Monday, June 30, 2008

6/30 WOD

today was another busy day. i wanted to limit the sets this week anywayand i did so today. i started the xfit routine called 'the bear' but i lightened it to only 3 rounds instead of 5. i didn't want to overstress the delts 2 days before my workout. i also rested a few times during the sets which i wasn't supposed to but i had to scale it back.

warm up:
2 min bike
3 min eliptical
2 min rower

xfit: "the cubbie"
3 rounds of 7 sets: post lift total
hang clean
front squat
push press
back squat
push press

#= (95/95/95)

chest:
3 sets: incline bb press (135/155/135)
3 sets: flat bench db flyes (50/60/60)
3 sets: incline db press (60/70/60)
4 sets: dips (weight assisted 180/150/120/100)
3 sets: alternating arm hammer flat press (45/70/70 each side)

triceps:
3 supersets: straight bar cable pushdowns/two hand overhead db extension/ rope cable pushdowns (150,65,50/150,65,60/150,65,60)

swimming: 1 hour

*yesterday: 20 minute bike ride

Sunday, June 29, 2008

inspirational video of the week

i am probably the last male in north america to see this movie, but i finally picked up '300' this week. i can't stop watching it. it has been really great to watch before workouts for motivation.

goals of the week

last week i was able to match the intensity of the week prior. this week my goals are very different. i want to scale back the volume and load i am putting on my body. i feel like i need to give my body a week of low intensity workouts so it can recover from the past 6 weeks of high volume lifting plus xfit & cardio.

one thing i really want to do is step up cardio this week in the absence of high volume lifting. i want to mix between the running, biking , and swimming so my muscles can have time to heal. i really want to avoid 'overuse' injuries.

Friday, June 27, 2008

6/27 WOD

warm up:
4 min bike

xfit: 'dips/pull ups'
3 rounds of 21/15/9 reps (weight assisted 180/200/200)

my time = 7:45

legs:
8 sets: squats (135/225/315*/405*/455*/505^/315/225) *1 rep (^505=3 partial reps)
3 sets: leg extensions (110/100/90)
3 sets: seated leg curls (110/90/80)
3 sets: smith machine hack squat (135/225/275)
4 sets: calves raises on leg press (180/180/180/180)

preworkout weight = 282 (home scale)

Thursday, June 26, 2008

6/26 WOD

today was a pretty intense day. i started off with the 'fight gone bad' workout followed by my shoulder & abs. i also accomplished two more level 1 goals: 25 kettlebell swings & 30 situps.

warm up:
4 min bike

xfit: 'fight gone bad'
3 rounds, 5min with 5 exercises, 1 min rest between rounds
rower 13/10/10 cal burn
push press 70lb 18/10/15 reps
box jumps 12" 20/20/18 reps
(sub) 25lb db swing 25/20/12 reps
sumo dealift high pull 70lb 9/9/12 reps

total = 211

shoulders:
2 warm up sets: machine overhead press
5 sets: seated bb overhead press (115/135/155/135/115)
4 sets: reverse high cable crossover (60/70/80/50)
3 supersets: reverse low cable crossover/ db side lateral raises (50,15/40,15/40,15)
3 sets: db shrugs (40/70/100)
3 sets: seated hammer shrugs (270/360/270)

abs:
xfit: 30 sit-ups
2 sets: mb situps
3 sets: hammer crunches (20/30/40)
3 sets: windshield wipers

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

6/25 WOD

today i had a busy schedule so i was only able to get in a bicep workout at the globo gym & 20 laps in the pool.

biceps:
2 warm up sets: preacher machine curl
4 sets: ez bar curl to the forehead (60/70/80/80)
3 sets: db hammer curls (45/45/45)
3 supersets: close grip ez bar low cable curls/ incline db curls (70,22.5/100,22.5,130,22.5)
3 sets: seated db concentration curls (25/25/20)
2 sets: seated machine preacher curls (60/70)

swimming:
20 laps

postworkout weight = 286 (home scale)

