Dave's training log

Nordic curlz from a lat pulldown machine. :)

But our pulldown machine is like this:

http://www.2handfitness.com/uploads/1/4/7/0/14705422/s967726946564166871_p96_i1_w331.jpeg

And I can't get the leg pad thing down far enough to hold my ankles. Not to mention the fact that even if I could I would be coming out into the middle of a gangway.

We have an X-Cube machine which I am pretty sure I could do it on somehow, just didn't have time to figure it out properly tonight.
 
Had quite a few days off from the gym due to work. I need to quit my job and focus full-time on the gym!

Deadlifts - 100kg - 3x5 (failed last 2 sets, was 1x5, 1x4 & 1x3)
Bent over Row - 62.5kg - 5x5
Barbell Curl - 30kg - 5x5
Single Arm Dumbbell Rows - 32kg - 5x5
Hammer Curls - 16kg - 5x5
High Pulley crunch - 42.5kg - 3x12

Interval training 13mins Treadmill (funny time I know, but it's all I had due to having to collect the kids from school)

Happy to get the 100kg deadlift. Got to try to get the full 3x5 next time though.
 
My grip. I just physically can not grip hold of the bar for anymore, it feels like if I try its just going to fall straight out of my hands.

Was considering straps

runs away
 
Have neglected this threw the last couple of weeks, sorry about that! I fell off my bike on the way to work about two weeks ago, totally my fault, icy and I was going far too quick around a bend. I live in a rural location and none of the roads are gritted, I fell off in more or less the same place last year and obviously didn't learn my lesson.

Anyway, hurt my hip, ribs, elbow, back and pride. Back has been the worse. Went to docs and he gave me anti inflammatory etc. He didn't say I had to stop going to the gym so have still been going but have deloaded some of the weights. Deadlifts and squats seem to aggravate it, so have bought them down a little. But work is the biggest problem. I think at the gym you are concentrating and warmed up, wheras at work I will pick something up and turn with it and get a pain before I think about what I am doing.

Hopefully next week I will be in a position to start bringing the weights back up again. I did a workout yesterday and did a 90kg deadlift (3x5) and bent over rows etc and it seems fine today.
 
Dumbbell Bench Press - 30kg - 5x5
Standing Dumbbell tricep extension - 34kg 3x8
Incline Dumbbell Fly's - 20kg 3x10
Incline Dumbbell Chest Press - 24kg 3x8
Decline Dumbbell Chest Press - 24kg 3x8
Close grip dumbbell Press - 24kg 3x10
Tricep pushdown (on cable machine) - 42.5kg 5x5
High pulley cable crunch - 40kg 3x15

Squats - 50kg 3x10

Only reason I did squats was to see what my back was/will be like as it seems to affect me the next day.

20mins Interval training on treadmill
 
Did my workout at 6.30 this morning after finishing a 12 hour night shift, felt difficult but got it done.

Deloaded the squats as I am still worried about my back. Had no reaction at the time and have got up feeling fine as well, so hopefully it will be okay.

Squats - 82.5kg - 5x5
Overhead Press - 50kg - 5x5
Dumbbell Lunges - 22kg - 3x8
Seated shoulder Press - 22kg - 5x5
Hamstring Curl - 65kg - 5x5

Will up the weight on pretty much everything next time, except perhaps the hamstring curl as that feels really difficult still.
 
God, haven't updated this in a while again. Partly to do with my bad back, partly to do with laziness to be honest. All my exercises are tracked on the gym's website so it is pretty easy to catch up.

Sorry this may be long(ish).

27th February.

Deadlifts - 100kg - 1x5 (Killed my back, so stopped at one set)
Bent over Row - 72.5kg - 5x5
Barbell Curl - 30kg - 3x10
Single Arm Dumbbell Rows - 38kg - 5x5
Hammer Curls - 16kg - 3x10
Alternating Curls - 18kg - 3x10
High Pulley crunch - 42.5kg - 3x12

The deadlifts aggravated my back. Not sure at the moment if it is form related, or if my back hasn't fully healed at the moment. I am going to try to get a video up in the next few weeks (when the gym is quiet and I don't feel an idiot filming myself). For now I will drop the weight and concentrate on my form.

3rd March

Dumbbell Bench Press - 32kg - 5x5
Standing Dumbbell tricep extension - 34kg 3x8
Incline Dumbbell Fly's - 16kg 3x10
Incline Dumbbell Chest Press - 24kg 3x10
Decline Dumbbell Chest Press - 24kg 3x10
Close grip dumbbell Press - 24kg 3x10
Tricep pushdown (on cable machine) - 42.5kg 5x5
High pulley cable crunch - 40kg 3x15

5th March

Squats - 90g - 5x5
Overhead Press - 52.5kg - 5x5 (failed last set, 4 reps)
Dumbbell Lunges - 24kg - 3x8
Seated shoulder Press - 22kg - 5x5
Hamstring Curl - 65kg - 5x5

7th March

Deadlifts - 70kg - 5x5
Bent over Row - 75kg - 5x5
Barbell Curl - 30kg - 3x10
Single Arm Dumbbell Rows - 38kg - 5x5
Hammer Curls - 16kg - 3x10
Alternating Curls - 18kg - 3x10
High Pulley crunch - 40kg - 3x15

Deadlift's at that weight felt fine, back felt fine and form seemed spot on (to me anyway).

