Sat. 11/13 Back & Hamstrings and Sun. 11/14 Shoulders & Biceps

11/13
Lat pull down, wide; 2 warms, 105/8, 105/8, 110/6
Bb deads; 1 warm, 175/8, 175/7, 175/7
Bench row; 40/10, 45/9, 45/8
Seated row; 110/10, 115/10, 115/9
Lying leg curl; 1 warm, 45/11, 45/11, 45/10
Single leg curl; 65/8, 65/9, 65/8

11/14
Seated bar press; 2 warms, 75/8, 75/8, 75/7
Seated side lat.; 50/10, 50/10, 55/7
Front raise, ss; 1 warm, 25/12, 25/12
w/ rear bench row; 1 warm, 30/12, 30/11
Bar curl; 1 warm, 65/6, 65/6, 70/4
Rope curl; 1 warm; 45.7/10, 45.7/8
Con. curl; 25/12, 30/12
Cardio; 30 mins

Fri. 11/12 Chest and Triceps

In. db press; 2 warms, 30/8, 30/8, 35/7
Flat bar; 1 warm, 105/10, 110/9
Chest dips, assisted; 15, 13, 13
Rack push ups; 20, 18
Triceps press; 2 warm, 42.5/10, 42.5/10
Db ext.; 1 warm, 35/10, 35/10
1 arm underhand; 12.5/12, 12.5/9
Cardio; 30 mins


*Nice little increase on the dips and push ups. Worn my triceps out a little for the rest of the workout though.

Thurs. 11/11 Legs and Abs

10 min warm up
Leg ext. 2 warms, 125/10, 130/9
Front squat; 2 warms, 90/8, 90/6, 90/7
Sumo squat; 1 warm, 70/10, 70/10, 75/10
Split squat; 30/12, 30/12, 35/10
Calf, singles; 4 sets of 15-20 @ 60lbs
Abs; 6 sets of 12
10 min cool down

*Things are looking up. Slept in a little later this morning since I am off from work this week. Nice strong workout, energy and strength even throughout.

Mon. 11/8 Back and Hamstrings & Tues. 11/9 Shoulders and Biceps

Mon. 11/8
Lat. pull down wide; 2 warms, 100/8, 105/7, 105/7
Bb deads; 1 warm, 155/8, 175/8, 185/6
Bench row; 40/10, 40/10, 40/10
Seated row; 110/12, 110/10, 110/9
Lying leg curl; 45/12, 45/10, 45/9
Single leg curl; 60/10, 60/10, 60/8

Tues. 11/9
Seated bar press; 2 warms, 70/8, 75/8, 80/7
Seated side lat.; 45/10, 50/10, 55/8
Front raise ss.; 1 warm 20/10, 20/11
w/ rear bench row; 1 warm, 25/12, 30/10
Bar curl; 1 warm, 65/6, 70/5, 70/4
Rope curl; 1 warm, 42.5/ 10, 42.5/10
Con. curl; 25/12, 30/11
Cardio; 30 mins

*Deads felt great Monday, feeling really strong. Bicep workout was great too.

Sat. 11/6 Leg & Abs, Sun. 11/7 Chest & Triceps

11/6 (Trained at LA Fitness)
10 min warm up
Leg ext.; 1 warm, 135/10, 150/10
Bb front squat; 2 warm, 90/8, 110/8, 110/7
Sumo squat; 1 warm, 60/10, 70/10, 70/10
Split squat w/db; 30/12, 30/10, 30/10
Calf, singles; 60/12, 60/17, 60/15, 60/15
Abs; 6 sets of 12

11/7
In. db press; 2 warm, 40/8, 45/8, 45/7
Flat bar; 1 warm, 95/10, 100/9
Chest dips w/assist; 15, 15, 13
Rack push ups; 20, 18
Triceps press; 2 warm, 40/10, 42.5/10
Db ext.; 1 warm, 40/12, 40/10
1 arm underhand; 10/10, 10/10
Cardio; 30 mins

*Received a free pass to workout at LA Fitness, so since I was in the area I took advantage of a freebie. Didn't I worked very hard till I started feeling my leg workout this afternoon. I am still amazed how the weight loads differ from gym to gym.

Thurs. 11/4 Shoulders and Biceps

Seated bar press; 2 warms, 60/8, 80/8, 80/8
Seated side lateral; 40/10, 50/8, 50/7
Front raise ss; 1 warm, 15/12, 20/10
w/ rear bench row; 1 warm, 25/12, 25/10
Bar curl; 1 warm, 65/6, 70/5, 70/5
Rope curl; 1 warm, 40/10, 42.5/10
Con. curl; 25/12, 30/10
Cardio; 30 mins

*Forgot to add the weight of the bar yesterday for deads.

Wed 11/3 Back and Hamstrings

Lat pull down wide; 2 warms, 110/8, 120/8, 120/7
Deads; 1 warm, 120/8, 120/7, 120/6
Bench row; 35/10, 40/10, 45/8
Seated row; 90/12, 110/11, 110/12
Lying leg curl; 1 warm, 50/10, 50/10, 55/10
Single leg curl; 55/12, 60/10, 60/10
Cardio; 30 mins

*Good workout, had an energy drink that came in my goodie bag from the competition, felt like Wonder Women. Chest is quite sore from yesterdays training session.

Tues. 11/2 Chest and Triceps

In. db press; 2 warms, 25/8, 30/8, 35/6
Flat bar; 1 warm, 105/10, 115/7
Chest dips, assisted; 12,13,11
Rack push ups; 15,14
Triceps press; 2 warms, 42.5/10, 45/8
Db ext.; 1 warm, 35/10, 35/9
1 arm underhand; 10/12, 12.5/12
Cardio; 30 mins

*Nothing exciting today, still working the strength back up to norm. Triceps felt strong and the pecs were twitching after the workout, all good signs.

Mon. 11/1 Legs and Abs

10 min. warm up
Leg ext.; 2 warms, 115/10, 125/10
Db front squat; 2 warms, 40/6, 40/6, 40/6
Db sumo squat; 1 warm, 65/10, 75/10, 75/10
Split db squat; 25/12, 30/12, 30/11
Calf, singles; 4 sets of 20 @ 50lbs.
Abs; 9 sets
10 min. cool down

*Decent workout, as strength continues to go back to normal.

Sat. Oct 30 Shoulders and Biceps

Seated bar press; 2 warms, 50/8, 60/8, 70/6
Seated side lat.; 30/8, 30/10, 30/8
Front raise, ss; 1 warm, 15/12, 15/12
w/ rear bench row; 1 warm, 70/12, 80/12
Bar curl; 1 warm, 50/6, 60/6, 65/5
Rope curl; 1 warm, 35/10, 42.5/8
Con. curl; 1 warm, 25/10, 25/10

*Hit the smith machine for bar press, shoulder was a bit sore, think I slept on it wrong. Good solid workout though, once the kinks were worked out of it.

Fri. 10/29 Back & Hamstrings

Wide lat pull down; 2 warms, 100/8, 110/7, 110/6
Deads; 1 warm, 175/6, 175/6, 175/7
Bench row; 30/10, 35/10, 35/10
Seated row; 75/12, 80/12, 85/11
Lying leg curl; 1 warm, 45/10, 50/9, 50/8
Single leg curl; 55/12, 55/12, 55/10
Cardio, 30 mins.

*Had a hard time focusing on my workouts today as my mind weighed heavy on somethings. I kept my form together and tried to be careful, don't need to injury myself.

Thurs. 10/28 Chest and Triceps

Db flat press; 2 warms, 50/8, 50/7, 50/7
In. fly; 1 warm, 85/10, 85/10, 90/9
In. db press; 1 warm, 30/12, 30/10, 30/10
Push up on medicine ball; 10, 8, 7
Triceps dips; 2 warms, 80/8, 85/8, 85/7
Press down; 1 warm, 42.5/10, 42.5/8, 42.5/9
Db kickback; 1 warm, 15/12, 15/12, 15/11
Cardio; 30 mins

*Really nice workout with good energy throughout. Still working my way back to the weight loads I was hitting earlier in the year. Hitting the stepper for cardio in hopes it will help with the gluts.

Tues. 10/26 Intervals & Wed. 10/27 Legs and Abs

Tues. 10/26
5 min. warm up
12 - 1 min. intervals
10 min. cool down

Wed. 10/27
10 min. warm up
Squat, wide stance; 2 warms, 135/8, 155/7, 155/7, 155/6
Leg press; 1 warm, 270/10, 270/10, 270/9
Glut press; 1 warm, 3 sets of 12ea. @ 90lbs
Hip abduction; 175/10, 175/9, 175/10
Calf raise; 4 sets of 20 @ 270lbs
Upper abs; 8 sets

*Gonna post the weight loads differently this time, I am gonna add in the weight of the bar or whatever else I am using. Leg workout was pretty good, legs were shaking while I was doing abs and walking up the stairs out of the gym.

Thurs. 10/21 Upper Body Curcuit Training

4 sets of 10-15 reps each
Straight arm pull down; 35 - 40lbs
Upright row; 20lbs
Incline press; 25lbs
Triceps press down; 40lbs
Hammer curls; 25lbs
Ab crunch
Cardio; 20 mins

*Boy, this workout got the heart pumping, felt like a leg day. The cherry that top this day was the hour "pre event massage" I had. My boy Mark does such a great job getting my muscles back to were they should be.

Wed. 10/20 Chest, Shoulders and Triceps

Db flat press; 30/15, 35/14, 35/12, 35/10
In fly; 75/15, 80/14, 80/12
Shoulder press; 15/15, 20/12, 20/10, 20/11
Db lateral raise; 10/15, 12/15, 15/14
Rope overhead press; 25/15, 30/13, 30/12, 30/10
Db kickbacks; 10/15, 15/14, 15/15, 15/13
Cardio; 25 mins

*Woke up feeling well rested a half hour before my alarm went off. No work for me till next Thursday, first real time off since....well, last year.

Tues. 10/19 Back and Biceps

Lat pull down; 75/15, 80/13, 80/10
Deads; 70/15, 70/15, 80/15, 90/12
Bench row; 25/15, 30/12, 30/12
Preacher curl; 20/15, 25/15, 30/11, 30/9
Db curl; 20/15, 25/10, 25/10, 25/8
Crossover cable curl; 10/12, 10/10, 10/10
Abs; 7 sets of 12- 15 reps
Cardio; 35 mins.

*Not taking much to feel these workouts. My biceps felt like they were going to explode out of my skin even before I got to the bicep workout.

Mon. 10/18 Legs and Hamstrings

Bb squat; 50/15, 90/12, 90/10, 90/10
Leg press; 230/10, 180/12, 180/11
Leg ext.; 85/12, 85/11, 85/12
Reverse db lunge; 20/10ea., 20/12, 20/11, 20/10
Lying leg curl; 40/12, 40/12, 40/11
Reverse lying leg curl; 14, 12, 10, 12
Cardio, 40 mins.

*Good pump and the joints didn't bother me as I thought they would have. Feeling really good physically and mentally.

Fri. 10/15, Sat. 10/16, Sun. 10/17 Cardio

Fri. 10/15 40 mins cardio am and pm
Sat. 10/16 and Sun. 10/17 20 mins. intervals, 30 mins. cool down

*Woke up Friday morning feeling like I was in someone else body. Felt tired most of the day and my joints were really bothering me. Felt the same way Sat. morning, but wasn't as tired this morning. Joints continue to ache, have to be careful tomorrow doing legs. Other than that, I am ready to hit the stage Sat.

Thurs. 10/14 Shoulders and Biceps

Db press; 25/10, 25/8 (warm up) 30/8, 30/8, 30/8
1 arm cable lat.; 5/10 (warm up) 10/10, 10/10
Seated rear delt, ss; 75/12 (warm up) 90/11, 80/11
w/ upright row; 20 (warm up) 25/10, 25/11
Hammer curl; 25/8 (warm up) 30/6, 35/6, 35/6
Close curl; 25/10 (warm up) 30/8, 30/7
1 arm cable curl; 15/12, 20/9
Cardio; intervals

*Good workout, really happy about how my shoulders and arms developed. Actually, I feel great about how I am looking overall for the first time since I started competing.

Wed. 10/13 Back and Hamstrings

Pull Ups; 12, 11, 7, 6
Bb bent over row; 50/8 (warm up) 70/8, 70/8, 80/7
Rope pull down; 42.5/8 (warm up) 47.5/8, 50/7
Str. arm pull down; 42.5/10, 50/8, 50/7
Stiff deads; 120/12, 120/11, 130/8
Single leg curl; 25/10, 30/10 (warm up) 35/10, 40/10, 40/10
Abs; 7 sets
Cardio, AM; 40 mins.
Cardio, PM; 40 mins.

*I felt like 2 persons in 1 body (1 tired and the other with the strength of an off season bodybuilder). I am so happy that I retired my belt and hooks months ago, I feel much stronger. On another note; last night at work as I was finishing up for the day the night supervisor came in the office with 2 boxes (1 with cinnamon rolls and the other with assorted danish) and stood behind me blowing the scent of warm cinnamon iced rolls in my direction. Meanie!

Tues. 10/12 Chest and Triceps

Flat db press; 40/10, 45/8 (warm up) 50/8, 55/6, 55/5
Sl. in. db press; 30/10 (warm up) 35/10, 40/9
Flat bar w/ bands; 12, 12, 10
In. fly; 95/12, 100/12
Close press; 30/10, 30/9 (warm up) 35/9, 35/9
Rev. press down; 30/12 (warm up) 35/12, 40/12, 42.5/9
1 arm rope press; 10/12, 15/8
Cardio; 2 min. intervals

*Ok I'm tired today. Strength was not like it was the last time I did chest, but I pushed through it trying to reach the same weight loads. The flat bar with bands was an interesting change of pace. Can't image what doing it with chains feels like. As I get closer to competing, people are asking if I am either doing lots of cardio or no carbs. If they only knew.

Mon. 10/11 Legs and Calves

Leg press; 270/10, 320/10 (warm up) 360/10, 410/10, 410/10
Squat; 90/8 (warm up) 120/8, 120/8, 130/8
Leg ext.; 125/10, 125/10, 125/9
Walking lunge; 3 sets of 11 each @ 30lbs.
Calf, hi. rep.; 150/30, 150/30, 150/25, 150/25
Cardio, AM; 40 mins.
Cardio, PM; 40 mins.

*Now that was a leg workout. It is always great when high carb. day falls on leg day. I can't believe I was able to push this much weight less than 2 weeks away from competing. I am so pump up for this show, feeling positive and confident.

