easy 20 reps so I went to 6 plates and did 3 sets of 12, 15, and 12.  The next 2 sets were drop sets starting at 6 plates for 10, 5 plates for 8 and 4 plates for 12 reps. (excellent burn after these!   Took me a while to walk normally.)

    By this time I was pretty burnt out so I called it a day.   Tomorrow should be a quad day.  If I don't make it it's because I can't move.

Exercise Body Part # of sets
Bench Press Chest 3 + 2 warm-up
Hammer Incline Press Chest 5
Weighted Dips Chest/Triceps 2 + 2 bodyweight
Bent-over Rows Back 4
Supported T-Bar Rows Back 3
Machine Curls Biceps 3
E-Z Bar Curls Biceps 5
Triceps Press downs Triceps 5
Standing Calf Raises? Calves 4
Seated Calf Raises Calves 6

November 11, 1998        Weight = 193         Avg. time between sets = 3 minutes.

Trained:  Back, Quads, Calves

    I started with Lat Pulldowns warming up with 170 lbs. for 20 reps, then went to 200 lbs. for 4 sets of 15 reps pausing for a second at the bottom of each rep and squeezing. These were done with  a medium-wide grip. I finished by dropping the weight to 150 and used an extra wide grip for 8 slow reps to behind the neck.

    From there I went to Bent-over Rows using an under hand shoulder width grip.  I used 225 lbs. and did 3 sets of 8-10 going at a moderate speed and holding at the top for a second and finished each set with a few partials.

    I was ready to train legs again, this time I used Leg Press warming up with 4 plates a side for 20 reps then did 5 sets of 15 with 6 plates.  Since I was there, I did 4 sets of leg press calf raises for 30 - 35 reps each.  The weight was obviously too light but it doesn't hurt to go for high reps once in a while.

That was it, short and sweet.

Exercise Body Part # of sets
Lat Pull Downs Back 5 + warm-up
Bent-over Rows (underhand grip) Back 3
Leg Press Upper Leg 6
Leg Press Calf Raises Calves 4

November 12, 1998      Weight = 190      Avg. time between sets = 3 minutes

Trained:  Chest, Arms

Today was another short and sweet one, I went in at 9:10 PM, then found out they were closing at 10:00 until the renovations are done. 

    Since my shoulder was a bit sore, I decided to go with higher reps than usual for chest.  I started with DB Press with 65 pounders for 25 reps, switched to the 75's and did 15.  My shoulder felt good after this so I took the 95's for 2 sets of 11 and 8 reps followed immediately by 25 bodyweight dips.   Talk about a pump, I saw myself in a mirror and thought it was one of the big guys!

    For Biceps, I did EZ Bar curls starting with 50 lbs. per side for 3 sets of 12, 10 and 8 reps, then lowered it to 35 a side for 1 more set of 15.

    Triceps Pressdowns were next with the pin set on 90 lbs. for 25 reps and 100 lbs. for 12 reps. That was enough, as my triceps already had a fair workout from training chest.


November 15, 1998        Weight = 190      Avg. time between sets = 4 minutes

Trained:  Back, Quads, Calves,

    I wanted to do Bent-over rows and Squats today, but that's never a good idea so I decided on Deadlifts, which works both, not to mention that I haven't done them  in a while.  I started with 2 plates a side (225) for 10 reps for warm-up then went to 3 plates (315) for 10 reps.  Went up to 4 plates (405) and squeezed out 4 reps (could maybe have gotten 1 more but my defective knee was shaking and I didn't want to push it).  I stayed at that weight for one more set of 3 reps, then dropped it down to 315 and finished with 10 reps.  Took a full 5 minutes to recover enough to move on to leg press, and even then, I was still a bit dizzy.

    My partner was using 4 plates a side so I warmed up with that for 25 reps, then went to 6 plates for 20 reps.  I maxed (for today) at 8 plates for 12 reps always doing full reps with a moderate speed.

    I did my calves on the leg press with the 8 plates for sets of 25, 20, 20, and 15 reps.  Going to be walking funny tomorrow I think.

