Ahh, so new home!

Can't be bothered to copy/paste all the previous workouts from my log on temporary forum and do all the formatting again. The full uninterrupted journal is viewable on MP if you want to view the whole back history here. So just continuing on:

Friday 25th January

Emotional state: Depressed/miserable/angry
Determination level: Maniacal/psychotic/utterly brutal
Chi status: Excellent
Strength state: Peak
CV state: Excellent
Stamina: Excellent
Endurance: Excellent
Body composition: Toned
Sleep status: Good
Health: 100%

Chest/back

DB incline press: 8 * 16kg / 8 * 20kg / 6 * 34kg / 6 * 38kg (yeah!) / 6 * 42kg (HHHUUUUGGEEEE PB!) :devil: (last 2 reps assisted) / 6 * 30kg / 6 * 30kg
DB incline flyes: 6 * 20kg / 6 * 22kg / 4 * 24kg
DB hammer/sexual curls: 7 * 20kg
Narrow-grip bent-over row: 8 * 75kg / 8 * 85kg

Cardio (Legs)

Olympic ATG squats: 50 * 20kg
Olympic front ATG squats: 20 * 20kg

Commentary:

F**king awesome workout. Went into it in a truly brutally determined mood, and knew I was going to hit some PBs today. Utterly pissed off with my rubbish job, basically I've been fired, so this workout was my catharsis. DB inclines were just terrific today, felt so easy at 34kg I couldn't believe it, and then powered them up totally unassisted at 38kg, and decided it was time to hit the 42kg DBs... Managed 4 reps with virtually no assistance whatsoever, it was just the last two that I was failing on. When I was training with Alex at LA Fitness just over one year ago, I could barely even lift the 40kg DBs (heaviest DBs there) into place, and even with assistance couldn't really control them over a single rep!

This represents a huge step forward in my lifting strength, the biggest dumbells in my gym are 50kg, I can now look at them and see them as being a realistic possibility within the next few months!

This was all done on an incline, I generally don't do flat DB pressing (leave that for bench/CG pressing), so could probably manage the 50's for a couple of reps on flat.

Threw in some BORs for hell of it, and decided to finish off with some high-rep squatting for a bit of cardio work.

Seems like the combination of diet, hard training, and supps like OKG are starting to kick in, noticeably started to get mass gains all over the last few weeks, and recently started to hit PBs. Strength levels have now, finally, exceeded my previous best levels. It has basically taken me two months of very hard training to get my body back to where it was before, one year ago, and now it is time to start absolutely crushing all my previous lifts....

Well done on the PB Aren

Well done on the Inclines, thats a huge improvements. You must be as strong on Inclines as you are on flat by now?

Sorry to hear about the job mate. You've got my number if you want a chat...

Very strong DB press! Would you say pressing is your strongest link?

Sorry to hear about the job, but hey, you said it was rubbish so they could be doing you a favour in the long run!?

Monday 28th January

Early afternoon:

Light cardio

Very pleasant approximate 6 mile walk along coastline. Wonderful weather.

Evening:

Cardio

20 minutes running with several flat-out sprint intervals.

Commentary:

Wasn't in mood for gym today, so did cardio instead. Felt great on the running. Light and explosive on my feet, getting faster and faster each week.

You must be as strong on Inclines as you are on flat by now?

Can't be much difference, no. But more significantly, my bench press must surely have correspondingly improved now. 42kg DBs is 84kg on the barbell, and since DBs are harder to stabilise, I should really be able to comfortably do 4 * 90kg, if not 4 * 100kg. That would be nice, anyway!

thats shit with the job. all the best with that!

big PB! you must have been holding back! ill be keeping an eye on your lifts....i have a title to take over at MP and i dont want any old slapheads thinking they have a chance!

Rab

Tuesday 29th January

Emotional state: Satisfactory
Determination level: OK
Chi status: OK
Strength state: New best level!
CV state: Approaching peak
Stamina: Excellent
Endurance: Excellent
Body composition: Toned. Seem to be gaining a bit of weight.
Sleep status: OK. Bit tired.
Health: 70%

Triceps/back

Close-grip press: 12 * 20kg / 8 * 40kg / 6 * 60kg / 6 * 60kg / 6 * 70kg (PB!) / 6 * 70kg (PB!)
Close-grip pin (half-) press: 3 * 80kg / 4 * 75kg / 6 * 70kg
Deadlifts: 8 * 70kg / 8 * 120kg / 3 * 150kg / 3 * 150kg

Commentary:

