Chest and biceps

When I went to the gym today I saw that I won the pull-ups section of the Open Day fitness challenge. I got 18 unbroken reps to win the over-45 category. My score was actually 3 reps more than the under-45 winner. I managed 40 reps for the push-ups, which was 13 less than the winner. I don't want to talk about the crunches and wall sits...

Bench press
95lb x 5, 5
120lb x 5, 5, 5, 4

Incline dumbbell bench press
45s x 5, 5, 5, 5

Piston dumbbell bench press
40s x 10, 9, 8, 7

Cable flies
20s x 15, 13, 12, 11

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EZ bar standing curls
65lb x 12, 12, 9, 10

Concentration curls 25s x 6, 6, 6, 6

Machine preacher curls (burn)
37.5lb x 40

Chest, biceps and forearms

Bench press
95lb x 5, 5
120lb x 5, 5, 5, 4

Incline bench press
90lb x 5, 6, 5

Piston dumbbell bench press
40s x 10, 8, 7

Machine flies (burn)
55lb x 40

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Pinwheel curls
45s x 6, 6, 6

EZ bar standing curls - 65lb x 12, 10, 8

Barbell curls, 21s x 3

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Barbell wrist curls
60lb x 10, 8, 8

Wrist roller - 1, 1, 1

Chest and biceps

A busy day ahead, so the only way to fit in a workout was to get to the gym reallllly early.

Bench press - 120lb x 5, 5, 5, 4

Incline bench press - 100lb x 5, 5, 5

Piston dumbbell press - 35s x 8, 40s x 8, 45s x 6 per arm

Dumbbell flies (burn) - 20s x 40, 22s x 40

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Barbell curls - 55lb x 12, 8, 7

Drop sets: Curls @ 20s / Hammer curls @ 17.5s
10/8, 8/8, 8/6

Machine curls (burn) - 25lb x 40

Chest and triceps

The sad thing is, the party was at my bloody house!

My left shoulder is still a bit dicey at the moment, so I skipped my scheduled shoulder and traps routine, plus I left dips out of this chest workout.

Bench press (rack) @ 105lb - 11, 8, 7

Incline dumbbell bench press @ 35lb - 12, 9, 7

Cable flies @ 20lb - 15, 13, 10

Vertical bench press machine @ 40lb - 5 minute burn

EZ bar skull crushers @ 50lb - 13, 10, 11

Two arm seated dumbbell extensions @ 15lb - 14; @ 17.5lb - 9, 7

Cable tricep extensions @ 25lb - 5 minute burn

Had a good bike ride to and from the gym, too.

Chest and triceps

 

Cycled to the gym on a rusty, cold bike. That was a good enough warm up.

Decline bench press @ 95lb - 12, 11, 8

Incline dumbbell bench press @ 35lb - 12, 10, 8

Dips - 11, 8, 6

Cable flies @ 20lb - 15, 12, 10

Vertical bench press machine @ 40lb - 5 minute burn

EZ bar skull crushers @ 50lb - 12, 11, 10

Two arm seated dumbbell extensions @ 15lb - 12, 10, 9

Cable tricep extensions @ 25lb - 5 minute burn

Chest and triceps

Bench press @ 105lb - 10, 8, 6

Incline dumbbell bench press @ 35lb - 11, 9, 7

Dips -12, 9, 7

Incline dumbbell flies - 20lb x 15; 22lb x 12, 11

Dumbbell piston bench press @ 30lb - 5 minute burn

EZ bar skull crushers @ 50lb - 10, 8, 8

Two arm seated dumbbell extensions @ 15lb -
10, 10, 8

Cable tricep extensions @ 30lb (switched to 25lb after about 1 minute) - 5 minute burn

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For time - 3 sets of:
25 sit-ups
25 push-ups

Chest and triceps

I hate daylight saving time changes. They always screw up my body clock, and today was no exception. I went to bed fairly late last night - well, late for me and other old gits - and woke up pretty early this morning, plus I lost an hour because the clocks jumped forward. I felt a bit bleh and tired when I got to the gym, but didn't do too badly once I got going. On a positive note, it's a beautiful, sunny day, so I cycled to and from the gym; my first bike ride of the year.

