[islander]

looks great frag. I just finished saying that too. my body loves longer rests and i make better gains so why wo that extra day. i dont have to tell you to watch out for that knee but if its hurting dont let your heart make that choice to push it and up your weight to out do your hubby thats a brain desion. an injury will take you out wayy longer then waiting a day or two to do an exerise. glad to see your back at it!

[mitbar]

frag i just got to say i have been watching your log from the shadows and i love it. your intensity is great. you go big all the time and are always jacked. keep pushing yourself like you do.

[Frag Hag]

Thanks, guys! I'm just doing my best to keep up with everyone else here.

Of course, it wasn't just bravado behind last workout's push; after the squats, i had to wait for my husband to finish with the barbell, so i had some time to think and analyze my knee. Also, i've felt like i could up the weight for some time, cause it feels like i've been squatting 100 for the longest time. I think it was actually the volume that was holding me back. Dan had the right idea; even if i felt like i could do more, i knew i'd have 4 more sets ahead of me, so i was holding back. Changing it from 5 sets to 3 made it easier to give those lifts everything i got.

So today was a cardio day, and i spent it on a treadmill. I timed it for exactly 30 minutes, using the incline like before. I tried to keep my heart rate between 130 bpm and 160, though at times it jumped to like 180! I should probably look up whether this is a healthy range, lol.

Anyway, not much else remarkable about today. I picked up some honey so now i have some quick sugars for post workout. Ended up at 1419 calories and 144g protein.

[Frag Hag]

Arm day yesterday:

Bench press:
1x8@80(whoops!)
2x8@70
Superset with lat pullovers:
3x8@10

Bent-over rows:
1x8@40
2x8@45
Superset with delcline pushups:
3x8

Military press:
3x8@50
Superset with forearm curls:
3x10@5

Pretty ordinary workout except for the bench press mishap. Apparently, when two nerds put their heads together, they can't count. Husband mistakenly put 90 pounds on the bar at first, so when i tried to unrack it, it wouldn't budge. I looked over at the weights and i was like... you sure that's 70? We took some plates off and i managed to unrack the weight, but it was still pretty heavy. I was like, man, bench pressing is hard! It wasn't till i finished the set that i looked closely at the weight and saw that it still had an extra 10 pounds on it. It's kind of encouraging to see that my bench is slowly approaching 100, but that unmovable 90 pounds let me know that i'm not quite ready for triple digits! At least our mishap let me move some extra weight.

Calories yesterday were really low for a workout day, 1270 calories and 118g protein, but it didn't bother me too much. In fact, i finished my workout in about 50 minutes. Maybe it's time to step it up a bit?

[Frag Hag]

Day before yesterday was a cardio day, spent it on the bike. 20 minutes was about all i could take, and my butt still hurts... not from sore glutes, but because my butt bones sit straight down on the hard seat! It feels like a bruise. I remember why i don't like that exercise bike. 1686 calories and 191g protein. I dunno if this protein count is right; i had a 12 oz. chicken breast, which is apparently a whole 100g protein. If i knew it had that much, i would've split it between more than two meals and not eaten as much of the other food, but oh well.

Yesterday was a leg day, and it was pretty intense despite my knee acting up again:

Deadlifts:
1x6@100
1x6@105
1x6@110

Squats:
3x8@110

Stiff-legged deadlifts:
2x8@60
Superset with split squats:
2x8@60

One-legged calf raises:
3x8@35

After the squats, my knee started complaining again, but it felt fine with the SLDL's. I finally got to a weight where i can feel it in my hamstrings, but my husband was using the barbell, so i had to use the same weight for the split squats. Never again; the weight was way too much on the split squats, so i had to stop after two sets. I was pretty worn out, but felt that this workout wasn't complete, so i spent about 20 minutes on the treadmill afterwards. 1210 calories and 123g protein.

Today was a cardio day, and much cardio was had on the treadmill. 30 minutes, keeping my heart rate between 130 and 180 bpm. 1434 calories and 148g protein. My sore legs are killin' me and i am so tired!

[danp100]

your workouts are sounding better and better. watch that knee, take care of it. listen to it, it'll tell when to stop llifting on it.

oh yeah FoodCount.com - Free Calorie Counter, online calorie counter and carb calorie counter, fast food calorie counter too should be bookmarked. complete info on all foods. i know i use it alot.

true you should probably split the chicken breast up into a couple of meals. its best to keep the protein coming in throughout the day instead of all at once. keep up the hard work i hope you're seeing some results. it appears your strenght is coming up. way up. way to go.

dan

[islander]

are you using a smith or a free bench? you said your husband put 70 pounds on there well, dont forget you count the bar if your doing a free bench and if its a olympic bar thats 45 so that would be 115! when i switched from smith to free standing squats i gapped out and for got to add the bar so kinda like a having a 45 pound gain lol.