Sat. 10/9 Shoulders and Biceps / Sun. 10/10 Intervals

10/9
Db press; 20/10, 25/10 (warm up) 30/8, 35/8, 35/8
1 arm cable lat.; 10/10 (warm up) 15/10, 20/8
Seated rear delt, ss; 15/12 (warm up) 20/12, 30/10
w/ upright row; 20/12 (warm up) 25/10, 25/12
Hammer curls; 20/10 (warm up) 30/6, 30/6, 30/6
Close curl; 20/12 (warm up) 25/10, 30/10
1 arm cable curl; 20/12, 25/12
Abs; 9 sets
Cardio, AM; 45 mins
Cardio, PM; Intervals

10/10
5 min. warm up
20 - 1 min intervals
15 min. cool down

*Trained at Snap Fitness yesterday and when I started to use the peck/deck machine for rear delt, I noticed that the tension was not equal on both sides. So I switched to the cross over cable machine. Had a great massage Friday, it was only 30 minutes, but my shoulders really needed it. Getting a "show ready" 60 minute massage on the Thursday before the comp. Went through show supplies last night to make sure I have everything I need, no waiting till the last minute for me. 2 weeks to go and ready to rock.

Fri. 10/8 Back and Hamstrings

Pull ups; 12, 11, 9, 9
Bb. bent over row; 40/10 (warm up) 50/8, 60/8, 70/8
Rope pull down; 42.5/8 (warm up) 50/8, 50/7
Str. arm pull down; 42.5/10, 42.5/11, 42.5/9
Bb. stiff deads; 110/12, 120/11, 120/12
Single leg curl; 20/12, 25/10 (warm up) 30/10, 35/10, 35/10
Cardio; Intervals

*Still pushing hard and feeling really good this week. I have not been able to get my post workout meal in me fast enough the last couple of days as the metabolism has been on fire. Pull ups were sick, on the last rep of each set I came down half way, held it for about 10 seconds then pull myself back up for 1 more rep, WHOA MOMMA! Deads felt great and since I don't have an assistant for db leg curls, I did single leg curls on the lying leg curl machine.

Thurs. 10/7 Chest and Triceps

Flat db press; 35/8, 45/8 (warm up) 55/5, 55/6, 55/8
Sl. in db press; 35/10 (warm up) 40/8, 40/8
Flat bar; 40/10 (warm up) 50/10, 55/10
In. fly; 85/12, 95/12
Close press; 25/10, 30/10 (warm up) 35/10, 35/9
Rev. press down; 35/12 (warm up) 42.5/10, 42.5/9, 42.5/9
1 arm rope press; 10/10, 15/7
Cardio; Intervals

*Another great workout, I can't tell you how happy I am about holding off on using Jack3d till now. It is really helping me push the weight these last couple of weeks. Had a spotter on my last set of flat db press, can't believe I am only 5lbs off from my record weight of 60lb db's. Up till now I was able to do intervals on my off days of lifting. Unfortunately this week I am not able to, but next week is looking better.

Tues. 10/5 Intervals & Wed. 10/6 Legs and Abs

10/5
5 min warm up
20 -1 min intervals
15 min cool down

10/6
10 min warm up
Leg press; 180/10, 270/10 (warm up) 320/10, 350/10, 370/10
Squat; 90/8 (warm up) 100/8, 110/8, 120/8
Leg ext.; 120/10, 125/10, 130/10
Walking lunge; 25/10, 25/12, 25/12ea.
Calf, high rep.; 90/30, 140/30, 140/25, 140/25
Abs; 6 sets
Cardio, AM; 45 mins

*Sick workout today. I know that later today I am going to feel like I need a nap. One thing I hate is the fact that I underestimate how much weight I can really push. Though the energy with the help of Jack3d was steady throughout the entire workout. I also realized today how lean my back is when I was doing leg press. The back rest was very irritating but the little voice in my head named "Little Joe" kept telling me to PUSH!!!

Mon. 10/4 Shoulders and Biceps

Side lateral; 25/8 (warm up) 30/8, 30/7, 30/7
Hi. in. db press; 25/10 (warm up) 30/8, 30/7
Floor raises; 20/10 (warm up) 30/8, 30/7
Cable upright; 40/10 (warm up) 42.5/10, 47.5/8
In. db curl; 25/8 (warm up) 30/6, 35/5, 35/4
Cable curl; 40/10 (warm up) 47.5/8, 47.5/10
1 arm preacher curl; 15/12, 20/10
Cardio, AM; 45 mins

*Seems like the closer I get to showtime, the more I feel these workouts. After thinking I slept through my back workout yesterday, I am feeling it today. I had to compliment this guy who has been working out at the gym for the past several months. He started out a little overweight and out of shape and now after dropping 10lbs he is looking great. He was very thankful and said, "I wish I could lift as much as you can". I told him, "You will get there, just keep up the intensity and watch your form". I needed to give credit where credit is due.

Sat. 10/2 Chest and Triceps and Sun. Back and Hamstrings

Fri. 10/1, Cardio, PM; 45 mins (forgot to mention this on Friday)

Sat. 10/2
Sl in bar press; 40/10, 40/8 (warm up) 50/8, 50/8, 55/8
In db press; 30/10 (warm up) 35/9, 35/10
Flat fly; 30/12 (warm up) 40/10, 45/7
Uneven push ups; 16, 18
Dips, w/25 lbs; 16, 14, 15, 12
Rope; 25/12 (warm up) 30/10, 30/11
Lying bar ext.; 30/10, 35/8
Cardio, 45 mins

Sun. 10/3
Lat pull down palm up; 85/10, 85/10 (warm up) 100/8, 110/8, 115/7
T bar row; 100 (warm up) 105/8, 110/8, 110/8
Db deads; 55/10 (warm up) 60/8 60/10
Close row, high; 60/12, 65/10, 65/10
Good mornings; 60/12, 60/12, 65/10
Glut/ham; 16, 14, 14
Abs
Cardio, 45 mins

*After using Jack3d the last 2 days, I decided not to use it on back day, BIG MISTAKE!!! Didn't want to take the chance on becoming immune to it, but at 3 weeks out that is the chance I am going to have to take. Having slept a solid 8 hours, I still felt tired and never got my grove on, felt like I slept through my workout.

Thurs. 9/30 Intervals and Fri. 10/1 Legs and Abs

9/30
5 min warm up
20 - 1 min intervals
15 min cool down

10/1
10 min warm up
Squat; 90/8, 90/8 (warm up) 110/8, 120/8, 130/8
Hack; 90/10 (warm up) 140/10, 150/10
Sissy; 25/20, 25/20, 25/16
Bar lunge; 50/10 ea./ 55/10, 55/10
Donkey; 170/20, 170/16, 170/16, 170/20
Abs; 8 sets

*As someone was using the machine that I do intervals on, I choose it try intervals on the bike for the first time. That will be the last time, my gluts went numb and it killed my hamstrings, ouch. Moving on to leg day, with it being the first time not having a high carb day I did not want to loose the strength I normally would have. So I took a shot of Jack3d and attacked legs like Layne Norton, no kidding, my friend even commented on my workout. WOW, the energy is incredible, glad I waited till now to start taking this stuff, it is really going to help in these final weeks. After having a rough 5Th week, this week has been the total opposite, seeing some great changes and definitely feeling different. Game on, Baby!

Wed. 9/29 Shoulders and Biceps

Side lateral; 20/8 (warm up) 3 sets of 8 @ 25lbs
Hi. in db press; 20/10 (warm up) 25/10, 30/8
Floor raises; 20/12 (warm up) 25/10, 25/10
Cable upright; 40/10 (warm up) 42.5/10, 47.5/8
In. db curl; 25/6 (warm up) 30/6, 30/6, 35/4
Cable curl; 40/10 (warm up) 42.5/8, 42.5/7
1 arm preacher; 15/12, 15/12
Cardio, AM; 45 mins.

*As yesterday drugged on it felt like someone was sucking the energy out of me and continued through this mornings workout. While pushing through the side laterals I starting hearing some one's voice in my head saying "KEEP PUSHING"!!! That little voice was none other than Joe's. So push I did, even going up in weight, or trying to, during the db curls. Thanks Joe.

Tues. 9/28 Back and Hamstrings

Lat pull down palm up; 85/12, 100/10 (warm up) 120/8, 120/7, 120/6
T bar row; 100/10 (warm up) 115/7, 115/8, 120/6
Db deads; 55/10 (warm up) 60/10, 65/8
Close row, high; 55/12, 57.5/12, 60/12
Good mornings; 60/12, 60/10, 60/10
Glut / ham; 16, 17, 18
Cardio, AM; 45 mins.

*Another successful workout, energy and strength holding strong. Up for a challenge, I attempted to do glut/ham raises without assist, starting at the bottom. I did manage to do 4 reps. I will eventually work my way to no assist.

Mon. 9/27 Chest and Triceps

Sl. in bar press; 40/10, 50/8 (warm up) 60/8, 60/6, 60/7
In. db press; 25/10 (warm up) 30/10, 35/8
Flat fly; 35/10 (warm up) 40/10, 40/7)
Uneven push ups; 15, 15
Dips, w/25lbs; 15, 12, 11, 12
Rope; 25/12 (warm up) 30/12, 30/11
Lying bar ext.; 30/12, 30/10
Cardio, AM; 45 mins

*Good workout, nice energy, must be the fact that I have been able to sleep without interruptions. Since I don't have to go back to the gym for PM cardio, I am going to take the opportunity to hit the posing and practice the routine after work instead of before. I will be able to practice longer by witching it to the evening.

Sat. 9/25 Intervals and Sun. 9/26 Legs and Abs

9/25
5 min warm up
18 - 1 min intervals
10 min cool down


9/26
10 min warm up
Squat; 70/8, 90/8 (warm up) 120/6, 120/7, 120/6
Hack; 100/10 (warm up) 140/9, 140/10
Sissy; 25/15, 25/16, 25/17
Bar lunge; 3 sets of 10 @ 50lbs
Donkey; 160/20, 160/17, 160/15, 160/15
Abs; 7 sets

*Squats felt great, got lower than I ever did. Then by the time I got to lunges, my legs felt like rubber. I am surprised that I'm not sore from all the posing yesterday, guess that means I'm conditioned.

Fri. 9/24 Shoulders and Biceps

Db side lateral; 20/10 (warm up) 25/8, 30/8, 30/8
Hi. in. db press; 25/10 (warm up) 30/9, 30/8
Db floor raises; 15/12 (warm up) 20/12, 25/10
Cable upright; 40/10 (warm up) 42.5/10, 42.5/9
In db curl; 20/10 (warm up) 25/6, 30/6, 30/6
Cable curl; 35/10 (warm up) 40/10, 42.5/7
1 arm preacher curl; 15/12, 15/10
Cardio, AM; 30 mins

*Third night of sleep interpretitis, thank goodness it is Friday, I need a solid nights sleep. If it was for products like Jack3d, I would not be able to get through these last 3 days of workouts. I wish it work on my crabbiness, oh well can't have it all.

Thurs. 9/23 Back and Hamstrings

Lat pull down palm up; 85/10, 100/8 (warm up) 120/8, 122.5/6, 125/5
T bar row; 100/8 (warm up) 140/8, 150/8, 155/6
Db deads; 50/10 (warm up) 60/8, 65/8
Close row, high; 50/12, 55/12, 55/12
Good mornings; 50/12, 50/12, 60/10
Glute/ham; 16, 16, 14
Cardio, AM; 45 mins
Cardio, PM; Intervals

*Can't believe I am going to say this, but at 4 weeks out, this was one of my best back and hamstring workouts. Strong, steady and intense all the way through to the end.

Wed. 9/22 Chest and Triceps

Sl. in. bar press; 40/10, 40/8 (warm up) 50/8, 60/6, 60/6
In. db press; 30/10 (warm up) 35/8, 35/8
Flat fly; 30/12 (warm up) 35/12, 40/9
Uneven push ups; 14, 12
Dips, w/ 25lbs; 16, 13, 12, 11
Rope; 25/12 (warm up) 30/10, 30/10
Lying bar ext.; 30/10, 30/10
Cardio, AM; 30 min
Cardio, PM; 45 min

*Slow start, but after the bar presses things started picking up. Quads are sore and having a 25lb weight on your lap for dips didn't help.

Mon. 9/20 Intervals and Tues. 9/21 Legs & Abs

9/20 Intervals
5 min warm up
18 - 1 min intervals
10 min cool down

9/21 Legs and abs
10 min warm up
Squat; 50/12, 90/8 (warm up) 130/8, 130/6, 130/6
Hack; 90/10 (warm up) 130/8, 140/8
Sissy; 25/17, 25/15, 25/15
Bar lunge; 3 sets of 12 each @ 50lbs
Donkey; 150/20, 150/18, 150/18, 150/20
Abs; 8 sets
Cardio, PM; 45 mins

*Sweet workout, 4 1/2 weeks out and I am able to increase my weight loads from the last go around on this program.

Sat. 9/18 Back and Hamstrings & 9/19 Shoulders and Biceps

9/18
Lat pull down palm up; 85/12, 85/10 (warm up) 100/8, 120/7, 120/6
T bar row; 90/8 (warm up) 115/8, 115/7, 115/6
Db deads; 40/10 (warm up) 55/10, 55/10
Close row, high; 42.5/12, 50/12, 50/12
Good mornings; 30/12, 40/12, 50/12
Glute ham.; 15, 14, 15
Cardio, AM; 30 mins

9/19
Side lateral; 25/8 (warm up) 30/8, 30/8, 30/7
Hi. in. db press; 25/10 (warm up) 30/8, 30/8
Floor raises; 10/12 (warm up) 15/12, 20/10
Cable up right; 40/10 (warm up) 42.5/9, 42.5/8
In. db curl; 20 (warm up) 25/6, 25/6, 30/5
Cable curl; 30/10 (warm up) 35/10, 40/8
1 arm preacher; 15/12 (warm up) 20/10, 20/10
Abs; 8 sets
Cardio, AM; 45 mins

*Good workouts, and I found a new way of doing glute ham exercise. Works well, less of a chance of slipping off the lat pull down seat, little rough on the knees though. Joe, I replied to your email, if you don't receive it let me know by email and I will call you.

9/17 Chest and Triceps

Sl. in. bar press; 30/10, 40/8 (warm up) 50/8, 60/7, 60/6
In. db press; 25/10 (warm up) 30/9, 30/7
Flat fly; 25/12 (warm up) 35/12, 5/10
Uneven push ups; 12, 12
Dips w/ 25lbs; 13, 15, 13, 13
Rope press; 25/12 (warm up) 27.5/10, 27.5/10
Lying bar ext.; 30/12, 30/12
Cardio, AM; 30 mins
Cardio, PM; 45 mins

*Whoa my glutes and quats are sore, going to make it hard to stand from a seated position today. Loving this new found energy, Jack3d free and I have be putting it to good use. Forgot to mention that on Tuesday I rescued a red tailed hawk that hit the building where I worked. As I waited for the wildlife rehab center worker to stop by after teaching class, he spent the day in my office in a box covered by a towel. I have rescued many critters (this is my 4 raptor) in the past so I know how to handle them. He should be fine.