    I finished with Lat pulldowns starting with 185 lbs. for 20 reps and finishing with 220 lbs. for 12 reps squeezing and holding each one at the bottom.

    That was all for today, next workout is Chest and arms and that should be tomorrow!


November 16, 1998          Weight = 188        Avg. time between sets = 2.5 minutes

Trained:  Chest, Biceps, Shoulders, Traps

I started with Bench Press, warming up with 135 lbs. for 25 reps, then 185 for 20 reps.  Went to 225 for 12 reps, then to 275 for a set of 4, then a drop set doing 275 for 3 dropping to 225 for 6.  Next was Incline DB Press. I started fairly heavy with 95 lb. and squeaked out 5 reps so the next set I used 85 lb. dumbbells for a good 9 reps. (the last rep took about 30 seconds to finish!).  That felt so good that I did it again, this time for 7 reps with the last one taking around 45 secs (not intentionally, I just had to gather strength halfway through, I think I finished the rep using sheer willpower). It took about 5 minute to recover from that set, then I started on Biceps.

I did barbell curls starting at 95 lbs. for 12 reps, then up to 115 for 3 sets of 12, 10, 8 reps.  After this I decided to do reverse curls so I went back to 95 and did 3 sets of 10 reverse-grip. These work the Brachialis very well (the muscle on the outside of the arm between the biceps and triceps.

From here, I went into wide-grip upright rows supersetted with standing Military Press using 95 lbs. for 4 supersets, usually getting 12 rows and 10 presses.

For some reason I felt like doing Traps after this so I did 3 sets of 12 dumbbell shrugs with 150 lb. dumbbells. That's the heaviest dumbbells they have so I did them slowly holding each rep and squeezing at the top.  After this I did 3 sets of chin-ups for 18, 12, and 8 reps with about a minute between sets.  That was all.


November 18, 1998        Weight = 187 (starting to lean out)  Avg. time between sets = 3 minutes

Trained:  Quads and Calves, with a bit of rear delts.

   I had planned to start with squats today but my back was still a bit wonky from my deadlift workout a few days ago, so I stuck with Leg Press today.  I warmed up with 4 plates a side for 15, then 6 plates for 12.  I put on 8 plates a side  and surprised myself by easily getting 20 full reps with a few burns in the middle range at the end. My quads were on fire after that one!  I put another plate per side (9 plates, all it would hold) and a 100 pounder in the middle and with my quads still burning squeezed out 10 reps, then another set of 6.  That pretty well finished them (until next time). 

    For calves, I stayed on the leg press and the 10 plates a side and did a set of 20 and 3 sets of 15.  Next was standing calf raises for 4 sets of 15-20 with the stack (500 lbs.) using a combination of fast and slow reps.

   I finished off the day with 3 sets of standing rear delt lateral raises, just because they need some work and to warm the shoulders up for tomorrow.   (Don't ask, it's just something I like to do and it seems to work).

I called it an excellent workout and went out for a nice big steak!


November 21, 1998         Weight = 185        Avg. time between sets = 3-4 minutes

Trained:  Back, Chest

Started with Bent-over rows for back warming up with 135 for 15 reps, then up to 225 for 15 reps.  My heavy sets were at 275 for 2 sets of 10 and 8 reps doing 3-4 partial reps in the middle range at the end of each set.  I went back to 225 for 2 more sets of 12 and 10.

Next was lat pulldowns starting with 180 lbs. for 12, then to 240 for 3 sets of 12, 10, and 10 to the front.  Again, I did partials at the end of each set, I find these really help.  I finished off with 2 sets of 8 to behind the neck with the 240 (the stack).

For chest I did DB Press starting with 75's for 12, then up to 110 for another 12.   I went for a max rep today and got the 130's up for one long slow rep, took a good 30 seconds to complete it and it felt like a whole set!  I went down to 120's and got 5 reps then down to 110 for 12 and 95 for 12.

Next was weighted dips using 3 plates for 6 and 8 reps. 

I finished with machine pullovers for 2 sets of 12 with the stack.