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

6/24 WOD

today i mixed in alot of my xfit level 1 athletics goals into my back workout. i began the work out with 'christine' and i managed to lumber thru the next 1 and 45 minutes at the gym finishing my back.

xfit: 'christine' level 1
3 rounds for time (under 15min)
500m row
12 deadlifts (135lbs)
21 box jumps (12 inch)

my time = 14:17

back:
3 sets: cable lat pulldowns (160/140/120)
3 sets: smith machine bent over rows (135/155/175)
7 sets [xfit WOD]: BB snatch (95/115/115/135*/115/125*/115) *failure
3 sets: reverse grip hammer high lat pulldowns (45/70/95 each side)
xfit: 10 medicine ball cleans (12lbs)
xfit: 25 wall balls (12lbs)

3 sets: hammer low row (45/70/80 each side)
xfit: 10 seated knees to chest
2 dropsets: close gripe low cable row (160,110/180,120)
3 sets: straight arm standing front lat pulldown (60/70/80)

night time workout:
25 laps swim

preworkout weight = 285 (home scale)

Monday, June 23, 2008

6/23 WOD

today i had to split my lifting routine because of errands and it was a good thing. later in the afternoon i did my own xfit routine called 'rocky'.

i accomplished a level 1 xfit goal of a 500m row in 1:49 today.

warmup: xfit level 1 goal on rower

chest:
2 warm up sets: machine press
5 sets: incline BB bench press (135/155/175/155/135)
3 sets: smith machine on ball bench press (135/185/135)
4 sets: high cable crossovers (65/75/85/95)
3 supersets: incline db flye/ incline db press (30/40/45)

triceps:
2 warm up sets: machine extensions
2 sets: tricep pressdown machine (150/200)
3 sets: ez bar lying skull crushers (70/85/85)
3 supersets: straight bar cable pushdown/ overhead 2 hand db tricep extension/ rope cable pushdowns (100,40,40/120,45,50/150,45,60)
3 sets: reverse grip lying db skull crushers (22.5/22.5/22.5)

xfit: 'rocky'
3 rounds for time
100 body bag punches
20 15lb kettlebell swings
20 jump ropes

my time = 7:28

Saturday, June 21, 2008

6/21 rest day

today was my high calorie day. in other words i went to the fair and ate a ton. but i did get to the pool tonight and did 13 full laps.

i like to mix up my swim strokes, so i will do 1 lap freestyle then 1 lap with the breast stroke then frestyle and then backstroke etc... right now it seems that i get a better cardio workout that way. this is because each muscle group gets pretty fatigued after 1 lap.

video of the week

this week i put up a few videos with the crossfit routine called "fight gone bad".

goal of the week

this week the key word is "consistency".

last week i was pretty happy with my volume and intensity of the work outs. this week i need to replicate last weeks efforts.

end of week goal assesment

i have to say this week i did pretty well. I was able to get a few days of cardio in the form of crossfit and swimming.

the challenge was after i performed my xfit routine my body would be pretty drained and i would struggle thru my 2 hour lifting sessions. it gets to the point where after a few reps my body gets so fatiged that i can not feel the exercise in the target muscle.

i think i need to start splitting my routines even more to get the most out of both workouts.

6/20 rest day

after the intense week of crossfit training mixed with long weight training my body needed the day off. the only thing i did was a late night 1 hour swim. It was a very light, non-intense workout.

