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MikeyPod's Training Journal


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This is week three back at the gym for me! I am so happy to be feeling motivated again so I am starting this Training Journal. I didn't write down any of the weights I did yesterday, but I did back/biceps and some abs.

 

This morning I went for a 2:09 mile run in Prospect Park.

 

Starting tomorrow I'll record specifics of my weight training. It'll be legs/shoulders. I'm looking forward to reading everyone's nutrition information. I've been vegan for just over four years, but my weightlifting days were all pre-veganism so I have a great deal to learn about vegan diet and exercise. Pretty psyched, actually!

 

YAY!

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I LOVE MY GYM!

 

I was thinking this morning about how I want to get serious about my leg workouts and really get some squats going, and lo and behold there a couple of guys having that exact conversation and working out form with squats. One of them suggested a book called "Starting Strength" by Mark Rippetoe which discusses at length proper form for these basic bad ass exercises like squats, dead lifts etc. I never included these in my workouts back when I was going to the gym on the regular, maybe now that I am feeling so much motivation I will add these in.

 

My gym is really just this kinda shitty rundown Brooklyn neighborhood place with total awesomeness for clientele. I'm always talking to someone new and it's just great. NYC continues to surprise me with how nice and outgoing the people are, even though I've lived here for almost 7 years.

 

Here's today's workout, it was really helpful to start writing down specifics, because as you see I am still figuring out the appropriate weight for each exercise. I am aiming for muscle failure around 8-10 reps.

 

Warm up: 10mins elliptical 30% resistance

 

Leg curl (machine)

70/12 80/10 70/5

 

Leg Press

90/12 140/11 140/11

 

Seated Calf Raises

90/15 115/12 115/12

 

Military Press

Bar/15

bar+20/13

bar+20/10

(I meant to ask what this bar weighs, are they usually 45 pounds?)

 

Dumbbell Raises (alternating forward and lateral)

10/10 10/7 10/8

 

Dumbbell shrugs

40/10 40/10 40/10

 

I skipped abs. Lame.

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thanks mate! heard some of the powerlifters here talking about mark rippetoe so he must be good! your gym sounds cool i like the old rough kinda gyms much better than the big health centres!

 

if its and olympic bar its 45 lbs. it most likely is most of them in gyms are nowadays.

 

 

keep it up!

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Just a quick check in. There was a big race in Prospect Park yesterday, so to avoid the madness I decided to make yesterday my off day. I ran this morning instead. 2.11 miles. It felt good, but in retrospect, I want to push myself harder. I'd like to start making the 3+ mile loop of the park instead of this smaller one. I will try it on Sunday, even if it means walking a bit. Here are the stats from today's run: http://www.mapmyrun.com/routes/view/155632859?

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Good workout today! I noticed that knowing I'll be reporting to the journal what I did in my workout makes me push myself a little more. Assuming I get out for my run tomorrow morning, this will have been the first perfect week in this month since I started back where I didn't skip a single workout. YAY!

 

DB Press

30/12

35/10

40/6

 

Fly machine

60/12

70/5

60/8

 

Hammerstrength decline press

50/12

70/8

70/

 

Skull crushers

30/8

30/12

30/10

 

Arm extension machine

30/12

40/12

50/11

 

Assisted dips

120/3

150/4

180/5

 

Crunch machine

20/12

95/12

110/12

 

Bent leg lifts (not sure name of this device...captain's chair?)

15/15

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Here's todays workout:

 

 

Preacher curl bent bar

55/12 55/12 55/10

 

DB hammer curls

15/12 20/11 20/6

 

Arm curl machine

40/8 40/6 35/8

 

Assisted pull ups

180/3 200/3 200/2.5

 

Cable rows

50/12 60/3+50/3 50/8

 

Lower back extensions

Body weight/12 /12 /12

 

Crunch machine

110/12 /12 /12

 

notes/thoughts

-Pull ups are hard, but I wanna do em'! Had as much weight as I could on the stack and still only got those puny results. I'll keep at it.

