Jenng's Journal

Well, my weight loss has slowed, but mostly by my own fault. I have been off cardio for 2 weeks, due to my back injury. Then I had 5-6 days of a diet that I call the "eat whatever the heck I want" plan, when my friend was in town from CA. So that made me gain a couple pounds.

But I got back into my cardio routine last week and lost a lb or so. Hopefully I can get back on track and start loosing again.

Did my sprints Friday and had chest day today. I am finally ready to move up in that ^&*%&^$ bench press. I did 3 sets, almost perfect form, touching my chest. (Second set was a little off, I don't think I rested long enough. Third set was great, though.) And I was able to do 3 sets of 8 for the 40 lb DBs, so maybe I can try the 45s next week.

CARDIO - ELLIPTICAL 7/16

5 min Warm Up
5 30/30 sprints
2 min recovery
3 30/30 sprints
3 min recovery
2 30/30 sprints
10 min hill
5 min cool down

430 cals, 30 mins


CHEST/TRICEPS 7/17

Warm Up: Bench Press 55x12, 55x10, 75x6, 85x3

Bench Press 105x6 (x3)
DB Incline 40x8 (x3)
Lying Tricep Extension 47x6 (x3)
Tricep Rope Pulldown 80x6 (x2)
V-Bar Overhead Extension 85x6

Got a new goal to work on while I drop the deadlifts for awhile to let my back heal. I am going to try to do an unassisted chin up (pull up, whatever). My goal is to move down 10 lbs a week on the assist. We'll see. It's ambitious, but it's about time I start seeing some strength gains in my lats/upper back.

BACK/BICEPS 7/18

Warm Up: Assisted Pull Ups 120 (assist)x12

Assited Pull Ups: 90 (assist) x6 (x3)
Cable Rows: 140x6 (x2)
Bent Over Rows: 105x5, 95x6 (terrible form on the higher weight)
Good Mornings: 100x6 (x3)
Standing DB Curls: 30x5, 30x5, 30x4
Hammer Curls: 25x5 (x2)
Standing BB Curl: 50x6

Upper back feels nice and sore from yesterdays work out. No pain in the lower back/hip area and I felt pretty good when I woke up this morning. So what better to do than jog on it, to really test that healing process.

CARDIO - TREADMILL 7/19

Warm Up: 2 min @ 4.0 mph
Jog: 23 mins, starting at 5.0, increasing .1 every minute to 6.1 then going back down
Hill: 4.2 mph, increasing incline 3% every minute to 15%
Cool Down: 4.0 mph, decreasing incline by 5% every 2 mins

Total Time: 40 mins
Total Distance: 3.33 miles
Total Calories: 560!

I posted my WO last night and something went screwy and I lost all of my brilliance. So now it's early and I am not as inspired, since I haven't had coffee yet. So here goes...I worked out yesterday.

Oh, and I did increase my DB press weight up to the 40's (which is why I only cranked out 4 reps). And I was able to complete two whole sets of 12 incline crunches, which is a big deal for me, and my weak, weak abs.

SHOULDERS/ABS/CARDIO 7/20

Warm Up - DB Press 20x12, 20x10, 30x6, 35x3

DB Press 40x4 (x3)
Standing Mil Press 75x6 (x2)
DB Lateral Raises 20x6 (x2)
Rear DB Extensions 10x6, 10x8

I supersetted the following three:
Incline Crunches 12,12
Weight Obliques (on hyperextension bench) 25x12, 25x12
Hanging Knee Raises 12, 12

Cardio - Treadmill 18 mins
warm up
1 mile = 10:50
cool down

Had an awesome leg workout last night. I have been stretching my lower back and have had very little pain, after two cardio sessions. I did my first warm up set with just the bar and hardly felt any of the "crunching" pain in my hip that I have been feeling for months. I felt like I was able to concentrate on doing a set of squats without worrying about aggravating an injury or worrying about pain.

I feel confident that I will see 200 soon.

