6/3

Got my new belt today - a Toro lever belt, 10mm. I like it a lot so far. Thanks to KRS ONE for the recommendation.

DL (belted)
135*10, 225*5, 275*5, 315*3, 365*4, 385*4, 405*4 (+15 from 5 rep max - woot)
Doing these with a belt did not take long to get used to. My back felt great through the whole set. The set with 405 was heavy, but I had something left in the tank when I was done.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lMsPiC3lxNI
^ how's the form look?

seated cable rows
120*10, 160*6, 200*5*3 (+20 from 6 reps)

DB step ups
60*5, 70*5, 75*5 (+5 from 6 reps)

DB low incline bench
50*10, 70*5, 75*5, 80*5 (+5 from 6 reps)

face pulls
front planks
65s *3 (+5 sec)
The bruise on my left hand is worse than last time. No ab wheel until this is 100%

KB swing intervals (13 sets - +1)
44*4, 62*4, 70*5

flye EQI - 93s
lat EQI - 69s

6/6
used the belt for all the work sets for squats, bench & RDLs & it felt good.

squats
45*10, 135*8, 185*5, 225*3, 265*3, 285*5, 295*5, 300*5 (+15 from 6 reps)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s9wfKZrYtkc

bench press
45*20, 135*8, 185*5, 215*3, 225*5, 245*5*2 (+10 from 6 reps) - the last set was basically to failure. I barely got the last rep all the way up. I havent gone to failure on the bench since my shoulder surgery ~13+ years ago. The beautiful thing is my shoulders feel great right now This video is the 1st set of 245:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WpRCoLG0Zp8

RDL
45*10, 135*8, 225*5, 275*3, 315*5, 335*5*2 (+20 from 6 reps)


chip up ISO
22s, 22s, 22s (+1 sec)
these are still hard

pnfd2
tall kneeling cable lift

MB slams
15*13

flye EQI - 70s
lat EQI - 45s

6/9 - had a new tube put in my right ear. It gave me some mild pain & dizziness, so I didnt work out until 6/11.

Warmed up, did deadlifts 385*4*3, didnt feel great. Did some cable rows. Did a set of incline DB presses & a set of step ups and felt dizzy. Called it a workout

6/12 - 6/19

Went on a cruise - Ft. Lauderdale to Key West, Grand Cayman and Ocho Rios, Jamaica. Good times. Here's a couple pics from Stingray City - its a sand bar off the coast of Grand Cayman Island:


That was the best part of the trip. The stingrays there are very tame. They swim right up to people and rub against you while you stand in the chest-deep water. Guides will hold them on the surface so you can pet them & kiss them.

The cruise ship had the lamest workout room I've ever seen. Treadmills, a few Nautilus machines and some light dumbells (50s were the heaviest). No other free weights. I did a few little things and lost interest. The best workouts I had were from kayaking in Key West and climbing Dunn River Falls in Jamaica.

Got back home yesterday and I feel like I'm still on the ship - the floor of my house feels like its moving. I must have some sort of inner ear problem because I'm dizzy. I dont know when I'll be putting in a hard workout again. Hopefully this will go away soon.

Your home gym looks pretty sweet dude.

Thanks

I just added to it today. I got an additional 520 lbs of olympic plates, 2 additional standard bars + an olympic curl bar (I may or may not ever use it, but he threw it in) off Craig's List for $200 total. Its all in good shape too. I should have plenty of weight now for loading up multiple bars (1,120 lbs of plates & 3 standard bars).

Looks pretty good on the way up. Head position good also.

On the way down you tend to break/bend the knees early. Should start to lower by keeping your back tension and starting downward movement with your back. Not bending your knees. Could lead to a couple things:
1. crunching top of your knees with the bar (ouch)
2. having the bar travel away from your body to get down past the knees..potential to have you hurt your back or get off balance. You can see this happening, esp in 2nd & 3rd reps. You have to pull the bar back in towards your feet as you get to the floor.

Keep the knees locked until the bar passes them on the way down. Should be an easy fix for you.

cha,

Just read your first post about how your kneecap rubbed on bone during flexed position. I have this issue (chrondomalacia....basically kneecap pronates towards outside of knee, doesn't track right and creates hella irratation and inflammation). Running & squatting basically suck.

ART do the trick? I looked at some of the other exercises, stretches you did. Help your kneecap track properly with ART and stretching?

I've been working on stretching hamstrings, quad, hip flexors post workout. Foam rolling same areas 1-2x/week.

I'm also old(er).

Yeah, I do bang my knees frequently. I'll pay attention to that & see if I can fix it. Old habits die hard. I have been focusing on lowering the weight against my legs & keep the back flat. Maybe I need to think "break at the hips 1st" when I lower the weight. Thanks for the comments.


chrondomalacia
I think thats the word my chiro used when he told me what my problem was; although, he, my orthopedist, and my physical therapist all told me my right knee (the bad one) was tracking fine, but the left one (I have had very few problems with the left one) is tracking a bit off. Maybe that term and the tracking being off are two different things? Yeah, ART has helped my knee (and my shoulders) a lot - more than anything else.