Wed. 9/15 Intervals and Thurs. 9/16 Legs and Abs

Wed. 9/15
5 min warm up
18 - 1 min intervals
15 min cool down


Thurs. 9/16
10 min warm up
Squat; 70/8, 90/8 (warm up) 3 sets of 6 @ 120lbs
Hack; 90/10 (warm up) 120/10, 130/10
Sissy; 10/20, 25/15, 25/15
Bar lunge; 30/10 ea., 40/10, 50/10
Calf raises; 4 sets of 15 @ 140lbs
Abs; 8 sets of 12

*With the thoughts of my sore back plaguing my focus I did 2 extra sets of warm ups before diving into the heavy stuff. Wasn't to impressed with the squats but I knocked it out of the park with hack, sissy and bar lunge. Made me feel better especially being a high carb day, felt like I earned it. For this round since we do not have a donkey calf raise machine, I will be using the V squat machine. BTW, looked back at the last time I did this workout when I was finished and realized I did better this time around.

Tues. 9/14 Shoulders and Biceps

Seated bar press; 50/10, 60/8 (warm up) 75/8, 90/7, 90/6
Seated side lat.; 45/10, 50/10, 55/9
Front raise, ss; 15/12 (warm up) 20/10, 20/12
w/ rear bench row; 20/12 (warm up) 30/10, 30/10
Bar curl; 20/6 (warm up) 25/6, 30/5, 30/4
Rope curl; 35/10 (warm up) 40/9, 40/10
Con. curl; 30/10, 30/10
Cardio, AM; 30 mins
Cardio, PM; 45 mins

*Much better energy today and I didn't feel tired / lazy during my workout. Core-flex has finally begun to have an effect on the joints, sure does make it easier to lift. Well, the back is definitely out of adjustment (right side above butt), should make for an interesting leg day on Thursday. I did do more extensive stretching and foam rolling after training and will hit it again tomorrow after intervals.

Mon. 9/13 Back and Hamstrings

Wide lat pull down; 85/10, 90/8 (warm up) 100/8, 110/6, 110/6
Deads; 110/8 (warm up) 130/8, 140/6, 140/6
Bench row; 45/10, 45/10, 45/8
Seated row; 70/12, 75/12, 75/11
Lying leg curl; 50/10 (warm up) 55/8, 55/8, 50/8
Single leg curl; 50/12, 50/12, 50/10
Cardio, AM; 30 mins
Cardio, PM; 45 mins

*Was having a pretty good workout till I tweaked my back, started feeling it while doing lying leg curl, so I had to back off a little on the weight loads. Did about 10 mins of stretching after my training session, seems to feel better now. We'll see what the rest of the day bring.

Sun. 9/12 Chest and Triceps

In. db press; 25/8, 25/8 (warm up) 35/8, 35/6, 36/6
Flat bar; 50/10 (warm up) 60/10, 70/8
Chest dips w/assist; 15, 12, 12
Rack push ups; 23, 22
Triceps press; 70/10, 75/10 (warm up) 85/10, 90/8
Db. ext.; 25/12 (warm up) 30/12, 35/10
1 arm underhand; 12.5/12, 12.5/10
Cardio, am; 45 mins

*I was so glad I went to the high school reunion yesterday, what a great time we all had. I got many complements on how I look and many have seen competition or profile photos of me. Just a note, I was an athletic overweight kid (169lbs was my heaviest). And of course, I was asked many questions about diet and training. I may even have a future date with one of classmates, will see.

Sat. 9/11 Legs

10 min warm up
Leg ext.; 90/10, 100/10 (warm up) 115/10, 120/10
Front squat; 50/8, 50/8 (warm up) 70/8, 70/8, 75/8
Sumo squat; 55/10 (warm up) 3 sets of 10 @ 70lbs
Split squat; 3 sets of 12 @ 45lbs
Calf, singles; 5 sets of 15 @ 80lbs
Abs; 7 sets of 12 - 20

*I usually feel good after a massage, not this morning, I felt like crap. This seemed like one of my worst leg workouts, just no energy or motivation. It did seem like I had the strength to get it done though, still wish I could have a do over.

Thurs. 9/9 Shoulders and Biceps

Seated bar press; 40/10, 50/8 (warm up) 70/8, 80/8, 90/6
Seated side lat.; 40/10, 45/10, 50/9
Front raise, ss; 12/12 (warm up)15/12, 15/12
w/ rear bench row; 20/12 (warm up) 25/12, 30/10
Bar curl; 20/6 (warm up) 25/6, 25/6, 25/6, 25/5
Rope curl; 30/10 (warm up) 35/10, 40/7
Con. curl; 25/12, 25/12
Cardio, pm; 45 mins

*OK, I physically crashed last night after cardio, like my body just went limp. So much so that I couldn't fall asleep as quickly as I normally do. I haven't felt that symptom before. So I have been also been holding off on taking Coreflex cause it is a 30 day supply, figured I could wait another 2 weeks, keep the cost down. Well, after the last 3 days of pushing and pulling, my arms, elbows, shoulders and back have cried, "Mercy". Have a massage scheduled for tomorrow after work since I am off from weight training and I only have to do intervals in the morning. Can't wait, I need it.

Wed. 9/8 Back and Hamstrings

Wide lat pull down; 70/15, 85/10 (warm up) 100/8, 100/8, 100/7
Deads; 90/8 (warm up) 130/8, 140/7, 150/7
Bench row; 40/10, 4/10, 40/8
Seated row; 70/12, 70/12, 70/11
Lying leg curl; 50/12 (warm up) 55/10, 55/10, 55/8
Single leg curl; 55/12, 55/12, 55/10
Cardio, pm; 45 mins

*Boyah! 6 1/2 weeks out and knocking out 195lbs (w/ bar weight) on deads, Jack3d free and that's all I have to say.

Tues. 9/7 Chest and Triceps

In. db press; 25/13, 30/10 (warm up) 40/8, 45/7, 45/6
Flat bar; 45/10 (warm up) 55/10, 70/8
Chest dips, assisted; 15, 10, 9
Rack push ups; 20, 15
Triceps press; 70/12, 75/10 (warm up) 85/10, 95/8
Db ext.; 25/10 (warm up) 30/10, 35/8
1 arm underhand; 12.5/12, 12.5/12
Cardio, pm; 45 mins

*Needed a shot of Jack3d this morning after being woken up with a phone call some time in the middle of the night, work. Think I took a little too much, as I feel like I drank 1/2 gallon of coffee, hopefully I won't crash later. Great thing about it was that I was able to push some serious weights.

Mon. 9/6 Legs

10 min warm up
Leg ext.; 85/10, 100/10 (warm up) 110/10, 10/10
Front squat; 40/10, 50/10 (warm up) 60/8, 70/8, 70/8
Sumo squat; 60/10 (warm up) 70/10, 80/10, 80/10
Split squat; 3 sets of 12 @ 40lbs
Calf, singles; 4 sets of 15 @ 80lbs
Abs; 8 sets of 12 to 20

* Holly Bleep-Bleep it was freezing this morning had to pull out the gloves and I ain't talking weight lifting gloves. Held the weight a little differently for the sumo squats, much better. I decided this year I will be taking a week off from work after the competition (actually, I will go back to work for a week to catch up on paper work then be off the following week) for some me time.

Sat. 9/4 Shoulders & Biceps / Sun. 9/5 Intervals

Sat. 9/4
Seated bar press; 40/10, 50/10 (warm up) 70/8, 80/7, 80/6
Seated side lat.; 40/10, 45/9, 45/8
Front raise, ss; 12/12 (warm up) 15/12, 15/12
w/ rear bench row; 20/12 (warm up) 25/12, 25/12
Bar curl; 20/6 (warm up) 25/5, 25/5, 25/6
Rope curl; 30/10 (warm up) 35/10, 35/10
Con. curl; 30/10, 30/9
Cardio, am; 45 mins

Sun. 9/5
5 min warm up
18 - 1 min intervals
10 min cool down

*Not too bad of a workout, with the low energy I was feeling, pushed though and got it done. Good thing was is that my back and neck held there adjustments this week, so no increase in office visits. It was so nice to do intervals this morning on the Cybex machine without the air conditioner blowing on my back, they didn't turn it on because of the cold (cool for normal people) temps.

Fri.9/3 Back and Hamstrings

Wide lat pull down; 90/10, 100/8 (warm up) 110/7, 110/7, 110/6
Deads; 90/8 (warm up) 120/8, 130/8, 140/7
Bench row; 35/10, 40/10, 40/10
Seated row; 70/12, 75/12, 75/12
Lying leg curl; 40/10 (warm up) 50/10, 50/9, 50/8
Single leg curl; 55/12, 55/12, 55/10
Cardio, pm; 45 mins

*Correction on last nights cardio, I did intervals instead. Low back felt well enough to go up on the weights for deads, we'll see what the chiro says about that later today. Really noticing the improvements that I have made in my hamstrings during lying leg curls. So glad it is Friday, work has been nuts and long the last 3 days with the large school orders.

Thurs. 9/2 Chest and Triceps

In. db press; 25/15, 30/10 (warm up) 40/8, 40/8, 40/7
Flat bar; 40/10 (warm up) 50/10, 60/10
Chest dips w/assist; 12, 13, 10
Rack push ups; 22, 20
Tricep press; 70/15 (warm up) 80/12, 80/12
Db ext.; 20/12 (warm up) 25/12, 30/12
1 arm underhand; 10/12, 12.5/10
Cardio, pm; 45 mins

*Well I did it again, I popped a blood vessel in my finger doing sumo's yesterday. Nothing like going to work with a purple spotted finger. Today's energy was low and it took me to my 1st set of rack push ups to take my sweat shirt off. Had a good laugh as I attempted to press 45 lb's during incline db press, no really I did laugh at myself. I realized yesterday after I was given a "compliment" and a light slap on the back how sensitive my upper back has become. It actually stung for some time afterwards. I just want you all to know especially those who read these posts who are not competitors that I am not complaining whatsoever. I love this sport and what I post gives you an idea of what I and other competitors go through.

Tues. 8/31 Intervals and Wed. 9/1 Legs

Tues. 8/31 am
5 min warm up
18 - 1 min intervals
15 min. cool down

Wed. 9/1
10 min. warm up
Leg ext.; 110/10 120/10 (warm up) 130/10, 130/10
Front squat; 40/8, 50/8 (warm up) 60/8, 70/8, 70/8
Sumo squat; 85/10 (warm up) 95/10, 95/10, 95/8
Split squat; 50/11, 50/10, 50/10
Calf, singles; 4 sets of 20 @ 70lbs
Abs; 9 sets of 12-30 reps
Cardio, pm; 45 mins

*Man, was I dragging butt on Tuesday and a rough day at work didn't help. Slept like a baby though which helped me through today's workout.

Mon. 8/30 Shoulders and Biceps

Seated bar press; 30/15, 50/10 (warm up) 70/8, 90/8, 90/8
Seated side lat. 40/10, 40/10, 45/10
Front raise, ss; 15/12 (warm up) 20/11, 20/12
w/ rear bench row; 20/12 (warm up) 25/12, 25/12
Bar curl; 20/6 (warm up) 30/5, 30/6, 30/5
Rope curl; 25/10 (warm up) 35/9, 35/8
Con. curl; 25/12, 30/11
15 mins. stretching
Cardio, pm; 45 mins.

*Was feeling a little tired this morning, needed a pick me up to get me though the workout. Turned out to be a really good training session. Looking into the future, and my training schedule, it works out that I get a high carb day on the day of my class reunion, Thank goodness. Decided it is time to start to let the fingernails grow, I'm not one for long nails as it is uncomfortable for working out and for working on the computer at work.

Sat. 8/28 Chest and Triceps, Sun. 8/29 Back and Hamstrings

Sat. 8/28
In db press; 25/10, 30/10 (warm up) 40/8, 40/6, 40/6
Flat bar; 50/10 (warm up) 60/10, 60/8
Chest dips, w/assist; 12, 11, 10
Rack push ups; 19, 15
Tricep press; 90/10, 100/10 (warm up) 110/10, 115/10
Db ext.;25/12 (warm up) 30/8, 30/9
1 arm underhand; 10/12, 10/11

Sun. 8/29
Lat pull down wide; 100/10, 100/8 (warm up) 110/8, 115/8, 115/6
Deads; 90/8 (warm up) 120/8, 120/8, 120/8
Bench row; 30/10, 35/10, 40/10
Seated row; 70/12, 70/11, 70/12
Lying leg curl; 30/10 (warm up) 40/10, 40/10, 50/8
Single leg curl; 55/12, 55/12, 55/10
Cardio, am; 40 mins

*Train at Retro Fitness in Southampton, Pa on Sat. on the way down to the competition as I would have the time to wait till my gym opens at 7. Nice, clean place though there was a whack-o that just thought he would decide to start up a conversation with me during my workout. He spoke as though he had been drunk, I had to ask him to leave me alone so I can workout. Got a big event coming up in 2 weeks, 20 year class reunion, eh ha.

Thurs. 8/26 Intervals and Fri. 8/27 Legs

Thurs. 8/26
Am cardio; 5 min warm up, 15 - 1 min. intervals, 15 min cool down
Pm cardio; 40 min. stepper

Fri. 8/27
10 min warm up
Leg ext.; 100/10, 110/10 (warm up) 120/10, 130/10
Front squat; 40/8, 40/8 (warm up) 50/8, 50/8, 60/8
Sumo squat; 80/10 (warm up) 90/10, 95/10, 100/10
Split squat; 40/12, 50/12, 50/12
Calf, singles; 4 sets of 20 @ 50lbs
Abs; 4 sets of 12, weighted, and 3 sets of 30 floor crunches
Pm cardio; 40 mins

*Shoulders were sore on Thursday and my back and neck has not been holding the adjustments for the past couple of weeks. I was actually having pain in my tail bone since I did legs on Sunday. Ask my chiro why, he said that I am stressing my body out more as I get closer to the show and I might have to come in twice a week till my competition. I will know more next visit, till then trying to be careful and not get hurt. No taking time off now.

Wed. 8/25 Shoulders and Biceps

Standing db press; 20/10, 20/10 (warm up) 25/8, 30/5, 30/6
1 arm cable raise; 5/12 (warm up) 10/10, 15/7
Rear delt ss; 85/12 (warm up) 90/12, 90/10
w/ upright row; 20/12 (warm up) 25/10, 25/10
Hammer curl; 25/8 (warm up) 30/6, 30/6, 35/5
Close curl; 20/10 (warm up) 25/10, 30/8
1 arm cable curl; 15/12, 20/8
Pm cardio; 40 mins Cybex

*Let me try to explain what my back feels like after yesterday's workout; it feels about 3 x's bigger than it looks, wow, what a great feeling. Today I felt the need to try to push up the weights on some of the workouts; cable raise, rear delt, and close curl. Had some good energy for my 4th day, normally it is a little low. Might be due to the fact that I have been sleeping 8 hrs. a night the last couple of days and doing cardio in the pm instead of right after lifting.