Thursday, June 19, 2008

6/19 WOD

I could really feel the training this week in my body today. so i decided to take a day off of crossfit and just lift.

warm up:
5 min bike
2 min rower

legs:
warm up set: leg press machine
7 sets: squats (135/225/315/405/455/505/550*) *isometric
4 sets: smith machine lunges (135/185/225/225)
4 sets: leg extensions (130/150/170/190)
4 sets: lying leg curls (100/120/110/100)
4 sets: leg press (180/360/540/360)
4 sets: leg press machine calve raises (360/360/360/360)

abs:
4 sets: machine crunches with alternating overhead lumberjack grip (20/40/40/40)
3 sets: hip thrusters with a twist

post workout weight = 289 (gym scale)

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

6/18 WOD

today was a busy day so i only had 1 hour slot for shoulders and my crossfit workout.

warm up:
3 min bike
2 min rower

crossfit: "fran"
3 rounds superset: 21-15-9 reps
60 lb thrusters
assisted pull ups (200lbs)

my time = 8:00

shoulders:
3 sets: standing BB press (135/135*/135*) * 3 reps plus 1+1+1+1+1
3 supersets: side lateral raises/ machine overhead press (22.5,40/22.5,50/22.5,60)
3 sets: rear delt high cable crosses (60/70/80)
3 supersets: upright row/ rear delt on the pec deck (80,40/100,75/100,110)
3 sets: hammer seated shrugs (180/270/270)

after workout weight = 283 (home scale)

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

split routines?

something i noticed while looking back thru my blogs is that a few weeks ago i had to split my back and bicep workout because of errands i had to run. that day i was able to put more sets on my biceps because of the split. these last few weeks my grip has been so exhausted after my back routine that my bicep workout really suffers.

i think i might try to split all of my routines. chest in the am and tris in the pm, back and bis, shoulders and abs, and legs. if my schedule will allow i might try this next week. other wise i might just have to have one day designated for arms. so my week would consist of chest/abs, back, shoulders/ abs, legs, biceps/ triceps.

6/17 WOD

today i lifted first and then a few hours later i decided to design my own little crossfit routine i call ,"rocky".

warm up:
5 min bike
2 min rower

back:
2 warm up sets: reverse grip hammer pull downs
4 sets: lat pull downs (80/200/180/160)
5 sets: deadlifts (135/225/315/315/405)
3 sets: hanging snatches (135/155/135*) * 3 reps plus 1+1+1+1
4 sets: smith machine bent over rows (135/185/195/185*) * 3 reps plus 1+1+1+1+1
4 dropsets: close grip high lat pull down (80/160,110/170,110/160,100)
2 sets: back extensions (-/25)

biceps:
2 warm up sets: low cable curl
2 sets: alternating DB curl (30/40)
3 sets: close grip low cable curl (90/100/110)
3 sets: DB preacher curl (25/25/20)
3 dropsets: high cable curl (60,40/70,40/60,30)


crossfit: "rocky"
3 rounds
100 punches on a heavy bag
20 jump ropes

my time = 6:22

night:
40 minute swim

Monday, June 16, 2008

6/16 WOD

Today I began my workout with a crossfit program called baseline. I plan to rotate these programs so i do the same one every two weeks. that way i can see if i can improve on my times.

warm up:
5 min bike

Crossfit: Baseline
500m rower
40 squats
30 sit ups
20 push ups
10 pull ups (weight assisted 170lb)

my time: 8:53
my bros time: 8:16

chest:
1 warm up set - press machine
5 sets - incline BB press (135/185/155/135/185*) *high intensity: 3 reps 20 seconds rest then do 1 additional rep 4 times with rest
3 sets - decline DB press (55/65/70)
2 sets - incle DB press (60/60)
3 supersets - high cable crossovers/ low cable crossovers (70/40,80/40,90/40)
3 sets - alternating arm hammer incline press (45/70/70 each side)

triceps:
3 sets - overhead cable tricep extensions (80/110/130)
3 sets - reverse grip single arm cable pulldown (60/70/60)
3 sets - tricep push down machine (15/180/200)
3 sets - cable pushdowns (100/140/100) various grips (y grip/ez bar/rope)

inspirational video of the week

i have done really well this last month as far as getting in the gym and doing high volume weight lifting. i have been really inconsistant as far as my cardio is concerned. and i believe the key to my weight loss is for me to make that a priority over lifting.

so for this weeks video i decided to post some crossfit training. this is ultimatly the kind of training i want to do which is whole body strength & cardio workout.