If you're looking for an ART provider, try to find one who's certified at the biomechanical level. That's someone who is good at fixing athletes.

My current trainer suggests doing the foam rolling & quad stretching, as well as all that other stuff shown in my posts, before every workout. But he did not suggest stretching hamstrings for me. I think that has to due with my anterior pelvic tilt. I've done hamstring stretching on my own (this and some calf stretching are the only things I'm doing that my trainer didnt suggest), and am reconsidering hamstring stretching's usefulness after reading an article on anterior pelvic tilt. Here's a link:
http://www.tmuscle.com/free_online_a..._force_couples

Learn how to do a romanian deadlift (different from a SLDL). You start that movement by moving your ass back (instead of bending over). Don't bend your knees forward. Once the bar passes the knee, I'd just do a controlled crash to the floor. No need to control it from that point. Doing so is difficult and could lead to injury.

lol, I'm doing RDLs too, but my form on those probably needs some work.

The controlled crash after lowering it like an RDL makes sense.

6/23

The dizziness seems to be going away. I take Claratin daily, but I forgot to bring it with on vacation. I think this contributed to congestion in my ears and the dizziness. The congestion seems to be drying up slowly now.

DL
work sets 365*4*3
Its been a while since I've done much, and I tried to focus on doing a reverse RDL when bringing the weight down, no belt - which allows me to really focus on my form without getting sloppy. I think I did better, but old habits die hard and I did some of the "off the knees" stuff when I was towards the end. It wasnt heavy, but my back feels good, I wasnt dizzy, and I think I have something new to work on still.

seated cable rows
work sets - 210*5*3

DB step ups
50*5*3 using straps
This damn exercise seems to be the thing that aggravates my low back the worst. I went lighter, used straps, wore a belt, and made sure to take deep breaths and hold them through all the reps. That all seemed to help.

I think the biggest thing I need to be aware of is sucking in a big breath so my belly is full of air whenever I'm moving any weights. Doing the step ups and putting weights away is when I always seem to aggravate the back. After thinking about this for a long time, I'm pretty sure what caused this to flare up back in January was carelessly handling a 25lb plate after doing deadlifts.

low incline DB bench
work sets 70*5, 75*5, 80*5

face pulls

front planks

cattleballs

oh, hi cha thread. Bench is looking awesome & yea your setup is sweet.

cha,

I was watching your lift vids and noticed you appear to have a Powertec power rack. If so, how do you like it? Also, if it is not a Powertec rack, what is it & how do you like it? Have you ever had any issues with it?

And I agree with the others - sweet setup.

Thanks

Yes its Powertec, and its more well built/solid than I expected it to be when I ordered it. I'm very happy with it, since I got it.*

I ordered it through Bodybuilding.com, which is an excellent site and has excellent service. I searched all over for the best price and theirs was much better than everywhere else. Then I found an online coupon and saved some more money. I think I paid ~$700 for the rack, including the cable attachment and shipping with no sales tax.

The rack got shipped directly from the manufacturer, which does not communicate at all with the customer. It took a long time to get here, and they didn't give me any shipping info at all. I contacted bodybuilding.com, who attempted to contact Powertec several times, but they got no response. I attempted to contact Powertec myself by sending emails and leaving voice mails. They never replied to anything.

One day, about 2 or 3 weeks after I ordered it, the trucking company called me to schedule a delivery. The trucking company was good to deal with, once I knew who they were. Powertec didnt even tell me who they shipped it with. The trucking company delivered it the day after they called me.

Apparently, the Powertec plant was closed for a week or two while I was trying to contact them. Regardless of that, that lack of communication was disturbing. Ordering it from Bodybuilding.com was somewhat reassuring, because I'm sure they would have given me a refund if anything went wrong.

I wouldn't order anything significant from Powertec directly based on this experience. I would order it through a 3rd party again.

fwiw, I did order an extra pair of hooks for it directly from Powertec, because I couldnt find any them anywhere else and they had them cheap. Again, they gave me no shipping info, and they took a long time to get here, but they did eventually get here & are good quality.

Thanks for the excellent reply!

The Powertec rack caught my eye because it looks good and appears solid, but I had heard a report of it being slightly unstable during chin-ups - although that person admitted their flooring setup was less than ideal (carpet). All I care about is if it will stop a heavy bar if need be, and the product literature claims it is rated to ~1000 lbs.

I also order a lot of stuff through Bodybuilding.com - and like you I've always received excellent response/service from them. Thanks for the tip - I'll probably go the same route and will know to expect the long lead time.

yeah, I cant imagine any rack would be super stable for chins unless you weigh it down or attach it to the floor with something. Sitting on carpeting would just make things worse.

Mine works pretty well for chins. The thing I notice most is it slide when I rack a barbell after a heavy set of squats. I have a couple of extra 70 lb dumbells (you can see them in the picture), so I set those on it. It doesn't move at all now with those and the rubber floor.