Carrying a couple of minor injuries that are starting to get bothersome over last week or so. From the heavy weighted dips I did a couple of weeks ago, my wrists were very sort afterwards. My tricep strength, in relation to my skeleton, particularly as I have such small wrists (e.g. women's adult watch straps comfortably fit me, most men's don't!), is starting to make my wrists a bit of an issue, so I think I'll have to invest in some wrist wraps for use on certain exercises such as these. Going up to 40kg on weighted dips means that each wrist is having to support a shearing load of approximately 75kg each. The narrowness of the dipping bars in my gym means that the angle/force going through the wrists is quite high, however this is such a superb exercise that I have no intention of dropping it. Right wrist is fine again now, left wrist is still a little sore so I am still being careful with it until it is back to normal, so haven't done any dips since then.

Meanwhile, the much more bothersome injury is a minor shoulder niggle that I completely mysteriously picked up. I have no recollection or specific idea how I got the injury. It was a vague soreness that meant my shoulder girdle felt sore, increasingly throughout the day, and also when I open up the shoulder joint (glenoid cavity). After much consideration, I believe I have a minor grade 1 strain to my subscapularis muscle, and/or possibly my supraspinatus. This means at the moment I am avoiding all vertical pressing movements, and even more annoying, cannot comfortably do back squats as opening up the arm/shoulder to grip the bar is uncomfortable. It is a strange injury in that it also seems to niggle the area of my pectoralis major and side of my neck.

The only theory I have regarding the origin of this injury is from doing overhead squats, as this exercise is particularly stressful on these muscles. But as I said before, I have no actual recollection of ever actually injuring them or feeling any pain during a workout. Strange, but annoying. So health at 70%.

I think these are signs that I need to take a complete rest week fairly soon, as I have had some very hard training the last couple of months so it is now coming to the time to plan this in. All the stress from work could be the more significant underlying cause, rather than training. Maybe I'm carrying tension whilst I sleep or something.

Otherwise, bit a mixed workout.

Close-grip presses were absolutely superb! Utterly pulverised my PBs, just like with the DBs a few days ago! Raw arm power is improving at a fantastic rate Not only is 70kg a 5kg improvement over my previous best last week, but I then went and sustained it for a second set! Awesome. Can't wait to see how this all translates over to bench.

Deadlifts were just nowhere today. Couldn't really get psyched up for one thing, felt generally very tired prior to workout, and the gym was absolutely packed and overflowing, hate this time of year in this respect. Think I need to deload and have a couple of easy weeks on the deads, they seem to have completely stalled for me.

It is strange in that this is a common pattern for me: one part of your body gets significant strength improvements, another part stalls. Training with Alex a year ago, for example, my back kept getting stronger and stronger, but pressing strength didn't improve at same rate. Now the opposite is occurring!

Can't complain though, bench/arm strength has been a relative weak point for me, so getting this up to same level as rest of my body will be very satisfying.

Wrist wraps are a good idea Aren, they've really helped with my wrist tendonitis. Titan THP or Inzer Z get my vote:

http://www.inzernet.com/detail.asp?PROD ... RON_WRISTZ

http://www.titansupport.com/products/wraps/wraps.htm

If you can't wait for them to come from the States, you can get Titan THPs in the UK from Pullum:

http://www.pullum-sports.co.uk/accessor ... od_41.html

Monday 4th February

Cardio

30 minutes moderate run

Commentary:

Decided on balance, that, due to my neck injury, now was indeed a sensible time to take my week's break. Last day I trained was last Tuesday. Did a moderate intensity run today. Will train at the gym tomorrow.

Feel very good. Neck is nearly back to normal. Interestingly, the reason it has been causing me so many problems is that it has made me aware of the amount of tension I carry in my neck/traps in day to day life. Without being aware of it, I'm tense!

Been engaging in meditation practice, amongst other things, and it has helped enormously. Getting better - but I notice it still takes a good 10 minutes before I free all the tension from my body. Not good, not good at all. Still, the first step to rectifying a problem is to become aware of it. Once all the nonsense with my job is sorted, one way or another, it'll be a lot better.

Ooops, realised that I'd missed out a post that I'd put on my log on MP but not put here. Will rectify, it was concerning my injury. This was from 30th January:

--

Been analysing the "shoulder" injury throughout today, and finally figured it out!

It has nothing to do with any of my rotator cuffs - it is my sternocleidomastoid muscle running down the left side of my neck, which originates from the clavicle, which is why there is a particular point of discomfort there.

