Vegan Bodybuilding & Fitness

Leg day today as planned, but forgot to do any overhead work, so I missed out on that completely. Oh well, there'll be time for that later.

Good Mornings to about 2" above true parallel -
1x10 @ 135
1x8 @ 225
1x5 @ 315
3x10 @ 370
Felt good and strong on these - wanted to go for more than 10 on the last set as I was feeling good for 12-15 on the others, but the bar slipped out of the groove twice and I spent too much time fumbling around with it and decided 10 was plenty.

1/2 squats in the rack (tapping pins or resting on pins briefly with each rep) at navel height, about 15-16" ROM or something close)
1x10 @ 405
1x5 @ 500
1x5 @ 545
1x20 @ 405
Just testing my ability to stay solid and not lean forward, all sets were great and I'll be good to push this up quickly over the next few weeks.

One set of lying leg curls for 20 @ 170 and one set of 50 reps full stack on the back extension to cool down and I was done.

Got home, had the urge to do just a bit more, so I grabbed my 2.5" thick handled DB and did 2x15 curls alternating arms @ 42.5 lbs. Between sets, grabbed the IronMind Heavy Hammer and did some wrist work with it, front and back levers and one set of side levers resting the bottom on a table top to avoid any cheating. Felt good, wrists were strong (only 7.5 lbs. on the handle, but lots of reps), and that's it!

Back and chest on Tuesday, info once it's done!

Coming off of some sort of weird stomach flu thing that screwed with me the last 2 days, wasn't feeling all too into it for lifting but still made it out for a bit. Was supposed to be back and chest day, but opted to do some overhead stuff instead of chest since I missed it on Monday. Decided to goof on some machines instead of being serious, except for the overhead -

Hammer Strength Pulldowns (2 separate handles on machine) -
1x10 @ 90
1x10 @ 180
1x8 @ 320
1x5 @ 360 for PR on reps at that weight, took off plates and did 1x12 @ 180 immediately afterward

Overhead presses in the rack -
1x5 @ 135 strict
1x3 @ 185 strict
1x7 @ 225 push press, winded WAY too early, knew it wasn't going to be good if I couldn't make it to 10. Decided not to push it today since I'm not feeling great, dropped the weight down a bit and did 2 more sets -
1x15 @ 135 strict
1x14 @ 135, done as Bradford presses, over the head, to the back of the neck, and back over again to the front, 7 each way

Screwed around on another pulldown machine for something or other for 2x10 (can't recall the weight - does it really matter anyway?) and that was it. Short workout, 2 more days of rest then it'll be back to 16" or 18" deadlifts on Friday.

Oh yeah, had to work for a bit after I was done lifting, so I decided to do some push-ups to fill the gap of the not-so-rough day in the gym. I did sets no less than 15 and no more than 30 and did 200 total in around 50 minutes (took some solid rest between sets - I kept forgetting to do them while replying to email messages!) I don't think I've ever done more than 100 push-ups in a day, even when I weighed 80 lbs. less. I'm sure I'll be regretting it tomorrow if my twitching right tricep is any indication of what's to come...

Rack DL day on Friday, didn't go as well as planned -

Was in a rush and dove in a bit quickly, headed straight for the 18" DLs (mid kneecap height) in the rack -
1x10 @ 135
1x10 @ 225
1x5 @ 315
1x5 @ 405
1x3 @ 495
2x2 @ 545
1x12 @ 405
Felt a bit of a twinge on the 2nd set of doubles with 545 - not in the lower back (which was good), but just a few inches to the right of mid-center on my upper back, so I have a minor pull that'll be irritating me for another day or two (2 days in and it's 80% better already). After that, I decided to call it a day and headed out - I'd wanted to get 4-5 sets of doubles with 545, but it wasn't meant to be just yet.

Should do some leg training tomorrow, not sure what it'll be but I'll post when it's done!

Middle back strain kept me out of the gym for a few days, but as has happened before, I go to lift when it is subsiding and it magically disappears completely. Weird stuff.