Tues. 8/24 Back and Hamstrings

Pull ups; 11, 9, 8, 8
Bent over row; 60/8 (warm up) 70/8, 80/7, 80/8
Rope pull down; 47.5 (warm up) 50/7, 50/6
Str. arm pull down; 40/12, 42.5/10, 42.5/9
Bar deads; 110/12, 110/12, 115/10
Leg curl; 110/12, 110/10 (warm up) 115/10, 115/9, 115/8
Pm cardio; intervals, 5 min. warm up, 15 - 1 min intervals, 15 min cool down

*Leg and glutes are still incredibly sore from Sunday's workout. After a disappointing first set of pull ups, I made the last 3 sets a bit more challenging. When I got to the last rep in each set, I held the position at the top for 5-10 sec. and then slowly came down to halfway and held that position for 5-10 sec. and slowly came down to the start position. Whoa momma!

Mon. 8/23 Chest and Triceps

Flat db press; 40/8, 40/8 (warm up) 45/8, 45/8, 50/8
Sl. in. db press; 35/10 (warm up) 40/8, 40/7
Flat bar; 50/10 (warm up) 60/10, 65/8
In. fly; 100/12, 100/12
Close press; 30/10, 30/10 (warm up) 35/10, 40/7
Rev. press down; 35/12 (warm up) 40/11, 40/10, 40/9
1 arm rope press; 10/12, 10/11
Cardio; PM 40 min. Cybex

*Pretty good workout, was able to increase weight in some categories even though I was feeling a little low in energy. Only have used Jack3d 3 times since I bought it about 3 weeks ago, trying to hold of on using it even though it gives me some really good energy.

Sun. 8/22 Legs

10 min. warm up
Leg press; 180/10, 230/10 (warm up) 360/10, 360/10, 360/10
Squat; 90/8 (warm up) 100/6, 100/8, 100/8
Leg ext.; 3 sets of 10 @ 120lbs.
Walking lunge; 3 sets of 12 @ 25lbs
Calf, high rep; 90/25, 90/30, 90/24, 90/30
Abs; 8 sets of 12-15

*Not much of a day off, had plan on a relaxing day, but I went with my mom to find her a companion dog. Funny thing is is she wanted a medium, short haired, young, female dog and as soon as we walked into the adoption center what sat in front of us just 5 feet away? You guessed it, just what we were looking for. She (Pepper) was on death row in Alabama and just arrived the day before, we spent time with her and checked out a couple of other dogs before packing her up and taking her home. As for me, time has come to order Core Flex as my knees were killing me yesterday. Made for a painful nights sleep till I woke up to take meds. and made for a brutal workout today. I did increase the Omega's bit I think I need more than that, I don't need anything from preventing me from doing cardio or my workouts. Finally got the chance to see what my back looked like, HOLY CRAP! Seeing the the weekly improvements is what keeps me pushing.

Fri. 8/20 Shoulders and Biceps

Db press; 20/8, 20/8 (warm up) 25/8, 25/7, 25/7
1 arm cable lat. 5/10 (warm up) 10/10, 10/8
Rear delt ss; 80/12 (warm up) 85/11, 85/10
w/ upright; 25/12 (warm up) 25/10, 25/10
Hammer curl; 25/6 (warm up) 30/6, 30/6, 35/5
Close curl; 20/10 (warm up) 25/9, 25/8
1 arm cable curl; 15/12, 20/10
Cardio, PM; 40 min

* A little tired and strength is a also low. Old elbow injury bothers me more and more the leaner I get and my as do my shoulders. Thought I could move up the weight after warm up in the upright rows, didn't happen. Oh well, pushing on.

Wed. 8/18 Chest & Triceps, Thurs. 8/19 Back and Hamstrings

Wed. 8/18, AM workout;
Flat db press; 40/8, 40/8 (warm up) 45/8, 50/8, 50/7
Sl. in db press; 35/10 (warm up) 40/9, 40/8
Flat bar; 50/10 (warm up) 60/10, 60/9
In. fly; 100/12, 100/12
Close press; 25/10, 25/10 (warm up) 30/10, 35/8
Rev. press down; 35/12 (warm up) 40/12, 40/10, 40/11
1 arm press down; 10/12, 10/10
PM cardio; 40 min stepper

Thurs; 8/19
Pull ups; 12, 10, 10, 9
Bb bentover row; 60/8 (warm up) 70/8, 75/8, 80/8
Rope pull down; 40/10 (warm up) 47.5/8, 47.5/8
Str. arm pull down; 40/12, 40/11, 40/9
Bar deads; 110/12, 110/12, 110/10
Leg curl; 110/10, 110/10 (warm up) 115/10, 115/8, 115/10

*Felt a little lazy Wednesday, not that I didn't want to workout and I wouldn't call it a tired feeling, just lazy. Then I rebounded today, really nice workout. Looking foward to a day off on Sat. no cardio or training scheduled and no yard work.

Mon. 8/16 Intervals and Tues. 8/17 Legs

Mon. 8/16
5 min warm up
20 - 1 min intervals
10 min cool down

Tues. 8/17
10 min warm up
Leg press; 180/10, 230/10 (warm up) 360/10, 360/10, 360/10
Squat; 90/8 (warm up) 100/8, 100/8, 100/8
Leg ext.; 120/10, 120/10, 120/10
Walking lunge; 3 sets of 12 @ 25lbs
Calf, hi rep.; 90/30, 90/30, 90/25, 90/26
Abs; 8 sets of 12

*Walked out the door this morning with shorts and a t shirt on and ended up going back in the house to put a sweat shirt on. Felt like it was 50 when it was actually 66. The sweat shirt stayed on through the leg press workouts. Strength has definitely dropped down a notch but, energy is still good. Shoulders are a little sore today which is odd cause I rarely feel my shoulder workouts.

Sun. 8/15 Shoulders and Biceps

Standing db press; 20/10, 25/8 (warm up) 30/7, 30/7, 30/6
1 arm cable lat.; 5/10 (warm up) 10/10, 10/10
Rear delt ss; 75/12 (warm up) 80/12, 80/12
w/ upright row; 25/12 (warm up) 30/10, 30/10
Hammer curls; 30/6 (warm up) 35/6, 35/6, 35/5
Close curl; 25/10 (warm up) 30/8, 30/9
1 arm cable curl; 15/12, 15/12
Cardio; 40 min Cybex

*Needed a little boost this morning, so today's workout was brought to you by Jack3D. By the joints in the elbows was hurting when I woke up. Could have been made worse by the yard work that I did yesterday at mom's. I actually would rather feel it more there than in my knees. Oh well, 10 weeks to go I guess it is to be expected.

Sat. 8/14 Back and Hamstrings

Pull ups; 12, 11, 8, 9
Bb bent over row; 50/8 (warm up) 70/8, 75/8, 75/8
Rope pull down; 40/8 (warm up) 42.5/8, 42.5/7
St. arm pull over; 35/12, 40/12, 40/12
Bar deads; 90/12, 110/12, 110/12
Leg curl; 100/10, 110/10 (warm up) 115/10, 120/10, 120/10
Cardio; 40 min. stepper

*Sick workout, felt really strong, love days like today. Last 2 sets of pull ups would have been better if the padding on the bar didn't slide. Hammer Strength equipment has a rubber padding instead of the foam type you find on other equipment and tend to move as wear down.

Fri. 8/13 Chest and Triceps

Flat db press; 45/8, 45/8 (warm up) 50/8, 50/6, 50/4
Sl. in. db press; 35/10 (warm up) 40/8, 40/8
Flat bar; 50/10 (warm up) 70/9, 70/8
In. fly; 100/12, 100/11
Close press; 20/10, 20/10 (warm up) 25.10, 30/10
Rev. press down; 30/12 (warm up) 35/12, 35/11, 40/10
1 arm press down; 10/12, 15/10
Cardio; 40 min. Cybex

*Nice energy throughout today's workout, didn't burn myself out on the db presses. Spoke to a fellow gym member/friend of mine that I have not seen in a week (she was on vacation). She was surprised how much leaner I became (she noticed it in my face and arms). Well, I mailed in my entry form and made it official, can't wait.

Wed. 8/11 Intervals & Thurs. 8/12 Legs

Wed. 8/11
5 min. warm up
20 - 1 min intervals
10 min. cool down

Thurs. 8/12
10 min warm up
Leg press; 180/10, 230/10 (warm up) 270/10, 360/10, 410/10
Squat; 90/8 (warm up) 100/8, 110/8, 110/7
Leg ext.; 3 sets of 12 @ 130lbs
Walking lunge; 3 sets of 12 @ 20lbs
Calf, hi. rep.; 50/30, 50/30, 50/25, 50/30
Abs; 6 sets of 12 reps, weighted

*Took awhile to warm up this morning especially when the joints are acting up again (elbows,knees and back). Kinda surprised myself that I was able to increase the weight in the press and squats. As I normally wear a T-shirt on leg day, I noticed today that the leanness is really starting to show in my upper body. Good times!

Tues. 8/10 Shoulders and Biceps

Db press; 20/8, 20/8 (warm up) 25/8, 25/8, 30/6
1 arm cable lat.; 5/10 (warm up) 10/8, 10/8
Rear delt, ss; 70/12 (warm up) 75/12, 75/12
w/ up right rows; 20/12 (warm up) 25/12, 25/10
Hammer curl; 25/6 (warm up) 30/6, 35/5, 35/6
Close curl; 20/10 (warm up) 25/10, 30/10
1 arm cable curl; 15/12, 15/12
Cardio; 40 min stepper

*Nothing like waking up and realizing how sore your lats and upper back is. Mixing it up, I did db press standing, up right rows with a preacher bar, and 1 arm cable curls with hands out to the side, elbows against waist to create a different angle.

Mon. 8/9 Back and Hamstrings

Pull ups; 10, 10, 9, 9
Bb bent over row; 50/8 (warm up) 60/8, 70/7, 70/7
Rope pull down; 35/8 (warm up) 40/8, 42.5/7
Str. arm pull down; 35/12, 35/12, 35/10
Stiff bb deads; 90/12, 90/12, 90/12
Leg curl; 85/10, 95/10 (warm up) 100/10, 100/10, 100/10

*Really good workout today, was so focused. Since I have no one to depend on to assist me with db leg curls, I am doing seated leg curl.

Fri. 8/6 Intervals, Sat. 8/7 Legs, Sun. 8/8 Chest & Triceps

Fri. 8/6
5 min warm up
20 1 min. intervals
10 min cool down

Sat. 8/7
10 min warm up
Leg press; 180/10, 270/10 (warm up) 360/10, 360/10, 360/10
Squat; 70/8 (warm up) 90/8, 100/8, 110/8
Leg ext.; 140/10, 140/8, 140/10
Walking lunge; 3 sets of 12 @ 20lbs
Calf, hi rep.; 50/30, 50/30, 50/25, 50/26
Abs; 6 sets of 10 - 12
Cardio; 1 hour boxing class

Sun. 8/8
Flat db press; 40/8, 45/8 (warm up) 55/6, 55/7, 55/6
Sl. in. db press; 35/10 (warm up) 40/10, 40/10
Flat bar; 40/10 (warm up) 60/10, 60/9
In. fly; 100/12, 100/12
Close press; 10/12, 10/12 (warm up) 20/12, 25/12
Rev. press down; 30/12 (warm up) 35/11, 35/10, 35/9
1 arm press; 10/10ea., 10/10
Cardio; 40 min. treadmill, 6.0 incline, 3.3 speed

*Wow, the 360lb leg press felt like the 500lbs I used to do months ago. Used kettle bells for walking lunges and leg press for calf raises. Didn't take long after boxing class for my butt to feel like it was kicked. And the glutes were SORE this morning. No chains at the gym for flat bar so just had to use old fashion weights.

Thurs. 8/6 Shoulders and Biceps

Db side lateral; 25/8 (warm up) 30/8, 35/7, 35/6
Hi. in. db press; 20/10 (warm up) 25/10, 30/6
Cable floor raises; 5/12 (warm up) 10/10, 10/7
Cable upright row; 35/10 (warm up) 40/10, 40/10
In. db curl; 25/6 (warm up) 30/6, 35/5, 30/6
Cable curl; 35/10 (warm up) 40/10, 42.5/8
1 arm preacher; 15/12, 15/12
Cardio; 40 mins. cybex

*Not that I was low on energy or strength, though it usually is a little lower on shoulder day. I test out Jack3d and mixed it with Extend and drank it during my workout to find out how it effects me and when it kicks in. By the time I got to cable uprights I was feeling the power. It didn't make it feel like my heart was going to pop out of my chest or give me a headache. I give it an A+ and will keep the lid on it and use it for the days when I really need it, no sense it getting immuned to it at 11 weeks out.

Wed. 8/5 Back and Hamstrings

Lat pull down palm up; 100/10, 110/8 (warm up) 120/8, 120/8, 120/7
T bar row; 100/8 (warm up) 110/8, 110/8 115/8
Db deads; 65/10 (warm up) 70/10, 70/10
Close low row; 3 sets of 12 @ 70lbs
Good mornings; 50/12, 60/12, 60/12
Glute / ham; 22, 19, 15
Cardio; 40 mins. cybex

* Good workout, was a little more cautious while I was doing glute/ham raise, didn't wanna slip off the bench again. Ordered a container of Jack3d for those mornings that I need a little extra ump. Been hearing a lot of good things about the product.

Tues. 8/3 Chest and Triceps

Sl. in. bar press; 0/20, 20/15 (warm up) 50/8, 60/6, 60/6
In. db press; 25/10 (warm up) 30/10, 32.5/7
Flat fly; 35/12 (warm up) 40/10, 40/10
Uneven push ups; 20, 16
Dips, w/ 25lbs; 20, 12, 15, 16
Rope; 20/12 (warm up) 25/12, 25/12
Lying bar ext.; 20/10, 20/10
Cardio; 40 mins. stepper

*Took a little extra time to warm up, and progressed nicely as I was able to increase the weights and/or more reps. Glutes and quads sore, but feels good.

Mon. 8/2 Legs

10 min. warm up
Squats; 50/8, 50/8 (warm up) 90/8, 110/8, 120/7
Hack; 50/10 (warm up) 70/10, 90/10
Sissy; 3 sets of 20 @ 10lbs
Bar lunge; 3 sets of 12 ea. @ 30lbs
Donkey; 4 sets of 20 @ 90lbs
Abs, weighted; 6 sets of 12

*With the back still being sore from Fridays slip, I lightened up the squat loads just a smig. Funny thing is is that I felt it more doing the sissy squats.

Sat. 7/31 Shoulders & Biceps

Cardio; 40 mins Cybex @ Muscle Inc.

