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Full Workout Log
Starting 1/7/09
Alternate Weeks:
Weeks
1-6 of 12
These workout logs are continued from: Full Workout Logs: Starting 12/1/08: In-Season: Weeks 6-10.
Next contest: Maybe an ADAU or NASA contest late spring or early
summer.
Weight Class: 114s or 123s.
Age Class: Masters II (45-49).
Warm-ups are in brackets. All weights are in pounds. Format: pounds/reps.
Workout times includes set-up, warm-up, lifting, cardio, stretching, and
clean-up.
For background to these workouts, see
Workout and Contest Plans for 2009.
Week One
First week of workouts after four weeks off
Squats
Week 1 of 12
Wednesday – 1/7/09
Low Squats: [45/15, 75/8, 95/6] 115/6, 135/6
Partial (Bench) Squats: [135/6] 225/6, 245/6, 265/6
Sit-ups: --/15, 5/12
Step ups: 2:00
Stretching: 10-15 minutes
Workout time: 1:10
I have no idea how much weight to use for any of my exercises after four weeks off, so for the first couple of weeks, I’ll be starting light and working up to one somewhat heavy set for each exercise.
Low squats + partial squats were a combination of exercises I often did back in my college lifting days but only once since I started lifting again. Since I hadn’t done either in quite a while, it took some time to figure out the setup and my form.
I’ll post videos of these exercises later. But for now, see the following page of my site for descriptions and pics of these exercises:
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Benches
Week 1 of 12
Thursday – 1/8/09
DB Benches: [20s/15, 30s/8] 40s/6, 45s/6, 50s/6
Rack Lockouts: 135/6, 145/6, 155/5
DB Rows (underhand grip): [20s/8, 25s/8] 30s/8, 35s/8
Heavy Bag: 2:00
Stretching: 10-15 minutes
Workout time: 1:04
I had problems on the rack lockouts. First, I failed to allot for my bodyweight loss and started too heavy. I also had difficulties on the form. I’m trying to do them touch n’ go off of the safety bars. But that quickly degenerated into bounce and go, and more specifically, bounce and get jerked around as it is very difficult to touch both sides at the same time. That jerking is what caused me to miss the last rep of the last set. Next time, I’ll start with a lighter weight and try to do them by pausing at the safeties.
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Deadlifts
Week 1 of 12
Sunday – 1/11/09
SLDLs: [45/15, 95/8] 135/8, 185/6, 205/6
Reverse Band Deadlifts: [225/6] 275/6, 295/6, 315/6
Twisting Leg Raises (reps to each side): 12, 10
Jump Rope: 1:30
Stretching: 10-15 minutes
Workout time: 1:16
I know I said I wasn’t sure if I’d do SLDLs anymore after my hamstring injury, but they are a great exercise and should work well to ensure my hamstring is fully healed. I will just be very careful on my form.
However, I wasn’t sure which to do first, the SLDLs or the RBDLs. I decided to do the SLDLs first as I figured they were the more important exercise, especially with plans to competing raw. But I felt uncomfortable doing them as I didn’t feel fully warmed up. Then on the RBDLs, my low back was really sore, and I had a hard time doing them. Next time, I will reverse the order.
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Bench Assistance
Week 1 of 12
Monday – 1/12/09
Decline Bench: [45/15, 95/8, 115/6] 135/6
DB Presses: [10s/8, 20s/8] 25s/8
Lat. Pulldowns (wide grip): [45/8] 70/8, 75/8
Preacher Curls: 25/10, 27/10
Rotator cuff (lying, out and in): 5/12, 5/12
Stretching: 10-15 minutes
Workout time: 1:10
This was the first time I used my new FID bench for declines, so it took me a while to figure out how to set it up. Fiddling with it got me tired out, especially since I hadn’t slept much the night before due to a health problem flare-up. As a result, I took it even easier than I had planned in this workout.