Decided to do some squats today for the first time in a little over a month (after the previous disappointing squat trials of December), and it was much better since focusing more on GMs and leaving the standard squat behind for a bit.

1x10 @ empty bar
1x5 @ 225, 3 second stretched pause at bottom each rep
1x3 @ 315, 2 second pause at bottom
5x1 @ 405
2x1 @ 425
2x1 @ 445
1x1 @ 465, fought a bit but I was getting worn out

Just wanted to test the waters, and the assistance work is helping quite a bit. Still not back over 500 yet, but give me another month or two and it's on. Much better than when I was buried by 455 last time I squatted, which made me want to cry into my knee sleeves.

Did 1 set of 2/3 squats (about 9" above parallel at bottom pin height) for a double with 500, and that was it.

Just testing the waters today, and if I hadn't had a sore and stressful last week it may have been even better, but I'll take what I can get. I'll be leaving the squats behind for another month to do GMs and some 1/2 squats, then it's back to business and I'll work to get to at least 485 or so again by that time.

Back and shoulder day Friday, will report when it's done!

Shoulders and light back work today -

Standing strict overhead presses -
1x20 @ empty bar
1x5 @ 135
1x3 @ 185
3x6 @ 205
1x3 @ 225
Felt good, normally before 3x6 @ 205 would have been tougher, gotta start working those strict presses harder again after a bit of a layoff on them.

BB Shrugs -
1x10 @ 225
1x20 @ 315
2x10 @ 405
1x30 @ 315 (10, 3 breaths to rest, 10, 3 breaths, 10 more to finish)
Still suck at shrugs, but I haven't done any in a month so this is my re-intro to them, I suppose.

Goofed with some pulldowns, a few sets with nothing over 210 to avoid screwing up that tender spot in my back (which is now 95% better). Did some Hammer Strength single-arm rows afterward up to an easy 10 reps with 160 per arm, back held up fine, will start with BB or heavy DB rows again next week since the back is good enough.

Wrapped up with some overhead Smith machine shrugs, working up to 20 rep sets @ 280 (not including crappy counterbalanced bar), then did 3x40 reps @ 180 just for the hell of it.

Felt decent, back injury almost gone in a weeks' time, will be back to some rack deadlifts again on Sunday!

Ultra-quick deadlift workout today -

16" deadlifts in the rack (bottom of kneecap height)
1x10 @ 135
1x10 @ 225
1x5 @ 315
3x10 @ 425
Felt good, just an exercise in endurance since I'm still working to re-develop my DL and won't do any pulling off of the floor until March when the lower back is tough enough again.

That was it - 20 minutes, went back to work, goofed with some push-ups until I hit 250 total over an hour (kept forgetting to do my sets!) and that's it for today. Might get one last workout on Thursday afternoon before I leave for Vegas for work that evening (I get to spend 2 full days looking at shoes - hooray!) and that'll be it until next Monday or Tuesday. Will try to get a leg workout in before I leave, otherwise, it's time for a weeklong layoff until I return!

Leg day today (well, at lest, most of it...) Felt good, which was nice since I've had a cold the past 2 days and thought it may be a crappy workout, but I decided to grind it out and pretty well set a PR in everything, which was nice.

Good Mornings to about 2-3" above torso being parallel with floor -
1x10 @ 135
1x10 @ 225
1x10 @ 315
1x5 @ 405
2x5 @ 455 (PR - don't belive I've done more than 2 reps at that weight)
1x20 @ 335 (PR on reps - had to fight for 20 @ 315 before, barely winded with 20 lbs more this time, very nice!)
The sets with 455 were tough, and I could feel my back saying "Don't go heavier!" with these, so I'll wait a few weeks before going up to 475. Still nice to see 455 go down so easily for sets of 5.

Hise Shrugs in the rack -
1x12 @ 405
1x12 @ 495
1x15 @ 585 (PR on reps)
Felt good with these, solid and stable, should help with yoke stability a bit next time I get back at one again.

