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Post by youngblood on Dec 21, 2007 20:22:34 GMT -5
Chest Day!
Incline DB Presses:
110x5x2, 110x3
Haven't done these for a month or so, maybe more or less. But I know I didn't really have the power I usually have. Work could have had something to do with it too.
Flat BB Press:
225x6x3
With feet on the bench, this is the heaviest I've gone in sometime. With the feet up, I REALLY feel off balance (why I've never done them this way) and I want to stop though I know I have a good 2-3 reps left in me.
Low Incline Flyes:
60x8 70x8
The setting on the bench was the lowest incline possible, this way my lower chest and my upper chest is hit- not one being favored more by being high or vice versa.
Hack SLDL's:
185x8 225x8 275x8
Really felt these in the hams- more so than usual. The difference? I moved my feet higher on the platform, instead of having them lower. I think this increased the ROM and added more tension on the Hammies.
Plate Loaded St. Curls:
135x6 155x6x2
Good sets here.
Lying Leg Curls:
105x6
Just one set, because I wanted to hit my hams from this angle, though my back has a tendency to arch up- the very reason I think I hurt it in the first place! And I also wanted to do the following exercise....
Pull-Throughs:
50x15
Stick a fork in me...I'm done!
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Post by Roger on Dec 23, 2007 8:37:42 GMT -5
Good one YB. I am like you I don't like feet up on flat bench. I think it takes away your natural arch in lower back which could lead to lower back pain. Just my opinion.
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Post by youngblood on Dec 23, 2007 15:55:40 GMT -5
I actually found that my "natural arch" has caused me the back pain..... :-\ Obviously I've been arching far more than what my body should....
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Post by beckie on Dec 25, 2007 1:56:36 GMT -5
You're putting in some some great training YB-my back is dodgy too,squats are completely out of the question.. Hope you have a nice Christmas
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Post by Tim Wescott on Dec 29, 2007 7:40:34 GMT -5
Damn good dumbell inclines YB !!
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Post by fit on Jan 3, 2008 8:24:27 GMT -5
Happy holidays, Youngblood. Hope the back is repairing.
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Post by youngblood on Jan 22, 2008 19:54:37 GMT -5
Okie Dokie, time to get this thing rolling along again. The reason for such a long (one month) layoff/break? Unfortunately I have to report I was having some health problems. Since my diet back in May or so, I was having an unusual "sensation" in my chest. Over the heart area, but certainly NOT pain. It would come and go, and never in the gym or at work when I was exerting myself the hardest. I didn't understand it, and it was one of those things I chalked up as "it will go away." Especially because it would come and go. The feeling came back around the second week of December, normal as usual. However, on Christmas Eve, I noticed it a little more prominent and then the next day I was scared at work with my left arm and leg going numb! 'Am I having a heart attack, at age 30?!?!?' I thought. Well, I went home and called the doctor to make an appointment. The aforementioned numbness was never there before or since, but I wanted to make sure things were "kosher" prior to exercise and whatnot. So I stopped the gym and my usual eating fare. I'm happy to report that my EKG showed a perfectly healthy human. The odd things that my blood work showed, however, were high potassium levels (not exactly sure where this comes from, but I'm guessing my multi vitamin which I take twice a day since my diet lacks in veggies); and semi-high cholesterol levels. I believe my grandfather, and my father, passed this onto me. So, now the doctor has prescribed my some Lipitor (not exactly thrilled about that, but once a day we'll see what happens) and I've got to start adding some fiber into my diet. We'll go from there and see what happens. I love my beef, but I'm cutting down on that to be safe-more chicken, and continuing my Flax/Fish Oils too. With ALL that being said, today was my first day in the gym in a month- give or take a day or two. So this was just a light warm up. In some exercises, I was surprised how strong I still felt. In others (shoulder presses), I was struggling with my normal warm-up weight. :-\ I took my sweatshirt off, and was happy to see my veins and that I look decent too. But knowing my body, it's all around my waist!!! One minute rest between all sets.... Pulldowns: 150x8x3 BB Bench Press: 185x8x3 T-Bar Rows: 225x10x2 Incline Flyes: 40x10, 50x10 Pressdowns: 120x10x2 "Face" Curls: 50x10, 60x10 Parallel Dip machine: 255x10x2 One Arm Preacher Machine: 25x10x2 St. Laterals: 20x8x3 Std. Military Press: 95x8,115x8 I finished it all off with a semi-light walk on the treadmill. I will be doing more cardio in the future. One thing I do have going for me, is that my blood pressure was 118/60- pretty much spot on perfect. And my HDL was 159 (he told me you want it above 120, I think). So, even though my LDL was a little elevated ( I want to say 105 when it should be around 100), the ratio was intact and because the HDL outweighs the LDL by such a large margin, I'm still safe. So....some life changes will have to take place. At least it wasn't the heart problem (yet) that I'd suspected.