November 22, 1998     weight = 185

Trained:  Shoulders, Traps, Quads

I started with dumbbell press warming up with 35's for 12 reps, then moving to 45's for 12, then 60's for 12, quite easily which surprised me because my shoulder was a bit sore when I started.  I went for the 70's and squeezed out 4 reps, then back to the 60's for another 12 and 11.

Next was upright barbell rows starting at 135 lbs. for 12 reps.  This weight was a bit heavy after the DB press so I lowered it to 115 which was perfect for 4 sets of 12, then down to 95 for another 2 sets of 12.  This is one exercise that doesn't aggravate my shoulder at all so I did a few extra sets. 

I finished off the delts with seated-one-arm-lateral raises, done in such a way as to isolate the side and rear heads.  I did a set of 12 with 20 lbs. and 2 sets of 12 with 25 lbs.  I go fairly light on these but control the weight all the way up and down, squeezing for a second at the top.

Barbell shrugs were next starting with 315 lbs. for 12, then up to 4 plates (405) for 12, 5 plates (495) for 10, then up to my max of 6 plates 2 sets of  7 and 8 reps, then back down to 4 plates for 2 sets of 12.  

Leg press was next!  I started with 3 plates a side for 12, 6 for 12, 9 for 12, then up to 11 plates a side (actually 9 per side with 4 on top) for 6 reps.  This is the most I've done since my knee surgery so I was quite happy with it, next time I'll try for more!  After that I went back to 9 plates for one more set of 12.

I actually felt energized after this workout and my bodyfat is going down nicely, starting to see serious striations in the delts and chest and my abs are showing much better.  I'm losing fat and getting stronger with more energy.


      November 25, 1998:       Weight = 187 lbs.           With partner

Today we started with chin-ups, for a planned total of 50.  The first set I got 25 using a medium-wide overhand grip.  The second I could only get 20 and only 9 for the third.  I was past the 50 but went for 1 more set and got 8.  I took about 1.5 minutes rest between sets (enough time for my partner to do his set)

Next I did lat pulldowns using 225 lbs. for 3 sets of 12, 10, and 8 reps, then lowered the weight to 150 and did what I call "concentration pull-downs" to behind the neck for as many as possible (usually 12), then to the front until failure (about 5 or 6 more)  These are done slowly concentrating on squeezing the lats the whole way.

After that we went to Bent-Over Rows. I felt fresh after my 2 days off and ended up doing a lot of sets today.  I used 185 lbs. and did moderately slow strict reps for sets of 18, 15, 12, and 12, then lowered the weight to 135 lbs. and did a kind of extended set. I started with an extra wide overhand grip and repped to failure (around 8-10), then switched to normal (shoulder width) grip for reps to failure (about 4-6), then switched to underhand close grip to failure (about 4-5 plus a few burns).  I did 3 sets like this although the form went to hell on the last set.  Talk about a pump!

I started the biceps with Hammer Curls using 50 lb. dumbbells for 3 sets of 12, 1 set of 10 and 2 sets of 8 reps.  As if that wasn't enough, we went and did Machine Preacher Curls. I started with the stack for 5 reps, then dropped the pin 1 plate each set for 9 more sets getting 4-9 reps each time.  (Now my back AND my biceps had a severe pump!) 

Couldn't do all that for biceps and leave out the Triceps so I started them with overhead rope pullovers starting with the stack (140 lbs.) and did sets of 25, 18, 15,15, 15, 12, 10, and 10, then switched to 1-arm reverse-grip press downs using 65 lbs. for 3 sets of 10 and 2 sets of 8 reps.

I figured I'd done enough, and then some, and called it a day!


November 28, 1998             Weight = 185 lbs.         Avg. time between sets = 3-5 minutes

Trained:  Quads, Calves, Hamstrings

    Today was the big leg day, the one I've been anticipating and psyching up for all week-- SQUAT DAY!

I did many sets today, this seems to be a high volume/high intensity week, which is good for a change sometimes.  Builds endurance.