Weight training @ Cornerstone Fitness
Side lateral; 25/8 (warm up) 30/8, 30/8, 35/7
Hi. in. db press; 20/10 (warm up) 25/10, 30/8
Cable floor raises; 15/10 (warm up) 20/10, 20/8
In. db curl; 25/6 (warm up) 30/6, 30/5, 35/4
Cable curl; 65/10 (warm up) 70/10, 80/10
1 arm preacher; 15/12, 20/10

Posing class w/ Joe

*Hitting yet another different gym, and I have to say I got a bit of a creepy feeling. Like I was being watch, and I was. One of them was a much older gentleman who seem to be following me around. Anyway it was a great workout, biceps strength is improving by the workout. Posing class was great, I felt really conditioned and didn't break much of a sweat.

Fri. 7/30 Back and Hamstrings

Lat pull down palm up; 100/8, 100/8 (warm up) 120/8, 125/7, 125/6
T bar row; 100/8 (warm up) 110/8, 115/7, 115/8
Db deads; 60/10 (warm up) 65/10, 65/10
Close low row; 3 sets of 12 @ 70lbs
Good mornings; 3 sets of 12 @ 50lbs
Glute / ham; 17, 20, 20
Cardio; 40 mins stepper

*Good workout, that is till I'm knee slipped off the lat pull down seat and almost ended up on my face, lol. Of course I had to look around to see if anyone saw what happened. Here a tip, don't wear nylon pants on glute/ham day. I knew that I pulled my back out of alignment, good thing it as adjustment day. Well as far as the stomach bug that I had it's over. I won't go into the gruesome symptoms, but it had a big effect on my leaning out / weight loss. I didn't hear about any bugs that were going around so I think it was something I ate, which could have been about 6 different thing. I will not be eating those items again. Well, hitting Cornerstone to do my workout tomorrow before posing class, can't wait.

Thurs. 7/29 Chest and Triceps

Sl. in. bar press; 20/15, 50/8 (warm up) 60/7, 60/5, 55/8
In. db press; 25/10 (warm up) 27.5/10, 30/8
Flay fly; 30/12 (warm up) 35/12, 35/12
Uneven push ups; 20, 18
Dips w/ 25lbs.; 17, 16, 12, 14
Rope; 20/12 (warm up) 25/12, 30/10
Lying bar ext.; 20/10, 20/8
Cardio; 40 min treadmill, 5.5 incline and 3.5 speed

*I can't wait till this work week is over, it has been nuts the past couple of months and it is starting to catch up with me. And it doesn't help when the boss is on vacation. I have no plans on doing anything on Sunday, not even at mom's house. I need a break, that is till I go to work at 4:30. Coming up on 12 weeks out, I have to start thinking about myself too. Sorry about the venting.

Tues. 7/27 Intervals & Wed. 7/28 Legs

Tues. 7/27
5 min warm up
15 - min intervals
10 min cool down

Wed. 7/28
10 min warm up
Squat; 90/8, 90/8 (warm up) 120/8, 120/8, 130/6
Hack; 60/10 (warm up) 70/10, 80/10
Sissy; 10/20, 10/20, 10/18
Bar lunge, each; 30/10, 35/10, 35/10
Donkey; 4 sets of 20 @ 110lbs
Abs, high rep; 300 reps of upper, lower and obliques

*Not feeling as strong as the last go around, but still kept up the intensity. Apparently I have had some kind of stomach bug the last couple of weeks. Not sure if it was something that I ate or drank, but after taking some meds things have improved.

Sun. 7/25 Back & Hams, Mon. 7/26 Shoulders & Biceps

Sun. 7/25
Lat pulldown palm up; 100/8, 100/8 (warm up) 120/8, 125/6, 125/5
T bar row; 100/8 (warm up) 110/8, 115/8, 120/6
Db deads; 55/10 (warm up) 60/10, 60/10
Close low row; 3 sets of 12 @ 70lbs.
Good mornings; 60/12, 60/12, 70/10
Glute / ham; 18, 20, 17
Abs; 6 sets of 15 - 25 weighted
Cardio; 40 mins. stepper

Mon. 7/26
Db side lateral; 20/10 (warm up) 25/8, 30/8, 30/7
Hi. in. db press; 20/10 (warm up) 25/10, 25/10
Cable floor raises; 5/10 (warm up) 10/10, 10/10
Cable upright; 30/10 (warm up) 35/10, 40/10
In. db curl; 25/6 (warm up) 30/8, 30/6, 35/3 1/2 (almost squeezed out a 4th)
Cable curl; 30/10 (warm up) 35/10, 40/10
Cable 1 arm preacher curl; 20/12, 20/11
Cardio; 40 mins Cybex

*Good workouts, biceps are feeling so much stronger. Back workouts felt great too.

Sat. 7/24 Chest and Triceps

Sl. in. bar press; 50/8, 50/8 (warm up) 60/8, 60/7, 65/5
In. db press; 25/10 (warm up) 30/10, 30/8
Flat fly; 25/12 (warm up) 30/12, 35/11
Uneven push ups; 17, 15
Dips w/ 25lb. plate; 16, 14, 14, 15
Rope; 25/12 (warm up) 30/10, 30/9
Lying bar ext.; 20/8, 20/7

*Not a bad workout for not sleeping well last night (too hot) Not an AC kinda person but, it's on today. My poor border collie was begging me and fans just are not cutting it no more. Taking mom to visit dad today, as yesterday would have been his birthday.

Thurs. 7/22 Intervals & Fri. 7/23 Legs

Thurs. 7/22
5 mins. warm up
15 -1 min. intervals
10 min cool down

Fri. 7/23
10 min warm up
Squats; 90/8, 90/8 (warm up) 120/8, 120/8, 130/7
Hack; 50/10 (warm up) 70/10, 80/8
Sissy; 10/16, 10/17, 10/17
Bar lunge; 3 sets of 10 ea. @ 30lbs
Donkey; 90/20, 100/20, 100/20, 100/20
Abs 9 sets of 15 - 20
15 min. cool down

*Loving this workout, I was spent by the time I got to lunges. Had to really push myself to get it done. Quads swelled up like a balloon when I was finished (or at least they felt like they did).

Wed. 7/21 Shoulders and Biceps

Cardio; 40 mins. stepper
Side lateral; 20/8 (warm up) 25/8, 25/8, 30/8
Hi. in. db press; 20/10 (warm up) 25/10, 25/10
Cable rear delt raise; 10/10 (warm up) 15/10, 15/10
Cable upright; 30/10 (warm up) 35/10, 35/10
In db curl; 20/10 (warm up) 25/6, 30/6, 30/6
Cable curl; 25/10 (warm up) 30/10, 35/9
1 arm preacher; 15/12, 15/12

*Doing cardio first yesterday worked well so, I decided to do it again today. The last 2 days feeling sore just about every where (new workout routine syndrome), doing cardio first allows me to loosen up the muscles.

Tues. 7/20 Back and Hamstrings

Cardio; 40 mins Cybex
Lat pull down palm up; 85/8, 100/8 (warm up) 120/8, 120/6, 120/6
T bar row; 90/8 (warm up) 100/8, 110/8, 115/6
Db deads; 50/10 (warm up) 55/10, 65/8
Close low row; 70/12, 70/12, 75/10
Good mornings; 3 sets of 12 @ 50lbs
Glute / ham.; 14, 12, 13

*Wasn't ready to hit the weights when I got to the gym so, I did my cardio first; good choice. The bench that I was using for T bar's moved on me during the first working set, one of the other gym members so it. The nice guy that he is (loves to talk though) sat on the bench so it won't move. Didn't bring the hooks for db deads, maybe I won't bring them the next time either since this is a big back workout, hummm. Never did good mornings before so I had a guy that I have seen doing them show me how it's done. Kept it light till I get the form down. Triceps are very sore from yesterdays workout, quads too from the day before.

Mon. 7/19 Chest and Triceps

Sl. in bar press; 20/12, 30/12 (warm up) 45/8, 55/7, 60/6
In db press; 20/10 (warm up) 25/10, 30/8
Flat fly; 20/12 (warm up) 25/12, 30/12
Uneven push up; 15, 16
Dips w/ 25lbs.; 16, 16, 15, 15
Rope; 30/12 (warm up) 35/12, 35/12
Lying bar ext.; 15/10, 15/10
Cardio; 40 mins. treadmill, 5.5 incline / 3.3 speed

*Solid workout today, nothing fancy. Quads are sore from yesterdays killer leg workout.

Sat, 7/17 SS Cardio and Sun. 7/18 Legs

Sat. 7/17
1 hour boxing class

Sun. 7/18
10 min warm up
Squat; 50/8, 70/8 (warm up) 90/8, 110/7, 120/8
Hack squat; 50/10 (warm up) 70/8, 70/8
Sissy squat; 5/20, 10/18, 10/15
Bar lunge; 20/20, 25/20, 30/20
Donkey; 90/18, 90/15, 90/15, 90/15
Abs; 3 sets of 30
3 sets of 12
3 sets of 20

*Busy day Saturday, 1 hour boxing class and then up to mom's. Since the grass did not need to be cut I have been working on cleaning (maybe organizing is a better word) the garage and back yard shed. You see, my dad was an electrician and he stocked up on so much stuff that my mom could open a small hardware store. So since she is ready, we plan on have a garage sale on Labor Day weekend. All this work kicked my butt on a low carb day, by 5pm I needed a nap. Leg day was awesome, since the gym does not have a Hack machine or a Donkey calf raise machine I had to improvise. I did Hack Squats with a barbell and Donkeys with 2 plates on the floor and the barbell was set up as if I was going to do squats.

Fri. 7/16 Shoulders and Biceps

Seated bar press; 40/12, 50/8 (warm up) 70/8, 80/8, 85/5
Seated side lateral; 45/10, 45/8, 45/10
Front raise ss; 15/12 (warm up) 15/12, 15/12
w/ rear bench row; 20/12 (warm up) 25/12, 25/12
Bar curl; 20/6 (warm up) 25/6, 30/6, 30/4
Rope curl; 35/10 (warm up) 40/10, 42.5/10
Con curl; 25/12, 25/12
Cardio; 40 min. stepper

*Hur-ray, I hit 6 reps @ 30lbs in the bar curl. That's a grand total of 75lbs (with the bar weight). Of course I only did it once but, what a great feeling you get when you reach a new goal.

Thurs. 7/15 Back and Hamstrings

Wide lat pull down; 100/8, 100/8 (warm up) 115/7, 115/7, 120/6
Deads; 100/8 (warm up) 140/8, 150/6, 150/6
Bench row; 40/10, 40/10, 45/10
Seated row; 100/12, 100/12, 100/10
Leg curl; 115/10 (warm up) 120/10, 120/10, 125/10
Single leg curl; 3 sets of 12 @ 45lbs
Cardio; 40 min. stepper

*I am so thinking about using my hooks or straps for certain workouts but, they pull too much on my wrist (I have enough problems with them). So they stay in my pickup. Hammies are feeling really strong and have been increasing the weight each time. Think I will hit the Sat. morning boxing class and add the finishing touch to my routine.

Wed. 7/14 Chest and Triceps

In. db press; 25/10, 25/8 (warm up) 35/7, 35/6, 35/6
Flat bar press; 50/10 (warm up) 60/9, 60/10
Chest dips w/assist; 18, 15, 14
Rack push ups; 15, 20
Tricep press; 40/10, 42.5/10 (warm up) 45/10, 50/10
Db ext.; 30/12 (warm up) 35/11, 35/12
1 arm underhand; 15/30, 15/25
Abs; 9 sets of 15 - 20

*As the cable machine was being occupied for 1 arm underhand, I did tandem db kickbacks to failure. Had such a good leg workout yesterday I'm already feeling it in my quads and glutes.

Mon. 7/12 Intervals & Tues. 7/13 Legs

Mon. 7/12
5 min warm up
20 - 1 min intervals
10 min cool down

Tues. 7/13
10 min warm up
Leg ext.; 130/10 (warm up) 145/10, 150/10
Front squat; 50/8, 50/8 (warm up) 3 sets of 8 @ 60lbs
Sumo squat; 90/10 (warm up) 100/10, 110/10, 110/10
Split squat w/db; 3 sets of 12 @ 30lbs
Calf, singles; 4 sets of 20 @ 70lbs

Seemed like whatever I did with front squats I could go as heavy as I know I can. My wrist just can't take the pressure but, the 110 lbs sumo's were BRUTAL. Did db splits for some spice and leg extensions felt great. Calves continue to gain deeper lines and separation.

Sun. 7/11 Shoulders and Biceps

Seated bar press; 50/8, 50/8 (warm up) 70/8, 80/8, 90/6
Seated side lat; 45/10, 45/10, 50/7
Front raise ss; 20/12 (warm up) 25/10, 20/12
w/ rear bench row; 30/12 (warm up) 35/10, 35/9
Bar curl; 20/6 (warm up) 25/6, 25/6, 30/4 (nice attempt)
Rope curl; 35/12 (warm up) 40/10, 42.5/7
Con. curl; 30/10, 30/10
Abs; 7 sets of 15-20
Cardio; 40 min. Cybex

*Another good workout, thought I would attempt 30's in the bb curl, couldn't squeeze out a 5th rep. Had to drop back down to 20's after the 25's walked away during front raises.

Sat. 7/10 Back and Hamstrings

Wide lat pull down; 100/8, 110/8 (warm up) 115/6, 120/6, 120/6
Deads; 90/8 (warm up) 130/8, 140/7, 150/6
Bench row; 35/10, 35/10, 40/10
Seated row; 90/12, 100/12, 100/11
Leg curl; 100/10 (warm up) 115/10, 120/9, 120/9
Single leg curl; 40/12, 40/12, 45/10
Cardio; 40 min. treadmill 3.3 speed, 5.0 incline

*Awesome workout today, even though it's Sat. and I don't have to work I still keep a quick pace. Burn baby, burn.

Fri. 7/9 Chest and Triceps

In db press; 25/8, 25/8 (warm up) 35/8, 35/8, 40/7
Flat bar; 50/10 (warm up) 70/7, 70/7
Chest dips w/assist; 20, 17, 15
Rack push ups; 25, 20
Tricep press; 35/10, 42.5/10 (warm up) 47.5/10, 47.5/10
Db ext.; 25/12 (warm up) 30/12, 35/12
1 arm underhand; 10/20, 15/8
Cardio; 40 min. Cybex

*I'm really enjoy these workouts as I seem to keep a faster pace (kinda due to having to get in a 40 min. cardio session). Still giving myself enough of a rest period between sets and moving from station to station keeping the heart rate up.