Single-leg DB SLDLs with arm holding DB opposite of standing leg -
1x12 @ 65 each leg
1x12 @ 75 " "
Just playing with these a bit, had fun with them in the past training at NX, would like to work up to some sets with the 120s and beyond once I re-learn how to balance with them and not feel like falling over halfway through the sets.

Hise Shrugs on the squat machine (sticking with non-conventional shrugging for the rest of the month)
3x35 @ 760 (full stack, probably actually half that weight)

Lying leg curls -
1x10 @ full stack, dropped to 120 lbs, did 10 more and I was done.

Definitely felt good and solid, less aches than I usually experience with GMs, looking forward to lifting again Sunday or Monday going back to some rack DLs!

Lower back felt good today, so it was rack DL day! 18" from near top of kneecap, with some overhead pressing thrown in as well.

Started with standing overhead presses -
2x5 @ 135 strict press
1x3 @ 185 " "
1x1 @ 225 " "
1x2 @ 235 " "
1x2 @ 240 " "
1x1 @ 245 " " (tried for 2, but 2nd rep just got to top of head before I stalled out)
Still, some heavier strict presses, and hit a relatively easy single at just 5 lbs. less than my PR, so I'm feeling confident that I can hit around 260 in a month without any problem. Aiming for a bodyweight strict press of 275 sometime this year, we'll see how soon I get there.
Felt like going a bit more, did 1 set of 2 @ 275 for a push press, both reps quite easy, but I dipped a bit much bringing the 2nd rep down and my left knee was not happy with it, so I stopped there. Still, I fought to get back to a single at that weight only a month or so ago, so in March I'll finally go for 300 overhead and make it this time.
Finished with 1x15 @ 135 just to get something with high reps in for strict presses.

Next, on to 18" DLs in the rack -
1x5 @ 225
1x5 @ 315
1x5 @ 405
3x8 @ 500
Not long ago my back was having a hard time hitting a set of 4-5 at this weight for 18" DLs, so making 3x8 was nice. Next week I drop the pins down to around the 13" mark, lighten it up and go from there. I seem to always make progress with changing the height around and going between higher rep/low rep stuff, so I'll keep on this through March and finally pull off the floor again in April.

Goofed on the last 10 minutes with some fairly light machine overhead presses with palms facing in just to have a log-like feel to some pressing and that was it.

A day off, then Thursday will be upper back and chest work.

No workout today since two days ago I spent my morning sick with the flu (in the ugliest ways possible), so the past few days have been recovery and hopefully tomorrow will be training again.

Just when I feel like I'm getting ahead again, something kicks me back a few steps. Just a bit more to make the end result that much more worthwhile, I suppose!

Post-illness training for light upper back work today -

Barbell rows -
1x10 @ 135 lbs.
1x5 @ 225
3x5 @ 295
Felt okay, but I wasn't high on energy and those stupid octagonal plates kept moving around every time I'd let the bar hit the floor. Can't stand those things. Hoping to hit a relatively easy 3x5 @ 315 lbs. soon and finally start moving beyond that mark.

Hise Shrugs in the power rack (set bar in squat position on shoulders, shrug upward as high as possible with bar moving vertically) -
1x20 @ 405
1x20 @ 500
1x20 @ 550
1x20 @ 405

Goofed around with some back extensions and some machine rowing movements for about 15 minutes until it was time to go, nothing too noteworthy with any of that for the remaining 5-6 sets I did to wrap things up.

May hit the gym tomorrow and get some leg work in, will post back if it happens!

Still not back to normal yet post-illness, but did some leg and shoulder stuff anyway to keep things moving.

Overhead pressing in the rack -
1x10 @ empty bar
1x5 @ 135
1x3 @ 185
1x1 @ 225 (all strict to this point)
5x5 @ 240 push press just to get the feel back without going heavy, will bump 10 lbs. per week every other week, alternating push and strict press weeks.

Did a few front squat doubles with 240, then a pair of singles with 275, then just played with back squats working to an easy double rock bottom at 405. Finally felt ready for some Good Mornings -
1x10 @ 350
1x10 @ 375
1x10 @ 405
Wanted to do more, but the energy for GMs was failing fast due to a week of reduced eating (appetite still sucks, I'll be lucky to get 2500 calories in today.)