Friday, June 13, 2008

end of week goal assesment

earlier in the week i set out to do atleast 3 days of cardio this week. unfortunatly do to a house guest it became difficult to fit that in my schedule along with my daily lift.

yesterday i was able to get some cardio in when i took them to the pool. but the day before we were supposed to ride bikes by the beach but we ended up not.

there are no excuses i came up short.

Thursday, June 12, 2008

6/12 WOD

warm ups :
4 min bike

legs:
2 warm up sets - leg extensions/ leg curls
7 sets - squats (135/225/315/405/495*/315/225) * isometric set
4 sets - hack squat machine (-/50/90/140)
3 sets - seated leg curls (90/115/130)
3 sets - lying leg curls (110/100/90)
3 sets - leg extensions (110/130/150)
2 sets - standing calve raises (150/200)

preworkout weight = 285 (home scale)

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

6/11 WOD

my buddy came to town yesterday. this afternoon we had plans so i had to drive my grandma to the airport @ 9 and go straight to the gym.

warm up:
4 min bike
3 min one arm rower

shoulders:
2 warm up sets - overhead press machine
3 sets - overhead DB press (50/55/60)
3 sets - overhead BB press (135/135*/135*) *the intensity principle of 3 reps then 12-20 sec rest & 6 additional single reps with rest.
3 sets - reverse standing cable crosses (50/60/70)
3 sets - reverse bent over cable crosses (60/50/40)
3 supersets - upright cable rows/ DB shrugs (90,50/120,50/150,50)
3 sets - DB side lateral raises (30/30/30)
3 sets - alternating arm hammer machine isolation press (45/70/70 each side)

abs:
3 sets - hip thrusters
3 sets - cable crunches

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

6/10 WOD

Today i tried to incorporate some new intensity techniques into my bent over row & machine pull downs. the concept is to rep out the rest 12 to 20 seconds and perform one more movement. this is repeated for a bout 6 additional reps.

warm up:
5 min bike
3 min one arm rower

back:
4 sets - assisted pull ups (230/230/190/170)
4 sets - wide grip lat cable pull downs (80/200/180/160)
2 drop sets - reverse grip cable pull downs (120,70,30/150,90)
4 sets - smith machine bent over rows (135/155/165*/135*)
3 sets - alternating arm hammer machine overhand grip pull down (45/80/105 each side)
3 sets - back extensions (-/-/25) *always last exercise before i leave the gym

biceps:
2 warm up sets - alternating DB curls (10/25)
3 sets - alternating DB curl (40/45/35)
3 supersets - ez bar curl to forehead/ incline DB curls (85,25/105,25/115.25)
4 sets - cable curls in the rack 50/60/70/40)

* new intensity principle

post workout weight = 283 (home scale)

Monday, June 9, 2008

6/9 WOD

today i brought my brother with so i had a spotter and could do some forced reps. i was also able to overload the bench and do heavy isometrics.

warm-up:
5 min bike

chest:
2 warm up sets - press machine
3 sets - flat bench 1 rep (185/205/225)
3 sets - reverse grip flat bench (135/155/175)
3 sets - smith machine flat bench on the ball (135/185/205)
3 sets - isometric flat bench (295/325/325)
4 sets - cable crossover (60/70 drop sets 80,50,30/90,60,40)
3 sets - decline DB press (55/55/55)
3 sets - incline DB flye/press (40/50/60)
3 sets - incline hammer machine alternating arm (45/45/45 each side)
1 set - assisted dips (210)

triceps:
3 sets - incline BB extensions (65/65/70)
3 sets - single arm reverse grip cable pulldowns (40/50/60)
3 sets - cable rope pushdowns (70/90/80)

goal of the week

this week i want to get back into the cardio workouts. last week i cut them out because i had a cold last weekend and didn't want to push things. but this week i need to do atleast 3 days of cardio.

i either will incorperate them at the end of my lift or will try to ride my bike, swim, or run.

inspirational video of the week

"Yeah Buddy!" everyone has to love ronnie coleman. if this guys workouts don't get you pumped up then i don't know what to say. I love the way he will yell out, "light weight baby" right before he picks up 250 pound dumbells or a 900 pound deadlift.