Thurs. 7/8 Legs

10 min. warm up
Leg ext.; 125/10 (warm up) 140/10, 150/10
Front squat; 50/8, 50/8 (warm up) 75/8, 80/8, 85/6
Sumo squat; 80/10 (warm up) 3 sets of 10 @ 100lbs
Split squat; 3 sets of 12ea @ 60lbs
Calf, singles; 4 sets of 20ea @ 50lbs
Abs; 8 sets of 10-25 reps

*Great workout, kept a good pace, even ignored another gym member (he can talk up a storm). I then explained to him that I wanted to keep my pace, he understood completely. Nice to move up on some of the weights. Like to try 110lbs sumo next time as that is the next dumbbell weight.

Tues. 7/6 Shoulders & Biceps, Wed. 7/7 Intervals

Tues. 7/6
Seated bar press; 30/12, 40/10 (warm up) 50/8, 70/8, 90/5
Seated side lateral; 40/10, 40/10, 45/9
Front raise ss; 15/12 (warm up) 20/12, 20/12
w/ rear bench row; 25/12 (warm up) 30/12, 30/12
Bar curl; 20/6 (warm up) 25/6, 25/6, 25/6
Rope curl; 30/10 (warm up) 35/9, 35/9
Con. curl; 25/12, 25/12
Cardio; 20 min treadmill, 3.0 @ 5.0 incline, 20 min elliptical

Wed 7/7
5 min warm up
20 - 1 min intervals
10 min cool down

*I have been splitting what equipment I use when I plan on hitting the elliptical. It may sound strange but, my feet tingle after about 25 min. on the elliptical. If I use the cybex machine I don't get that tingling.

Sun. 7/4 Chest & Triceps & Mon. 7/5 Back & Hamstrings

Sun. 7/4
In. ISO press; 25/12, 30/10 (warm up) 45/8, 55/5, 55/5
Flat bar; 40/10 (warm up) 60/10, 70/8
Chest dips; 35/26, 40/27, 40/23
Rack push ups; 20, 15
Tricep press; 80/10, 90/10 (warm up) 100/10, 100/10
Db ext; 30/10 (warm up) 35/10, 35/9
1 arm underhand; 30/12, 40/8
Cardio; 40 min. elliptical

Mon. 7/5
Wide lat pull down; 100/8, 100/8 (warm up) 115/7, 115/6, 115/6
Deads; 90/8 (warm up) 130/6, 130/6, 130/6
Bench row; 30/10, 35/10, 35/10
Seated row; 3 sets of 12 @ 90lbs
Leg curl; 110/10 (warm up) 115/10, 125/8, 125/10
Single leg curl; 35/12, 40/12, 40/12
Cardio; 40 min. cybex

Fri. 7/1 Intervals and Sat. 7/2 Legs

Fri. 7/1
5 min. warm up
20 - 1 min intervals
10 min cool down
Abs; 8 sets of 15-20

Sat. 7/2
10 min. warm up
Leg ext.; 120/10 (warm up) 130/10, 130/10
Front squat; 50/8, 50/8 (warm up) 70/8, 80/6, 80/6
Sumo squat; 70/10 (warm up) 80/10, 90/10, 100/10
Split squat; 3 sets of 12 @ 50lbs ea.
Calf, singles; 4 sets of 20 ea.
10 min cool down

*Now this is the energy and strength that I like to have when I hit legs. Could it have been the massage? Since my gym is closed tomorrow I am training at LA Fitness before I head to the 4th of July party. Gonna seem strange not going to work tomorrow.

Thurs. 7/1 Shoulders and Biceps

Seated ISO press; 50/12, 50/10 (warm up) 70/8, 80/8, 85/5
Seated db side lat.;15/10, 15/10, 20/10
Front raise ss; 10/12 (warm up) 20/12, 20/12
w/ rear bench row; 20/12 (warm up) 25/12, 25/12
Bb curl; 10/6 (warm up) 20/6, 25/5, 25/5
Rope curl; 25/10 (warm up) 30/10, 30/10
Con. curl; 20/12, 25/12
Cardio; 40 mins. (20-elliptical, 20-bike)

*Pretty good workout today, energy and strength have leveled out. Not as tired as I was in the past couple of weeks. Looking forward to a massage tomorrow, and my first 2 day weekend since.......well I can't remember when. Determined to spread out the remaining 4 yards of mulch Saturday.

Wed. 6/30 Back and Hamstrings

Wide lat pull down; 85/8, 95/8 (warm up) 105/8, 115/8, 120/8
Bb deads; 70/8 (warm up) 110/8, 130/8, 140/5
In. bench db row; 30/10, 30/10, 30/10
Seated row; 70/12, 75/12, 75/12
Leg curl; 100/10 (warm up) 120/10, 120/9, 120/10
Single leg curl; 30/12, 30/12, 35/10
Cardio; 40 min. stepper

*Hit the gym this morning not feeling tired, and had better energy. Tried something new (at least for me) with the bench row. As far as the lying leg curl, I have never been to a gym that only had an ISO lying leg curl machine. So I rigged it to use the machine as a standing single leg curl and replaced the lying leg curl for seated leg curl. I did try to jerry rig the ISO lying leg machine by using a broom stick handle. Needless to say, it didn't work. Oh well.

Tues. 6/29 Chest and Triceps

In. db press; 20/12, 25/8 (warm up) 30/8, 35/7, 35/6
Flat bar; 30/10 (warm up) 50/10, 70/8
Chest dips; 15, 18, 15
Rack push ups; 14, 17
Tricep press; 30/12, 42.5/10 (warm up) 47.5/10, 47.5/10
Db ext.; 15/12 (warm up) 20/10, 20/9
1 arm underhand; 15, 15, 15/14
Cardio; 40 min. Cybex

*Better energy and not as tired as yesterday. Thought this workout would take longer to do but, I got it finished a little earlier and with cardio I still left the gym by 8.

Mon. 6/28 Legs

10 min warm up
Leg ext.; 115/10 (warm up) 130/10, 140/10
Front squat; 20/8, 40/8 (warm up) 50/8, 55/8, 55/8
Sumo squat; 50/10 (warm up) 60/10, 70/10, 80/10
Split squat; 3 sets of 12 @ 50lbs each
Calf, singles; 4 sets of 20 each
Cardio; 40 mins treadmill (5.0 incline, 2.8 speed)

*Tired and having low energy to hit a new workout program and the knees and ankle (r) joints bothering me I pushed on with legs. I did split squats on the smith machine using a bench to rest non working leg on. Calf singles was done on the leg press machine adding no weight. Hoping new changes in micros and cardio help with the tiredness and low energy. Maybe it will help the joints too.

Sat. 6/26 Shoulders and Triceps

Db press; 15/12, 20/10 (warm up) 25/8, 25/8, 30/7
Db up right row; 20/10 (warm up) 25/10, 30/8, 30/10
Rear delt; 85/12, 85/10, 85/8
Cable bar ext.; 35/10, 40/10 (warm up) 42.5/10, 42.5/10, 42.5/10
Db kickbacks; 20/12 (warm up) 20/12, 25/10, 25/10
Abs; 8 sets of 10 - 12

*Good workout today, not as strong as I was yesterday. A little cooking and yard work at mom's today then a horseback riding with friends tomorrow.

Fri. 6/25 Back and Hamstrings

Pull ups; 9, 7, 7, 13 (w/ assist)
Bb bent over row; 40/8, 45/8 (warm up) 50/8, 60/8, 70/6
Rope pull down; 35/12 (warm up) 40/12, 42.5/10, 42.5/10
Stiff leg bar; 70/8, 80/8 (warm up) 90/8, 100/8, 110/8
Leg curl; 30/12 (warm up) 35/12, 35/10, 35/12
Cardio; 30 min. elliptical

*Boy, did I feel strong this morning and I wonder where it came from. Deads are feeling great, wanted to go heavier but, I didn't want to take the chance popping a rib again(baby steps). Whelp, starting to hear the skinny comments at work already, "You better go back to the break room and get some of that food you are starting to whither away". And what is with the joints already, I'm feeling it in my knees, ankles (especially the one I sprained in 2006) and wrist. Could my body fat be low enough at 17 weeks out to have these issues? Hopefully the joint rescue that I ordered from my sponsor helps.

Thurs. 6/24 Chest and Biceps

Flat db press; 30/10, 40/8(warm up) 50/6, 50/8, 50/8
Sl. in. db press; 35/10 (warm up) 40/8, 40/10, 40/10
In. fly; 20/12, 20/12, 20/9
Preacher curl; 30/6, 30/6 (warm up) 35/6, 35/6, 35/5
Db hammer; 15/10 (warm up) 20/10, 25/8, 25/8
Cardio; 30 min. cybex

*Nothing too exciting with the workout today till I got to biceps. After weeks of seeing my left bicep vein my right bicep vein decided to come out of hibernation.

Wed. 6/23 Legs

Squat; 50/10, 60/10 (warm up) 80/10, 80/10, 85/10, 90/8
Leg ext.; 140/8, 140/8, 140/8
Hack squat; 130/10 (warm up) 150/10, 150/10, 160/7
Walking lunge; 3 sets of 12 @ 25lbs
Calf, high rep. 30, 25, 25, 30, 30
Abs; 8 sets of 8 - 25 reps

*Much better energy during this leg workout, thank goodness. Happy to be able to move up a little on the weight loads, especially squats. Coming up on 17 weeks out and I'm already starting to feel the workouts in my knees, crap.

Mon. 6/21 Shoulders & Triceps, Tues. 6/22 Intervals

Mon. 6/21
Db press; 20/8, 20/8 (warm up) 25/8, 25/8, 25/8
Db upright row; 20/10 (warm up) 25/10, 30/8, 30/10
Rear delt; 85/12, 85/10, 85/9
Cable bar ext.; 30/10, 35/10 (warm up) 42.5/10, 47.5/10, 47.5/10
Tandem db kick backs; 15/12 (warm up) 20/10, 20/12, 20/12
Cardio; 30 mins. stepper

Tues. 6/22
5 min. warm up
15 - 1 min. intervals
10 min. cool down

*Sat in the sauna Sunday for 20 mins., felt really good. Then work on putting my posing routine together now that I picked a song. Mondays workout was a little weak, had a little less energy than I thought I would. One more round of Routine C then onto 3 brand new workout routines. Looking forward to going horseback riding with some friends on Sunday.

Sat. 6/19 Chest & Biceps, Sun. 6/20 Back & Hamstrings

Sat. 6/19
Flat db press; 30/10, 40/8 (warm up) 45/8, 50/8, 50/8
Sl. in. db press; 30/10 (warm up) 35/10, 40/8, 40/7
In. cable fly; 20/12, 20/10, 20/10
Preacher curl; 30/6, 30/6 (warm up) 40/6, 45/5, 45/5
Db hammer curl; 25/10 (warm up) 30/10, 30/9, 30/10

Sun. 6/20
Pull ups; 6, 4, 4, 12 (w/assist)
Bb bent over row; 40/8, 40/8 (warm up) 45/8, 50/8, 55/8
Rope pull down; 35/12 (warm up) 42.5/12, 42.5/10, 42.5/9
Stiff leg bar; 70/8, 70/8 (warm up) 80/8, 90/8, 100/8
Leg curl; 30/12 (warm up) 35/10, 35/12, 35/12

*Great news; ribs are 100%, hooray!!! Energy was through the roof on Sat. Took a friend of my to the 1 1/2 hour boxing class that I have been taking every 2 weeks. Needless to he needed a nap when he was done. Spent the remained of the day hauling, shoveling and spreading 2 yards of mulch at mom's house. Then it was my turn for needing a nap. Biceps are sore today from all of yesterdays work and my energy was lower so I don't plan on doing anything for the rest of the day. I must say with the ribs back to health, the deads felt great.

Thurs. 6/17 Intervals & Fri. 6/18 Legs

Thurs. 6/17
5 min warm up
15 - 1 min intervals
10 min cool down

Fri. 6/18
10 min warm up
Bb squat; 50/10, 50/10 (warm up) 60/10, 70/10, 80/10, 80/10
Leg ext.; 3 sets of 8 @ 130lbs
Hack squat; 120/10 (warm up) 150/10, 150/8, 150/8
Walking lunge; 3 sets of 12 @ 25lbs
Calf raise, high rep.; 30, 25, 25, 30, 25
Abs; 9 sets of 12 - 20

*For having no energy the workout was not bad, didn't go up on the weights nor did I drop. Triceps are really sore from Wed. workout, must have been from squeezing them while I was doing kickbacks (feels good).

Wed. 6/16 Shoulders and Triceps

Db press;20/8, 20/8 (warm up) 25/8, 30/6, 30/6
Db upright row; 20/10 (warm up) 25/10, 30/9, 30/8
Rear delt; 85/12, 90/10, 90/8
Cable bar press; 35/10, 35/10 (warm up) 40/10, 42.5/10, 42.5/10
Db tandem kickbacks; 20/12 (warm up) 3 sets of 10 @ 25lbs
Cardio; 30 min. cybex

*Not a bad workout today. Had a tank top on this morning and the definition in my shoulders are really showing (before I even started working out). Wow, I look so much better than I did in years past. My lats seem to get wider as my waist gets smaller and the adjustments I'm getting help as well. All this is just making me want to work harder to get to my goal.

Tues. 6/15 Back and Hamstrings

Pull ups; 8, 7, 6, 10 (w/assist)
Bb bentover row; 40/8, 45/8 (warm up) 50/8, 60/8, 60/8
Rope pull down; 30/12 (warm up) 35/12, 42.5/12, 42.5/9
Stiff leg bar; 70/8, 70/8 (warm up) 80/8, 80/8, 80/8
Leg curl; 30/12 (warm up) 35/12, 35/12, 40/10
Cardio; 30 mins. ellipictal

*A little better energy today. Thought I was going to be able to move up on the deads but, a little voice in my head (Joe's) sent me a reminder.

Mon. 6/14 Chest and Biceps

Flat db press; 45/8, 45/8 (warm up) 50/8, 50/8, 50/6
Slight in. db press; 30/10 (warm up) 35/10, 35/10, 35/9
Cable in. fly; 20/12, 20/11, 20/9
Preacher curl; 30/6, 35/6 (warm up) 40/5, 40/6, 40/5
Db hammer curl; 25/10 (warm up) 30/10, 35/8, 35/10

*So much for seeing 60lb db presses for awhile, energy is low so unfortunately it has brought down my strength. The good thing is that I like how I am looking in the mirror.

Sun. 6/13 Legs

10 min. warm up
Bb squat; 40/10, 60/10 (warm up) 75/10, 80/10, 80/10, 85/10
Leg ext.; 130/8, 130/8, 135/8
Hack squat; 110/10 (warm up) 150/10, 150/10, 150/9
Walking lunge; 3 sets of 12 @ 25lbs
Calf, high rep.; 5 sets of 30
Abs.; 8 sets of 12 - 25 reps
10 min. cool down

*After a lazy day off Sat, it was nice to hit the gym feeling refreshed. Was able to go up in weight on almost all of the workouts. Starting to see some nice separation in the hamstring and quad in the side pose. Calves are looking awesome as well, as I consider them one of my better features besides my lats. Mowing and weed whacking kicked by butt today, too hot.