Not yet content to finish things up, set up the bar in the rack for about a 10-12" ROM for bottoms-up 1/4ish squats, wanted to get the feel of starting with a yoke again (albeit with a smaller diameter bar), and did a few sets -
1x10 @ 500
1x10 @ 585
1x5 @ 675
1x1 with 15 second hold @ 765
Felt good and solid, all came up easy, let's see how I handle it in a few weeks when I finally touch some implements again.

New gym, tried some silly plate-loading shoulder press machine, did a few goof-off sets to have fun, did 3x15 lying leg curls to wrap up legs and that was it.

Tomorrow is rest, Tuesday will be rack DLs if the back gives me the OK, otherwise, some light upper back and chest stuff and that'll do it.

Got sick for the 3rd time this month (now it's sinus drain/sore throat kind of crap), but I wasn't going to let myself get off track so I did my back workout anyhow.

BB rows -
1x10 @ 135
1x5 @ 225
3x8 @ 275
1x3 @ 315
1x12 @ 225, slow, squeezed each rep with picture-perfect bodybuilder-esque form just to get a set with no cheat whatsoever

Close-grip bench -
3x5 @ 225, 3 second pause on chest each rep
Just a few to see how they feel again for some nowhere-near-failure sets, triceps still a bit fried from overhead stuff the other day, can't say I'm looking forward to close grip benching again any time soon (but I'll start in March anyhow.)

BB Hise Shrugs in the rack -
1x10 @ 405
1x10 @ 495
1x10 @ 545
1x10 @ 495
Just some lighter sets to get a few in. Core is getting more and more stable from these and the heavy partial squat stuff, which is quite nice.

Wrapped up with goofing on some 1-arm cable rows and pulldown machine stuff for a few sets and that was it. Felt good despite feeling like I was dying earlier in the day, now to take 2 days off and hit some rack deadlifts when I get back in town on Friday.

Missed implement training at Kirk's as I'd hoped to do this weekend - spent my Saturday coughing up chunks of green crap and wheezing, which meant lifting would have to wait a few more days.

Today, no more coughing, no more headache or dizziness, which meant it was time to lift again. Still a bit weak from the beatings I've received from illnesses, but it turned out to be a decent day -

Standing overhead press -
2x5 strict @ 135
1x5 strict @ 185
1x3 push @ 225
1x5 push @ 250
1x5 push @ 255
1x8 push @ 225
Winded like hell after these, breathing wasn't great but felt okay otherwise.

Rack deadlifts, done mid-shin (lowest setting in rack, about 5" above ground position bar maybe 12" or so?) -
1x5 @ 225
1x5 @ 315
1x3 @ 405
1x3 @ 455
1x5 @ 500 - definintely the surprise of the day, I was just hoping to get 2 or 3 since this was 3" lower than any pulls I've done in ages and I keep thinking I'm going to suck terribly when I drop the height down lower. First 4 reps were quick and smooth, but sucked the wind out of me, took about 8 deep breaths and pulled the 5th with a slight hitch at top. Still, This gives me the confidence to believe I can FINALLY pull over 500 from the floor again, but I'm not going to do anything off the floor until April. 5 more weeks of rack stuff, now staying at 16" or less to really hammer a lower pull and in April I'll see how much over 5 I can pull again. It's about freakin' time!

That was it - I was wiped out completely just from that little bit of lifting, but I feel good for actually doing better than expected, so next week I'll be working endurance at that height going for sets of 8 @ 455 just to beat myself up nicely. Getting anxious to see where I pull from the floor down the road, and I can safely say that the combination of Good Mornings and rack DLs have really made a difference in my comeback from lower back injuries and will definitely remain staples in my training for a long time to come. If only my reverse hyper wasn't such a piece of crap that I could actually use it with more than 10 lbs. on it (never, EVER buy one from New York Barbells / TDS!) I'd probably be even stronger in the lower back. Oh well, better late than never, from a guy who wondered last summer if I'd ever deadlift more than 400 without hurting myself again.

