Dave's training log

davejh666

davejh666

davejh666

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Joined
17 Nov 2011
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1,511
Location
Timbucktoo
Thought it was about time to start a training log. Have been going to the gym since about June 2014. I got a lot of great advice in last years (and this years) gym thread.

I had to stop lower body/leg stuff in August last year as I had an issue with my left knee, which actually turn out to be a problem with my hamstring. As such just starting to get back into squats, lunges, deadlifts etc. I had to change gym's in December as the gym I was going to shut down. Current gym does not have a squat rack, but does have one coming the 2nd week of January (next week I think).

My current stats:

Age: 37
Weight: 84kg
Height: 5'9

Only other thing to note really is that I have high blood pressure (180/92) which was discovered when I joined the new gym. This is being kept an eye on - will see what happens with that.

Main goals are to keep increasing my strength. I have never been a very strong person. Also am aiming to bring my body weight back down for the moment. I ballooned to about 95kg at my heaviest in 2013. Weight came down to about 76kg last year before I started the gym, but has been going up ever since I joined the gym. I would like to lose the fat I have - not sure how much I have, but I will know when I am happy. My guess is I will be happy with weighing about 78-80 kg's.

I actually like cardio work. I enjoy running and cycling. They have an X-Cube machine at the gym and might go to one of the classes to see what exercises I can do on it. I do at least 30 mins on the treadmill when I go to the gym. At the moment I am cycling just to and from work, in the summer the mileage will go up to about 200 a week I guess.

Think that's about it for now.
 
Okay, today's workout then:

Barbell Curl 3x8 - 35kg
Alternating Dumbell Curls - 3x8 20kg (failed on the last set only managed 3x6)
Bent Over Row - 3x8 40kg
Deadlifts - 3x5 60kg
Single arm row's 3x8 28kg
High Pulley Crunch - 3x10 40kg
Treadmill - 40 mins total. 2% incline for 30 mins at 9kph. Then Interval training for 10 mins.
 
It is high. Yes been to the GP. My Mum has high blood pressure and so did her Dad, so we are thinking it is hereditary. I have to keep a monitor on the pressure to see if it is 'spiking' at certain points of the day, so take it before breakfast, after breakfast, before lunch, after etc etc (you get the picture).

Ah, the workout wasn't in order, sorry. It went:

Deadlifts
Barbell Curl
Bent Over Row
Alternating Dumbbell Curls
Single Arm Rows
High Pulley Crunch
Treadmill.

I find my forearms are killing me by the end of the Alternating Curls!
 
No weight training today just cycling.

19.4 miles in a total time of 70mins 28 seconds. Not bad, was very wet and windy this morning (5am). Had cleared up this evening (6pm), but was colder.

Won't get back down the gym now until Saturday evening due to work, but will at least have another 1.5 days riding in before then (I don't ride home from work on a Saturday evening in the winter).

If anyone is interested my food diary is here: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/profile/davejh666

Still trying to eat up the last few bits from Christmas so won't be totally clean for another week or so, but getting there.
 
Yep, cycled to work this morning. Regretted it about 5 mins down the road!! Will post up later, but I am pretty sure it was my slowest ever commute to work, think I only averaged about 14mph. Met office app said it was gusts of 50mph and constant of 32mph headwind against me. Not very nice at all. Still, hopefully it stays the same for the ride home!!
 
Right, just cycling again today.

19.6 miles in a total of ................. 70mins and 32 seconds!! Horrendous. As I said in the post up the page, headwind was awful this morning. I have been cycling to work for a year and half now, and this was by far the worse morning in terms of wind I have ever had.

I had a look at my first ever bike to work and I averaged 13.9 mph and I was massively unfit at the time. This morning I averaged 12.5 mph. It hurt. Still, no pain - no gain.

This evening was much better.

Oh, and GSVBagpuss, you gave me a link to the flapjacks that you can make in the gym rats thread. The wife made some for me today and I divided it into 12 pieces - they are bloody lovely. I am going to have to resist the temptation to eat them all at once. Thanks!!
 