Friday, June 6, 2008

6/6 WOD

Last night I had a few friends over to watch the first game of the NBA finals and I ordered a few pizzas. Well I think that really affected my workout today along with a few other factors. My mourning calorie intake was the same except not eating a piece of fruit with my tea first thing in the morning. I also didn't get to bed till 1am and after breakfast I took a two hour nap instead of the normal 30 minutes. So after an hour my legs were completly sapped, but I think I still had a pretty high level of intensity throughout the workout. I just crashed at the end.

Warm up:
5 minutes bike

Legs:

2 warm up sets - machine leg press
4 sets - leg press machine (90/270/450/630)
3 sets - smith machine squats (135/225/275)
3 drop sets - leg extensions (90/60/30) (110/70/40) (130/60/30)
1 warm up set - standing leg curls
2 supersets - lying leg curls (90/60/30) (110/60/35)
3 sets - machine standing calve raises (150/200/230)

Thursday, June 5, 2008

Realizing I am old school

The more time I spend at the gym the more I realize I am old school. Considering I began lifting weights when stores still sold plastic water filled weights, men had mullets, and women pulled their pants up to their rib cage. It seems that the newer generation is still doing the same basic moves as myself, but with a twist like lying on a ball while performing the movement.

Right now I am going to stay within my routine, but I think I am going to start incorperating one of the newer exercises per workout. Today I used the medicine ball tosses at the end of my shoulder routine to add a different stress on my muscles.

What I am really interested in is the crossfit routine. I still think I am a ways off physically before I would want to approach that routine. But I really like the way the routines are creative and time based. I figure once I get sufficient strength to pound out some pull ups then I will be ready to approach the crossfit program for a few months.

6/5 WOD

Warm up:
5 min bike
3 min rower

Shoulders:
2 warm up sets - press machine
3 sets - standing overhead DB press (50/60/70)
3 sets - standing rear delt cable pull (60/80/70)
3 sets - bentover rear delt cable pull (30/40/30)
3 supersets - front BB press/upright row/DB side laterals (95/30/15) (115/60/15) (135/60/15)
3 sets - behind the back smith machine shrugs (135/225/185)
3 sets - standing machine shrugs (90/180/270)
3 sets - alternating arm freemotion overhead cable press (70/100/110)
3 sets - overhead medicine ball toss (12lb.)

Triceps:
3 sets - BB skull crushers (30/65/75)
3 supersets - straight bar cable pushdown/standing two hand overhead DB extension/ cable rope pushdowns (70/30/20) (80/35/40) (70/40/40)
2 sets - tricep pressdown machine (150/200)

post workout weight = 277 (home scale)

Wednesday, June 4, 2008

6/4 WOD

I had to split my routine today into an afternoon back workout and late afternoon bicep workout, because I had some errands to run this afternoon. I had a little catch in my back from the night before but I decided that I could work thru it and it wasn't a problem.

Warm up:
3 min bike
2 min rower

Back:
3 sets - pull-ups (210/190/170)
3 sets - deadlift (135/225/185)
4 sets - pull downs (80/160/190/220)
3 sets - close grip cable row (110/130/150)
3 sets - standing wide grip cable front pull down (80/60/70)
3 sets - alternating arm reverse grip hammer machine pull downs (45/90/70) each side

Biceps:
2 warm up sets - preacher curl machine
3 sets - ez bar curls to the forhead (55/65/75)
3 super sets - rope cable curls/ incline DB curls (75/85/90)/(20)
3 sets - standing alternating arm DB Curl (35/32.5/32.5)
2 sets - DB preacher curl (20)
2 super sets - preacher BB curl/ alt. arm DB preacher (30/40) (10)
3 sets - DB hammer curls (37.5)

post work out weight = 278 (home scale), 284 (more accurate home scale)

inspirational vid of the week

i have probably seen pumping iron over 1000 times over the years. i used to watch it everyday before going to the gym with my brother. We would always quote the movie during our workouts and crack up the whole time. i think its important to have fun at the gym and keep it light.