6/27

squat
285*5, 295*5, 305*5
felt pretty good after not squatting for a while. Its obvious that this is the exercise that I have the most room for improvement on.

bench
225*5, 235*5, 245*3 (fail)
been a while since I benched and unlike my 4 month layoff from the bench, this time, the 3 week layoff while doing very little for my pecs, triceps & big shoulder muscles made me feel significantly weaker than the last time. 3 weeks was too long. I think the 3 weeks didnt hurt my squats as much because I'm more of a noob at squats, and I'm closer to my potential on the bench.

RDL
315*5, 335*5*2
focused on form & I think I did ok, judging by the DOMS in my hamstrings already this morning.

chin ISOs
22s, 22s, 14s
I was rushed at starting the 3rd set, so I didnt get enough rest. That, along with the 3 week layoff made the 3rd set disappointing.

pnfd2
tall kneeling cable lift

MB slams
15*13

lat EQI - 60s
flye EQI - 50s

7/1

DL
405*3, 415*3*2 (+10 from 4 reps)
the last rep felt very heavy

cable rows
210*5*3

DB step ups
50*5, 60*5, 65*5
used straps again. I think I'll keep doing that. Also, I need to remember to hold my breath until the rep is completely over. I'm pretty sure when I screwed my back up, I was exhaling at the top and then stepping down.

DB low incline presses
75*5, 80*5, 85*5 (+5)

face pulls
75*10*3

ab rollout ISO using barbell
20 seconds, 24, 23
this didnt hurt my hand. I'm pretty sure using the little wheel thing would have hurt it. I'll stick with these for now.

KB swings
44*8*5, 62*8*5, 70*8*5

DB flye EQI - 95 sec
lat EQI - 75 sec
I had been doing these on a padded mat before today. Today I did them on the rubber floor, which felt more stable, allowing me to go longer. I think I'll keep doing that.

7/5

squat
295*6 (did one extra rep by mistake), 305*5, 315*5 (+10)
I'm somewhat happy, but unsure of my form. Vid links coming as soon as they get uploaded.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jlr6EbPXiPM 295*6
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nX8bCBzM4b8 305*5
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VI3tEHMiBNs 315*5

bench press
225*5, 245*5, 4.5, almost got the last rep but didnt lock out the last rep with my right arm.

RDL
315*5, 335*5*2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zOu5z0C93Yw 335*5 1st set
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RiGkYTwNLqE 2nd set
side note - I use straps on RDLs so I have one less thing to think about. I'm really unsure about my form. I dont use straps for heavier standard DLs because I have less to think about (as far as getting my form right) and doing so is making my grip really strong.

chinup ISO
22.5s, 15s, 17.5s
I was out of energy to go longer on these and it was a bit disappointing. Maybe the heavy squats, RDLs and the max effort on the bench did me in.

pnfd2
tall kneeling cable lift

MB slams
15*15

lat EQI - 60s
flye EQI - 60s

What's EQI? Been meaning to ask but always forget.

Re: RDLs... When I do them, I push my hips further back and bend my knees more than than you do. Idk if that's right or wrong, though.

yeah, shoving the hips back is what Mike Robertson recommends and probably what I need to work on.

http://robertsontrainingsystems.com/...nian+Deadlift/


The lat EQIs:
http://robertsontrainingsystems.com/...ay+to+Stretch/
That's done on a foam roller. The pec/flye version - I haven't found a good picture of that one, but basically its the same with your arms at 90 degrees to your torso. You're supposed to do a weight that you can hold for at least 30 seconds and not more than 2 minutes.

DL
405*3, 415*3, 425*3 (+10)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=irB0WqHgJMw


cable rows
210*5*3

DB step ups
50*5, 65*5, 70*5


DB low incline presses
75*5, 85*5, 90*5 (+5)

face pulls
75*10*3

ab rollout ISO using barbell
27.5 seconds, 30, 25

KB swings
44*8*5, 62*8*5, 70*8*5

lat EQI - 75 sec
DB flye EQI - 75 sec

Your shins are making the bar roll forward right before lift off, which is probably bringing it forward of your center of gravity, making the lift harder. Your hips rise a bit before the bar anyways so you don't even need to set up with your hips that low (low hips = shins angled forward more). Keep the bar close, don't move the bar, set up higher, pull.

Read this:
http://startingstrength.com/resource...63&postcount=2

thanks

7/11

squat
305*5, 315*5, 320*5 (+5)
Vid links coming as soon as they get uploaded.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Pdk-mvOfpo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2my5wVzwD4


bench press
225*5, 245*5*2 - got the last rep and maybe could have done one more, but I dont want to go to failure because my shoulders are tight. Getting them worked on (ART) in a couple days. I rolled my pecs and front shoulders with a medicine ball before doing the work sets and that made them feel pretty good.

RDL
315*5, 335*5*2
Vids coming. I tried sticking my butt out more this time. Hopefully my form was better.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cj-DSThmq_c
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TelKW_396xA


chinup ISO
25s, 21s, 21s
I took the rubber grip things off the pullup bars on my power rack and put some athletic tape on them. My hands felt like they were glued to the bars. This made it go better - the rubber grip things slid around before.

pnfd2
tall kneeling cable lift

MB slams
15*15

lat EQI - 80s
flye EQI - 77s