LEGS - 7/21

Warm Up - Squats: 45x12, 85x12, 85x10, 115x6, 135x3

Squats: 165x6 (x3)
SLDLs: 145x6 (x2)
Leg Press: 270x6 (x2)
Standing Calf Raises: 175x11, 175x10, 175x8

I spent an hour wrestling a 40 lb barracuda (I mean child) in a swimming pool. I was exhausted, drained from the sun and trying to convince myself that surely I burned enough calories doing that, right? Eh, somehow I mustered the energy to go to the gym to do my most hated of all exercises, sprints.

But I was saved by the lacking equipment at my crappy gym. There is only one good elliptical machine (that changes inclines), the rest are awful. Since that one was taken, I had an excuse to skip my sprints and decided to jog. But after 5 mins of jogging, I just wasn't feeling the love...so I made up a new workout today. And it kicked my butt big time.

I may have to do it more often...

CARDIO - TREADMILL 7/23

2 min warm up @ 4.0mph

5 min jog - starting @ 5.0 mph, increasing .2 every minute

5 min hill - starting @ 4.4 mph, 3 incline...increasing incline by 3 every minute, by 9 incline I was jogging, jogging at 12 incline (speed 4.2), half dead and walking at 15 incline (speed 4.0 mph) - HR up to 90% during this part

3 min recovery - lowering incline back to 0 slowly

Repeat 5 min jog and 5 min hill, same as above

5 min cool down

Total time = 30 mins
Total Distance = 2.3 miles
Total Calories = 400+

I just can't get on the treadmill and run at a set pace for a set time. Way too boring.

We decided to change our chest routine a little, to try to break thorugh a plateau my TP and I have been at for awhile. It felt like a good workout today. I feel stronger with the dips...one day I will be unassisted. :)

CHEST/TRICEPS 7/24

Warm Up - Incline BB: 50x12, 50x10, 70x6, 80x3

Incline BB: 100x4 (x6)
Flat DB: 45x4, 45x5, 45x5
Assisted Dips: WG/leaning forward 80x6, narrow grip 80x6
Decline CGBP: 80x6 (x2)
Overhead Rope Ext: 60x6 (x3)

I kept hearing CPLs voice in my head (weird, having never heard his actual voice) saying, "You body was made to do this movement"

I just read this, that's too freakin' funny!

Well, where do I even start in talking about todays workout? I'll start with the end...OMG my biceps are shot! I just added one new exercise, no extra sets and I am spent. I had to take breaks brushing my teeth, because I could not hold my arm up for long. This is a weird feeling!

Now back to the beginning. I decided to try negatives for pull ups as my warm up today. Picture if you will, a person jumping up to the correct position, lowering a few inches slowly and then just dropping. And then jumping up again. It was more like a very uncoordinated kid playing on monkey bars than anything resembling an exercise. I did 5 and then tried another set. This time, I sort of propped myself on the machine, to support the negative a bit more, but still not as much as using the assist knee pad. Slightly more coordinated, but not much.

Then I did my 3 working sets, at 90 lbs assist, making sure I got a full extension at the bottom. Because I was working on correct form, I only did 4-5 reps for each set, and was really struggling. (I probably should have upped the assist, but eh...I didn't want to be a wuss.)

Apparently my struggles did not go unnoticed, as I had my first encounter with a well-meaning bodybuilder who approached me as I was doing my seated rows. He asked if I was trying to bulk up.

I told him my main goal was to add muscle and loose fat. He commented on how much I was struggling with the pull ups and that I should adjust the weight so I could do more. I thought he was thinking a slight adjustment, so my form would be better. But then he started in on 15 reps, blah blah. And he pointed out that I was doing 140 on the rows and that "most guys don't use that much weight." I told him I was comfortable with the 4-6 rep range and that so far, it has been working for me. I tried to be nice, but he was most insistent that I was doing myself a huge disservice. It made me want to go load up the bar and crank out a few heavy deadlifts, just to show him. Damn my recuperating back.

I might formulate a rant about this whole experience for later. It is currently rolling around in my head and might give me an anuerysm if I don't let it out. (Tribute to Lewis Black, "if it hadn't been for that horse...")

