Chris' Strength Training Log

[menace3000]

-I would do pull ups and chin ups instead of pulldowns

-For powerlifting and strength training in general it makes little sense to do leg extensions/curls

-hyperextensions are a good way to strengthen your back....slowly try to increase weight by holding a weight plate.....I slowly got over my back injury with it.....deadlifts,romanian deadlifts, sldls, and other variations are also all very useful

-close grip bench is one of the best ways to train triceps....along with dips...

- I would generally go with exercises that are standing rather than sitting or lying and I would use barbells over DBs if strength is your objective.....

good luck man

[chrisof4]

-I would do pull ups and chin ups instead of pulldowns

-For powerlifting and strength training in general it makes little sense to do leg extensions/curls

-hyperextensions are a good way to strengthen your back....slowly try to increase weight by holding a weight plate.....I slowly got over my back injury with it.....deadlifts,romanian deadlifts, sldls, and other variations are also all very useful

-close grip bench is one of the best ways to train triceps....along with dips...

- I would generally go with exercises that are standing rather than sitting or lying and I would use barbells over DBs if strength is your objective.....

good luck man

Thanks for the feedback, Menace. I have been thinking about what you said, and I have some questions/comments.

At almost 190lbs, I am honestly not strong enough to do more than 2 sets of 3 pullups. I am working on this, but until I get stronger, I think the pulldowns would give me a better workout since I can do more of them. Do you disagree?

I am curious about your comments on the leg extensions/curls. In the squat especially I have had difficulty sitting back properly, mostly due to weak hamstrings. The curls seem to really hit these, and I have been noticing improvement in my squat form and lifts. Also, I have minor arthritis in my knees already, and I have been reading that a common cause of knee problems is weak thighs, which is why I added the extensions. I am curious what your thoughts are on that.

I agree 100% on the hypers. Right now it is difficult for me to do more than 2 sets of 10 without causing lower back pain that sticks with me for days. I am working up to these.

I would like to start doing dips, but I have roughly the same problem with these as I do with the pullups, which is that I am too weak for my bodyweight. Hopefully I can add these in at a later date when I get stronger/lighter. Right now I am doing tricep extensions on a machine.

I am torn on the close grip bench press. I only have so much time to work out, and with the variety of bench press exercises (incline, decline, close grip, wide grip, and normal grip) how do you choose which ones to work on. Also, I have read that close grip bench presses are especially hard on the shoulders, which is an area I have had problems with in the past.

I do most of my exercises standing (squats, deads, stiff-legged deads, military press, curls, weighted side bends, kettlebell swings) and I agree they are better for building up the stabilizing muscles. The only machines I use are the tricep extension, lat pulldown, seated row, and the leg curls/extensions. However, I am curious why you say using a barbell over a dumbbell will strengthen better than using DB's. Can you elaborate on that for me? Thanks.

[AP]

I relied on pulldowns for a long time, I think they really helped build a base for the pullups that I do now. If you can only do a few chins I think its fine to stick with pulldowns and occationally throw in a few sets of pullups or assisted pullups now and then.

I think the lifts you have chosen are good for where you are at, you're doing squats, you are doing bench presses where most people choose leg press and flys. The leg curls will help strengthen your hams so you can do GHRs, the Tri pressdowns are great for getting extra volume in.

As long as you have right attitude, that you will work toward and work in more free weight/more strength type lifts, you're fine.

[chrisof4]

3-25-2006

AP, thanks for the feedback. I feel good about the exercises I am doing right now, and I am seeing gains I am happy with. I agree the free weights are best, and I look forward to the day when I can include serious pullups/dips in significant volume. Thanks for taking the time to offer your input.

Saturdays are kettlebell day. I did four sets of swings with my 37.5lb'er for 10 reps each. I rested about 3 minutes between sets. By the end of the fourth set, my back was really feeling the effort, and the kettlebell began to swing me more than I was swinging it.

I wanted to get a fifth set in, but I felt it was wise to stop here. I deadlift tomorrow, and I do not want my lower back to be overly taxed. Even so, I increased significantly in both weight and reps over last week, so I feel good about this workout. If I can get 5 sets in next week, I will look at loading up a 40lb'er for two weeks from now.

[LiftingKid]

3-25-2006

AP, thanks for the feedback. I feel good about the exercises I am doing right now, and I am seeing gains I am happy with. I agree the free weights are best, and I look forward to the day when I can include serious pullups/dips in significant volume. Thanks for taking the time to offer your input.