Week Two
Squats
Week 2 of 12
Wednesday – 1/14/09
Squats: [45/15, 95/8, 135/6, 185/6] 205/6
DB Calves: [20/12] 25/12
Crunch-Reverse Crunch Combo: 15, 15
Step ups: 2:30
Stretching: 10-15 minutes
Workout time: 1:05
This was the first time doing an actual powerlift. Not surprisingly, my squat is way down. I suspect it will be the same for benches and deadlifts. That is why I won’t be entering a contest for quite some time.
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Benches
Week 2 of 12
Thursday – 1/15/09
Benches: [45/15, 95/8, 115/6, 125/6] 135/6
DB Flies: [10s/12] 12s/12
BB Rows (medium grip): [45/8, 55/5] 65/8, 75/8
Heavy Bag: 2:30
Stretching: 10-15 minutes
Workout time: 0:57
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Deadlifts
Week 2 of 12
Saturday – 1/17/09
Deadlifts (sumo): [45/15, 135/8, 185/5, 205/3] 225/6, 245/6, 265/6
Leg Curls (legs together): [10/12] 12/12, 15/10
Dip Bar Reverse Crunches: 15, 15
Jump Rope: 1:45
Stretching: 10-15 minutes
Workout time: 1:10
This workout was supposed to be done on Sunday. But I didn’t have anything to do on Saturday, so I figured I’d get it out of the way so I could watch both playoff games on Sunday (Go Steelers!!!).
That said, I knew working out on an unplanned day that something would go wrong. At the end of my workout, I set up the hooks in my power rack so they’d be ready for inclines for my next workout. But I stupidly did that before moving the bench inside the power rack. When I moved it, I conked my head against one of the hooks and caused a small gash on my forehead. It really hurt and bled! Dumb!
But until that incident, this workout went very well, my best workout this year.
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Bench Assistance
Week 2 of 12
Monday – 1/19/09
Incline Bench: [45/15, 65/8] 85/6, 95/6, 105/6
Dips: [bwt./8, 25/6] 35/6, 45/6
Lat. Pulldowns (V Grip): [45/8] 65/8, 70/8, 75/8
Reverse Curl Bar Curls 35/10, 40/10
Rotator Cuff (sitting, front): 5/12, 5/12
Stretching: 10-15 minutes
Workout time: 1:10
Once again, I needed to figure out how to set things up with my FID bench, this time for inclines. And this time, I really had a difficult time figuring things out. I finally got it, by after all of the fiddling, I was really tired, so once again, I put in an even easier than planned workout.
Week Three
Squats
Week 3 of 12
Wednesday – 1/21/09
Low Squats: [45/15, 95/8, 125/6, 135/6] 155/6, 175/6
Partial Squats: [225/6, 250/6] 275/6, 295/6, 315/6
Sit-ups: [--/10] 7.5/12, 7.5/12
Step ups: 3:00
Stretching: ~10 minutes
Workout time: 1:22
I got confused on my weights for the final low squat warm-up and first work set. Both were supposed to be ten pounds more, but I was thinking my “base weight” was 145 not 135. The former was when I was using my five-pound collars, not my current light Quicklee collars. BTW, I ended up getting the metal Quicklees. They weight one pound each, but I ignore that weight.
In any case, with this workout being the start of my third week of training, it was my first hard workout this year. I increased the weights on the two squat exercises significantly from last time. It felt really good to finally be working hard again.
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Benches
Week 3 of 12
Thursday – 1/22/09
DB Benches: [20s/15, 35s/8, 45s/6] 52s/6, 55s/6
Rack Lockouts: [115/6, 135/6] 145/6, 155/5
DB Rows (underhand grip): [30s/8, 35s/8] 40s/8, 45s/8
Heavy Bag: 3:00
Stretching: ~10 minutes
Workout time: 1:14
Another good workout. But I still missed the sixth rep with 155 on the lockouts. I’ll start with that weight for my first work set next time to try and get that sixth rep.
