won't you f'ing whistle

sober is the truth....take a step back and check the ego. tough thing to do....so i started something different today
not quite bodybuilding and yet not all strongman. if anyone knows me i love to lift heavy. it is therapy and meditation. the iron and me, that is it. nothing else exists at that point.
i discovered that i cannot push myself to the brink too long. things hurt and old injuries flare up. i have about 5 weeks of real heavy lifting in me before that happens. and that is what occurred. now i am going to try for more volume. i will keep the weights high but sub-max. 3 days in the gym lifting: shoulders/tris, legs/abs, chest/back.
simple...i am also going to throw in a couple conditioning workouts with kettlebells.
diet will be cleaner this time around. i am using humapro and chain'd out along with some other clean sources of protein. going to backload carbs too. no junk though! worst carbs might be some white bread. sunday will be a cheat day for me....can't beat a trip to the diner for breakfast.


so here is what today was like....

HS shoulder press 180x5 2 sets, 230x8 5 sets, 180x8, 140x8, 90x10

wide grip upright rows on smith machine 135x8, 225x8 6 sets

cable lateral 20x10, 30x10, 40x10, 35x10, 25x10, 15x15, 10x20

HS shoulder press 1 arm 70x8 6 sets

pushdowns 80x10, 100x8 5 sets, 80x8, 60x8, 40x8, 20x15

tate cable extension 25x10 5 sets

Turn the page...

time to change some things....

my right shoulder is not liking all this pressing as of late. even though i have made great gains on the 5/3/1 program i need to keep my body in one piece. going to back off the heavy stuff and work something that resembles  a bodybuilding routine. i will continue to focus on my overhead press, cuz that is still a major goal. the other goals are numerically there so i can hit those with a little focus.

not sure about a routine yet but i have some idea of how to put one together. still going to hit 4 days in the gym and add in more cardio. maybe the pool and bike since it is warm out here. diet will be cleaned up and i will allow myself one cheat day per week. so far looks like sunday is a good day for it.

i have been struggling to keep a positive attitude lately. i have tried to eliminate the negative in my life and focus on positive stuff. i will push myself further in that direction and clean up my thinking. the mind has to be worked out just as much as the body.

and finally i am going to rearrange stuff around the apartment...yeah i don't have that much but the change helps.

scuse me while i whip this out...

deadlifts 360x3 410x3 460x3+3 ---did last 3 with straps

power squat machine  360x8 6 sets

standing leg curls 100x10 5 sets  drops 100, 90, 80, 70, 60, 50 x10 reps

ab pulldowns 120x10 10 sets

wrist curls 2 way  155x10 5 sets

hammer curls 75x6 5 sets  drops 65, 55, 45, 35, 25x4 15x15






that's about it for today...

back to it!

monday is here again. so that meant more job searches and sending of resumes. the opportunities are there, i just have to keep pushing. been a bit down about it though. i send and send but rarely do i get a reply. if i do they are mostly "thanks, but.." ah well... nothing ventured, nothing gained.

i spent my weekend playing with my new toy...an android phone. desperately needed a new phone and this was a good deal. i am slightly addicted to angry birds, it is video game crack! got some great and fun apps..fart button, nuff said! also found some great soundboards from some of my favorite movies. wait till some of my friends hear the ringtones i created for them..hehe! after all that i did take my butt out to get groceries and new socks and undies....that is sooo much fun. i did however have a great breakfast at a little diner down the street. a well deserved treat. anyone out my way has to try Izzy's Diner.

alright now for the good stuff....
new Muscle and Fitness has Derek Poundstone on the cover. thought "whoopeee" another training article. but was i wrong! it went into what makes this man tick. a must read! one quote from it stuck in my head..."An injury is an injury. Death is final."  so that being said....




close grip bench press  225x3  260x3  290x3+5

HS iso row 1 arm  125x8 5 sets

HS iso wide chest 1 arm  90x10 5 sets

shrugs 405x20 3 sets

dips   bodyweight  8 reps 5 sets

face pulls 120x10 5 sets

the beatdown...

was a day for squatting...and i am feeling like the iron won today. oh i got my numbers but i am feeling like i was run over by a herd of fat women chasing a truck full of twinkies.