Vertical shoulder presses hurt, but normal horizontal presses don't, because the retraction of the scalpula and opening out of the chest cavity necessary apply a stretch and mild isometric/eccentric loading onto the muscle at the bottom of the movement.

Incidentally deadlifts don't hurt because it is primarily the scalenes that get recruited in the neck rather than the STM.

Futhermore this explains why it gets progressively worse throughout the day, but feels fine lying down: the muscle is working isometrically all day long to support my head!

Obviously this is a really difficult, if not impossible, one to rest - I can't lie down all day long and not go to work, and there is no obvious way to support my head!

(It's not like I can run a head support down from the ceiling of the building and rest my chin on it ).

What a nuisance.

Tuesday 5th February

Emotional state: Satisfactory
Determination level: Intense
Chi status: OK
Strength state: New best level!
CV state: Approaching peak
Stamina: Excellent
Endurance: Excellent
Body composition: Toned.
Sleep status: Pretty good.
Health: 85% (neck niggle much better but still a slight issue)

Chest/back

DB incline press: 8 * 16kg / 8 * 30kg / 5 * 34kg / 5 * 34kg / 5 * 34kg / 5 * 34kg / 5 * 34kg
DB incline flyes: 8 * 16kg / 5 * 20kg / 5 * 22kg / 5 * 24kg / 5 * 26kg
Deadlifts: 8 * 20kg / 8 * 70kg / 5 * 110kg / 5 * 140kg / 5 * 140kg / 5 * 140kg / 5 * 140kg / 5 * 140kg
Sumo deadlifts: 5 * 70kg / 5 * 110kg / 5 * 110kg / 5 * 110kg / 5 * 110kg / 5 * 110kg
Wide-grip bent-over rows: 5 * 40kg / 5 * 60kg / 5 * 60kg / 5 * 60kg (PB)
Close-grip press: 5 * 50kg / 5 * 60kg / 5 * 60kg / 5 * 60kg
Bench press: 5 * 60kg / 5 * 60kg / 4 * 60kg (triceps fried)

Commentary:

Got fired at work today, maybe that was why it was such a solid session. Now transitioned into my favourite realm of training, into power/strength training proper, down from hypertrophy. Reps will now generally be no more than 5 for most exercises (excluding warm-up sets). Going to follow 5x5 for a few weeks. The emphasis today was on explosive power and lifting submaximally. So lifts are delivered more aggressively with more drive on concentric phase, but still in a controlled manner. Extremely pleased with my solid pressing strength, and deadlifts felt explosive and powerful. Decided to do some Sumo's, really enjoyed these, will start doing them regularly again. Will hold back a little bit on deadlifts for a week or so, then start pushing them, along with introducing dynamic power work.

Hit a new PB on wide-grip (as opposed to narrow-grip, which is the much stronger variant) rows as well. For those that don't understand my differentiation, wide grip adopts a much wider grip with the upper body strictly parallel to the floor, bar pulled to chest. Narrow grip uses 45 degree angle, narrow grip, bar pulled to stomach/lower chest.

Narrows emphasise lats, wide-grip emphasises upper traps and rhomboids.

This was my first session back after a week's rest of no training (and no supplements). Felt very good indeed.

Good session Aren. Sorry to hear about the job mate.

Cheers Richard. Really hate the job anyway, but I just need to secure my finances again ASAP.

No training tonight, instead I went to a concert with Angela Hewitt performing the first 24 Preludes/Fugues from Book I of J. S. Bach's Well Tempered Clavier (i.e. his famous "48"). See the concluding 24 on Friday!

Interesting, instead of a Steinway, she plays on her own beautifully warm sounding hand-crafted Italian piano, a Fazioli, that she takes on tour with her.



Magnificent performance, wonderfully fluid and thoroughly passionate, and the acoustics in the main hall of the Sage Gateshead are superb.


I'll try and go for a run tomorrow evening, and then put in a heavy training session on Sunday.

If you don't mind Bathroom Sales I can probably sort you a job down here in all fairness. Probably in Guildford and a decent basic.

Must have been a very relaxing evening. I do enjoy classical tones as well.

Aren wrote:Cheers Richard. Really hate the job anyway, but I just need to secure my finances again ASAP.

No training tonight, instead I went to a concert with Angela Hewitt performing the first 24 Preludes/Fugues from Book I of J. S. Bach's Well Tempered Clavier (i.e. his famous "48"). See the concluding 24 on Friday!