Didn't post yesterdays workout as I was late getting in. So this was Saturday 10th's;

Dumbbell Chest Press - 26kg 3x8
Standing Dumbbell tricep extension - 26kg 3x8
Incline Dumbbell Fly's - 18kg 3x8
Close grip Dumbbell Press - 18kg 3x8
Incline Dumbbell Chest Press - 22kg 3x8 (failed on last set - was 7 reps)
Decline Dumbbell Chest Press - 22kg 3x8
Dips (unassisted) - 3x8 (failed on the last set - was 7 reps)
Tricep pushdown (on cable machine) - 41kg 3x8 (failed on last set was 6)
High pulley cable crunch - 43.5kg 3x12

22 mins on treadmill - pyramid training

Not sure how you guys list your dumbbell weights. Obviously chest press exercises have 2 dumbbells, so for example, Dumbbell chest press was 26kg per dumbbell, so 52kg in total. Tricep extension was just one dumbbell so was 26kg in total. If I need to just list total weight rather than weight per dumbbell just tell me.

First time I have used the dumbbells for chest press etc in a while, so still finding weights. I need to up the weight on the flat chest press, the tricep extension and the fly's next time for definite.

Didn't bike to work Saturday as I woke up late, so went in the car, which given the way the wind was yesterday I wasn't too unhappy about
 
GSVBagpuss said:
Sleet forecast this week for me - man up init!

Re dumbell weights - you list whatever you prefer - it's your log! I would personally list single dumbell weights so you know what pair to pick up next time and save any chance of mental division errors after a triple superset of curlz
Click to expand...

Yeah I will keep doing them as I am, makes it easier for me.

Don't care what the weather does this week, I am working nights so will be in the car anyway.
 
Headed down the gym when I finished work at 6 this morning. Not been to that gym at that time of the day, was quite busy. Anyway:

Squats - 65kg - 3x8
Overhead Press - 30kg - 3x8
Dumbbell Lunges - 18kg - 3x8 (per leg)
Seated shoulder Press - 18kg - 3x8
Dumbbell Shrugs - 28kg - 3x8
Hamstring Curl - 52.5kg - 3x8
Lateral Raise's - 9kg - 3x8 (failed on last set, 7 reps)
High Pulley Crunch - 40kg - 3x12

Interval training treadmill - 20mins

Couple of things.

1. I need to up weight on all exercises apart from Lateral Raise's (which I find really hard).

2. Do you add the weight of the bar onto the exercise? The gym I used to go to, the bars where never as heavy as the ones where I go now. For example, Overhead Press, at the old gym I could almost manage 3x8 at 40kg, now I guess it is going to be about 32.5 - 35kg because the bar is so much heavier. I use a slightly smaller bar for all exercises other than deadlifts and squats.

3. Is there any exercise I can do with free weights that specifically targets and isolates my hamstrings? I know deadlifts, squats etc all do these, but I had issue with my hamstring for a long while and the physio told me to strengthen them by doing the hamstring curl on the machine. It has helped a great deal - to the point where I am now completely pain free - so am reluctant to stop doing them. Just wondered if there is another way to do the same thing?
 
It is an olympic bar. They have 2 sizes of them, one a bit longer than the other. What do the bars weight then, do you know, or should I just ask?

One of the exercises the physio gave me to do was the Nordic Curl, but I find it hard without someone holding my feet/ankles.
 
Yes we have a lat pulldown machine. How would that help hamstrings though?

Edit* Just googled lat pulldown for hamstrings. That is great, hadn't thought about doing something like that. Will give it a go next time I do legs, cheers.

Deadlift day tomorrow. Actually love doing them, even if I ain't at the biggest weight yet - with the bar weight added I am at 80kg 3x5. Was always fearful of doing them wrong and hurting my back, but once the form is correct it is a great exercise.
 
Didn't go down the gym yesterday as I was shattered by the time I finished work, 12 hour shifts for 6 successive days takes it out of me.

Got down there today. My weights that I am gonna list from now on include the bar weight if I am using a barbell and are single dumbbell weights if I am using dumbbells, it is easier for me this way.

Deadlifts - 92.5kg - 3x5
Bent over Row - 57.5 - 3x8
Barbell Curl - 35kg - 3x8 (failed on last set, only got 6 reps)
Single Arm Dumbbell Rows - 30kg - 3x8
Single Arm Alternating Curls - 20kg - 3x8 (failed last set, got 7 with right arm 6 with left)
Lat Pulldown - 65kg - 3x8
Close grip pulldown - 65kg - 3x8
High Pulley crunch - 40kg - 3x12

Pyramid Training on Treadmill 22mins

Things to note:

Deadlifts were good, at my maximum with them though, couldn't have gone any heavier I don't think. Bent over Rows were too easy, need to add more weight, will try 65kg next time.

Don't usually do lat pulldowns or close grip pulldown but the chin up/dip machine was out of action.
 