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Deadlifts
Week 3 of 12
Sunday – 1/25/09
Reverse Band Deadlifts: [45/15, add bands: 185/8, 255/5, 320/3] 325/6, 345/6
SLDLs (on 2-1/4” high platform): [135/8, 185/6] 215/6, 225/6
Twisting Leg Raises (reps to each side): 13, 12
Jump Rope: 2:00
Stretching: ~10 minutes
Workout time: 1:15
This order for the two DL exercise was much better than the reverse that I did last time. The SLDLs are being done standing on three planks nailed together. That puts my upper body a little above parallel to the ground in the bottom position, the same position I’ve used for GMs.
I don’t think I mentioned it, but a while back I got a new jump rope. My old one was just a cheap, plain rope. This one has beads on it. I know that sounds girlish, but the beads are red and black, my favorite color scheme, just like my FID bench and most of my power gear. And the beads serve a purpose; they add centrifugal force to the rope. That keeps the rope circling outward and makes jumping easier. With my old jump rope, I’d mess up and have to re-start about every 20 seconds or so. But with the beaded rope, I was able to jump the whole two minutes without messing up. Jumping straight through is much harder than getting a “break” every time I’d mess up, so the training effect is better.
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Bench Assistance
Week 3 of 12
Monday – 1/26/09
Decline Bench: [45/15, 95/8, 120/6] 140/6, 150/6
DB Presses: [10s/8, 22s/5] 27s/8, 30s/8
Lat. Pulldowns (wide grip): [45/8, 70/5] 80/10, 90/10
Preacher Curls: [25/10] 30/10, 35/10
Rotator cuff (lying, out and in): 6/12, 7.5/12
Stretching: ~10 minutes
Workout time: 1:23
I was tired for this workout, so it took a little longer than usual. But at least I got all my planned reps.
Week Four
Squats
Week 4 of 12
Wednesday – 1/28/09
Squats: [45/15, 115/8, 155/5, 195/3] 215/6, 225/6, 235/6
DB Calves: [20/12] 27/12, 27/10
Crunch-Reverse Crunch Combo: [--/10] 5/15, 10/15
Step ups: 330
Stretching: ~10 minutes
Workout time: 1:13
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Benches
Week 4 of 12
Thursday – 1/29/09
Benches: [45/15, 95/8, 110/5, 125/3] 140/6, 145/6, 150/5
DB Flies: [10s/10] 15s/10, 15s/10
BB Rows (medium grip): [45/8, 70/5] 80/8, 85/7
Heavy Bag: 3:30
Stretching: ~10 minutes
Workout time: 1:12
I missed my final rep on benches and rows, probably because my upper body straight strength is still down from my bodyweight still being down.
I’m doing the DB flyes to try to strengthen my tender left pec. But even the 15s seemed to be too much strain on it, and it was rather sore afterwards. But it felt fine hitting the heavy bag. I originally hurt it doing wide grip benches a couple of years ago. Basically, if I keep my arms in close, I’m okay. But if I spread them out, then there’s some strain. I’m not sure if it would be best to just avoid moves that strain it, like flyes, or if I should keep doing them but with really light weights to strengthen the area.
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Deadlifts
Week 4 of 12
Super Sunday – 2/1/09
Deadlifts (sumo): [45/15, 135/8, 190/5, 245/3] 275/6, 290/6, 305/6
Leg Curls (legs together): [12/12] 17/12, 20/12
Dip Bar Reverse Crunches (using 3 lb. ankle weights): 15, 15
Jump Rope: 2:15
Stretching: ~10 minutes
Workout time: 1:11
Usually I work out in the late afternoon. But I lifted in the morning so I could watch all of the Super Bowl hype during the afternoon. (Go Steelers!).
Even with the different workout time, a good workout.
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Bench Assistance
Week 4 of 12
Monday – 2/2/09
Incline Bench: [45/15, 65/8, 85/5, 100/3] 115/6, 120/6
Dips: [25/6, 35/5, 45/3] 55/6, 65/6
Lat. Pulldowns (V Grip): [45/8, 70/5] 85/10, 90/10
Reverse Curl Bar Curls: [35/10] 45/10, 45/10
Rotator Cuff (sitting, front): [5/10] 6/12, 6/12
Stretching: ~10 minutes
Workout time: 1:12
I was tired for this workout as I stayed up late to watch the Steelers win the Super Bowl! We’re still celebrating here in “Six-Burgh!”