9th March

Bench Press - 62.5kg - 5x5
Close Grip Bench Press - 45kg - 3x10
Incline Dumbbell Fly's - 16kg 3x10
Incline Chest Press - 47.5kg 3x10
Decline Chest Press - 47.5kg 3x10
Tricep pushdown (on cable machine) - 30kg 3x10
High pulley cable crunch - 40kg 3x15

I used the squat/power rack to do barbell chest press etc for the first time, so weight need messing around with a bit. The chest press can do with going up by 5kg next time and the close grip by 5kg as well, the rest seemed about right.
 
Not updated this in quite a while again due to a combination of things which are too boring to mention.

I did get some really useful advice/help from a chap down the gym about 3 weeks ago on my deadlift form. As per the previous I have been struggling with it. Anyway, I did a squat session which I was happy with and this, and I am not trying to be rude here, seemingly thin, older chap (I would guess his age is about 70 ish) came up to me as I was finishing my squats and asked how much longer I would be. Anyway he proceeded to do deadlifts with 160kg which I was just amazed at. I went over to ask him if he could give me a few pointers as I struggled with them.

Basically, I wasn't utilising my legs enough, I was too close to the bar and not kind of pushing my hips down, so all the upward motion was coming from my lower back (hence the back pain I guess).

I have bought myself a belt as I just feel 'safer' with it (physiological probably, but I find it helps), but my deadlifts in the last month have improved dramatically.

Today's workout:

Deadlifts

Warm-ups - bar x lots, 50kgx10, 70kgx8
110kg 3x5

Bent over Row
80kg 5x5

Single Arm Dumbbell Rows
40kg 5x5

Incline Dumbell Curls
16kg 3x10

Hammer Curls
16kg 3x10

High Pulley Crunch
40kg 3x15

Will try to keep this updated a bit more now.
 
Basically, I wasn't utilising my legs enough, I was too close to the bar and not kind of pushing my hips down, so all the upward motion was coming from my lower back (hence the back pain I guess).

Common problem, one I have suffered with too. Really getting your hips and hammies flexible helps a lot too.
 
It is amazing when you can get the form right, it makes the world of difference.

I am still struggling with my grip on it, it is the weakest part of the exercise for me, but am determined not to give in and buy straps. I use a mixed grip, the gym will not allow chalk and my hands are not big enough to properly do a hook grip, so am just going to have to persevere
 
I have tiny hands and have learnt to hook grip fine (my initial doubts were because my old gym were using over-sized bars). As someone said to me, if the midget 56kg male Oly WL'ers and the juniors can hook grip just fine...
 
Yep, to be fair it is probably just me. It just feels like my thumb is gonna pop out or something. I read about literally just holding the bar at the top of the exercise on the last rep for as long as you can (static hold I think they called it) helps to improve grip strength so might throw that it next time.
 
13th March

Bench Press - 65kg - 5x5
Close Grip Bench Press - 45kg - 3x10
Incline Chest Press - 50kg 3x10
Decline Chest Press - 50kg 3x10
Tricep pushdown (on cable machine) - 30kg 3x10
High pulley cable crunch - 40kg 3x15

Haven't logged my cycling in a while either. Not much to say really, but the weather is getting nicer now, which makes it a whole lot easier to do a few more miles after a days work.

14th March

Cycle to work - 9.67 miles @ 14.4mph
Cycle Home - 14.83 miles @ 18.1mph

15th March

Cycle to Work - 9.52 miles @ 16mph
Cycle Home - 17.21miles @ 15.6mph
 
Good cycling! I've managed my 25 mile round trip twice this week. The glorious weather had really helped! I'm not sure my average speed is as much through the central Birmingham traffic though! Are you cycling every day? I found daily cycling seriously good for dropping BF %. Hopefully once I'm up to fitness I'll be doing 125 miles per week on the bike just commuting.
 
No, I don't cycle everyday. I only work 3 days per week and some of those are night shifts (6pm-6am), so don't cycle to work on those as I can't manage the cycle home. I would guess I cycle to commute to work about 250 ish miles per month on average.

Then during the summer months I try to do 1 longish ride (40-80 miles depending on how I am feeling) and 1 shorter (10-20 miles) ride per week.

I enjoy it during the summer, hate it with a passion in the winter. I have no choice but to bike to work on day shifts as we only have one car (wife needs the car to take the kids to school). Its good as it forced me to bike. I am sure if I went and bought a second car and said I will only use it in bad weather I would end up using it most of the time! I am lucky that I have about 3 miles of town traffic type roads and then, whichever way I cycle, I have the rest of the roads being traffic free.

I went from being 15 stone to around 11 stone inside a year through cycling a diet alone. My weight has gone back up now since joining the gym last year, and I know I have put on BF, but not like I was before.
 
16th March

Squats

Warm-ups - bar x lots, 70kgx10, 100kgx5

105kg 5x5

Overhead Press

Warm-up - bar x lots, 40kg x 10

55kg - 5x3 (failed on the 3rd set only got 3 reps, so dropped the weight)
52.5kg 5x2

Seated Shoulder Press

20kg 10x3

Leg Curl

60kg 10x3


That was my main workout, but I did some deadlifts (70kg - 3x5) with a hook grip to just try out the grip. It felt okay at that weight, but my hands still got very sweaty so am still concerned with higher weights, but will give it a go on Saturday.

Will ask in the gym rats thread as well, but has anyone ever used liquid chalk? Gym won't allow chalk, but they wouldn't know if it was liquid, so just wondered if it was worth it?
 
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