Bench press @ 105lb - 10, 9, 6

Incline dumbbell bench press @ 35lb dumbbells - 11, 9, 7

Dips - 11, 9, 7

Cable flies @ 20lb per side - 15, 12, 12

Dumbbell piston bench press @ 30lb dumbbells - 5 minute burn
I opted for piston presses rather than standard db benches for a change, but the weight isn't strictly accurate. When I went to put back the dumbbells, I realized that I'd used a 30lb weight with my left arm and a 35lb with my right! I was half asleep and picked up the wrong weight! Still, I actually didn't notice the difference until I'd finished.

EZ bar skull crushers @ 45lb - 12, 11, 10

Two arm seated dumbbell extensions @ 15lb - 11, 8, 8

Cable tricep extensions @ 30lb - 5 minute burn

And to finish...

50 leg/hip raises
40 straight leg raises
30 sit-ups

Upper body

I had to miss yesterday's PT session due to the bad weather, but I managed to get in an hour's swimming at the Stonecroft pool, plus shitloads of snow shoveling.

Power cleans (t&g) - 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3
95, 115, 125, 130, 135, 140 (1)

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Supersets - dips/neutral grip pull-ups
12/10, 10/7, 8/6, 9/6, 8/6

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Piston bench presses (per side)
37s x 10, 42s x 8, 45s x 5, 6, 6, 5

Pushing, pulling and conditioning

Two of my favourite athletes battling it out.

Weighted pull-ups, max reps @ 25lb: 7, 5, 5, 5, 5

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Piston bench press, max reps @ 45lb (per arm): 10, 7, 7, 6, 5

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21-15-9 rft:
Hang snatches @ 65lb
Push presses @ 65lb
Time = 9:05

Near the end I got that stabbing pain at the base of my skull again, and I thought I was going to puke. Not a good feeling.

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10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 rft:
Burpees
Push-ups
Sit-ups
Time = 11:32

People came up to me for a chat during both my metcons this morning. WTF! Don't I look like I'm busy?

Pushing

British cycling World champion, Victoria Pendleton.
Impressive hamstrings.

Nothing impressive about today: I either matched or did worse than previously with the following routines.

Military press 5, 5, 5, 5, 5
65, 75, 80 (3), 80 (2), 75

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Piston bench presses - 5 per side
35s, 40s, 45s, 50s, 52s, 55s (3 per side)

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Push press:
85 x 5
90 x 5
95 x 5
100 x 4
100 x 3

Full body

Gym was busy today, so my planned workout went out the window. The first 2 routines were made up on the fly, based on what was available at the time.

Alternate sets:

Cable rows:
120 x 5
130 x 5
140 x 5
150 x 5
160 x 4 (actually did 5, but form was crap on the last one)

Dips - max reps: 11, 9, 9, 8, 8

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Alternate sets:

Dumbbell piston press - max reps @ 35s (per side):
12, 12, 11, 10, 10

Chin-ups - max reps:
10, 8, 7, 6, 5

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"Rahoi" - Amrap 12:
12 x box jumps @ 24"
6 x thrusters @ 75
6 x burpees

Score = 4 rounds exactly

As RXed this would be 95lb thrusters and bar-facing burpees. However, the gym was a bit crowded so I didn't really have room for that type of burpee, only regular ones. Also, 95lb thrusters would be more of  strength workout for me and I wanted this to be just conditioning, hence the lighter weight. Even then my arms were knackered from the earlier routines and I found these lighter thrusters tough. On more than one occasion during the third set I seemed to chicken out while doing box jumps. No idea why.

Upper body and core

 

The Return of the King!

This is the first day in a while where I haven't done any kind of Olympic lifting. As I mentioned in an earlier post, I go to the gym each morning with a list of different routines from which I pick 2 or 3, depending on how I feel that day. I did that today, but ignored the list and basically just made up a workout on the fly.