Saturdays are kettlebell day. I did four sets of swings with my 37.5lb'er for 10 reps each. I rested about 3 minutes between sets. By the end of the fourth set, my back was really feeling the effort, and the kettlebell began to swing me more than I was swinging it.

I wanted to get a fifth set in, but I felt it was wise to stop here. I deadlift tomorrow, and I do not want my lower back to be overly taxed. Even so, I increased significantly in both weight and reps over last week, so I feel good about this workout. If I can get 5 sets in next week, I will look at loading up a 40lb'er for two weeks from now.

I have no experience with kettlebells although I have heard good things about them.What are you looking for in terms of the deadlift tomorrow? BTW, do you ever deadlift conventionally? These past few workout logs I have only seen sumo pulls.

[chrisof4]

Liftingkid,

I will start my deads at 130lbs tomorrow, and see how it goes. I will probably be happy with just 5 x 5 at 130, but if I feel especially strong, I may push it at the end. Your deads are much higher than mine, so 130 probably seems pretty light, but over 5 sets, that is still quite a bit of weight for me.

I don't pull conventional for two reasons. The first is that I threw my back out so bad I couldn't walk out of the gym about 2 years ago while I was doing conventional deadlifts. For almost 24 hours I could not even stand up. This was unquestionably the worst experience of my lifting career. I did not know enough about what I was doing, and I was looking down and rounding my back when that happened, so my form was mostly to blame. However, the second reason I don't pull conventional is that I feel stronger and more stable doing the sumo's, and since I am not competing or anything, I dont' see any reason to deadlift conventionally.

Is there a benefit to be realized by doing conventional deadlifts over sumo's? If there is, I may look at adding them back in (it is probably time to move past my irrational fear of them anyway). I am open to the thoughts of others on this also.

[LiftingKid]

Liftingkid,

I will start my deads at 130lbs tomorrow, and see how it goes. I will probably be happy with just 5 x 5 at 130, but if I feel especially strong, I may push it at the end. Your deads are much higher than mine, so 130 probably seems pretty light, but over 5 sets, that is still quite a bit of weight for me.

I don't pull conventional for two reasons. The first is that I threw my back out so bad I couldn't walk out of the gym about 2 years ago while I was doing conventional deadlifts. For almost 24 hours I could not even stand up. This was unquestionably the worst experience of my lifting career. I did not know enough about what I was doing, and I was looking down and rounding my back when that happened, so my form was mostly to blame. However, the second reason I don't pull conventional is that I feel stronger and more stable doing the sumo's, and since I am not competing or anything, I dont' see any reason to deadlift conventionally.

Is there a benefit to be realized by doing conventional deadlifts over sumo's? If there is, I may look at adding them back in (it is probably time to move past my irrational fear of them anyway). I am open to the thoughts of others on this also.

In my mind, it doesn't matter if you are lifting 100lbs or 600lbs....as long as you are in the gym getting stronger. Your lower back injury was quite a barrier for you to overcome so I congratulate you for that. The only difference that I have noticed between sumo and conventional pulling (only tried sumo once) is that the lower back is involved much more, at least the way I do it. Pull hard tomorrow!

[don chi]

It takes a wise man to know when that fifth set might be too much. Smart call! Experience can be pretty valuable, don't you think? Nice progress by the way.

[chrisof4]

LiftingKid and Don Chi,

Thanks for the positive comments. They really help keep me encouraged.

3-26-2006

When I woke up this morning, my left erector muscle was locked so tight I could not even bend over 90 degrees. I spent all day stretching it, and managed to get it fairly loose, however, it was still hurting, and I felt it in everything I did today.

I hoped the cardio would loosen it up enough to lift raw, but by the end of my 30 minutes, I could tell that was not to be. I hate lifting with a belt, but I felt it was prudent today, to prevent an injury.

BW: 189.5lbs

Cardio: 30 minutes, 2.0 miles, incline 2 deg.

Sumo deads: 130lbs x 5 (loose belt), 130lbs x 5 (tight belt from this point on), 130lbs x 5, 130lbs x 5, 130lbs x 5. After the first set I could tell the belt was definately a good idea for today. The last few reps of each set felt very difficult, and I have no idea if I could have pulled 5x5 raw. I hope to pull raw next time, and I will stay at 130lbs for now.

The other crappy thing is that my energy crashed after my deads, and I basically had to "gut it out" for my military presses and curls. I did manage to finish my workout, but I skipped my crunches.