But despite the tiredness, a good workout.
About three years ago, I moved my bench grip out about 1/2” on each side. Since then, my bench has not gone well. Plus with the strain in my left pic, I thought it prudent to move my grip back in. I began doing so with inclines in this workout. I will use this new grip for all of my bench movements.
I could tell the difference with this grip on inclines. The closer grip forced me to keep my elbows in more. As a result, I felt it much more in my triceps and less in my chest. I’m anxious to see how it feels on regular benches.
This was the last workout of week four, and the last workout of doing straight sets of 6-10 reps. With this approach, only my final set of each exercise has been is a truly hard set. The somewhat lighter first 1-2 work sets have been more for conditioning.
My next workout I’ll switch to a “drop reps approach” and gradually drop the reps. Looking forward to it as I’m tired of all “higher” reps. Also, the drop reps approach will have me working hard on all 2-3 work sets, so my workouts will get more vigorous.
Week Five
Squats
Week 5 of 12
Wednesday – 2/4/09
Low Squats: [45/15, 115/8, 140/5, 165/3] 185/6, 200/4
Partial Squats: [225/6, 260/5, 295/3] 325/6, 345/4
Sit-ups: [--/10] 10/12, 15/10
Step ups: 4:00
Stretching: ~10 minutes
Workout time: 1:21
About three years ago, I moved my squat stance out about an inch on each side. Since then, my squat has not gone well. So starting with the squat assistance work here, I moved my stance back in. Specifically, I moved it in from 17” between my heals to 15”. That gives me a about a shoulder width stance, a somewhat narrow stance by powerlifting standards, but I think it will work better for me.
That said, as planned, I changed to a “drop reps” approach to all my exercises with this workout, and it felt good and went well.
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Benches
Week 5 of 12
Thursday – 2/5/09
DB Benches: [20s/15, 40s/5, 50s/3] 57s/6, 62s/4
Rack Lockouts: [115/6, 135/4] 155/6, 165/4
DB Rows (underhand grip): [30s/8, 40s/5] 47s/8, 50s/6
Heavy Bag: 4:00
Stretching: ~10 minutes
Workout time: 1:19
My left pec bothered me some during my DB bench warm-up sets, but it felt fine after that. Go figure. But I iced it afterwards just to be sure.
I finally got the sixth rep with 155 on lockouts. It actually felt rather easy, but the second set was really tough.
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Deadlifts
Week 5 of 12
Sunday – 2/9/09
Reverse Band Deadlifts: [45/15, add bands: 185/8, 255/5, 320/3] 355/6, 380/4
SLDLs (on 2-1/4” high platform): [135/8, 170/5, 210/3] 235/6, 250/4
Twisting Leg Raises (reps to each side): 15, 12
Jump Rope: 2:30
Stretching: ~10 minutes
Workout time: 1:26
I was tired for this workout, so it took longer than usual. But otherwise, everything went as planned, so still a good workout.
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Bench Assistance
Week 5 of 12
Monday – 2/9/09
Decline Bench: [45/15, 95/8, 115/5, 135/3] 155/6, 165/4
DB Presses: [15s/8, 25s/5] 32s/7, 35s/5
Lat. Pulldowns (wide grip): [55/8, 75/5] 95/9, 95/9
Preacher Curls: [30/10] 37/10, 40/10
Rotator cuff (lying, out and in): [5/10] 7.5/12, 7.5/12
Stretching: ~10 minutes
Workout time: 1:30
Ditto my comments from my previous workout about being tired and the workout taking too long. But this time, I missed a few reps.
