Personal Ongoing Workout Diary

ChrisRS87

Ok, so I decided I want to keep an ongoing record of my workouts, strength accomplishments and progress, when I can be bothered to write it down. I thought a blog would do, but I don't want to have multiple blog posts, or multiple comments when I think an ongoing thread would be much easier. I intend to be more in depth than just "shoulders - 200 calories".

BEFORE YOU COMMENT: Please leave clutter out, I want to make it easy to look back at prior workouts and that will be a pain in the *kitten* if this fills up with trolls. Feel free to bump to see my workouts as I post, and constructive criticism is more than welcome.



Lets start with some backdating!
Monday 8/13/2012 - Shoulders
Decided to start my week off with shoulders so I can hit them twice this week. Rather than do my usual routine I decided to look up something new, so I hit up bodybuilding.com and did the following:

Warmup (5lb dumbbell each hand):
20x arm circles
20x external rotation
20x lateral raise
20x front raise
20x shoulder circles
20x rear raise

Circuit (weights represent the dumbbell weight) :
Seated dumbbell press: 60 x 10
Side Lateral Raise (with isometric at top and 2-3 sec negative on each rep): 20x10
Rear lateral raise(same isometric and negative, form could have been better): 15x10
Shrugs: 60x20 with 20 second hold on last one (failure)

90 second rest

Circuits 2-4, Same exercises, with 90 second rest after each circuit:
60x10, 55x10, 55x9
15x10,15x10,10x12
15x10,10x10,10x10
60x20,70x15,80x12 (with isometric on last rep to failure)

This did not take long to finish and my god did I feel whipped.

To finish off my day:
Upright rows, 45 lb plate (3 spots to hold make perfect wrist angle when holding two for this exercise) 45x20, 3 sets, 30 second rest
Seated front raises: 3 sets of 15x10 (w/ isometric and negative)

Stretch it out.


I was considering doing biceps as well, but trying that circuit for the first time took way too much out of me. (since I'm backdating, I can tell you here that my god do I feel it, lol)

ChrisRS87

Tuesday 8/14/12 - Chest, focus on upper

Warmup:
Stretching, twists, and in general moving the arms and shoulders to get the blood flowing.
Incline dumbbell bench press 35x20

Exercises:
Incline Dumbbell Bench Press:
70x8,75x8,80x5,85x5,90x4.5
First three sets I turned my wrists towards each other to give it that extra squeeze at the top. Needless to say I needed a serious spot for the last two (before today I never inclined benched above 85 lb, and even the first time I did that was last week) I had a lift for 80 and up, where my friend got it up as quick as possible for me so I didn't waste energy struggling with the first one.

Incline Dumbbell Fly: 3 sets of 45x8
Cable Crossover high to low (targeting lower pecs): 60 (each side)x10, 70x10,80x8
Cable Crossover low to high, 40x12,40x12,40x12 <---- love this one! Without a video its difficult to describe the motion I use, but I try to keep my elbow's closer to my sides, and while puffing my chest up and out, I bring the handles and try to bring them up so they are level with my chest, but almost as far away from my chest as I can get it. the focus of this exercise is entirely on keeping my chest flexed at the top of the motion I am squeezing my chest as hard as I can, and keeping it active through lowering it, doing this properly and it is very easy to get an excellent burn with almost no weight at all.

Pig**** (this is what my friend called it, can't find actual name online)
The machine that can be used for the butterfly exercise and then reversed for your back is what I use. Start with doing a regular butterfly, keeping the elbows slightly bent through the motion, when the handles come together in front of you, extend both your arms, pushing them away from your chest. Done right you will feel one hell of a squeeze in the ridge where your left and right pecs meet.

3 sets of 130x10, each set followed with 6-8 butterflies (pretty much to failure)

Dips:
No weight, head down with an effort to keep the legs back a bit to try to hit lower pecs. 3 sets, 10 reps each, no weight this time.