 

-Guy I spoke to last week recommended again Mark Ripptoe's "Starting Strength" which I just downloaded to my iPad. Intrigued by this approach of doing only barbell exercises and working with tiny weights and only focusing on form form form. This guy seems to have gotten good results and is also willing to work out with me so.....

 

-Even in my gym rattiest days of old, I never did squats or deadlifts and those are pretty solid exercises. Seems like it makes sense to focus on those compound lifts and branch out from there in order to build strenght/size and then carve away at it later with isolating exercises. Am I even understanding this correctly? Maybe I should read the book. I'll start with my usual routine this week and read the book in the meantime.

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  • 4 weeks later...
  • 2 weeks later...

Hope you're still training dude :P all the best

 

Ugh! Took about a month off, but coming in strong in the new year! Just came from the gym, here's what went down:

 

Chest/Tris

 

DB Press

35/12 40/12 40/8

 

Upstairs flys (this machine is shitty.)

60/8 60/5

 

Downstairs flys (this machine is not as shitty.)

60/12 70/10

 

Hammer Strength decline

70/10 90/10 90/6

 

5 fingers of death

30 40 (rough) 30

 

Cable pull downs

75/10 75/9 75/5

 

Tri extension machine

50/12 50/12 50/10

 

Notes:

The guy I have been talking about who recommended the Mark Rippetoe book has made noticeable gains in the one month since I have been absent from the gym. I'm feeling inspired by him and the fact that he works out alone and still gets these big heavy lifts in.

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  • 1 month later...

I'm back! I guess if I am going to only be consistent in one way, I'm happy that I consistently start again after losing momentum. I am super focused on writing this music performance piece. I'm doing a first public performance of it in April, so that is sort of eating my brain and freaking me out in a way that makes me want to hide out. NO MORE! I went to the gym yesterday, here's what I did:

 

lat pulldown

66/12 77/12 88/7

 

Low row

70/10 70/8 70/6

 

Lower back extension (no weight)

12 10 12

 

Arm curl machine

50/12 50/3 (super slow with careful form) 40/6

 

Hammer curls

15/10 15/10 15/6

 

Straight bar/cable curls

40/10 40/10 50/4

 

Not bad, I think. My arms and back are nicely sore this morning. I am headed out to Prospect Park in a few minutes to go for a run. It's nice to be back!

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  • 7 months later...
  • 7 months later...

I've been back at the gym more regularly for the past month or so. Aiming to lift three days a week and run three days a weem. I realized a couple weeks ago I am strong enough to do dips! That's my big news. hahah

 

Feeling inspired this morning so I thought I'd get back to posting in this training journal. Here's this morning's workout:

 

5 minute elliptical warm up

Dips

5 -5 -2

 

DB Press

40/12 40/6 40/4

 

Tricep extension machine

50/12 60/12 70/9

 

Downstairs flys

60/12 60/12 70/7

 

Skull crushers

40/10 /6 /5

 

Decline Press (Hammer Strength)

70/5 70/5 70/3

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I skipped my run yesterday. >:-(

 

Back and biceps today:

 

Asst pull up (alternating wide and narrow grip for four sets)

190/11 /7 /2 /4

 

Preacher Curls

45/12 /10 /10

 

Low Row

70/10 /8 60/12

 

Hammer curls

20/12 /5 15/8

 

I have been doing sort of low key workouts only *kind of* consistent and noticing that I am getting stronger in spite of my best efforts to be lazy at the gym. I've been saying to myself "well, it's better than not going at all" which is true, but I wonder what would happen if I started pushing a little harder. I would love to have a training partner. Considering posting something on the neighborhood listserv. Honestly, I am 45 years old and worry that my fellow 45 year olds will be even lazier that I am.

 

There's some brain dump for ya.

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