mgabs' training log

[mgabs]

Hey vegan friends, I'm new to this site, but I thought I'd use the forum to track my workouts and keep them stored some place. Also I think it's fun to compete and give people an idea of what other vegans are capable of doing in fitness.

So here was my most recent workout on Saturday:

Chins: 30lbs 7, 7, 6, 6
Barbell row: 145lbs 5, 5, 5, 5
Curls: 85lbs 8, 8, 8, 8
Face pulls: 100lbs 12, 12, 12, 12

[mgabs]

Today's workout was pretty good.

Standing behind neck press: 95lbs 7, 6, 6, 5
Squat: 185lbs 8, 8, 8, 8
Dips: 30lbs 8, 8, 8, 8
Standing dumbbell press: 30lb dumbbells burnout 8, 8, 8, 8

Any comments, tips, advice are welcome!

[mgabs]

Today's workout was a "pull day."

Chin ups: 30lbs 7, 7, 5 (then i stopped because I wasn't feeling my back)
Barbell rows: 150lbs 5, 5, 5, 5
Dumbbell curls: 15lb dumbbells 6 sets ~10 reps per set
Cable rope pulls: 8x10

Got a really good pump and felt my muscles working, which is how I usually train. If I go too heavy and can't feel the muscles working then I do something else. Not my best day, but I felt good after all was said and done.

[midnight112x]

may i ask why you do your barbell press behind the neck? It looks like you are training for strength and size and your doing some great exercises/rep range for that .

[mgabs]

I did them to the front for a long time, but once I tried behind the neck presses I was sold. I feel like they work the shoulder more completely, whereas pressing to the front focuses more on the anterior deltoid. There's really no way to cheat a behind the neck press, because leaning back won't do anything. I keep my legs locked and my chin down and do a strict press. Short answer: I just prefer them and they give a good burn! Which kind of shoulder exercises do you do?

[midnight112x]

for shoulders i like arnold presses, kettlebell clean and press, or smith machine presses, for the most part. other than that i do traps and reardelt exercises along with those. i dont do too many side or front raises at this point in time
recently i have been trying upside down push ups or handstand push ups also to start with.
i dont do any behind the neck because it can put the rotator cuff in danger of injury and my rotator cuffs are sensitive to that.

[mgabs]

Yeah it's a dangerous exercise, I've been fortunate not to have any big shoulder injuries though. I think all exercises are safe if your joints are healthy and uncompromised. If you have sensitive rotator cuffs then yeah it's probably a good idea to stay away from them. I have to use a lot less weight on behind the neck presses than I do when I press to the front, so I've been prioritizing it lately.

[midnight112x]

have you tried the upside down push ups yet? those are killer

[mgabs]

If you mean handstand push ups, then yeah I've tried them. They're really hard, and I have to put my feet against a wall because I can't do a handstand on my own. Those really get the shoulders too, but they don't isolate it as much as I'd like. A lot of tricep comes into play I think...at least that's what I feel.

[veggiesasquatch]

If your pressing correctly then your triceps should be working with the shoulders....be that over head pressing or the hand stand push.

[mgabs]

Yes the triceps are always involved in every pressing movement, I know. But in some variations moreso than in others. Overhead pressing to the front with lockout works the triceps harder than doing it behind the neck with a lockout. At least that's just how I feel it for myself. And pressing to the front mainly works the anterior head, while pressing behind the neck hits the posterior and medial delt more. That's why I do them that way.

[mgabs]

Seated cable rows: 120lbs 5x12
Chest supported Dumbbell rows: 40lb dumbbells 4x8
Chin ups: 6, 6, 6, 5, 4
Face pulls supersetted with low cable pulls: 80lbs 4x12
Chin ups: 6, 5, 4, 3

Did this with one minute rests between every set and it was brutal. This workout reminded me how little I've been paying attention to my conditioning. From now on I'm using shorter rest periods for sure.

[mgabs]

Did a quick biceps routine today...took about 15 minutes..
Strict forms standing curls: 20lb dumbbells 10, 10, 9, 9
Standing dumbbell curls (loose form): 30lb dumbbells 12, 12, 10, 10

Forgot to do biceps yesterday during my back workout, so I just did them today. 1:30 was the rest intervals today. Made sure I kept it intense! Tomorrow is shoulders and chest!

[mgabs]

Standing barbell behind neck press: 95lbs 8, 8, 6, 6
Upright row: 65lbs 10, 10, 10, 10
Neck press: 95lbs 10, 10, 10, 10
Lateral raises: 15lb dumbbells 10, 10, 10, 10
Tricep pushdown supersetted with standing dumbbell press: 3 sets to failure

Hit the shoulders pretty good today. I've decided to give shoulders and back priority in my workouts. I think it's a good decision. Those behind the neck presses are getting pretty rough though... hoping to be up to 135lbs on those by end of July!

[mgabs]

Intense back and bicep workout today:

Pullups 9 8 7 6
Db rows 70lb 8 8 8 8
Face pulls 80lbs 15 15 15 15
Barbell curl 95lbs 5 5 5 3
Chins 8 8 6 6

Kept the rest down to 2 minutes between each set to give my heart a workout as well