[Frag Hag]

Thanks for the link! It looks like it'll be more accurate than fitday. A chicken breast that size should probably be split up into four meals, but it was a restaurant meal and i'm so bad at eyeballing.

I do free weight bench presses, but i wish i had an olympic bar! I'm using a standard size bar right now, which is only 1 inch in diameter. The weight is negligible, probably only a couple of pounds. It wasn't a problem with the bar, i just can't count sometimes, lol.

I'm definitely seeing and feeling results! I should put up some progress pics soon. It's a rest day today, so i'll update with my nutrition when the day's over.

EDIT: 1592 calories and 159g protein. D'oh!! It's fine six days a week, but not for a rest day!

[Frag Hag]

Arm day today:

Bench press:
3x8@70
Superset with lat pullovers:
3x8@10

Bent-over rows:
3x8@45
Superset with decline pushups:
3x8

Military press:
3x8@50
Superset with forearm curls:
3x10@5

I could really feel the lactic acid burn with the forearm curls. I wonder if that's good or bad for the muscles. Since i've been using dumbbells for the lat pullovers, i've been using a hammer grip because it's easier on my shoulders. When i try to imitate the grip of a barbell, if i'm not careful i can hyperextend my shoulders to a point where i can't pull the weight back up. It's kind of embarrassing when that happens, because at that point i have no choice but to drop the weight. "Whoops, went too far! *CLUNK!*" With a hammer grip, i have less chance of my shoulders doing that. When i first tried it, it made the lift easier, so i thought it was cheating by limiting the range of motion, but now that i think about it, the reason it's easier is because it helps prevent the hyperextension.

1556 calories and 184g protein today. I know i've been overshooting my protein goal lately, but i just can't help being so carnivorous!

[danp100]

pullovers are done across the bench, perpindicular to the bench it. grasp a single dumbell with both hands cradling upper wt (the bumbell is vertical) with both palms. slightly bend the arms now lock them in place, lower the dumbell over your head and at the same time drop your butt towards the floor. as your hands about even with your head you should feel a good stretch in your chest and lats. squeeze your lats as your pull the wt back to the starting position above your chest. if you don't lock your arms this can become a tricep workout instead of a lat exercise. keep up the good work.

oh yeah, as your muscles begin to grow your appetite for meat will grow. i think its just mother nature showing up the animal in all of us. so feed the hunger.

[Frag Hag]

I do the lat pullovers perpendicular to the bench, but i never noticed my butt moving. I'll have to try that next time. Huh, never knew about the meat thing. I figured i'd need more protein as my lean mass grew, but i've also read that my caloric intake should decrease as i cut to maintain results. I guess my weight hasn't really moved, so i should keep a closer eye on the macros.

Oh yeah, back up to 150 again, i must've retained some water again. :/ Oh well, the 140's were nice while they lasted.

Yesterday was a cardio day, low energy, low appetite. 30 minutes on the treadmill seemed like an eternity at a heart rate of 130-175. 1304 calories and 134g protein.

Today was a leg day:

Deadlifts:
3x6@105

Squats:
3x8@110

Stiff-legged deadlifts:
3x8@60
Superset with split squats:
3x8@30

One-legged calf raises:
3x8@35
Superset with hamstring curls:
3x8@30

Brutal workout! Left me shaking for several minutes. I took a huge rest between the deadlifts and the squats, but i think because of that my knee lasted the entire workout with very little complaining. The squats felt like i was holding up a house! It never ceases to amaze me how deep my feet sink into the floor when my husband loads up the weight onto my shoulders.

Man, but i ate a lot today! 1620 calories and 124g protein. I was munching constantly today, not really paying attention till the evening meals and post-workout. Maybe i'm making up for yesterday. I've been dreaming about food lately, so i guess my body's been craving it, but giving in to my appetite is what made me overfat in the first place.

I've been taking it easy, but i'm just so glad i finished the whole workout this time.

[Frag Hag]

Cardio day yesterday, spent it on the bike. 30 minutes between 50 and 70 watts of resistance, no idea if that means anything. With no way to measure my heart rate, i can only assume it was a good workout because i was exhausted for the rest of the night! I was even worried i was coming down with something, but i felt fine today. 1557 calories and 130g protein.

Today was a much-needed rest day and i rested well! I pretty much spent today sitting, and eating, and more sitting. Feels good, man. 1312 calories and 139g protein.