Military press: 70lbs x 5, 70lbs x 5, 70lbs x 5, 70lbs x 4, 70lbs x 3

Standing EZ Curls: 50lbs x 5, 50lbs x 5 (these both felt easy, and after reviewing my log I realized I was supposed to jump to 60lbs today), 60lbs x 4, 60lbs x 4, 60lbs x 3

Overall, this was not my best workout, but considering how my back felt all day and the fact that my energy level crashed, I am not displeased with how it turned out.

[LiftingKid]

LiftingKid and Don Chi,

Thanks for the positive comments. They really help keep me encouraged.

3-26-2006

When I woke up this morning, my left erector muscle was locked so tight I could not even bend over 90 degrees. I spent all day stretching it, and managed to get it fairly loose, however, it was still hurting, and I felt it in everything I did today.

I hoped the cardio would loosen it up enough to lift raw, but by the end of my 30 minutes, I could tell that was not to be. I hate lifting with a belt, but I felt it was prudent today, to prevent an injury.

BW: 189.5lbs

Cardio: 30 minutes, 2.0 miles, incline 2 deg.

Sumo deads: 130lbs x 5 (loose belt), 130lbs x 5 (tight belt from this point on), 130lbs x 5, 130lbs x 5, 130lbs x 5. After the first set I could tell the belt was definately a good idea for today. The last few reps of each set felt very difficult, and I have no idea if I could have pulled 5x5 raw. I hope to pull raw next time, and I will stay at 130lbs for now.

The other crappy thing is that my energy crashed after my deads, and I basically had to "gut it out" for my military presses and curls. I did manage to finish my workout, but I skipped my crunches.

Military press: 70lbs x 5, 70lbs x 5, 70lbs x 5, 70lbs x 4, 70lbs x 3

Standing EZ Curls: 50lbs x 5, 50lbs x 5 (these both felt easy, and after reviewing my log I realized I was supposed to jump to 60lbs today), 60lbs x 4, 60lbs x 4, 60lbs x 3

Overall, this was not my best workout, but considering how my back felt all day and the fact that my energy level crashed, I am not displeased with how it turned out.

Good job with the deads! Just be careful about abusing the belt and therefore neglecting core strength. Beyond that, I see how deadlifts can tire you out for a whole workout, that is why I tried for a conservative single last max effort day. Why all the cardio before you workout? I imagine that if you cut that down you could probably lift quite a bit more. Nurse that erector along to health, maybe some heat tonight to help loosen up the muscle.

[chrisof4]

Liftingkid,

I do the cardio to help me lose weight. I have gotten a little "fluffy" over the last few years. If I don't do it at the beginning of my workout, I won't do it at all. It might be better to do it at the end of my workout, but I hate doing it, and lifting is my reward for doing my cardio.

[chrisof4]

3-28-2006

I can't seem to get past my back being sore. It is not so sore it interferes with my day-to-day activities, but it is sore enough to make me pretty cautious during my workouts. Tonight I skipped my side bends, and shuffled things around a bit, with pretty good results. I threw hypers back in, but went very easy. I tend to always overdo these and then pay for them for several days. I just did 3 sets of 5 reps with a goal to add 1 rep per set each week. At the end of each set I felt strong enough to do more, but when I stood up, I could feel the tension in my back. I can't wait to get this area strong enough that it does not require so much focus.

BW: 190.5

Cardio: 30 minutes on the treadmill, 2.0 miles, 2 degree incline.

Cable rows: 120lbs x 5, 120lbs x 5, 120lbs x 5, 120lbs x 5, 120lbs x 5. 125lbs next time.

Leg curls: 130lbs x 5, 130lbs x 5, 130lbs x 5, 130lbs x 4, 130lbs x 4

Lat pulldowns: 115lbs x 5, 115lbs x 5, 115lbs x 5, 115lbs x 5, 115lbs x 5. 120lbs next time.

Leg extensions: skipped due to pain in my left knee. I think this is due to arthritis, but not sure what to do about it. Time to research this.

DB Rows: 45lbs x 5, 45lbs x 5, 45lbs x 5, 45lbs x 5, 45lbs x 5. 50lbs next time.

Crunches with 20lb on chest: 10, 10, 10

Hypers: 5, 5, 5

[bencrush]

Good lifting Chris! Slow and steady wins the strength race.

[Scott Styles]

Good job keeping with it. Are you stretching after every workout now or just when something hurts?

[chrisof4]

Thanks for the encouragement, Ben and Scott. I do most of my stretching throughout the day, and not specifically when I workout. My focus is on lower back, hamstrings, and groin stretching. Those are where I am usually tightest. I sit a lot at work, so my posterior chain tends to be very tight.