Okay, the good and the bad today, starting with the bad...

Finally went to the doc yesterday, diagnosed with some pretty bad bronchitis (which is why I've been sick for 3 weeks now...), so I have to take a crapload of meds for 10 days, with the antibiotic being some weird crap that apparently increases chances for tendon/ligament injuries when doing anything athletic. So, I've got a week and a half of no lifting coming, but I postponed my startup on the meds for a day to get a farewell lifting session in, which is the good part.

Felt pretty healthy overall despite still being ill, so I decided to squat and see what I could manage -

1x5 @ 135 front squat
1x5 @ 135 back squat
1x3 @ 225 front squat
1x3 @ 225 back squat
1x1 @ 315 front squat
1x3 @ 315 back squat (all squats back squats from here on out)
1x2 @ 365
1x1 @ 405
1x1 @ 455
1x1 @ 475
1x1 @ 500 - Woo hoo, my first 500 in a long freakin' time, which was a serious mental boost. Just my Rehbands and that's it, may have cut it an inch short, but it wasn't a terrible fight so I feel that if I were healthy I may have had another 20 lbs. in me. Still, pretty nice, so I kept on going with lighter stuff -
1x6, 1x5, 1x4, 1x3, 1x2 all at 405 to hit 20 reps total between all sets. Legs were quite fried, but all that lower back work as paid off big dividends since my back feels great with no strain at all.

GMs in the rack, about 4" above parallel, forcing myself to push my ass back far -
1x20 @ 315

1-legged DB SLDL (DB in opposite hand)
1x10 each side @ 75 lb. DB (not hard, but tired as hell by this time)

Close-grip bench (hands about 16" - 18" apart)
1x10 @ 135
1x3 @ 205
1x3 @ 230
1x4 @ 275
1x10 @ 225
1x25 @ 135

Lying leg curls -
1x30 @ 120 lbs.

Beat to hell, but I feel great, a good sendoff to a layoff ahead of me. Good part is I'll be away on business for 4 of the 10 days, so I hadn't planned on lifting as much anyhow. So, see y'all back in a week and a half when I'm feeling better!

I ceased my old antibiotics after a few days since I just didn't feel comfortable taking something that could leave me open to injurt, so I went on a new one that'll be done for in 2 days and doesn't carry the same risks. So, I've been able to train again this week, getting a few last workouts in before I head to the expo in LA tomorrow morning.

Tuesday was back day, nothing too eventful except some barbell rows, 3x6 @ 300 lbs. which I'd been aiming to get before February was over but it took just a bit longer.

Tonight was overhead pressing and deadlift day!

Overhead presses in the power rack -
1x20 @ empty bar
2x5 @ 135
1x3 @ 185
1x1 @ 225
1x1 @ 250
1x1 @ 275
I was planning on trying to hit 300 lbs. overhead tonight, but I just wasn't feeling it so I'll wait a couple weeks and give it a go later.

Deadlifts in the power rack - still working on pulls that aren't starting at the floor but are getting closer to it.
Warmed up through 455 starting about 6" above floor height (lowest pin setting in the rack), then loaded up to 515 lbs. and started there -
1x1 @ 6" off floor
1x1 @ 4" off floor (standing on a pair of 45 lb. plates to shorten distance)
1x1 @ 2" off floor height (standing on a double stack of 45s)
Felt good, not much struggle with any of these, will come back down to this low pull in a few weeks again and go for 535 or more.
Moved the pins up to where the bar was 18" off the floor, just near the upper kneecap height on me, did a few more sets -
1x3 @ 500
1x1 @ 545
1x1 @ 585
Failed at 605, just getting too worn out from going heavier. Dropped the weight for 2 last sets -
1x5 @ 500
1x10 @ 405

That was it in the gym - went home, did some horizontal back extensions on my basement machine for 3x20 with 40 lbs. behind my neck, then a light 3x15 with 20 lbs. on the reverse hyper machine (which I've finally fixed the stability on...for now...)

Lower back is fried, I've got a 5 day layoff in front of me due to travel, back lifting again next week!