Interesting, instead of a Steinway, she plays on her own beautifully warm sounding hand-crafted Italian piano, a Fazioli, that she takes on tour with her.



Magnificent performance, wonderfully fluid and thoroughly passionate, and the acoustics in the main hall of the Sage Gateshead are superb.


I'll try and go for a run tomorrow evening, and then put in a heavy training session on Sunday.

Sounds like a great concert Aren, my father would be envious, he's a big Angela Hewitt fan. I like Bach too

Sunday 10th February

Cardio

25 minute moderate run

Monday 11th February

Emotional state: Satisfactory
Determination level: OK
Chi status: OK
Strength state: New best level!
CV state: Approaching peak
Stamina: Excellent
Endurance: Excellent
Body composition: Toned.
Sleep status: Pretty good.
Health: 95% (neck and wrist nearly completely healed)

Back/triceps/legs

Deadlifts: 8 * 20kg / 8 * 70kg / 8 * 70kg / 5 * 120kg / 5 * 140kg / 5 * 150kg / 5 * 160kg (PB?) / 3 * 165kg / 4 * 160kg
Standing military press: 5 * 40kg / 5 * 50kg / 5 * 55kg / 4 * 55kg
Front squats: 8 * 55kg

Commentary:

Gym was just utterly ridiculously busy tonight, hated it. Beyond a joke, just couldn't focus properly, so a pretty short workout. I've more or less ended up with two weeks off training due to having such a busy week in terms of the concerts last week. Probably a good thing overall, and despite the absence of any real energy or sustained mental focus tonight, deadlift strength is looking promising. 5 reps at 160kg could well be a PB for reps, not sure. 5 * 165kg was perfectly within my grasp and should have been achieved if I'd been able to properly concentrate. It felt so crowded that I just wasn't fully able to get into the lifts.

Pressing was OK, but energy levels weren't particularly high today, so nothing special.

Tomorrow is the last day of my rubbish job, so I'm looking forward and this week should be excellent for training. I've going to take the opportunity to take a couple of days of well-earned break from working before I start looking for a new job in earnest. So I might well train twice (running AM, weights PM) on a couple of days later this week if I feel motivated for it.

Should have said that I saw Book I of Well Tempered Clavier on Wednesday, and Book II on Friday.

If you don't mind Bathroom Sales I can probably sort you a job down here in all fairness. Probably in Guildford and a decent basic.

Cheers Alex, I'll bear it in mind. My contract on this place runs till September, and this part of the world is not a bad place to live, all in all. But if I still haven't found really decent work before then, and if the position still happens to be potentially available, I'll give it some serious thought.

Wednesday 13th February

Emotional state: OK
Determination level: Strong
Chi status: OK
Strength state: New best level!
CV state: Approaching peak
Stamina: Excellent
Endurance: Excellent
Body composition: Toned.
Sleep status: Pretty good.
Health: 97.5%

Back/Chest

Sumo deadlifts: 5 * 70kg / 5 * 80kg / 5 * 110kg / 5 * 120kg / 5 * 130kg / 4 * 140kg (PB)
Close-grip press: 5 * 40kg / 5 * 50kg / 5 * 60kg / 5 * 70kg / 5 * 72.5kg (PB)
Close-grip pin (half-)press: 5 * 75kg / 5 * 80kg (PB) / 5 * 85kg (PB) / 2 * 90kg (PB)
DB incline flyes: 5 * 16kg / 5 * 20kg / 5 * 24kg / 5 * 28kg (PB)
One arm side deadlifts: 5 * 70kg (per side) / 5 * 80kg (per side) / borked*

Power

Hang cleans: 5 * 50kg / 5 * 60kg / 1 * 70kg

Commentary:

Decided to do sumo's today, I'm nowhere near as strong on these as conventional, but they're a great exercise as they place emphasis on different muscles to conventional. Used straps for the heavier sets, purely because there is no knurling in the centre region of the barbell that you grip on this exercise (why on earth are most barbells like this? So stupid! You can't grip the smooth sections properly, I don't know why they don't just have the entire bar knurled) so chalk alone doesn't really work.

Very solid session today, hit new PBs on close-grip presses yet again. Pretty confident I could have done 5 at 75kg on them, but didn't want to risk it without a spotter, as triceps can die very quickly. Pin presses were way up. Nearly managed to do the same number of reps on pin presses a whole 10kg heavier than last session. PB on flyes as well.