Obliques and Abs were done as 2 exercises with a rest in between, on the tricep pulldown side of the cable machine, I put a handle. Obliques was hold with 1 arm, elbow to the side, and flex right side and abs to bring elbow to the hips, switch hands for left oblique, then add another handle to the cable, and pull directly down overhead to target center of the abs.
Obliques: 50x10,60x10,60x10
Abs: 90x8,80x10,110x5 (last set was garbage form, went too heavy)

Stretch it out.
I wanted to hit lower abs to or do some planks, but didn't feel like it today, save those for another time I think.

Food intake for the day, A+

ChrisRS87

Took some measurements to add, I'll add my weight in the morning so water and food doesn't skew.

Chest: 42"
Waist and Naval: 32"
Neck: 16"
Bicep: 14"
Bicep Flexed: 15.5"
Thigh (halfway between knee and hip):23"
Calf: 16"
Forearm: 12"

I'll compare these in a month, hopefully I see some changes!

ChrisRS87

Weight in the morning on my piece of **** scale: 186

ChrisRS87

Wednesday 8/15/12 - Rest Day

Going to the fair with my cousin! Must.resist.funnel.cake.

ChrisRS87

Thursday 8/16/12 - Back and Bis

I hit the gym in the morning today because I know I will be unavailable later, so I reaped some of the benefits of morning training, though I wasn't at my strongest.

Warmup - Various arm and shoulder movements with 10lb dumbbells

Exercises:
Bent over row, Barbell:
135x8,185x6,185x5,185x5,185x5

Lat Pull Down (leaning back, widest grip possible, targeting upper back between shoulder blades)
113x8,156x5,156x5,156x5,156x5 (3-5 second isometric on every rep)

Not sure what this exercise is called, but using the tricep pull down side of the cable rack, I put my hands at shoulder widtch, and with my elbows bent at 90 degrees, brought my elbows down and to my sides. Keeping the elbow static put all the weight on the my back, the exercise felt great.
80x8,90x8,90x8,90x8,90x8

Dumbbell, Bent over reverse flies
15x8,15x8, 15x8

Deadlift
135x8, 135x8, 135x8

Dumbbell Curl:
40x6,40x6,35x8

Would have liked to do more biceps, but my arms were tired and I was running low on time, I should hit these again this week to make up for it.

ChrisRS87

Friday 8/17/12 - Legs

Exercises:

Decline Leg Press: 180x8, 270x8, 360x8, 450x6
Stiff Leg Deadlift: 135x8,185x8, 185x8, 185x8
Sumo Deadlift: 135x8, 185x8, 185x8, 185x6
Front Squats (going real deep): 135x8, 135x8, 135x8

Leg Extension (Machine, 1 leg at a time): 80x8 (ea leg), 80x8, 70x9
Leg Curl: (I can't remember the weight I did, 3 sets of 8 reps)
Calf Raise Machine: I can't remember my weight but I did 3 sets and squeezed at the top of every rep


I was in a bit of a rush to finish my workout because I had volleyball later. Though volleyball is for a rec league and I think I'm too competitive to play in it, our team isn't that great and I get frustrated when we suck and lose. I also get carried away and I've hit older women with spikes that are rockets :laugh:

ChrisRS87

Saturday - 8/18/12 - Shoulders and Bis

I tried TrainlikeaBOSS' protein pancakes this morning, they tasted like cardboard but I ate as much as I could and I was much better for it when I hit the gym.



This morning I went to a small gym built around getting results, they had no machines, and more types of bars than I new existed. Did not get a workout that was as intense as I was expecting, but a good one nonetheless. I don't remember everything I did, but I do remember doing bench press with a bamboo barbell with kettlebells hanging from each side. It shook to holy hell while I did the press and then worked my shoulders as they tried to keep the thing stable.



On another note, MY NEW SUPPLEMENTS CAME IN!!! :bigsmile:



From left to right, foreground to background:
Scivation Xtend, an amino acid mix taken either directly before a workout or during a workout for energy and to prevent muscle breakdown
Max CLA: supposedly increases LBM and helps burn fat, though I can't and won't attest to that, this was a free item
Fish Oils: Got a big container so I can take more of them
Flax Seed Oils: Same deal as fish oils, just a different source.
BCAAs: to take immediately following workouts for a quick shot of protein and to aid in muscle recovery
ON Casein - Chocolate Flavor: Take before bed, slow absorbing, went with Chocolate Cake Batter flavor
ON Hydrobuilder - Vanilla flavor, has a mixture of different types of whey, isolates, casein, etc, and creatine. This did not come with the current shipment, I had it before, was taking it post workout
ON Hydrowhey - Chocolate flavor, I take this in the morning because it is a quick absorbing protein so it is in my system as soon as possible when I get up.
Carnivore - Beef based protein, chocolate flavor, will be replacing the hydrobuilder as a post workout shake.
Blender Bottle: Has batteries and actually operates as a blender instead of using a blender ball, another free item.