Fri. 6/11 Shoulders and Triceps

Db press; 20/8, 20/8 (warm up) 3 sets of 8 @ 25lbs
Db upright row; 20/10 (warm up) 25/10, 25/10, 30/10
Rear delt; 85/12, 85/11, 85/9
Overhead cable ext.;30/10, 30/10 (warm up) 35/10, 40/10, 45/10
Tandem db kickback; 20/12 (warm up) 3 sets of 12 @ 25lbs
Abs.; 9 sets 0f 10-12
Cardio; 30 mins. cybex

*Decent workout today, last couple of mornings I thought I looked a little flat. Then I do my warm up sets and bang the definition starts to show. Those wonderful twitching muscle are back and today I'm sitting at work and my hammies were so sore that I had to stand for a while. Then my quads and calf muscle soreness kicked in and I finally gave in and took a couple of ibuprofen. Day off tomorrow, hitting the farmers market, rest and cooking my meals for the week.

Thurs. 6/10 Back and Hamstrings

Pull ups; 6, 6, 5, 12 w/assist
Bb bent over row; 20/10, 40/8 (warm up) 50/8, 60/8, 60/8
Rope pull down; 30/12 (warm up) 35/12, 42.5/10, 42.5/9
Bb stiff leg deads; 50/8, 50/8 (warm up) 70/8, 80/8, 80/8
Leg curl; 30/12 (warm up) 40/10, 40/10, 40/12, 40/10
Cardio; 30 mins. elliptical

*Ok, did someone forget to tell me that today was "men only day" at the gym. No joke there was one of me and about 15 guys. As much as I wanted to go heavier on the bent over and deads my ribs just would not let me. Oh well, it's best to wait till they're 100% before I tackle the big boy weights.

Wed. 6/9 Chest and Biceps

Flat db press; 40/8, 45/8 (warm up) 55/6, 55/5, 55/5
Slight in. db press; 30/10 (warm up) 35/8, 35/10, 35/9
In. cable fly; 20/12, 20/12, 20/12
Preacher curl; 30/6, 30/6 (warm up) 40/6, 40/5, 40/5
Db hammer curl; 20/10 (warm up) 25/10, 25/10, 30/10
Cardio; 30 mins. stepper

*Spent all my energy on the flat db press and left nothing for the rest of the workout. I thought I was going to be able to hit the 60lbs db's bt, I just made it with the 55's, crap. Happened to notice that the forms for the OCB Yorton Cup Nationals is up. They are really running it different this year if I'm reading it right. It is also moved to a different location, to Bethesda from Bowie. I'm a little confused about the divisions, seems like there is only 1 division for me to enter Women's Bodybuilding age 35-44 but, at the top of the page it states Open and Masters IFPA Pro Qualifier. Where is the other divisions?

Mon. 6/7 Intervals & Tues. 6/8 Legs

Mon. 6/7
5 min. warm up
15 - 1 min. intervals
10 min. cool down

Tues. 6/8
10 min. warm up
BB squat; 0/12, 20/12 (warm up) 50/10, 70/10, 75/10, 75/10
Leg ext.; 130/8, 130/8, 130/8
Hack squat; 100/10 (warm up) 150/10, 150/8, 150/7
Db walking lunge; 3 sets of 12 @ 20lbs
Calf, high rep.; 5 sets of 30
10 min. cool down

*I have disowned the smith machine since Doc. Brett said that the atlas in the right side of my neck is holding its position nicely. Not wanting to go backwards with the progress I'm am going to progress to the heavier weights for bb squats slowly. Today I felt as though I have built up more muscle in my traps and shoulders to hold the bb comfortably.

*I have been wanting one of those Keurig Coffee Brewers since I bought one for mom for Christmas. So what does she do, she bought me one and I told her it is going to take some time before I can pay her back. She's like are you kidding me, it's a gift. Your up here every weekend cutting the grass, weed whacking and other things I can't do (she is in her late 70's btw). I thought I had a good thing going, she would do my laundry and feed me (once in a while) and I would help her around the house. I told her I do not expect anything. WHAT A MOM!

Sun. 6/6 Shoulders and Triceps

Db side lateral; 20/12, 20/12 (warm up) 25/8, 25/8, 25/8
Bb shrug; 60/10 (warm up) 70/10, 80/10, 85/7
High in. iso press; 50/10 (warm up) 70/10, 80/10, 85/9
Weighted dips; 50/20, 55/15, 60/15, 65/12
Rope; 20/12 (warm up) 25/10, 25/10, 25/9
Abs; 8 sets of 10/12

*First, I have to correct what I blogged yesterday, I only did 30 mins. boxing class. My energy dropped after I left to go to class but, recovered after my 3rd meal. Thank goodness cause, I went to mom's to weed wack and mow the grass. Ok on to todays workout, felt pretty good I didn't push it to hard especially on the laterals and presses. Biceps and hamstrings are sore from the last couple of workouts. Intervals tomorrow then on to Routine C.

Fri. 6/4 Chest & Biceps, Sat. 6/5 Back & Hams

Fri 6/4
Slight in bar press; 20/12, 40/8 (warm up) 45/8, 50/8, 55/5
In. ISO press; 55/10 (warm up) 60/10, 70/9, 70/8
Db flat fly; 20/12, 30/12, 30/12
In. db curl; 20/6, 20/6 (warm up) 25/6, 25/6, 30/6
Cable curl; 15/10 (warm up) 20/10, 20/10, 25/7
Pm cardio; 30 mins. cybex

Sat. 6/5
Lat pull under; 75/12, 80/10 (warm up) 3 sets of 8 @ 100lbs
T bar row; 25/15, 50/12 (warm up) 3 sets of 10 @ 60lbs
Bb deads; 50/10 (warm up) 3 sets of 10 @ 60lbs
Close high row; 42.5/12, 45/12, 50/12
Seated leg curl; 75/20, 85/15 (warm up) 100/14, 100/12, 100/12
1 hour boxing class

*Better day on Friday, was thrilled that I finally hit 30lb db curls (no cheating). My rib felt well enough today to do some back work. As hard as it was, I kept it light. I maxed out to the point were it would become sore. Did barbell deads instead of db, I wanted to make sure I was even with the weight load. Shoulders tomorrow, will see how heavy I can go without re-injuring or causing pain.

Wed. 6/2 Intervals & Thurs. 6/3 Legs

Wed. 6/2
5 min. warmup
15 -1 min intervals
10 min. cool down

Thurs. 6/3
10 min. warm up
Leg press; 270/8, 270/8 (warm up) 360/8, 360/8, 360/8, 410/8
Hack squat; 90/10 (warm up) 140/10, 140/8, 140/10
Sissy squat; 0/20 (warm up) 3 sets of 20 @ 5lbs
Single leg ext.; 3 sets of 12 ea. @ 55lbs
Calf, heavy; 270/20, 4 sets of 15 @ 270lbs
Abs; 10 sets of 12-20 reps

*It has been a very stressful week at work and it does not help when they wake you up at midnight cause a driver calls out sick. So this morning, I am physically and mentally drained and was not into this workout at all. Also, for some strange reason I am a little emotional (what is up with that) from stress, being tired, hormones. This sucks, I hope tomorrow is better.

Tues. 6/1 Hamstrings and Triceps

3 position seated leg curl; 100/8 110/8 (warm up) 130/8, 130/8, 130/7
Glute / hamstring raise, assisted; 4 sets of 12
High foot position leg press, to failure; 180/15, 180/12, 180/10
Weighted dips; 50/30, 55/20, 55/15
Rope; 20/12(warm up), 25/12, 25/12, 30/10
Cardio; 30 mins. cybex

*Things are looking up, ribs were just a little sore this morning after a day of doing nothing. That's not true, I did work on finding a song for my evening routine and putting some bling on my suit that I will be wearing for the routine. I also had to go to work for 4 hours yesterday and 2 on Sunday. Intervals and more rest tomorrow, till then.

Sun. 5/30 Chest and Biceps

Slight in. bar press; 30/12, 40/8 (warm up) 60/8, 60/6, 60/7
In. iso press; 50/10 (warm up) 60/10, 65/8, 65/6
Db flat fly; 15/12, 20/12, 20/12
In. db curl; 20/8, 20/8 (warm up) 25/6, 25/6, 25/6
Cable curl; 15/12 (warm up) 20/10, 20/10, 20/8
Cardio; 30 mins. elliptical

*Seen an old friend yesterday at the farmers market (picked up fresh picked romaine, spinach, and cucumber) and she told me that I look much tighter than I did last year. Starting to feel thinner as the pants that I wear to do legs are starting to fall down and my work pants are getting baggier. Taking the day off tomorrow, not cause it's a holiday but, I need to rest my rib. Hamstrings and triceps on Tuesday.

Fri. 5/28 Intervals & Sat. 5/29 Legs

Fri. 5/28
5 min. warm up
15 - 1 min. intervals
10 min. cool down

Sat. 5/29
10 min. warm up
Leg press; 320/8, 320/8 (warm up) 360/8, 450/6, 450/6, 450/7
Hack squat; 90/10 (warm up) 3 sets of 10 @ 140lbs.
Sissy squat; 5/20 (warm up) 3 sets of 15 @ 10lbs.
Single leg ext. 3 sets of 12 each @ 55lbs
Calf, heavy; 5 sets of 20 @ 270lbs
Abs; 6 sets of 15

*After trying to workout through this rib injury all week, Joe suggested that I get some rest. I am such a hard headed person that I will train as long as I can breath, it's just who I am. Maybe it's the Marine Blood that my father pass down to me. So on Joe's advice, to start I will not be doing any training that causes it to hurt. So you will see different workouts and no back or shoulder training this week. That also means no yard work at Mom's house.

*My little baby (15year old dog named, Foxy) had a seizure Thurs. night. See had the look of fear in her eyes has I sat down on the floor with her. The first time she had one the vet said, as long as she is not having them on a weekly basis, there is nothing they can do. Foxy is a 3 year old in a 15 year old body, loves to play and bounch around the apartment and rough house with the cat. I dread the day when she leaves me.

Thurs. 5/27 Shoulders and Triceps

Seated side lateral; 30/12, 40/8 (warm up) 45/8, 45/6, 45/8
Bb shrug; 50/10 (warm up) 70/10, 80/10, 80/9
High in. db press; 10/15 (warm up) 15/15, 15/15, 15/15
Weighted dips; 40/25, 50/20, 50/20, 50/20
Rope; 20/12 (warm up) 25/12, 25/12, 30/10
Cardio; 30 mins. cybex

I'm still trucking along, working through this boo boo and tring not to push it too hard. It was feeling pretty good on Tuesday till someone decided to poke me in the side where the injury is. Oh well, not that I can put a posted note on me. Getting adjusted and a massage tomorrow after work, hope it helps.

Wed. 5/26 Back and Hamstrings

Lat pull under; 70/10, 85/10 (warm up) 100/8, 100/10, 100/10
T bar row; 25/20, 35/20 (warm up) 40/24, 40/20, 40/20
Straight bar pull down; 30/15 (warm up) 35/12, 35/14, 35/12
Close low row; 55/14, 70/10, 70/10
Seated leg curl; 70/20, 70/15 (warm up) 80/17, 80/19, 80/15
Abs; 6 sets of 12-20 reps
Cardio; 30 mins. elliptical

*Kept the weights on the low side but, hit higher reps or failure. Had to bail on the db deads, I even tried bb deads. So I replaced it with straight arm pull downs, even doing certain ab workouts hurt. Damn this sucks!!!

Mon. 5/24 Legs and Tues. 5/25 Chest & Biceps

Mon. 5/24
10 min warm up
Leg press; 270/8, 270/8 (warm up) 360/8, 450/8, 450/8, 450/8
Smith squat; 50/10 (warm up) 60/10, 60/10, 65/10
Sissy squat; 10/15 (warm up) 15/15, 15/17, 15/15
Bar lunge; 3 sets of 10 @ 25lbs
Calf, heavy; 90/15, 4 sets of 15 @ 110lbs
10 min cool down

Tues. 5/25
Slight in. bar press; 50/8, 50/8 (warm up)55/8, 55/6, 55/7
In. db press; 50/10 (warm up) 55/10, 55/10, 60/9
Cable flat fly; 10/12, 15/12, 15/12
In. db curl; 20/8, 20/8 (warm up) 25/6, 25/7, 25/7
Cable curl; 15/12 (warm up) 17.5/12, 17.5/12, 17.5/12
Cardio; 30 mins. cybex

*Legs were still sore from Sat. boxing workout, lawn clean up and speed mowing (rain clouds were coming in) so I didn't hit the 500lbs on the press. Apparently the rib injury is going to take longer to heal than I thought and is effecting my workouts a smig. I had to lower the weight a little so it's not so painful, just uncomfortable. Tomorrows back workout should be interesting. It is only painful when I am pulling, raising my arm over my head, or pressure by laying on it.

Sat. 5/22 Shoulders and Triceps

Seated side lateral; 20/15, 40/8 (warm up) 3 sets of 8 @ 50lbs
Bb shrug; 40/10 (warm up) 50/10, 55/10, 55/10
Hi in. db press; 10/15 (warm up) 15/15, 20/15, 20/12
Dips; 40/20, 40/20, 40/22, 40/20
Rope press; 20/12 (warm up) 25/12, 25/12, 30/10
Cardio; 1 hr. boxing class (consisting of jump roping, shadow boxing, heavy bag and pad work)

*Was still sore from yesterday's popped rib head but, I did ok with the workouts. Felt it more during the hi in. db press, so I kept it light and increased the reps. Game plan is to attend the boxing class every 2 weeks till the competition. I then continued my day by cleaning up my mom's yard and cutting the grass, busy day. Tomorrow is a day off from training, time to rest and recover.

Fri. 5/21 Back and Hamstrings

Lat pull under; 75/12, 85/10 (warm up) 100/8, 110/8, 120/8
T bar row; 70/10, 70/8 (warm up) 90/8, 100/8, 110/7
Db deads; 60/10 (warm up) 70/10, 80/8, 80/7
High close row; 90/12, 90/10, 90/10
Seated leg curl; 70/25, 77/20 (warm up) 80/15, 80/17, 80/16

*After warming up and stretching between sets during lat pull under and T bar row, I started feeling some tightness on the right/lower side of my back. It just got worse during db deads but, of course being me I pushed through it. Good thing today was adjustment day; Dr. Brett looked at my back and noticed a swollen, discolored area. He gave it a medical name but, in english I popped a rib head. Can you say OUCH!!! He patched me back up and I was told to iced it and I should feel better in a day or two. Should make shoulders and triceps interesting tomorrow.