The first routine was Sunday's CrossFit main site WOD, death by pull-ups. I'm pretty good with pull-ups, but this felt tougher than I expected.

Death by Pull-ups
With a continuously running clock do one pull-up the first minute, two pull-ups the second minute, three pull-ups the third minute...continuing as long as you are able. Use as many sets each minute as needed.

Score = 9 minutes exactly

I completed my last rep just as the 59 seconds changed to 00. As this is a CrossFit routine, I assumed the pull-ups were the kipping variety. However, when I started this I wanted it to be more of a strength workout, rather than a conditioning one, so I did strict pull-ups. By the time I got to the round of 7 reps, the only way to get through the minute was by kipping. Or, rather, swing my legs wildly so I could get my chin over the bar. Looking at the posted results, I thought I might get into double figures - i.e. at least 10 minutes - but I simply had nothing left. Even though these were pull-ups, and not chin-ups, the reps were quite challenging because of doms in my biceps. I often get this the day after a hang power clean routine (strangely, not after power cleans, though.)

Piston bench presses - 5 per side
35s, 40s, 42s, 45s, 50s, 52s, 55s (3 per side)

It's been a while since I've done these and I hadn't planned on doing them today. I couldn't remember what weight I started with last time, so I started fairly light and just kept going until I couldn't complete 5 reps per side. In the end, I actually finished with a heavier weight than in September.

Superset: Push-ups and sit-ups, max reps; 1 min rest between sets
30/32, 16/17, 12/17, 12/17, 13/15

Full body: Heavy/moderate weight

Katie Hogan

Nothing too fancy today.

Dumbbell piston press 5, 5, 5, 5, 5 per arm
37s, 42s, 45s, 47s, 50s, 52s (4)

I managed all 5 reps with 50s, which was supposed to be my last set, so I attempted another set with 52s and did quite well. The last time I did pistons I only managed 4 reps with 50s, which I think was because I jumped from 42s to 47s and that might have fatigued me too much. This time I did smaller incremental increases and that seemed to help. Also, this time the pistons were at the start of my workout.

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Partial back squats 3, 3, 3, 3, 3 (safeties @ 11 holes)
Warm-up: 5 @ 185
210, 235, 255, 275, 295, 300 (F)

I hit all 3 reps at 295, which is a first. Last time I only managed 2 reps at that weight. Because of this, I attempted an extra set at 300lb. I was ok squatting down in a controlled movement, but couldn't budge an inch once the barbell hit the safeties. I didn't feel any discomfort in my hip flexor, which only seems to hurt when I squat all the way down with weights or at speed.

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Neutral grip pull-ups - 4 x max
11, 9, 7, 5

I'd planned on super-setting these with cable rows, but every time I was about to move to that station someone would jump on it.

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Push press - 4 x max @ 95 with 2 second hold
(3 @ 105) 5, 4, 3, 3

I started these at 105lb but only got 3 reps, and - although I locked out - the third rep didn't stay up too long. I decided to drop the weight down a bit so I could hit more reps and sets.

Full body: Heavy weight + plenty of whining

I'm cravin' it.

Felt a bit bleh this morning, perhaps because I started the day with an upset stomach. This might have been due to overdoing the fibre in the second half of yesterday! I had a homemade fruit smoothie as a mid-afternoon snack - lots of fruit and protein - and for dinner I cooked salmon in sesame oil and ginger, with about a cup and a half of veggies, plus about a cup of mashed cauliflower with paprika and garlic. I tried the latter for the first time because I keep reading that it's a good substitute for mashed potato; although it tasted nothing like it, it was delicious nonetheless. Oh, and I had an apple with some peanut butter as a late evening snack. So, plenty of fibre and protein yesterday, and I paid the price this morning, which might be why I felt a bit weak. 

It also might explain why last night I had a dream that I ate a Big Mac. Seriously.