squats 360x5 415x5 470x5+5

hack squats 270x8 5 sets

hack lunges 90x8 5 sets----oh brutal! a must try!!

single leg extension 100x10 2 sets drops 87.5, 75,  62.5, 50, 37.5, 25  8-10 reps

standing calf raises 200x10 5 sets

seated calf raises 90x25

savage rabid beast

a crowded gym brings it out, especially when there are some idiots in both squat racks doing girl weights! grab the fixed barbells to do your 90lb upright rows...please!! luckily one cleared out before i blew a gasket and i think the second one got scared and left.

at first i was not up to it today. that little voice in my head started talking and telling me i was weak, in pain, worthless, alone, unwanted...so i said "up yours!" and began to press.

overhead press 155x5--this one hurt  180x5--easy!  205x5 +4 ---was nice! did all my sets as push presses.

wide grip upright rows 205x8 6 sets ---done on smith machine

cable side raises 30x10 4 sets drop25x6, 20x6, 15x6, 10x10 ----just brutal

HS shoulder press 90x6 4 sets 70x6, 60x6, 45x6

stretched after. i was spent and felt abused by the weights. thinking i will feel this later.






one thing bothering me is trying to find work. read an article on yahoo that employers are not hiring the unemployed. really?!?!? we are the ones willing to work! it is upsetting and unnerving that companies do this.
not like some of us had a choice. yes i am depressed...nothing beats waking up to rejection emails. but i persist. something will give and i will be employed again.

BULLGOD!!!

was a good day for deadlifts. woke early, did my daily job hunt then got my butt to the gym. was little busy when i got there but good day to put on a show.

deadlifts 335x5---should have been 355, can't read my writing! 385x5  435x5+4
power squat  360x8 6 sets
single leg curl 90x8 6 sets
ab pulldowns 100x10 10 sets
leg raises 10x10
wrist curls 2-way 135x10 5 sets---i do these under and over hand so total sets were 10 but supersetted.
hammer curls 70,65,60,55,50x6 each arm  45,40x7 each arm, 35x8, 30x10
gripper 45x10 5 sets


oh yeah cleaning up and putting away the plates i managed to pinch a finger tip. OUCH!!!! it is now purple...

crazy train....

alright got in the gym and did some work today! felt good but i was still stuffed up and mouth breathing...
began the next phase on my 5/3/1 program. took a video too...

Close Grip Bench  210x5 245x5 275x5+4
HS Iso Row 1-arm  115x8 5 sets
Dips  bodyweight 5 reps 5 sets
Rope Pulldowns  110x8 5 sets
HS Iso Wide Chest 1-arm  90x8 5sets
Face Pulls  100x10 8sets
Cable Curls  60x10 10 sets

walked 60 minutes total too. overall a good day.
on a personal note i am attempting to keep things positive in my life. too much BS to get me caught up in negative happenings. i do not want to drag myself down that road and will not let anyone else do it to me.

trapped

that is how i feel this week. started sunday with a scratchy throat and stuffed up head. from there it just got nasty.
sleep has been messed up thanks to the meds and snot. was tired most of the week but slept a ton. of course the weather didn't help either. one day 87 the next 60. what really sucked was that i wanted to get in the gym and tear up my new numbers on my program. looking like i will get in there tomorrow.

job hunting...well with being sick it has thrown me off. but i persist. there has to be something out there. waiting to hear back on a couple places i applied at, but the pickings are slim here. hopefully fixing up my resume will help get more attention from potential employers. 

doing what i dread

couple things today...

one...trained abs and hamstrings. was not happy doing either but oh well...do the things you dislike and build some character. two....looking at getting my butt to an interview thursday. happy to have one but they make me nervous. hate having to sell myself, but again i need the job.

training...
did romanian deads and it felt like i was attempting to lift an elephant. got through them and jumped on the hack machine for some karlsen squats. moved over to standing leg curls. hams were done...the curls actually felt good. drop sets work wonders on those. abs were next! overhead squats, ab pulldowns, and leg raises were enough.

looks like the next 2 days are shot for the gym. but the rest will be nice.