[LiftingKid]

3-28-2006

I can't seem to get past my back being sore. It is not so sore it interferes with my day-to-day activities, but it is sore enough to make me pretty cautious during my workouts. Tonight I skipped my side bends, and shuffled things around a bit, with pretty good results. I threw hypers back in, but went very easy. I tend to always overdo these and then pay for them for several days. I just did 3 sets of 5 reps with a goal to add 1 rep per set each week. At the end of each set I felt strong enough to do more, but when I stood up, I could feel the tension in my back. I can't wait to get this area strong enough that it does not require so much focus.

BW: 190.5

Cardio: 30 minutes on the treadmill, 2.0 miles, 2 degree incline.

Cable rows: 120lbs x 5, 120lbs x 5, 120lbs x 5, 120lbs x 5, 120lbs x 5. 125lbs next time.

Leg curls: 130lbs x 5, 130lbs x 5, 130lbs x 5, 130lbs x 4, 130lbs x 4

Lat pulldowns: 115lbs x 5, 115lbs x 5, 115lbs x 5, 115lbs x 5, 115lbs x 5. 120lbs next time.

Leg extensions: skipped due to pain in my left knee. I think this is due to arthritis, but not sure what to do about it. Time to research this.

DB Rows: 45lbs x 5, 45lbs x 5, 45lbs x 5, 45lbs x 5, 45lbs x 5. 50lbs next time.

Crunches with 20lb on chest: 10, 10, 10

Hypers: 5, 5, 5

Rows are all looking excellent! Why not take out the leg curls for something like SLDL or RDL?

[chrisof4]

Rows are all looking excellent! Why not take out the leg curls for something like SLDL or RDL?

I'm sure I should know what these are, but I don't.

What are SLDL's and RDL's? Do they target the hamstrings and glutes? That is the purpose of my leg curls, so if these do that better, I am willing to give them a try.

[AP]

Stiff leg deadlifts and romainian deadlifts, they do work better but its also more volume on your back. Good mornings or zercher deadlifts are great too but its hard to work hamstrings and glutes without taxing the back, the leg curls and sled dragging are about the only way.

Dimel deadlifts are pretty similar to RDLs and are good too EliteFTS

[AP]

Leg extensions and leg curls get a pretty bad rap, and they aren't "ideal" exercises but I don't think they are worthless either. Not to use Ed Coan to end an argument, but he shows leg extensions and one legged leg curls in his Squat video. I think for anybody, if they can fit in SLDL or GMs that's great and those will carry over well to their other lifts. But if they need extra volume for their hamstrings (or don't want extra volume on their back) then curls can help do that. You don't want to baby your low back, but i think its good to keep an eye on the volume that hits it.

[LiftingKid]

Leg extensions and leg curls get a pretty bad rap, and they aren't "ideal" exercises but I don't think they are worthless either. Not to use Ed Coan to end an argument, but he shows leg extensions and one legged leg curls in his Squat video. I think for anybody, if they can fit in SLDL or GMs that's great and those will carry over well to their other lifts. But if they need extra volume for their hamstrings (or don't want extra volume on their back) then curls can help do that. You don't want to baby your low back, but i think its good to keep an eye on the volume that hits it.

I'm not arguing

I suppose that for someone like chrisof4, the leg curl/extension may work perfectly to monitor lower back volume. However, I would still highly reccomend something like sled dragging instead and the dl variations as his back gets stronger.

[Muscle Turtle]

pain in left knee... ice it, take glucosimine and start drinking some water, sorry... not some water.. drink a lot of water and do the rest, your knees will heel right up.

Your back takes a lot longer to heel then any other muscle, be carefull. Doing the assistance work like leg curls and all that will greatly help you recover and still blast your legs.

I say take a couple days off and let yourself heel up.

AP, another example.. I know a guy who only does leg presses and still squats 700+.

Stay strong!

[chrisof4]

4/11/2006

I took a few weeks off to heal up, but I am back at it tonight. I made progress in some areas (like squats), but lost ground in others (such as the bench press).