BACK/BICEPS 7/25

Warm Up: Negatives x5, x5

Assisted Pull Ups: 90x4, 90x5, 90x4
Seated Cable Rows: 140x6, 140x6
Bent Over Rows: 95x6, 95x6
Weighted Hyperextensions: 25x12, 25x10, 25x12

BB Curls: 55x4.5, 55x4 (Yes I was curling in the squat rack. I deserve a butt kicking. But I wanted to use 55 lbs and the EZ curl bar hurts my wrists. And no one was using the power rack, so I was not keeping anyone from doing a legit exercise. There, my conscience is clear now...)

Standing DB Curls: 25x6, 25x6

Cable Curls: 60x4, 50x7 (Whew, these were much harder than I expected and I suspect the leading cause of my spent arms today)

ORIGINAL: jenng
(Yes I was curling in the squat rack. I deserve a butt kicking. But I wanted to use 55 lbs and the EZ curl bar hurts my wrists. And no one was using the power rack, so I was not keeping anyone from doing a legit exercise. There, my conscience is clear now...)

PPPPTHHHHBBBBTTTTT!!!!!!!!!!!


Sure it is.



Paul

A friend helps you move, a true friend helps you move bodies.

Yeah, yeah - thanks, Paul. I feel guilty enough. If the other rack had been taken, I promise I would have sucked it up and used the EZ Curl bar. Luckily the gym was pretty empty, so I just had to come here to confess my sins....

With my aching biceps, I went to the gym to do some cardio this morning. I felt good running, but just didn't feel up for the endurance. So I did about 1.5 miles jogging and then a hill. I jogged at the top of the incline, which usually knocks me dead. I was pretty soaked when i was done, so even though I didn't get my weight in there for a calorie estimate, I felt like I got in a good workout. Still very little back pain, which excites me tremendously.

On a diet note, I had been doing so good for almost a week. I had two events here where I was able to pass on dessert and stick with my diet. But yesterday, at a meeting (that I had planned for and brought food) there was this oreo, pudding, whip cream concoction that came from God's recipe book. I had two servings, and probably would have gone back for more if there weren't other people there. Man, it was good. I was tempted to ask the lady for the recipe, but decided it was best not to (without the social conscience, who would stop me???) So other than that digression, I have been on point this week with my diet. Hope it doesn't come back to bite me in the butt on Thursday's weigh in.

CARDIO - TREADMILL 7/26

Total Time: 31 mins
Total Distance: 2.5 miles
1 mile = 10:30

No worries Jenn, just poking fun

As to the diet, nice job stick with it but also don't punish yourself either. Part of the reason for doing this is so you CAN have the treat and not feel guilty about it. Sounds like you worked alot of those calories off on the tread anyway.

Paul

A friend helps you move, a true friend helps you move bodies.

My biceps and forearms still hurt. Badly. Every time I straighten my arm, I wince. Crazy cable curls!

SHOULDERS/ABS/CARDIO 7/27

Warm Up - DB Press 20x12, 20x10, 30x6, 35x3

Seated DB Press 40x4, 40x5, 40x4
Standing Mil Press 75x6, 75x6
DB Lateral Raises 15x8, 15x8 (working on form, dropped weight)
Rear Extensions 12x6, 12x6

Cable Crunches 100x12, 120x12, 120x12
Incline Crunches 12, 12, 12

Treadmill - 20 mins
Total Dist: 1.6 miles
1 mile = 10:15
Total Cals: 250

Finally - a weight change! I was at 205 at the end of June, went up to 207 when I splurged for a week, and have pretty much been stuck there for a month. This week I ate well and got all my cardio in and hit 204 this morning. It's about freaking time! Being stuck sucks. I know a lot of being stuck was my own fault, so it's good to be back on track.

Last night, had a good, intense leg workout. We decided to skip calves, and even without that, I was sweating like crazy and winded afterwards. I love squats...when they are finished for the week.

LEGS 7/28

Warm Up: 45x12, 85x12, 85x10, 115x6, 135x3

Squats: 175x6 (x3)
SLDLs: 155x6 (x2)
Leg Press: 270x6 (x3)

(Wow, it doesn't look like much when you write it out like that...)

Um, Jenn, sure it doesn't look like much (don't agree with that BTW) but I count 8 sets of squats. And you should know by now that even a light set of squats takes effort and does work your entire body, maybe not like going heavy, but still.



Paul

A friend helps you move, a true friend helps you move bodies.