Thurs. 5/20 Chest and Biceps

Slight in. bar press; 20/12, 40/8 (warm up) 50/8, 60/6, 60/7
In. db press; 20/10 (warm up) 25/10, 35/10, 35/8
Cable flat fly; 15/12, 20/10, 20/10
In. db curl; 20/8, 25/6 (warm up) 30/6, 35/4, 30/6
Cable curl; 15/10 (warm up) 20/10, 20/10, 20/8
Cardio; 30 min. cybex

*Started feeling the leg workout when I went to bed last night. Holy Crap! is was hard to start cardio but, I know that I will not be able to do it tomorrow as my quads and glutes will be even more sore. Plan on going to my old boxing coach's gym and participate in his cardio kickboxing class that he teaches on Saturday. Of course, this will be done after my shoulder/triceps workout.

Tues. 5/18 Intervals and Wed 5/19 Legs

Tues. 5/18
5 min. warm up
10 - 1 min. intervals
10 min. cool down
Abs. 5 sets of 25 obliques

Wed. 5/19
10 min. warm up
Leg press; 270/8, 360/8 (warm up) 450/8, 500/6, 500/6, 500/6
Smith machine squat; 50/10 (warm up) 70/10, 90/10, 100/10
Sissy squat; 5/20 (warm up) 10/15, 10/16, 10/17
Bar lunge; 3 sets of 10 each @ 20lbs
Calf, heavy; 5 sets of 15 @ 110lbs (3 positions)
10 min cool down

*I really enjoy this workout and am thrilled to be able to do it again as it really kicks my butt by the time I am finished. Hopefully this is the last time that I will be using the smith machine for squats. Almost went over board on the weight load for the leg press, tried 500 off the bat after warm up and had to cut it back for a set.

Mon. 5/17 Shoulders and Triceps

Db seated side lateral; 15/10 (warm up) 3 sets of 10 @ 20lbs
Db front raise; 15/12 (warm up) 20/12, 20/12, 25/10
Seated bar press; 50/10, 50/8 (warm up) 70/8, 80/6, 80/6
Triceps press; 30/12, 35/10 (warm up) 40/10, 42.5/10, 47.5/10
Triceps ext.; 65/12 (warm up) 70/12, 70/12, 75/9
Pm cardio; 30 mins cybex

*I was really pressed for time this morning as I had to be at the court house by 8:30am as Jury #8. So I had to move seated bar press as the third workout and do my cardio in the evening. As for the "Jury Thing" I was moved up to Jury Foreman, and after a 4 hour deliberation, the case ended up being a mistrial (hung jury). Very interesting, case kinda messed with my meals (glad I was able to bring all my meals with me) and I couldn't drink the amount of water I should have. I was really glad I was chosen to hear a criminal case.

Sun. 5/16 Back and Hamstrings

Wide lat pull down; 90/10, 100/8 (warm up) 110/8, 115/7, 120/6
Deadlifts; 90/8, 100/8 (warm up) 140/7, 140/8, 150/7
Db bench row; 35/10 (warm up) 40/10, 40/10, 45/8
Db pull over; 3 sets of 12 @ 40lbs
Leg curl; 110/10 110/10 (warm up) 120/10, 120/10, 120/7
Cardio; 30 mins elliptical

*There is a difference between a day off from training but, having to go to work and not having to go to work. Yesterday was that day for me and it FELT GREAT. Saturdays are my only day off from work so, I try to make the best of it. The powerlifting event ended about 1pm so I took my time driving home as I knew I would make it back in time to hit the gym (closes at 5pm). What a beautiful day for a drive, Ringling Bros. were in town and so were the protesters. Went through some interesting and some "God I need to get out of here" neighborhoods. Well, enough rambling on about my day as I now have to leave to head up to mom's house to cut the grass. Back to reality...

Fri. 5/14 Chest and Biceps

Incline db press; 35/12, 40/8 (warm up) 50/7, 45/8, 45/8
Flat bar press; 60/10 (warm up) 70/8, 75/8, 75/8
Push up on medicine ball; 16, 14,11
Bb curl; 15/6, 20/6 (warm up) 25/6, 30/4, 30/5
Rope curl; 35/10 (warm up) 40/10, 40/10, 42.5/10
Evening cardio; 30 mins. cybex

*Biceps strength is really improving, I think hanging on the pull up rack to stretch out mu back and shoulders and pulling my self slightly has helped. Going to start doing my cardio in the evening when I can, don't know how beneficial it will be but, I don't think it would hurt. Off day tomorrow, maybe cardio if I have time as I will be heading down to Bordentown, NJ to support team mate Dwayne who is competition in a powerlifting event. This will be my first one though, I do watch Worlds Strongest Man every year on t.v.

Wed. 5/12 Intervals & Thurs. 5/14 Legs

Wed 5/12
5 min warm up
11 - 1 min intervals
10 min cool down

* I swear, that the owner of the gym loves to make me freeze to death. I get on my favorite piece of interval equipment, he turns on the A/C. Then I get off, and he turns off the A/C. You would think he would know that I don't like the cold air hitting my back when I put an extra shirt on.

Thurs. 5/13
10 min warm up
Leg ext.; 150/10 (warm up) 165/9, 165/9
Front squat; 50/8, 60/8 (warm up) 70/8, 80/8, 90/8, 90/6
Db sumo squat; 70/10 (warm up) 90/10, 95/10, 100/10
Glute press; 3 sets of 10 @ 120lbs
Calf single raise; 5 sets of 15 @ 90lbs
Abs; 5 sets of 15 @ 60lbs weighted crunch

*Boy, were my hamstrings sore yesterday. Made it hard to sit on my chair at work. Couldn't walk away from the db sumo without hitting 100lbs. Love using the glute press machine, as I can really focus on working my glutes.

Tues. 5/11 Shoulders and Triceps

Seated bar press; 50/8, 60/8 (warm up) 70/8, 90/8, 100/6
Db seated side lateral; 15/10 (warm up) 3 sets of 10 @ 20lbs
Db front raise; 10/12 (warm up) 15/12, 15/12,20/12
Tricep press; 30/10, 30/10 (warm up) 35/10, 40/10, 40/10
Tricep ext.; 65/12 (warm up) 70/12, 70/12, 70/10
Cardio; 30 min. cybex

*Started going to bed at 8pm to read my favorite book, thought it might help with my energy level in the morning. Well it worked this morning, good energy. Upper back was a little sore this morning that least it over took the soreness of my chest from the day before. Intervals and rest tomorrow, looking foward to watching Dwayne kick some butt on Saturday. Go Dwayne, Go!!!

Mon. 5/10 Back and Hammies

Wide lat pull down; 90/10, 90/8 (warm up) 110/8, 130/8, 130/8
Deadlifts; 90/8, 90/8 (warm up) 140/8, 140/8, 140/8
Db bench row; 30/10 (warm up) 35/10, 35/10, 40/8
Db pull over; 3 sets of 12 @ 40lbs
Seated leg curl; 110/10, 110/10 (warm up) 115/10, 120/10, 120/10

*Baby it's cold outside, pulled out the winter coat this morning and pretty much froze at work most of the day. Decided to use the hooks just for deadlifts, I was getting disappointed when I could keep my grip.

Sun. 5/9 Chest and Biceps

Incline db press; 35/8, 35/8 (warm up) 45/8, 50/5, 45/8
Flat bar press; 50/10 (warm up) 70/10, 75/8, 75/8
Push ups on medicine ball; 15, 12, 12
Bb curl; 15/6, 15/6 (warm up) 20/6, 25/6, 30/4
Rope curl; 35/10 (warm up) 40/10, 40/10, 45/9
Abs; 4 sets of 20 bench crunch
4 sets of 20 weighted floor crunch @ 25lbs
Cardio; 30 mins stepper

*Felt like I could up the weights on db press and bb curl, wishful thinking. I completely exhausted myself the past 2 days, seems to be taking hours to get my energy back. Was tempted to take the elevator instead of the stairs to get out of the gym.

Fri. 5/7 Intervals and Sat. 5/8 Legs

Fri. 5/7
5 min warm up
10 - 1 min intervals
10 min cool down
10 mins of foam rolling

Sat. 5/8
1o min warm up
Leg ext.; 145/10 (warm up) 165/10, 170/10
Front squat; 60/8, 60/8 (warm up) 70/8, 80/8, 90/6, 90/6
Db sumo squat; 80/10 (warm up) 90/10, 90/10, 95/10
Glute press; 3 sets of 12 @ 120lbs
Calf single raises; 5 sets of 15 @ 90lbs
10 min cool down

*Love doing legs on Sat. as I get to sleep in a little longer and I seem to have a little more energy. Beginning to wonder how much more weight I can hold doing db sumo squats, I think I broke a blood vessel in my finger doing them today. Took my glove off my right hand and notice some reddish / purple blotches under my skin of my index finger, weird.

Thurs. 5/6 Shoulders and Triceps

Seated bar press; 50/8, 50/8 (warm up) 90/8, 100/5, 100/6
Db seated side lat.; 15/10 (warm up) 20/10, 20/10, 25/7
Db front raise; 10/12 (warm up) 15/12, 20/12, 20/10
Triceps press; 35/10, 35/10 (warm up) 40/10, 40/7, 40/7
Triceps ext.; 50/12 (warm up) 65/12, 70/12, 75/9
Abs; 4 sets of 10 @ 70lbs crunch, 4 sets of 20 floor crunch
Cardio; 30 mins elliptical

*Felt tired this morning but, shockingly I felt quite strong...hhhuuummm seems strange. Hit some poses in between sets of triceps, wow shoulders looked huge. Made Michelle a very happy camper. Intervals and foam rolling on the menu tomorrow.

Wed. 5/5 Back and Hammies

Wide lat pull down; 80/8, 90/8 (warm up) 100/8, 105/7, 110/7
Deadlifts; 90/10, 110/8 (warm up) 130/6, 140/6, 145/5
Db bench row; 30/10 (warm up) 35/8, 35/10, 35/10
Db pullover; 40/12, 45/10, 45/10
Seated leg curl; 110/10, 110/10 (warm up) 120/10, 120/10, 125/8
Cardio; 30 mins cybex

*Solid workout, felt strong. Hammies are looking good, finally learning to get them to pop on the side poses. Calves are looking great as well as the quads. I'm so excited about the changes that I'm seeing, can't wait to see what I'm going to look like in October.

Tues. 5/4 Chest and Biceps

Incline db press; 30/8, 35/8 (warm up) 45/8, 45/7, 45/8
Flat bar press; 50/10 (warm up) 70/8, 70/8, 70/7
Push ups; 12,11,10
Bb curl; 15/6, 15/6 (warm up) 20/6, 25/6, 25/6
Rope curl; 30/10 (warm up) 35/10, 40/10, 42.5/10

*Used the medicine ball again for push ups, love the challenge. Kinda shocked myself with the weight loads for bicep curls. I was also selected for a criminal case at jury duty today, gotta report back on the 17th.

Mon. 5/3 Legs

10 min warm up
Leg ext.; 145/10 (warm up) 165/9, 165/9
Front squat; 50/8, 60/8 (warm up) 70/8, 70/8, 80/8, 80/8
Db sumo squat; 70/10 (warm up) 90/10, 90/10, 95/10
Glute press; 120/12, 120/12, 120/10
Calf singles; 5 sets of 15 @ 90lbs
Abs; 4 sets of 12 reverse incline crunch

*Good leg workout, really had to push myself on the last couple of reps on the front squats. Felt extremely strong doing db sumo squats, even had a guy ask me what is the purpose of doing those. After explaining the workout to him, he started veering off the subject so I had to cut him off so I could continue my workouts. Great turnout for the dog walk that benefits AWSOM yesterday, I felt like a B.B.Q grill after cooking and serving hot dogs to the walkers, even after I took a shower. Hey, whatever it takes to benefit a good cause.

Sat. 5/1 Shoulders and Triceps

Seated bar press; 50/12, 70/10 (warm up) 90/8, 90/7, 90/6
Db seated side lat. 15/12 (warm up) 20/10, 20/10, 20/10
Db front raise; 10/12 (warm up) 15/12, 15/12, 20/8
Tricep press; 30/12, 35/10 (warm up) 42.5/10, 42.5/9, 42.5/8
Tricep ext.; 50/12 (warm up) 60/12, 65/12, 70/10
Cardio; 30 min elliptical

*Good workout today, shoulder feeling really strong. Thought my arms would be tired after all the yard work I did yesterday at my mom's house. Tomorrow is a day off, no training or cardio as I will be volunteering my time playing chef (grilling hot dogs) at a dog walk to benefit AWSOM (Animal Welfare Society of Monroe).

Fri. 4/30 Back and Hammies

Wide lat pull down; 75/15, 85/10 (warm up) 100/8, 100/7, 100/8
Deadlift; 90/8, 90/8 (warm up) 140/7, 140/6, 140/7
Db bench row; 30/10 (warm up) 35/10, 35/10, 35/10
Db pull over; 35/12, 35/12, 40/12
Seated leg curl; 100/10, 100/10 (warm up) 110/10, 115/10, 120/9
Abs; 4 sets of 15 @ 60lbs weight crunch
4 sets of 20 @ 25lbs floor crunch
Cardio; 30 mins. cybex

*I am foregoing the hooks for my workouts and realigning on strength. Yes, weight loads might be a little lower but, I think it's a good move. I feel very different this week; lighter, leaner and a bit tighter. It's amazing how changes can be made weekly and sometimes daily.

Thurs. 4/29 Chest and Biceps

Incline db press; 30/8, 30/8 (warm up) 35/8, 40/8, 45/7
Flat bar press; 40/10 (warm up) 50/10, 70/10, 80/10
Push up; 12,10,7
Bb curl; 15/8, 15/8 (warm up) 20/6, 20/5, 20/5
Rope curl; 25/10 (warm up) 30/10, 30/10, 30/10
Cardio; 30 mins. cybex

*I had an idea after I saw the medicine ball just sitting in the corner of the gym while I was doing bar press, instead of doing push ups off the floor, do them off the medicine ball. Whoa, that was a challenge, I love it and going to keep this in my routine. Trying to balance yourself and doing a push up at the same time. Felt it more in my chest than doing dips.

Wed. 4/28 Legs

10 min warm up
Leg ext. 130/10 (warm up) 145/10, 165/10
Front squat; 50/8, 50/8 (warm up) 70/8, 80/8, 80/8, 85/6
Db sumo squat; 50/10 (warm up) 70/10, 80/10, 90/10
Glute press; 3 sets of 12 @ 120lbs.
Calf singles; 5 sets of 15 @ 90lbs
10 min cool down

*Changing things up a bit on this go around; instead of step ups in a flat bench (which I don't feel secure about doing with such a thick padded bench), I'm using the glute press machine. Wow, what an awesome feel. I did calf singles on the leg press machine, rotating leg in different position on each set to hit a different part of the calf. I have started to weigh myself twice a week, Wednesdays and Saturdays, woke up this morning and felt lighter, and won't you know it I dropped a pound, yeah!