Rob PMFF Posted March 4, 2010 Author Share Posted March 4, 2010 (edited) Thanks for the encouragement y'all. @ John V - I considered seeing a chiro when it initially happened, but after I went to my doc's I just kinda let it slip my mind. @ Mary & Lobster - Once I stopped eating carcasses, I found that I started eating a TON of cheese, and I had to cut back, because it was getting ridiculous. Also, Mary, I'm certain my form was bad when I was DL'ing when I got injured, but I don't know what I was doing wrong. Is it really possible to "forget" the correct form? I mean I used to do more with no problem. I've been trying the actual motion of the exercise but with no weight or anything, and it seems like when you look up while doing it your back stays straighter than if you are looking forward? I don't know. It's frustrating not knowing what you are doing differently than befoe to make something incorrect and dangerous. 03/04/2010Workout:I went about 10 lbs lighter on everything just to be safe, since it's been a few weeks. Bench Press: 150 lbs, 5 sets of 5Dumbell Flies: 2 x 30 lbs, 3 sets of 10Assisted Dips: 80 lbs? Assistance, 5 sets of 5Overhead Press: 85 lbs 4 sets of 5...The way this rack is situated is a pain in the ass. You're seated and the barbell sits above and behind you. But it's a little too far behind, so the lift off each time is really difficult. Apparently its a common complaint with people at this gym. I finished off the last set with 40 lb dumbells x5...It's great being able to do this with a barbell, but it seems like its more trouble than it's worth with the way it's set up.Eliptical: Interval, 10 minutes (started getting a headache and was hungry...I'll get serious about cardio again soon, I hope ) Food:bowl of Grape Nuts cereal with soymilk and a banana1/2 a cran-orange bran muffin2 more bananas2 PB Cliffs barssmall navel orange1 PB Cliffs Builder Barleftover jerk tempeh with roasted pineapple, brown rice, and green beansa papaya (what color should the skin be when you eat these things? mine was green and the pulp didn't have much flavor)soba noodles, steamed vegetables, tofu & black bean sauce Edited March 4, 2010 by Rob PMFF Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob PMFF Posted March 9, 2010 Author Share Posted March 9, 2010 03/08/2010 An hour of Wing Chun tonight. Would have stayed for the second hour, but came home to have dinner instead. Was going to go to the gym this afternoon, but was pretty beat from my shift. Plus my wife came home around lunch time, and we decided to nap instead of doing the things we were supposed to do Food:Cran-Orange bran muffinpeach soy yogurt2 PB Cliff barsan Amy's vegan shepherd's pieblood orangetempeh empanadassoy chorizo burritos Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob PMFF Posted March 9, 2010 Author Share Posted March 9, 2010 03/09/2010 Workout:Bench Press: 155 lbs, 5 sets of 5Dumbell Flies: 35's, 3 sets of 10Overhead Dumbell Press: 40's, 5 sets of 5Assisted Dips: 70lbs? Assistance, 5 sets of 5Eliptical: 15 minutes on Interval Food:4 PB Cliffs Bars2 Navel Oranges1 Blood Orange3 Tempeh Empanadas1 NectarineGardein meat-free Sante Fe stuffed chicken breastwhole wheat spaghetti with marinara, boca crumbles and nutritional yeastmixed baby greens with dried cranberries, walnuts and raspberry vinaigrette Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaryStella Posted March 10, 2010 Share Posted March 10, 2010 @ Mary & Lobster - Once I stopped eating carcasses, I found that I started eating a TON of cheese, and I had to cut back, because it was getting ridiculous. Also, Mary, I'm certain my form was bad when I was DL'ing when I got injured, but I don't know what I was doing wrong. Is it really possible to "forget" the correct form? I mean I used to do more with no problem. I've been trying the actual motion of the exercise but with no weight or anything, and it seems like