After warming up on the bike for 5 minutes I got right to it with 225 lbs. for 15 reps (warm-up), then up to 3 plates (315 lbs.) for a set of 8.  I then attempted 4 plates (405) and got 1 rep but I could feel it in my back and my knee a bit so I backed off to 3 plates for 4 more sets of 8.  They seemed to get easier the more I did so I added 50 lbs.(365) for a set of 6 slow deep ones, then back to 315 for another 8 reps.   I finished squats with a set of 21 with 225 lbs.  I had to lie down for about 5 minutes and sit for another 5 before I could even think of leg press!

I supersetted calf presses with the leg press starting with 5 plates a side for 15 leg presses and 20 calf presses, then went to 7 plats for 12 leg, 15 calf.  I added a couple of plates (to 9 a side) and my partner was spotting (he insisted) The reps seemed to be quite hard, then got suddenly easy and I thought he was spotting too much, until after the set, he said he was pushing down on the sled, and when it got easier was when he let go. (Good partner, he knew the weight was too light for me <G>). I did 10 reps like this and tried to rack it and he insisted I try one more with him REALLY pushing on it, so how could I refuse.  Took it down deep and did one long slow rep with my partner (190 lbs.) hanging on the top of the sled.  Finished that set with 15 calf presses, then did 3 more sets of calf presses with 7 plates a side.

We were both pretty much dead after this but we still had to do hamstrings.   We did seated leg curls starting at 150 lbs. for 12 reps, than up to 200 lbs. for a set of 12 and a set of 10.  Couldn't stand after these so we decided to call it a day, and a good one at that. (Going to get cramps in the quads tonight, I can feel it already).


November 29, 1998              Weight = 185               Avg. time between sets = 2.5 minutes

    Trained:  Chest, Biceps, Triceps, Calves

    My quads didn't cramp as bad as expected and although sore today, I can still walk (kind of).

    Started chest with barbell curls warming up with 135 lbs. for 15 reps, then up to 225 for 2 sets of 12 and 6 reps, followed by 275 for 4.  I went to 315 and managed 1 rep with that immediately followed by 8 reps at 225.  Then I did a drop set starting at 255 for 6 down to 205 for 6 and finishing with 135 for 8, then 3 more after a 5 second break.

    Next was decline press using 225 for 4 sets of 9,8,8, and 6, then dropping to 205 for 2 sets of 10 and 8.  Had an awesome pump by this time!

    Machine flyes were next, I used the stack on the machine (forgot to check how much weight) for 3 sets of 10, then about 3/4 stack for a final set of 12.  After this I did 2 sets of cable crossovers with 100 lbs. for 8 each and 2 sets of 10 and 8 with 80 lbs.  That was it for chest.

    For arms, we decided to superset EZ-bar curls with Standing Triceps Extensions.  I started with 75 lbs. for 12 easy reps of each, then went to 95 lbs. for 3 supersets getting 12 on all biceps sets and 10, 8, and 8 for the triceps. (I think they were tired from training chest).  That was enough for arms today so next was calves. (Didn't hit them hard enough yesterday).

    I started with standing calf raises using the stack (500 lbs.) for 20 reps, then did a tri-set starting with standing raises, doing 10 reps with each foot with the stack, immediately followed by Donkey Calf Raises (again, the stack) for 10 reps followed by Hack Machine Raises (3 plates/side) for another 10 reps.  (What a burn!)  After they recovered somewhat I did 1 more set of standing for 15 reps.

The end, and this will probably be the end of these high volume workouts for a while.  Wednesday is "Olympic Day" where I'm going to devote the day to the Olympic lifts, just for a change and to see how I do with them.  Stay tuned!


December 2, 1998           Weight = 185           Avg. time between sets:  3-5 minutes

Trained:  Olympic lifts:  Clean and jerk and Snatch, Standing front Press.  Other: Traps, Abs, Back

What a day! 3 hours of lifting!  My partner and I had both been looking forward to this day as it is something very different from what we/I normally do.   This was to see how well we did in the Olympic lifts.  I have to say that compared to the Olympic competitors, we were pretty pathetic but it was an excellent workout and can only help.  I've done the lifts before, but usually as an add on and not for max reps, so this was interesting just to see how much weight we could put over our heads.