I think the problem is, as I posted previously, my basic plan was to take an “extra” day off about once a month. But the first couple of weeks of this routine were relatively easy, so I figured I could go a little longer before taking that day off. But that was a mistake, so I will try to take it easy the next couple of days and skip Wednesday’s workout, moving it to Thursday. From now on, I’ll try to take that extra off after every fourth week of training.
But as it is, things should work out as my next week of workouts will be the first time I’ll be going heavy on the actual powerlifts this year, so I want to be sure I am rested for them.
Week Six
Squats
Week 6 of 12
Thursday – 2/12/09
Squats: [45/15, 115/8, 170/5, 195/3, 225/3] 245/6, 255/5, 265/3
DB Calves: [22/10] 30/10, 30/9
Crunch-Reverse Crunch Combo: [5/10] 15/15, 20/15
Step ups: 4:30
Stretching: ~10 minutes
Workout time: 1:22
I was rested for this workout, but it did not go well. As mentioned last week, I moved my stance in a couple of inches. That felt okay for my assistance exercise last week, but for actual squats this week, it did not. I felt rather week in the hole.
In addition, I tried lowering the bar some on my back and using a wider grip. But predictably, that caused the problem that prompted me to hold the bar higher a couple of years ago; namely, it caused me to lean forward too much. So I’m going back to the stance and bar location I’ve been using.
Of course, the best time to have done this experimentation would have been at the start of this routine, not in the middle of it. As it was, I just managed to mess up this workout.
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Benches
Week 6 of 12
Sunday – 2/15/09
Benches: [45/15, 95/8, 115/5, 135/3] 150/6, 155/5, 160/3
DB Flies: [10s/10] 12s/10, 12s/10
BB Rows (medium grip): [45/8, 70/5] 85/8, 90/5
Heavy Bag: 4:30
Stretching: ~10 minutes
Workout time: 1:14
Once again, my left pec bothered me some warming up for benches, but it felt fine for my work sets. But it bothered me again with the DB flyes, hence why I went very light on them. But I think it is important to try to strengthen the area, especially with lifting raw, so I will keep doing the flyes. But it is possible that this pec problem could force me to go back to using a shirt.
______________________________
Deadlifts
Week 6 of 12
Monday – 2/16/09
Deadlifts (sumo): [45/15, 135/8, 210/5, 285/3] 315/6, 330/5, 345/3
Leg Curls (legs together): [15/10] 22/12, 25/12
Dip Bar Reverse Crunches (with 3# ankle weights): 18, 18
Jump Rope: 2:45
Stretching: ~10 minutes
Workout time: 1:19
My sets x reps plan for this week on the powerlifts was to go 3 x 6,5,4. But I missed the fourth rep on the third set on each lift. I think the problem is due to two factors.
First, after doing sets of six to date this year, I am not used to doing heavier, lower rep sets. Second, after only doing one or two heavy sets to date this year, I am not used to doing three work sets.
To help in the later regard, I started back using creatine with this workout, five grams in my pre-workout drink. I also started back using glutamine, five grams immediately post-workout to help with recovery. I hadn’t used either of these supplements this year as I wasn’t working hard enough that I needed them. But now that I am back to harder training, I think they will be useful.
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Bench Assistance
Week 6 of 12
Wednesday – 2/18/09
Incline Bench: [45/15, 70/8, 90/5, 110/3] 125/6, 135/4
Dips: [25/8, 40/5, 55/3] 70/6, 80/4
Lat. Pulldowns (V Grip): [45/8, 80/6] 95/10, 100/7
Reverse Curl Bar Curls: [37/10] 47/10, 50/10
Rotator Cuff (sitting, front): [5/10] 6/15, 6/15
Stretching: ~10 minutes
Workout time: 1:25
I was a little distracted for this workout and had a hard time concentrating. That’s why it took a little longer than normal. But otherwise, everything went as planned.
These workout logs are continued at Full Workout Logs: Starting 2/19/09: Alternate Weeks: Weeks 7-12 of 12.
Full Workout Logs: Starting 1/7/09: Alternate Weeks: Weeks 1-6 of 12. Copyright © 2009 By Gary F. Zeolla.
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