when you look up while doing it your back stays straighter than if you are looking forward? I don't know. It's frustrating not knowing what you are doing differently than befoe to make something incorrect and dangerous. The usualy mistake is losing the lumbar curve in the back and instead of lifting when your legs and glutes curving the back and using the back to lift the weight. And it is possible to forget form. I normally look at a point straight ahead, neutral. neither up nor down. I;ve got some videos of me deadlifting in my log is that helps you any. if you've got the ability to video somehow it helps you see what your actually doing. or have someone watch you that knows how to deadlift. How is the back feeling lately? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob PMFF Posted March 11, 2010 Author Share Posted March 11, 2010 @Mary - back only really bothers me now after standing around for extended periods of time...I had to have curved it the wrong way, whichever direction that may have been. I know my form sucked, because when I initially injured it, I was very distracted. Someone was in my personal space and I wasn't focusing on what I was doing. When I re-injured it, I don't know...Form probably sucked again, but it also could have been that it was just too soon to try again. Unfortunately I don't have any way to take video. I work out by myself, so no one to help me out there. 03/11/2010Workout: Tried to take it easy since I haven't done these exercises since before I hurt my back. That may have been a mistake, since everything was almost laughably easy.Squats: 95 lbs, 2 sets of 5; 100 lbs, 3 sets of 5Hypers: 3 sets of 10Assisted Chin-ups: Assistance 80 lbs?, 5 sets of 5Hanging Leg Lifts: 3 sets of 10Barbell Curls: 65 lbs, 5 sets of 5Rotary Calf: 210 lbs, 5 sets of 10 (This machine still seems pointless) 1 hour of Wing Chun class - footwork drills. Food:1 PB Cliffs Barbowl of Grape Nuts cereal with soy milk and banana1 navel orangeSandwich: 2 slices Ezekiel bread, 6 slices of Hickory smoked Tofurky, mixed baby greens, Tofutti sour cream, jalapeno hummus1 PB Cliffs Builder barShake: banana, raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, scoop of soy protein powder, the remains (maybe a scoop and a half) of some Ultimate Meal powder, 1 tbsp of vegetarian omega oils, grape juiceKoka Moka Pro Barbig bunch of white grapesvegan quiche that my wife made - red chard, sundried tomatoes, onion, garlic, tofu, soy milk, crust...very good canteloupeSmart Ground vegan breakfast sausage Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob PMFF Posted March 15, 2010 Author Share Posted March 15, 2010 03/15/2010 Workout:Felt kinda weak today. It showed in the numbers. Don't know what the problem was.Bench Press: Warm up set 135 lb x 5, 160 lb x 5, 160 lb x 4, 155 lb x 4, 155 lb x 4, 135 lb x 7Dumbell Flys: 40s 5 x 5Overhead Dumbell Press: 45s x 5, 40s 4 x 5Assisted Dips: Assistance 60 lb? 5 x 5Eliptical: 20 min on interval Food:cup o soy peach yogurtbowl of grape nuts with soymilk and banana1 PB Cliffs Barnavel orange1 PB Cliffs Builder BarShake: Orange juice, pineapple juice, frozen mango & pineapple chunks, about 1/3 cup Ultimate Meal powder, some baby spinach, 1 tbsp vegetarian omega oils, 2 bananas2 slices of pizza - whole wheat crust, homemade marinara, green peppers, onions, mushrooms, artichokes, spinach, nutritional yeastbig bunch of white grapesjerk tempeh with pineapple and brown ricesauteed spinach and mushroomstofutti ice cream sandwhich Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaryStella Posted March 16, 2010 Share Posted March 16, 2010 @Mary - back only really bothers me now after standing around for extended periods of time...I had to have curved it the wrong way, whichever direction that may have been. I know my form sucked, because when I initially injured it, I was very distracted. Someone was in my personal space and I wasn't focusing on what I was doing. When I re-injured it, I don't know...Form probably sucked again, but it also could have been that it was just too soon to try again. Unfortunately I don't have any way to take video. I work out by myself, so no one to help me out there. good curve is the natural curve of the spine so chest open. bad curve in rolling the spine in the opposite direction so rolling the shoulders forward and curling the spine up. hope that helped?!? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob PMFF Posted March 19, 2010 Author Share Posted March 19, 2010 03/16/2010Did vehicle extrication training at the junk yard. Stabilizing vehicles and cutting up cars is a hell of a workout in itself 03/18/2010Assisted Pull-ups: 5x5 at 60 lbs assistanceHanging leg lifts: 3 x 10Tried out the cable row machine, and felt a familiar pain in my back, just not nearly as bad as before. So I called it a day so as not to push my luck. Oh well. Ibuprofein and Ice for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaryStella Posted March 19, 2010 Share Posted March 19, 2010 sorry to hear the back is still an issue. I got "ART" - active release therapy done on mine and it healed in a few days. ICE is key! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob PMFF Posted March 23, 2010 Author Share Posted March 23, 2010 (edited) I did a lot of ice this time, Mary, and I think it must have helped. It seemed to have recovered more quickly...not to 100% of course, but it also might have to do with the fact that it didn't hurt as bad this time when I "injured" it (a third time). I'll take icing more seriously from now on. Also, explain Active Release therapy, if you don't mind. 03/23/2010 Workout:Bench Press: Warm up set 135 lb x 5, 160 lb 2 x 5, 155 lb 2 x 5 & 1 x 4Dumbell Flies: 40s 5 x 5Dumbell Shrugs: 40s 3 x 10Assisted Dips: 5 sets of 5 at 50 lbs AssistanceEliptical: 15 minutes Like I said, the back has still been bothering me, especially lifting patients, the stretcher, and carrying ladders at work, so I didn't want to do anything over my head (literally) today. So no overhead presses or anything like that.Maybe I could have gotten that last rep on BP, but I felt like I started to arch my back some, and I didn't want to take any chances. Food:20 oz soy vanilla latteTrader Joe's Super Crusade multivitamin3 PB Cliffs BarsBowl of TJ's Raisin Bran with oat clusters with soy milk and a banananavel orangeShake: 1/3 cup Ultimate Meal powder, 2 tsp vegetarian omega oils, 2 bananas, frozen pineapple chunks, frozen mango chunks, a handful of pea shoots, rice milkjambalaya w/ tofurky kielbasa, onions, peppers, rice, etc2 boca chikin pattiesgreen beans4 choc chip cookies Edited March 24, 2010 by Rob PMFF Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaryStella Posted March 24, 2010 Share Posted March 24, 2010 I like icing in 20 minutes on 40 minutes off increments. too much ice can be bad. this way you body has a chance to bring the temp back up and then you hit it with ice again. no tissue damage that way, art - active release therapy - has been awesome to me for most of the injuries ive sustained over the years. It is soft tissue work where they go in deep and break up the adhesions that form. ill post a website on it below that will explain it much better than I can. It always makes me recovery from an injury quickly after a couple of visit which I love but I have to be honest. It can be painful/uncomfortable while they break things up. Of course they work to you pain tolerance. http://www.activerelease.com/ I also like the trigger point, foam, stick rollers that you can use at home to break things down. http://www.networkfitness.com/anaerobic/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob PMFF Posted March 24, 2010 Author Share Posted March 24, 2010 03/24/2010In exactly one month I'll be 30 Workout:Squat: 95 lb, 4 x 5-Went light on