Started with Clean and jerk warming up with 135 lbs. for 12.  I added 50 lbs. (185) and managed to get 4 reps with that.  I tried 205 and got it cleaned easily enough, but couldn't lock out the press : (  I tried twice and there was no way so I went back to 185 and did 3 more sets of 4. (I touch the floor with the weight on every rep). 

Next, we did the snatch, which is similar, but the weight is lifted from floor to overhead in one motion.  did these with 155 lbs. for 5 sets, usually getting 8 snatches and 4 more clean and presses.  I lowered it to 135 and got 2 sets of 12.  

It was at this point that our other partner finally made it in (he had to work late) so we kind of started over with the clean and jerk.  For me, it seemed easier as I was by this time fully warmed up and I was able to get a few sets of 5 reps with 185 (but still not 205), and several sets of 12 in the snatch with 155, followed by 2 sets of 12 and 10 of military press with that weight.  I did one more set of MP with 135 for 15 reps. 

All these Olympic lifts are extremely exhausting when performed for reps.   After the sets of 12 , it felt like I had sprinted 100m or more.  These should be good for endurance.

Since the back was getting so much work, we decided to do a few sets of shrugs.   I did 3 plates (305) for 20, then 5 plates (per side) for 10, then down to 4 plates for 2 sets of 15 and 12.

We did some chins after that and I did them wide grip behind the neck for 2 sets of 18 and 12.

I had determined to start training abs more so I did some weighted sit-ups on a decline bench starting with a 50lb. barbell held across my neck (or high on the chest, similar to the position used for front squats).  I got 15 easy ones with this and went up to 80 lbs. for my next sets.  I did 2 more getting 6 reps each.  We then noticed that it was after 9:30 and we had started at 6:30 so we called it quits : )

Tomorrow is a day off and I will be back Friday Dec.4 for a chest and back workout. (Finally, back to the routine, but I have to say that this was a fun and effective workout and it was interesting to see what I could do on the Olympic lifts!   I think I'll do these exercises every month or two).


December 4, 1998         Weight = 185         Avg. time between sets = 2-4 minutes

Trained:  Chest, Back, Abs

   I am still feeling the effects of the Olympic workout today so I kept this one fairly short, more of a maintenance workout until I fully regenerate in another day or two.

    I started with bench press doing the usual warm-up of 135 lbs. for 20.  Went right to 225 for a set of 15 and 2 minutes later, a set of 8.  I didn't feel full power today and tried 275 and could only get 2 sets of 4 so I dropped back to 225 for another 8 reps.  My partner, Edwin and I decided to do one more set of forced negatives in which I used 185 lbs. and Edwin leaned on the bar pushing it down while I resisted, then I would press the weight back up for another one.  After about 7 reps I had nothing left, the bar was just sitting on my chest no matter how hard I pushed, so I did a few more negatives with Edwin helping on the way up.  What a set!   I returned the favor to my partner.

    We did T-bar rows on a machine next.  I did 4 sets of 6-8 using the stack (240 lbs.) then went to "concentration" lat pulldowns.  I used 150 lbs. and did 3 sets of 12 to behind the neck slowly and squeezing the whole time with a pause and extra squeeze at the bottom.  This really gives the lats a good burn!

    For Abs, I did the weighted sit-ups again for 1 set of 12 with 50 lbs. and 5 sets of 6-7 using 80 lbs. (barbell held at neck level) on a decline bench raised 12 inches.

Tomorrow is a day off for extra recovery as I've been going hard for the last while and am on the verge of overtraining.  It's time to cut back to less volume for a while.  See ya Sunday for arm training.


December 6, 1998            Weight = 184    (Still losing fat)

Decided to do arms today, and take the next 2 days off.

Interesting comment:  My training partner of the last 2 weeks (Edwin) said that his wife saw him with his shirt off, and almost didn't recognize him with the new muscle he's put on.  He's actually put on about 5 lbs. of muscle and has a lower bodyfat than 2 weeks ago.