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Post by fit on Jan 22, 2008 21:21:41 GMT -5
Wow! Good news about your health (that it wasn't a heart attack). Lots of ways to get fiber in there naturally. I'm always happy to mention a few food ideas.
He put you on lipitor when your LDL was 105?? Seems kinda aggressive... but I'm no doc... but really, I would think a slight change in diet and exercise could right that.
But then maybe he saw other indicators including family history.
Nice workout, YB.
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Post by youngblood on Jan 22, 2008 21:31:57 GMT -5
I think he put me on the meds (which I'm reluctant to take, btw, but I will) because my cholesterol levels were at 225 or 229, when acceptable/healthy levels are at 200 or below. Personally, I'm inclined it's my genes that have me that high. But also, I do believe that it could be the way I eat; never touched a salad, love my steak, and am pretty much a carnivore. So he recommended that I eat carrot sticks, which is one veggie that I can tolerate. So in the next day or two I'm going to pick me up a bag of 'em and start munching on them here and there through my meals.
If you do have any other suggestions, let me have 'em, seeing as I need all the possibilities for my limited palette of taste.
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Post by fit on Jan 22, 2008 21:39:44 GMT -5
Sure- PM me with the kinds of things you like and more importantly, what you hate... I'll see what I can do. Right of the bat, just a starchy carb like Quinoa is a good fiber source. Getting a jar of wheat germ or bran and adding some to oatrmeal is a simple option too.
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Post by youngblood on Jan 25, 2008 19:30:04 GMT -5
Got back in there today for more lower body, and to do a few quick sets of the other parts I did the other day- sort of stretch 'em out and get them used to being hit again and again, I guess.
A quick warm up set of Leg Extensions where I used one leg for 6 reps, switched to the other leg, and then both legs. Up the weight and repeat for 2 more sets.
Leg Press: 405x10x2 One Leg Plate Loaded Leg Curls: 25x12, 50x12 Smith Machine Squats: 95x10, 115x10 Hack SLDL's: 135x12x2 Donkey Calf Raises: 400x10x2
Flat BB Press: 135x10 Pull-Ups: BWx10x2 St. Laterals: 12.5x10 Pressdowns: 120x10 St. DB Alt. Curls: 30x10
Off to take a nap, after my KFC meal (reduced the chicken breast from 5 down to 3, cheaper too!).
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Post by Roger on Jan 26, 2008 6:30:30 GMT -5
Glad to hear you are getting back in the groove of things. The KFC chicken is skinless and baked right YB? LOL
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Post by Tim Wescott on Jan 26, 2008 7:28:10 GMT -5
Good workouts YB. Glad to hear that you`re OK too. I had an ex-girlfriend who had super high cholesterol.......put her on a very clean diet,she started training,and never needed Lipitor again. I bet if you just stayed out of KFC,your levels would decrease. Just some food for thought dude,you seem to live at "The Colonels" !! Take it easy,but train your ass off !! #smileydidisaythat8ws#
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Post by youngblood on Jan 26, 2008 18:59:08 GMT -5
Of course the chicken is baked and skinless...do a search on the Tender Roast filets, that's what I get.
I wouldn't think the KFC chicken is bad, the crispy strips I would agree they are and/or can be. But the tender roast is just chicken without skin and baked...would you think eating the same chicken at home that I prepared would be any different? I'm not so sure, honestly. :-\
I don't live at the Colonels....I just visit there after my workouts. That's like saying we live at the Gym Tim!!!! But we're only there once a day (unless contest time) for 4-6 days per week, right?