this just in case. Good thing I guess...I didn't do the fifth set because at the end of the 4th there was a momentary sharp pain in my right knee. It's not exactly new, but it doesn't happen very often either. Usually when I'm climbing up into the fire engine. Not taking any chances anymore.Hypers: 3 x 10Hanging Leg Lifts: 3 x 10Assisted Pull-ups: 60 lbs assistance 1 x 5, 70 lbs assistance 4 x 5-Really wanted to do all 5 sets at 60 lbs assistance, to keep up with my progress on the Dips, but my right lat was bothering me a bit...I don't really know how to explain it, but it was like a "folding" sensation. I don't know. I'm falling apart Dumbell curls: 35s 5 x 10 Food:20 oz soy vanilla latteTrader Joe's Super Crusade multivitaminBowl of pumpkin seed/flax/granola cereal with soy milk and bananaMacintosh apple2 PB Cliffs BarsSlushie: (Man this thing was thick, had to eat it with a spoon) 1/3 cup Ultimate Meal powder, 2 tsp vegetarian omega oils, 2 cups Pomegranate-Blueberry juice, 2 and 1/4 cups of frozen strawberries, blackberries, blueberries & raspberriessome breada piece of fruit leathereggplant bhartha w/ ricetofu pad thai w/ lots of vegetables2 cookies Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob PMFF Posted March 30, 2010 Author Share Posted March 30, 2010 (edited) 03/25/20101 hour Wing Chun class 03/30/2010BW: 199.6 lbupper arm circumference (just for the hell of it) 14.5 inches (36.83 centimeters) Workout:Bench Press: Warm up 135 lb x 5, 160 lb 4 sets of 5, 155 lbs x 4-Just couldn't get that last rep. Someone ran over to help me . So I didn't count it.Dumbell Flies: 45s 5x5Dumbell Shrugs: 45s 5x5Dumbell Overhead Press: 30s 5 sets of 5-Went light on this because of the back. Hadn't done anything over my head in a while.Assisted Dips: 5 sets of 5 at 40 lbs Assistance-Almost there! Eliptical: 10 minutes - Interval 2 minute "sprints" on diff 10, with 2 minute "walking" on diff 4-meh... Food:bowl of Grape Nuts cereal with soymilk and banananavel orangeKoka Moka Pro BarPB Cliffs BarPB Cliffs Builder BarShake: banana, 1/3 cup Ultimate Meal powder, 2 tsp vegetarian omegas, handful of pea shoots, half a bag of mixed frozen strawberries, blueberries, blackberries & raspberries, soy milk (1/4 liter?)tempeh stroganoff: tempeh, lo mein noodles, mushrooms and...stroganoff No Meatloaf - 2 servingsMacaroni and Notcheese - 2 servingsgreen beans - 2 servings Edited March 31, 2010 by Rob PMFF Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaryStella Posted March 31, 2010 Share Posted March 31, 2010 dont b afraid of 30! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob PMFF Posted April 5, 2010 Author Share Posted April 5, 2010 04/01/2010Had a house fire the night before and honestly was too tired to go lift.1 hour Wing Chun 04/02/201030 no weight squatsMeant to get to the gym this day, but had plans with friends in the afternoon and did not manage my time well. 04/05/2010BW: 199.6 lbsBench Press: Warm up set 135 lb x 5, 160 lb x 5, 160 lb 2 sets of 4, 160 lb x 2, 155 lb x 2, 135 lb x 8-Just terrible today. Definitely fell off from last week. I actually thought I was gonna get all 5 sets at 160 today. Was so close last week. I don't know what happened today though. Very disappointing.Pec Fly Machine: 60 x 5, 75 x 5, 90 x 5 x 2, 105 x 5, 120 x 5- Shoulda used dumbells like I usually do. This machine is stupid, and so was the person using it apparently Dumbell Shrugs: 50s x 5 x 5Dumbell OH Press: 30s x 5 x 5Assisted Dips: 5 sets of 5 at 40 lbs Assistance Eliptical: Interval for 10 min1 hour Wing Chun bowl of grape nuts cereal with unsweetened soy milk and a bananaSuperfood Slam Pro BarPB Cliffs barSmoothie: 2 bananas, 1/2 block of frozen spinach (1 cup maybe?), 2 tsp veg omega oil, 1/3 cup Ultimate Meal protein powder, 1 cup unsweetened soy milk, 1 cup water, half a bag of frozen strawberries, blueberries, raspberries & blackberries7 baby kiwissmall bowl