The TFP Health Club

My UP2 gets here sometime this week. I'm so excited. It'll link into our Withings scale and my My Fitness Pal nutrition tracker. Plus, real sleep tracking, real step tracking. Score.

 

Last week was a good lifting week and a bad running week. The 5k Cinn and I ran was Saturday. I haven't ran a 5k in like 7 years, so I decided during Wednesday conditioning day to run one for practice. Ran in on a flat track in 30:59. Best time I've ever run. I paced myself and had to stop twice to tie my shoes, so I knew I could beat 30 at the race.

Friday I went heavy on the deadlifts and I think between that plus the running, I threw my foot for a loop. It didn't feel like a sprain or a pulled muscle, but the right side of my arch hurt. I thought I might be able to run it off but it got worse during the race. I knew there was no way I was beating 30 so I doubled back to Cinn when I saw her round a corner behind me. I'm glad I did because I could push her to run faster even with a hurt foot.

Foot hurt all night and all day sunday. Felt better today but not enough to do squats. It's chest day for most, so the benches were taken up. Did shoulder press and worked them heavy. This week is 90% max rep to failure. Can't wait to hit squat and bench.

No more running for awhile except in short bursts. This long distance shit is for the crazy mofos like @dlish.

 

Hit the weights last night for the first time in...two or three weeks, I think. And it felt GOOD.

I am fucking hungry today, though. I want to eat ALL THE THINGS.

 

Still lifting pretty consistently. Leg yesterday, chest shoulders and triceps today. I have moved to slightly lighter weights and higher reps. Higher being 8-12. I have always lifted low reps because I like the idea of being strong. But I want some damn muscle volume so I'm looking for some hypertrophy with increased volume. Plus I'm working through some nagging pain so I'm hoping it will keep me a little safer.

 

Completely off the rails last week. I had planned on going to the track, but it rained all week I could've done other things, but I was lazy. Also indulged entirely too much in Christmas goodies.

I'm not too torn up about it, to be honest, but definitely going to be hitting it hard this week.

 

Dat workout: Been alternating T25 with Hammer & Chisel (workout DVDs). Workout with the woman in our pseudo home gym, grunt and curse, get super sweaty.

Observation: This workout program severely cuts into my alcohol consumption. I've only had like two drinks (not counting the two bottles of champagne I had on NYE) since I've been home. Unacceptable. Normally I'd be halfway through the bottle.

Observation: Lifting heavy (well, for me) at the gym with no cardio while at work then coming home and doing lots of rapid-fire cardio leaves me jerky and useless at bedtime.

 

First time benching since before Xmas. Did pretty good. Still need to figure out some cardio that I like.

 

Missed about ten days over Christmas. Worked back and biceps on Friday, legs today. My legs are quite cross with me for taking time away from them. But I knew they were going to hurt with whatever I did. So I went ahead and did it.
In other news, I had mentioned back in November that as soon as I got in the gym, my weight jumped up by about 8 lbs. That is finally gone, so I am a bit better off than compared to November. Now to keep at it and not fall off the wagon, which is what normally happens after two months.

 

Finally got up this morning and made it to the gym. Not too many people on weights, which was nice. I feel like I'll need to get up even earlier for running days, though. I am not enthusiastic about this.

 

Just consider it training for a grand survival contest. Eden will explain the necessity of the made-out-of-human-bones corset, motorcycle and repeating crossbow later.

 

I have had some setbacks at the gym and but I have pushed forward with other areas. Took some videos of myself squatting and found out I wasn't getting parallel. I was heading up in weight on squats, but this puts me back to square one. Dropping weight to half of what I normally squat and working on form.

I'm pushing hard on my shoulders and I've started doing pullups daily. I can get two pullups in a row around 6 total with breaks. That is with a few chinups added in there. My next goal is 5 pullups in a row and 10 total with breaks. My military press has gone up and I'm starting to see a little back muscle.

I was deadlifting incorrectly, so after filming a few videos, I got my form down. I'm pulling up more weight every deadlift day.

I try and stay consistent on my diet, but the holidays put more carbs on my plate than normal. Before the holidays I was losing BF and gaining muscle. I stopped today to talk to my trainer and got some corrections on my diet. He checked my new workout routine and said I could keep with the current diet. I will let him know if my energy levels drop down and I need to change my diet.

I talked to him about switching my workout to morning from night. It would save time for me after work but I'd have to be up before 6 to get the meal in before spending time in the gym. I like working out at night; it relaxes me after work and I don't have a time limit for my workout. Morning workouts won't do that for me. I think I'll stick with night workouts until I need a reason to change.

All and all, I am enjoying my time in the gym. Can't wait to push it hard in the new year. Got to get swole.

 

No football squats! Bonus: If you really want a motherfucker, find a dumbbell that is the right height and use it as a backstop. Just barely touch it and lift off. Total accountability.

Excellent. Don't forget your negatives here. Do your 1-2 solid ones, then do like 5 negatives. Just jump up and hold your chin parallel to the bar for 10 seconds. It's a smoker.

Use the step-in hex bar on a heavy week and see how much you can get up using your new and improved deadlift form. You may surprise yourself.

Morning workouts suck. You're groggy, hungry and have a timeline. I always hit the weights at night since I've eaten earlier, been walking around all day (not stiff) and the time constraints are gone.

 

I build a box using a 35# and a few of the Step-up! boxes from the fitness center. Worked really well to give myself a drop point to hit when squatting.

I need to start doing this. I'll try that out today since I had to rush Shoulder Day yesterday.

I don't think my gym has a hex bar (at least I haven't seen one). I know I am on really low weight on my deads, but I want to make sure I'm executing a proper deadlift every time before I push upwards.

Yeah, I don't want to do shit in the morning. I could get up and do some cardio (when I start to cut), but not heavy lifting. Even on days when I have nothing to do but the gym, it still takes me awhile to get there. Once I'm there tho, it's all beast mode.

 

Lordeden, you might want to "grease the groove" with both squats and pullups. For squats, do 50-100 a day, getting full depth each time. You are trying to grind in that movement pattern so that it feels normal and that stopping short feels incomplete. Getting a full depth to squats will improve your deads tremendously because you will have learned to use your legs.

 

Iron is good. Getting stronger with weights generally has a better effect on activities of daily living than cardio does.