ChrisRS87

Sunday - 8-19-12 - Rest Day

Had wayy too much to drink saturday night, didn't go to the gym but I did go frisbee golfing, or frolfing. Long, rediculously hard course at a park nearby, so I basically hiked about two miles, and I was 19 over par when we finished.

ChrisRS87

Monday 8-20-12 - Legs

Stiff Leg Deadlift: 135x8, 135x8, 185x6, 185x6
Sumo Deadlift: 135x8, 135x8, 185x6, 185x6
Front Squat: 135x10, 135x10, 135x10
Leg press machine, 1 leg at a time: 160x8,160x8,160x8,160x8
Tibialis: 70x6,70x6, 70x6
Calves: 225x8, 225x8, 225x6

Dumbbell curl: 50x5, 45x6
Hammer curl: 30x8, 25x10

ChrisRS87

Tuesday 8-21-12 - Chest

Overall, a crappy workout because my hand started acting up and severely cut my bench press sets down, but I am sore today at least.

Barbell Flat Bench Press: 135x10, 185x8, 205x6, 185x8
Incline Dumbbell Press: 60x10,70x8, 60x8
Cable Crossovers (Lower Chest): 60 each side x8, 70x8, 80x7
Cable Crossovers (upper chest): 50 each side x8, 50x8,50x8
Dips: BWx12, BWx12, BWx12

Tricep Pulldowns: 70x8,80x8,90x6
Tricep Kickbacks: 15x8, 15x8, 15x8

ChrisRS87

Wednesday 8-22-12 - Back

Solid workout, felt really good when I was done.

Exercises:
Bent Over Barbell Row: 135x8,185x8,205x6,215x4
Bent Over Barbell Row (wide grip, isometric at the top, really trying to squeeze between shoulder blades here:
135x8,85x10,105x8,105x8
Lat Pulldown Machine, wide grip, isometric on every rep focus is on the squeeze: 136x8,146x6,156x6, 156x6
Cables, 1 arm row (I tried to mimic the motion of drawing a bow) - 90x10,100x10,110x8,135x8 (really exerting myself getting this last set with good form)
Deadlift: 135x8,185x6,185x6

ChrisRS87

Thursday 3-23-12 - Rest Day

Taking a day off, going to a concert series in the city!

ChrisRS87

Friday 8-24-12 - Shoulders

Don't remember what I did, but I was there for about an hour kickin *kitten* and taking names.

ChrisRS87

Saturday 8-25-12

Played football for a couple hours, which is basically intervals with all the sprinting.

Sunday 8-26-12

Went disc golfing, nice casual cardio

Monday 8-27-12 - Back/Bis

Bent over dumbbell row - 135x8,185x8,205x6,215x4,205x4,185x8
Pullups - 10,10,8
Lat Pulldown - A lot of weight (can't remember lol) 6,6,5,5 (with isometric on every rep)
Couple other exercises, went hard.

Curls 45lb each arm x5, x5, 40x6
21's w/ 60lb bar, twice, then 21 with 50lb bar.

Leg lifts x 20, 20, 20, 20.

ChrisRS87

Tuesday 8-28-12 - Chest

Had limited time, did what I could.

Bench Press, Barbell: 135x10,135x10,135x10, 185x8, 205x6, 205x5, 205x5
Incline Bench Press, Barbell: 140x8,180x6,180x5, 160x6
Dips: 10, weighted 45lb x8, weighted 25lb x 8
Cable Crossover (high to low): 60 ea side x8, 70x8, 80x6
Cable Crossover (low to high): 30x10, 40x10, 40x10