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Post by youngblood on Jan 26, 2008 19:11:02 GMT -5
OK, so I did a little bit of research, and came up with this link: www.calorie-count.com/calories/item/5064.htmlThat link says that there is 119mg of Cholesterol in one KFC chicken breast. Seeing as I was eating 5 in a sitting, maybe I should think of cutting back on the serving size?!?! I've already done so, by eating three now. But that's still high, totaling 360mg of Cholesterol at one sitting when the recommended daily intake is no more than 300mg PER DAY. I am ingesting that per meal.....and when eating the five tender roast I was having double that....again for ONE meal. Go to this link; www.fatfreekitchen.com/cholesterol/cholesterol-chicken.htmlAnd it mentions that a regular chicken breast roasted at home only contains around 73mg!!!! So, a mea culpa to Tim....... I was mistaken....by A LOT. I may have found my culprit; certainly one of them if not THE culprit!
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Post by fit on Jan 26, 2008 19:20:08 GMT -5
This site might be useful for you, YB: www.dietfacts.com/Lists most of the restaurant menus and dietary info. Chicken is naturally high in cholesterol www.nutritiondata.com/facts-C00001-01c20BJ.html about 64mg per 4oz serving (raw), asmuch as 92ng per 4oz cooked (without skin). Shrimp's much worse, about 166mg per 3oz Generally speaking though- that's where the cholesterol is, of course, among the proteins/fats like meat, fish and dairy.
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Post by youngblood on Jan 28, 2008 19:48:35 GMT -5
Well, it was the first "hardcore" workout now that I'm back in the gym. I decided to change up my split again, since I've been doing roughly the same split for about 3-4 years now, with minor variations. I've used this split before, and I only deviated from it on BodyFx's advice when I changed to P/RR/S. He mentioned I may not be able to devote the energy to both body parts, but I'm giving it a go this time around. Without further adieu..... Flat BB Press: 225x6 235x6 235x4 I was pretty happy with these, 5 weeks off and come back in putting up this amount of weight. Incline DB Press: 85x6....far too light 100x5 100x4 Was extremely happy with this section. Of course, the 100's didn't go up as fast nor as easily as the 85's, but I got the reps I wanted with a weight I didn't think I'd see for a few weeks. L-Shaped Pec-Dec: 70x8x2 This is the Pec-Dec that you hold your arms at a 90* angle. I've always shied away from this one due to making my shoulders feel prone to injury. This time it wasn't so bad, but I won't be using it often. I liked it, yes, but not enough to rant and rave as I have other machines. Back..... One Arm Assisted Pull-Ups: BW-80x6 BW-60x6, 4 These were, expectedly, really hard. But, thus far I don't think ANYTHING has ever made my back feel this good when doing lat work. If you can do these, I highly HIGHLY recommend it! Rack Deadlifts: 225x8x2 275x8 Decided to give 'em a whirl, and my back loved them. I was extremely cautious using a very light weight. Nothing happened, but I'm not sure if I'll load the weight up any time soon. T-Bar Rows: 315x8x2 Great part of the workout to put these in. With my back full of blood, been stretched and ready to go, I got a tremendous pump from these. Too bad I only did two sets. I finished off by doing 10min of cardio on the treadmill. Once I get back into the full routine, I'll be cutting up some more. Last time I kept my heart rate around 120-125. Today, and in the future I will continue to keep it around 130-140bpm, yet be cautious of going any higher because I don't want to burn muscle!
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Post by fit on Jan 28, 2008 20:18:38 GMT -5
Good job. One-arm assisted pull-ups... why the hell did I not think of that... I'm going try those. Thanks!
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Post by youngblood on Jan 28, 2008 20:23:31 GMT -5
Many people just try to work up to one arms like they would anything else. I think I saw an article at T-Nation while (extremely!) bored one day. They mentioned to use a Chin/Dip assist machine....and I said the exact same thing you did...."Why didn't I think of that!" I'm normally really good about alternative sources of progress and/or exercises.
When you get over the feeling of falling off the machine because your grip gives out (I highly recommend straps!), your back will feel like you will be taking off as a gust of wind blows by you.
Also, with the non-working arm, grab your wrist of the working arm. This makes it easier, but the farther down you hold your non-working arm towards your elbow, the hard it is. This is how you progress towards total one-arms after getting rid of the Assist machine. I'm almost to getting rid of the machine, at only having 60# worth of help. Before my "sabbatical," I was able to do 3-4 unassisted chin-ups holding at my wrist.
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Post by fit on Jan 28, 2008 20:37:25 GMT -5
Great advice- i will certainly give this a go.
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