Hang power clean and press, holding the bar overhead for 3 seconds:
65 (3), 75 (3), 85 (3), 95 (3), 100 (3), 105 (2.5), 105 (2), 105 (1.5)

My back was a little sore when I started training today, so I avoided jarring it with fast cleans from the ground, opting for hang power cleans instead. In the sets where I've noted a half rep, that's because I managed to get the bar overhead and lockout my arms, but the bar came straight back down; I couldn't keep the bar up once I'd got it there.

Also, in the third rep of the first set, I hit my chin hard with the bar when I was doing the push press. It fucking hurt and I thought I'd chipped a tooth because I'd jammed my teeth together! Jeez, great start! Update: I can feel a bump developing on my chin!

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Box front squats 5, 5, 5, 5, 5 (small bench, wooden step)
115, 125, 135 (3), 135 (2) - quit

This was very disappointing. I didn't fail - and, subsequently, quit - because I couldn't perform a squat; it was because my left wrist was hurting and I couldn't maintain the "bent wrist" grip. I was using the squat rack in the corner of the gym, and in the third rep of the last set that I attempted I got to the seated position on the bench and had to let the bar go. Thankfully, I could drop it on the rests without too much noise. Considering I managed to PR with a 150lb full ROM front squat a few weeks ago, today's result really pissed me off.

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Dumbbell piston press 5, 5, 5, 5, 5 per arm
37s, 42s, 47s, 50s (4), 50s (3)

This is pretty much the same score as last time, although the number of reps in the two 50lb sets were the other way round.

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3 RFT:
5 weighted dips @ 25
7 dips
9 clapping push-ups
12 push-ups

Time = 13:14

Thankfully, I finished today on a positive note. Last time I did this I finished in 14:38, which is 1:24 slower than today. The weighted dips were by far the toughest part of the routine.

Although today didn't yield great results, there were some positives, especially the score of my final routine. Plus, I managed to push my way through this morning's training even though I wasn't feeling 100%. Not sure if a Big Mac fits into my starch-free diet, though...

Pushing

Personal training with Paul

Bench press 5, 5, 4, 3, 3
105, 115, 125, 130, 135 (2)

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DB piston press 5, 5, 5, 5, 5
37s, 42s, 47s, 50s (3), 50s (4)

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3 RFT:
5 weighted dips @ 25
7 dips
9 clapping push-ups
12 push-ups

Time = 14:38

A little disappointed with myself, not because of my score but because I lacked focus and concentration in the first round. This was a tougher routine than it sounded, so now I have a score to beat. However, I was much too chatty at the start and I need to be more consistently disciplined, especially with RFTs and Amraps.

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DB fly to press combo @ 22s
10-10, 10-10, 10-6

Pushing

Rack bench press 3, 3, 3, 3, 3 (small bench, 7 holes)
130, 135, 140, 150, 155 (1)

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Military press 3, 3, 3, 3, 3
65, 70, 75, 80 (2), 80 (2)

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Dumbbell piston bench press 5, 5, 5, 5, 5 (per arm)
[45s (5/4)] 40s (5/5), 42s (5/5), 45s (5/5), 47s (3/3), 47s (3/3)

I misjudged the starting weight for this routine - the first time I've done it - and went too heavy. I managed 5 reps with my left shoulder but it felt quite painful and was clicking, possibly due to not being loosened up enough. Also, my right - supposedly my strongest - arm failed after 4 reps. I started again with 40s and gradually increased the weight. My left shoulder only hurt with that first aborted attempt.

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Push-ups - 3 x max reps
30, 22, 14

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3 RFT:
10 bench press @ 115 (small bench, 7 holes)
10 dumbbell push presses @ 40s
10 dumbbell front raises @ 20s

Time = 15:11

Another routine where I misjudged the weight and set-up. I originally had the safeties at 6 holes and the weight at 125lb. I really struggled to get just 2 reps, so I lowered the weight to 115lb, but left the bar at the same height. Again, that was a real struggle, so I stayed at 115lb and moved the safeties to 7 holes. That felt like the right set-up as I was able to complete 7 reps before taking a break. In the last round I could only manage doubles and singles for the bench presses. The rounds of push presses and raises were typically completed in 2 or 3 sets.