Today was just arms day, I started with EZ bar curls with 75 lbs. for 20, then 95 lbs. for 15, then the working sets using 110 for 12 and 3 sets of 130 for 8.  Next, I   did 3 sets on the machine preacher curl, starting with the stack for 8 then dropping a bit for 3 more sets , the last one being a triple drop set.

For triceps we did close-grip bench press and I used 135 for warm-up (20 reps) and 185 as a working weight for 4 sets of 8-12 reps.  Next we did overhead rope pullovers. I was using the stack and getting 25-30 reps so my partner pushed on the weight stack for forced negatives. (I would lift the weight, and he would force it back down. I did 2 more sets like this and then did 3 sets of reverse-grip single arm pressdowns to finish.  Had an awesome pump in my arms from this workout! 


December 8, 1998         Weight = 184

Trained:  Quads, Hamstrings, Triceps, Abs

    I started legs by my self with squats warming up with 135 for 15 and 225 for 2 sets of 12 and 10. I went to 315 and did 2 sets of 6 and 8 reps, then tried 405 and got 3 3/4 reps (almost parallel). I went back down to 315 and did 4 more sets of 8,8,6,8. 

Next was leg press starting with 5 plates a side for 15, then 7 plates for 12, then up to 9 for 2 sets of 8.

It was about this time that my partners came in and we decided on stiff-legged deadlifts.  I warmed up with 135 for 15, then went to 225 for 12, then did 3 sets of 10-15 with 315.

I did Triceps using various grips on  press downs with about 100lbs on the stack.  After about 6 sets of these I did 2 sets of 25 dips, that was enough.

Next I did weighted sit-ups with a 90 lb. barbell held at neck level on a 12 inch decline.  I was getting 8-10 reps with this and did 5 sets supersetting with normal sit-ups.


December 9, 1998             Weight = 185

Trained Chest----light day (higher reps)

I met up with my 2 partners, Edwin and Chris, today for what I call a light day (not to be confused with "easy" day).  This means a bit lighter weight with reps in the 12-17 range (try for 15).

We started with flat bench press, I warmed up with 135 for 20 then went to 185 for 4 sets of 17, 15, 15, and 14 reps.  On the last two sets the last few reps were done "rest pause" style.

Next was incline dumbbell press using 70 lbs. for 4 sets of 17, 15, 15, and 14, again using rest pause to get the last few reps out.

I finished off with cable cross-overs starting with 80 lbs. for an easy 18 so I went to 100 lbs. for a difficult 14 reps. I leveled off at 90 lbs. for 2 more sets of 14 and that was it.  Short sweet, and effective.


December 11, 1998                     Weight = 186        Partner = Edwin

Trained:  Back, Biceps

We started the back workout with chin-ups today.  On the first set I got 25 chins with bodyweight using a fairly wide overhand grip.  The next set I put a 45 lb. plate on and did a  set of  8 reps followed by a set of 6, then dropped the weight and got 6 more.

Next was T-bar rows using an Olympic bar with one end in a corner and the other end loaded with plates.  I used a V handle around the bar to hold on to.  I started with 3 X 45 lbs. and got an easy 15 reps so I went to 5 plates for the next set but it was a bit heavy and I only got 4.  I leveled off at 4 plates and got 12 with that.  The next 2 sets I started with 4 plates for 8-10 reps, then dropped a plate and got about 4 - 6 more with 3 plates.  I did all reps quite strictly with minimal body movement, just concentrated on squeezing the lats.  Had a great pump by this time!

We did the "concentration" lat pulldowns next, I started with 170 lbs. and got a difficult 10 slow reps, squeezing at the bottom.  I lowered the weight to 150 and did 3 sets of 12 doing the first 8 behind the neck and the last 4 to the front.   That was it for back.

For biceps we decided to use 95 lbs. and pass the bar back and forth as we did reps to failure.  This was a real killer as there was about 20 seconds rest between sets!  I started, and got 15 reps, passed it to Edwin who did 12 reps, then I got it back for 8 reps, Edwin got 6, I got 5, Edwin did 5.  We were both toasted after this and could hardly move our arms they were so pumped.  We finished off with one set of hammer curls. I used 40 lbs. and did 15 reps.  Between that and the back workout, that was definitely enough for biceps!