Todays workout:

Dumbbell Bench Press - 26kg - 3x8 (failed last set, 7 reps)
Standing Dumbbell tricep extension - 28kg 3x8
Incline Dumbbell Fly's - 20kg 3x8
Incline Dumbbell Chest Press - 22kg 3x8
Decline Dumbbell Chest Press - 22kg 3x8
Dips (unassisted) - 3x8
Tricep pushdown (on cable machine) - 40kg 3x8
High pulley cable crunch - 42.5kg 3x12

45 mins total on treadmill - 30 mins@10kph on 2% incline - 15 mins interval training.
 
Haven't been down the gym in a few days - man flu. Thought I was gonna die!!

This evening's workout:

Squats - 90kg - 5x5
Overhead Press - 47.5kg - 3x8 (failed last set, 7 reps)
Dumbbell Lunges - 18kg - 3x8 (per leg)
Seated shoulder Press - 20kg - 3x8
Dumbbell Shrugs - 30kg - 3x8
Hamstring Curl - 52.5kg - 3x8
Lateral Raise's - 9kg - 3x8 (failed on last set, 6 reps)
High Pulley Crunch - 40kg - 3x12

Treadmill - 30mins (20 mins constant @10kph, 2% incline, 10mins interval training).

Happy with today, legs feel a bit like jelly after the squats though. I knew as soon as I did the very first squat I was never going to manage to get 8 reps of it so changed it to 5x5 instead.
 
mrthingyx said:
Treadmills - fine, if used correctly. In other words, using intervals... Not steady state. They are just inefficient, otherwise...

Shrugs...
Click to expand...

I will take on board what you said about the shrugs and take them out of my workout then. I do overhead press and seated press anyway and do deadlifts on a different day, so that should be plenty.

The treadmill however.........

I have a few goals to achieve by the end of this year:

Bench 80kg
Deadlift 140kg
Squat 120kg

And, do a dusk til dawn bike ride with a few lads from work (we are going to do it for charity), which is about 160 miles on the longest day of the year - think it's near the end of June sometime. And I also want to do the Bedford half marathon this year, which is usually in December, so gives me plenty of time to get my running distance up. I haven't been able to really run for a few years properly now, and I have always wanted to do a full marathon, but that is unrealistic I think this year. So, the treadmill is quite important until the lighter nights get here and I can get running outside.
 
GSVBagpuss said:
Are those 1RMs? I would guess squat will be the hardest, going by what I can manage at your height (but a few kg lighter). How do they look on Strength Standards?
Click to expand...

1RM is saying:

Squat 140kg
Deadlift 164kg
Bench 101kg

I think the squat and deadlift are quite achievable to be honest. I think it is the bench that I will struggle on.

The squats I did the other day I did 5x5 at 90kg and I think I could have gone another 10kg on them. Trying to build up slowish on my legs.
 
No, would put me into intermediate on all of the categories.

I do dumbbell bench presses due to no proper rack that I can do barbell bench presses and I do 52kg x 8 reps (thats 26kg dumbbells). I have never tried just a one rep maximum tbh. It is going to be that one that is going to be the most difficult. But, I look back at when I started last June, so 7 months ago, and I was benching 28kg in total. So, it's possible I think.

I think what I am going to do next week is have a little tweek around with my workout and start bringing a lot, if not all, of my exercises down to 5x5's instead of 3x8's.
 
Good workout today, really enjoyed it. Altered my workout to do more 5x5 set & reps.

Deadlifts - 95kg - 3x5
Bent over Row - 60kg - 5x5
Barbell Curl - 30kg - 5x5
Single Arm Dumbbell Rows - 32kg - 5x5
Hammer Curls - 16kg - 5x5
High Pulley crunch - 40kg - 3x12

Interval training 20mins Treadmill

My grip is holding me back on the deadlift's, and bent over row needs to be upped, a little too easy so will try 65kg next time.
 
Last edited:
Todays workout:

Dumbbell Bench Press - 28kg - 5x5 (failed last set - 4 reps)
Standing Dumbbell tricep extension - 30kg 3x8
Incline Dumbbell Fly's - 20kg 5x5
Incline Dumbbell Chest Press - 22kg 5x5
Decline Dumbbell Chest Press - 22kg 5x5
Close grip dumbbell Press - 22kg 5x5
Tricep pushdown (on cable machine) - 42.5kg 5x5
High pulley cable crunch - 42.5kg 3x12

22mins Interval training on treadmill
 
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