Diet Plan

One thing I love to do is eat, but what I realized a few years ago, when I was a vegitarian, is that you can eat all the good food you want & lose weight. My problems have come from lifestyle restricting school & work schedules. Many times I would have to decide what meal to eat not based on nutrition but instead based on convenience.

I have been studying some different nutritional ideologies. My friend really believes in the abs diet, but I personally do not like all my meals preplanned out all the way down to my snacks. So I take a little aspect of each diet plan and try to apply it to my life. I am looking for a sustainable lifestyle and not just a quick fix to lose a bunch of weight. I really believe that we need to listen to our bodies natural cravings in order to figure out what nutrition our bodies need.

Something that has really worked well for me on workout days is to eat eggs in the morning. Eggs seems to be a power food for me and provides me with the energy I need at the gym to put in 1 1/2 to 2 hour workouts.

So here is a general example of my daily diet & exercise schedule:

7 am - piece of fruit & Green Tea with caffiene
8:30 am - 4 eggs & 2 pieces of whole wheat (no corn syrup) bread/ OJ
10 am - 30 gram protein shake (100 calories)
10:30 am - weight lifting
12:30 pm - protein shake
1 pm - carne asada burrito
3 pm - glass of juice
4 pm - edemame (soy beans)
5:30 pm - fruit (watermelon)
7 pm - home cooked dinner
9:30 pm - protein shake

I also drink about a gallon of water a day

Tuesday, June 3, 2008

6/3 WOD

I had a cold over the weekend and on monday i was still sick so today was my first day of training this week. I decided not to push it and do any cardio.

Warm up:
5 minutes on the bike

Chest:
2 warm up sets on press machine
3 sets - Incline Dumbell (DB) press (55/65/75)
3 supersets - Incline DB Flye/Incline DB press (30/40/50)
3 sets - Incline Barbell (BB) press (135/155/135)
3 sets - Decline BB press (135/145/135)
3 sets - Lying cable pullovers (70/80/90)
3 sets - pec deck flyes (90/105/120)
3 sets - Decline hammer machine alternating arms (45/90/70 each side)
3 sets - dips (230/210/180)
3 sets - cable flyes (50/60 last set drop superset 70/50/30)

Abs:
3 sets - hip thrusters
3 sets - machine crunch

post workout weight = 277 (home scale)

Goals & Plan of Action

Goals:
1. improve overall health
2. improve cadrio fitness
3. improve muscular development
4. improve diet
5. weigh 200 pounds by june 2009

Plan of Action
1. weight train 4 to 5 times a week
2. perform cardio 4 to 5 times a week (running, cycling, swimming, sports, etc...)
3. eat healthy foods
4. get proper rest

back in the gym

I am turning 35 this year and i have three children & one on the way. After high school i haven't lead the healthiest of lifestyles. Alot of partying and inactivity quickly raised my weight from 220 to 275 a year after high school. There had been a few times over the years i was able to get my weight back down to 230. once by weight lifting & playing basketball when i was 20 and the other when i was a vegitarian at the age of 27.

After my first child was born 7 years ago we moved to chicago where I quickly gained 50 pounds from all the pizza and hot dogs. This past summer we moved back to california and its time for me to get back into shape so i can lead a sustainable lifestyle in order to watch my kids graduate, get married, and have kids...

I began working out again in november of 07'. i actually gained weight during that month and got up to a personal weight high of 301 pounds. during january and february i fell off the training wagon and stopped going to the gym. over the past few months i broke slowly back into weight training and began riding my bike alot. i started eating at home and have been able to lose 20 pounds over this time. for the past month i have been hitting the gyn hard doing 20+ sets per bodypart once a week.