December 12 1998         Weight = 186    Avg. time between sets = 2 min.      Partner = Edwin

Trained:  Shoulders, Calves

We started the shoulder workout with wide grip upright rows, warming up with 2 sets of standing military press with 95 lbs. for 15 reps each.  For the first set of rows, I used the 95 lbs. for 15 reps, then for the rest of the sets I used 115, concentrating on using strictly shoulder power to lift the weight with a pause at the top and controlling the weight on the way down.  I did 2 sets of 15 and 2 sets of 12 like this, cheating a bit to get the last couple of reps. (As it should be).

Dumbbell press was next and I started with 45 lbs. for an easy 12, then went to 60 lb. dumbbells for 10 quite easy ones.  The next set I attempted the 75's but didn't quite make it so I used 65's for 8, then the 60's for another 8.

The next thing was side/rear laterals.  I did these 1 arm at a time sitting on a bench and leaning slightly forward. This way, combined with a pronated (thumb down, little finger up) grip hits the side and rear delts very nicely.  I did 3 drop sets of these starting with 25 lbs. for 8 then dropping to 20 lbs. for 6-8.

We finished with machine press for 2 sets, I used weight equivalent to 120 lbs. for 15 and 160 lbs. for 10.  That was it for shoulders.

Calves were next, this was a maintenance workout and we just did standing calf raises.  I warmed up with 500 lbs. for 25 reps, then did 1 leg calf raises using 400 lbs. for 4 sets of 12 each calf.  They were screaming after this and that was all. (until the leg workout on Tuesday!)


December 14, 1998         Weight = 184         Partner = Edwin

Trained:  Legs (Quads, Hamstrings, calves), Abs

    Being Monday, the gym was very busy and we couldn't get on a squat rack or leg press right away so we decided on Smith machine squats to warm up with.   I started with 45 lbs. per side (the smith bar and sliders weighs about 55 lbs.) for 15 reps, then went to 2 plates per side for 2 sets of 12.  I put my feet about 14 inches forward when doing these to really hit the quads. 

    By that time, the leg press was free and I decided to do high reps (15) with heavy weight today.  I started with 6 plates per side for an easy 15, the next set I went to 8 a side for a more difficult 15.  The third set I went to 9 per side and got 15 pausing for about 5 seconds after the 12th rep.  The reps are all knees to chest, none of that 6" range of motion B.S.

    After that set, any squats would have been a waste of time so we moved on to calves staying on the leg press machine, I did 4 sets of 20-25calf raises with 7 plates per side.

Next, we did hamstrings with stiff legged deadlifts.  I stayed at 225 for 3 sets of 12-15 with these as the legs were pretty toasted from the leg press.

At this point we took a 5 minute break, then started with weighted decline sit-ups for the abs.  I put the decline at the highest level (36") and used a 50 lb. barbell at neck level for 3 sets of 10-12 and 1 set of 9.  That was it.


December 16, 1998         Weight - 186         Partners = Edwin and Chris

Trained:  Chest

Started with dumbell press warming up with 75 lbs. for 12, then the 95's for 10 (not to failure).  From here I attempted the 130's and got 3 reps (no spot).   The next set I went down to 120 for 6, and again for 5.  I did a set of 10 with the 100's, then dropped it to 75 lbs. for a full stretch, slow set of 10 reps, doing   flyes for the 3rd 4th, 5th and 6th reps, then pressing the last 4.

Next we did dips, I did a bodyweight set of 25 to stretch out, then put 3X45 on the lifting belt and got 8 on the first set and 7 on the second. Chris had to leave at this time so Edwin and I did about 10 more sets of bodyweight dips going one right after the other.  The first few sets I got 25-35 reps dwindling down to 15-25 for the final few sets.

After that, we did 2 sets of hamstring curls to supplement the last leg workout.   That was it.


 

 

 

   

 

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