Have taken virtually no supplements for nearly two weeks now, having deliberately taken it easy from training for a nearly a couple of weeks now, but back on them, so should get some great gains

Couldn't do one-arm side deadlifts* without a spotter. I knew this anyway, but thought I'd try again regardless tonight. As the weight went up, it wasn't a problem lifting it, but it is almost impossible to keep the bar level as you need to grip millimetre perfect. You need someone to keep the bar level with fingertips to do this exercise. Could probably have done 100kg otherwise. Such a great exercise though.

Hang cleans felt explosive but strength rapidly went. Although I'm very fast and explosive, I don't really come under the bar much, so it is really a technical and confidence thing. Frightened of jarring my wrists or doing something really stupid diving under the bar after I drive it up.

Fantastic session there Aren.

You must be at your strongest level now?

Cheers Alex.

You must be at your strongest level now?

Yep

My DB pressing is way better than at Woking, for example. Can definitely do the 42kg's, and could probably manage a couple of reps out of the 46s on an incline, or more on flat.

Could only really rep the 32kgs at Woking (though the next set of DBs there were 40, so big jump).

Thats an impressive improvement really.

I'm leaving LA soon as it's becoming impossible to train there now and they won't add any more equipment to the free weights because they don't want it turning into a meathead gym, apparently.

I'm leaving LA soon as it's becoming impossible to train there now

I presume that's because it has just got even busier as they cram yet more members in?

Today was pretty good at the gym, not too bad, a sensible amount of people.

Monday was a joke though. Its they typical thing where all the gym "fashion members" in the immediate Post Yule period come and "train" (i.e. stand around the weights in groups chatting) for a couple of months before quitting (fortunately), and of course especially tend to come on a Monday to try to work off their weekend of binge drinking.

Aren wrote:

I'm leaving LA soon as it's becoming impossible to train there now

I presume that's because it has just got even busier as they cram yet more members in?

Today was pretty good at the gym, not too bad, a sensible amount of people.

Monday was a joke though. Its they typical thing where all the gym "fashion members" in the immediate Post Yule period come and "train" (i.e. stand around the weights in groups chatting) for a couple of months before quitting (fortunately), and of course especially tend to come on a Monday to try to work off their weekend of binge drinking.

Indeed and the place is falling apart.

They're simply interested in over weight members on the cardio machine's who'll never progress and give up after a few months while locked into a 1 year contract.

They're simply interested in over weight members... while locked into a 1 year contract.

Indeed. A natural expression of the economic obsessed world we live in now. They're obviously the perfect members from a business point of view, they take up no room, place virtually no toll on the facilities (since they never use them), and give them a year's worth of money...

Sad state of affairs.

Friday 15th February

Emotional state: OK
Determination level: Strong
Chi status: OK
Strength state: New best level!
CV state: Approaching peak
Stamina: Excellent
Endurance: Excellent
Body composition: Toned.
Sleep status: Pretty good.
Health: 98%

Whole body

Bench press: 12 * 20kg / 5 * 40kg / 5 * 50kg / 5 * 60kg / 5 * 70kg / 5 * 80kg
Olympic ATG squat: 8 * 40kg / 5 * 60kg / 5 * 80kg / 5 * 90kg / 4 * 100kg
Deadlift: 8 * 40kg / 5 * 70kg / 5 * 120kg / 5 * 140kg / 3 * 160kg (+belt)
DB curls: 8 * 20kg (per arm) / 4 * 24kg (per arm)
DB press: 5 * 28kg / 5 * 34kg / 5 * 34kg
Powerlift squat: 5 * 100kg / 0 x 120kg (+ belt) (darn it) / 1 * 120kg (+ belt)

(grr)

Commentary:

OK session, solid strength. Decided to do a classic Powerlifter's workout today; bench, squat, and deadlift all in the same workout.

Deliberately held back on all the pressing exercises, so they were submaximal. On that basis, bench felt good, and DB presses felt very easy.

Squatting was reasonable, nothing special, annoyed that I couldn't do 120kg on PL squats, should really have done it. I feel like I should be able to lift a lot more on squats than I currently am, just get psychologically stuck in the hole on PL squats, and worry about getting stuck under ATG squats.

Conversely, since with deadlifts you can't get crushed in any way, they're pretty strong, as there is no psychological fear... Lower back was fatigued from squatting, but otherwise they held up reasonably well. Should have got the 5 reps over 160kg, but didn't feel that strong going into today's workout in any case.

Going to introduce dynamic lifting from next week, to keep the numbers going up.

Maybe doing some Box Squats may help power out of the hole and remove the ATG fear at the same time.