of diced tomatoes2 halves of twice baked potatoes w/ spinach & vegan cheese3 chocolate covered pretzels from Vegan Essentialspeanut butter & strawberry jam on ezekiel breadwhole wheat penne with homemade marinara, homemade wheat gluten sausage, grilled squash, onions & button mushrooms Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vivalasvegans Posted April 6, 2010 Share Posted April 6, 2010 it's awesome that you are getting into the gym with how busy you are! you'll get it back, and surpass where you were last week for sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaryStella Posted April 8, 2010 Share Posted April 8, 2010 your food sounds yummy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob PMFF Posted April 9, 2010 Author Share Posted April 9, 2010 (edited) Viva - Thanks for the encouragement. I hope you're right. I feel like I'm struggling now, and it seems too early to be plateauing. Mary - Yeah, my wife is such an awesome cook, and she's always experimenting. I'm very lucky 04/07/2010Didn't really have time to go to the gym this day, so I just did some dumbell curls at home (30 pounders, 3 sets of 20). The reason being that I was heading up to the University my wife works at to see some of the "Peace Week" activities. There were some Tibetan Monks there making a Mandala sand painting all week. It was beautiful. Really.And then in the evening, a reformed Neo-Nazi skinhead from California named TJ Leyden (You may have seen him on The History Channel's "Gangland" program) came and spoke about the things he had done, and hate/racism/organized crime in general, and how he travels the country now doing these speaking engagements. It was EXTREMELY interesting. 04/09/2010Went and saw the monks (mentioned above) wipe away their sand painting (that they had worked on all week) and put it in little plastic bags and vials to hand out to spectators. Kinda sad to see something so beautiful get destroyed, but part of the significance is that nothing is permanent. They chanted and played horns and drums and things too. Really cool to watch. I've never seen anything like that in person before. BW: 202 lbs Workout:Bench Press: Warm up set 135 lb x 5, 160 lb 4 sets of 4, 160 lb x 3, 155 lb x 2, 135 lb x 5-Still struggling with this damn 160 Squat: Warm up set (just bar) x 5, 55 lb x 5, 65 lb x 5, 75 lb x 5, 85 lb x 5, 95 lb x 5-Nothing serious here. I was experimenting with my form. Trying to figure out what was best and most comfortable, and how far down my back to rest the bar.Overhead Press (standing w/ barbell): 65 lb x 5, 70 lb x 5, 75 lb 3 sets of 5Hypers: no weight x 10, 5 lb 2 sets of 10Assisted Pull-ups: 2 sets of 5 at 60 lbs assistance-Started feeling some lower back discomfort here. Weird huh? So I stopped. Maybe I was too rigid. I don't know.Asssited Dips: 5 sets of 5 at 40 lbs assistance Food:bowl of grape nuts cereal with banana and soy milk2 more bananasPB Cliffs barsmoothie: 2 bananas, frozen blueberries, 1/3 cup Ultimate Meal powder, some soy milk, too much water, half a block of frozen spinach, 2 tsp veg omegas.PBJ3 TJ's Organic Tofu burgers with bbq sauce, homemade cole slaw, on whole wheat bunssauteed zuchinni w/ lemon juice & thyme Edited April 10, 2010 by Rob PMFF Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob PMFF Posted April 10, 2010 Author Share Posted April 10, 2010 (edited) 04/10/2010 At work today. Wasn't planning on doing anything, and then I played a Slayer song on youtube. Pull-ups: 10 (not in a row, might do more throughout the day)Big f'n tractor tire flips: 10 (no one knows how much this thing weighs)Hitting the tire with the sledgehammer: 3 sets of 10 on each side Food:grape nuts cereal with soymilk and banana20 oz soy vanilla latte from starbux2 navel orangesPB Larabarsandwhich: 2 slices ezekiel bread, TJ's 3 layer hummus, handful of spinach, handful of alfalfa sproutsPB Cliffs barbaby carrotsbananaPB Cliffs Builder barsmoothie:frozen mixed berries, spinach & a banana2 TJ's organic tofu burgers w/ homemade coleslaw & barbeque sauce on whole wheat bunsleftover zucchini w/ lemon juice & thymepeach soy yogurt cup Edited April 11, 2010 by Rob PMFF Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaryStella Posted April 10, 2010 Share Posted April 10, 2010 i love your workout for today. The huge tires we have at the gym are approx 300+ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jason X Posted April 11, 2010 Share Posted April 11, 2010 Nice rob! I want a big tire really bad! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob PMFF Posted April 12, 2010 Author Share Posted April 12, 2010 http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs465.snc3/25559_1397703991966_1513230514_1068895_5535363_n.jpg BBQ faux ribz, mac and faux cheese, greens Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob PMFF Posted April 14, 2010 Author Share Posted April 14, 2010 04/14/2010 Today is the only day this week I could feasibly make it to the gym. A friend of mine died Sunday night in a motorcycle accident. He was a fellow Firefighter, but in a different locality. We were in the same Fire Academy in 2005. I worked Monday, and spent most of the day talking to other people that were in our academy about it. Yesterday I drove around all day collecting donations for a flower arrangement for the funeral on Thursday, and then I met some guys that were in our academy for a few pints. Workout:Hit a few milestones today I guess.Bench Press: 160 lbs, 5 sets of 5 (Warm up set 135 lb x 5)-While my personal record is 225 lb x 1 (about 2 years ago), 160 is the highest I've gotten while doing this 5x5 deal, and I've struggling with it for weeks.Squat: 85 lb, 5 sets of 5 (Warm up set 45 lb x 5)Overhead Barbell Press: 75 lb, 5 sets of 5Hypers: 5 lb, 3 sets of 10Assisted Pull-ups: 5 sets of 5 at 60 lbs AssistanceDips: 1 set of 5 with 40 lbs assistance; 3 sets of 5 with no assistance, 1 set of 4 with no assistance-This is the first time in a very long time that I've done Dips without weight assistance. Someone nearby said "If you're that close, why don't you just do it without the bar." I said "I'll try." And this was the result. Good stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lobsteriffic Posted April 15, 2010 Share Posted April 15, 2010 Sorry to hear about your friend. Congrats on the bench press and the dips! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob PMFF Posted April 20, 2010 Author Share Posted April 20, 2010 Thanks Carrie. 04/19/201045 min Wing chun class 04/20/2010Bench Press: 165 lbs 5 sets of 5 after 135 x 5 warm upSquat: 90 lbs 5 sets of 5 after 45 x 5 warm upOverhead Press: 80 lbs 5 sets of 5 after 45 x 5 warm upHypers: 3 sets of 10, w/ 10 lb plateAssisted Pull-Ups: 2 sets of 5 with 50 lbs assistance, 3 sets of 5 with 60 lbs assistanceDips: 5 sets of 5Hanging Leg Lifts: 3 sets of 10 Summary: Bench: Improved on bench again today. In the past two workouts my bench has been better than it was for several weeks prior. I wonder if its because I've had so many rest days in between, or if its because of the coffee beans/coffee I had in the morning prior to each (even though they were several hours apart). Squat: I'm still not happy with the squats. I don't feel like I'm getting low enough, and I also don't feel like my back is in the right position. I feel like I should be doing much higher weight on this. I look at other people's logs and see their squat is like twice what their bench is. Mine is the complete opposite. My bench weight is significantly higher than my squat weight. That seems odd to me. I don't know if its because of my back injury in February, or if I just have weak legs But this is frustrating as hell. Any advice anyone? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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