BW: 189lbs

Cardio: 30 minutes on the treadmill, speed 3.8, incline 0, 1.91 miles

Box Squats: 100lbs x 10, 130lbs x 5, 140lbs x 5, 140lbs x 5, 140lbs x 4, 140lbs x 4

DB Bench: 50's x 2, 45's x 5, 45's x 5, 45's x 4, 45's x 4

DB Shrugs: 55's x 5, 55's x 5, 55's x 4, 55's x 3, 55's x 2

Crunches + 20lb: 15, 10, 10

Hypers: 6, 6, 6

[chrisof4]

I am back after taking some time off, and I feel much better for it. Also, I bought a motorcycle and I have been spending a lot of time cruising around. I bought an '05 Yamaha V-Star 650 and it is tons of fun. Anyway, on to the workout. I figured I would lose a lot of ground, but really did not.

BW: 190lbs

Cardio: 15 min on the treadmill, 0 incline, 4.0 speed. I mowed the lawn tonight before my workout, so I cut the cardio workout in the gym short.

Sumo Deads: 130lbs x 5, 130lbs x 5, 130lbs x 5, 130lbs x 5, 130lbs x 5. I did this raw, which was a big accomplishment for me. Last time I had to wear a belt to pull this because my back was hurting.

Military press: 70lbs x 5, 70lbs x 5, 70lbs x 5, 70lbs x 4. I skipped the last set because my back was starting to hurt.

Standing EZ curls: 60lbs x 5, 60lbs x 5, 60lbs x 4, 60lbs x 3, 60lbs x 4

Crunches: +10lbs on chest x 10, +20lbs x 10, +20lbs x 10

Hypers: 7, 7, 7

Overall this was a very good workout. With Spring here it is more challenging to find time to get in the gym, so I will have to make even more effort to keep my workouts a priority.

[LiftingKid]

I am back after taking some time off, and I feel much better for it. Also, I bought a motorcycle and I have been spending a lot of time cruising around. I bought an '05 Yamaha V-Star 650 and it is tons of fun. Anyway, on to the workout. I figured I would lose a lot of ground, but really did not.

BW: 190lbs

Cardio: 15 min on the treadmill, 0 incline, 4.0 speed. I mowed the lawn tonight before my workout, so I cut the cardio workout in the gym short.

Sumo Deads: 130lbs x 5, 130lbs x 5, 130lbs x 5, 130lbs x 5, 130lbs x 5. I did this raw, which was a big accomplishment for me. Last time I had to wear a belt to pull this because my back was hurting.

Military press: 70lbs x 5, 70lbs x 5, 70lbs x 5, 70lbs x 4. I skipped the last set because my back was starting to hurt.

Standing EZ curls: 60lbs x 5, 60lbs x 5, 60lbs x 4, 60lbs x 3, 60lbs x 4

Crunches: +10lbs on chest x 10, +20lbs x 10, +20lbs x 10

Hypers: 7, 7, 7

Overall this was a very good workout. With Spring here it is more challenging to find time to get in the gym, so I will have to make even more effort to keep my workouts a priority.

It's looking like you'll be able to do 5x5 with 135 soon. Just be mindful of your back.

[chrisof4]

Thanks, Lifting Kid. Yeah, I am going to try to increase next time. We will see how it goes.

I had a pretty good workout tonight. I am starting a new 13 week training phase. I will try to drop to 180lbs, and increase my weights as much as I can. I should definately hit a 450lb powerlift series for reps by the end of this phase.

Also, it is time to focus on the arthritis in my left knee. When doing leg extensions the last 20 or 30 degrees of the movement cause sharp pain right in the knee cap. The doc says this is arthritis. I am going to try to strengthen this knee to compensate with a low weight and high reps. Hopefully I can bring it in line with my other leg.

BW: 189

Cardio: 30 min. on the treadmill. Distance 2.0 miles. Speed 4.0. Incline 0.

Cable rows: 125lbs x 5 PR, 125lbs x 5, 125lbs x 5, 125lbs x 4, 125lbs x 4

Leg Curls: 130lbs x 5, 130lbs x 5, 130lbs x 5, 130lbs x 5, 130lbs x 3

Lat Pulldowns: 120lbs x 5, 120lbs x 5, 120lbs x 5, 120lbs x 5, 120lbs x 5. 125lbs next time.

Leg extensions (left leg only): 10lbs x 15 (noticeably painful through the extension but too bad), 10lbs x 15, 10lbs x 15. The second set felt better than the first, and during the third set my knee really did not hurt. Next time I will do the first set at 10lbs to warm up, and if I feel good I will try to increase to 20lbs.

DB Rows: 50lbs x 5, 50lbs x 5, 50lbs x 5, 50lbs x 5, 50lbs x 4

Hypers: 7, 7, 8 Try to increase to 8 each set next time.