Exerbabble for 11-13-6

Today’s Workout:

HGM Phase IV “Gimme a V!”, Workout III, Upper Day

Superset A
Wide-Grip Lat Pull-down: 6, 5, 5 @ 120 lbs (+0, +1, +2 reps)
BB Incline Press: 6, 6, 6 @ 95 lbs (+0, +0, +1 rep)

Superset B
T-Bar Row: 10, 7, 7 @ 100 lbs (+2, +0, +1 reps)
Neutral-Grip DB Press: 8, 7, 7 @ 40 lbs (+0, +0, +1 reps)

Superset C
DB Fly: 15, 15, 15 @ 10 lbs (+1, +2, +3 reps)
DB Reverse Fly: 15, 15, 15 @ 8 lbs (+1, +2, +3 reps)
Poor Man’s Shoulderhorn: 12, 11, 10 @ 10 lbs (+5 lbs)

Superset D
Reverse Crunch: 15, 15, 15 @ 10 lbs (+5 lbs)
High-to-Low Woodchopper: 15, 15, 15 @ 50 lbs (+10 lbs)

Pull-ups: 5 @ BW

current bodyweight: 153.8 lbs (-2 lbs, weekly average of 154.85)

I’d swear 120 on one stack isn’t 120 on another stack. I tried 120 on one stack, but it didn’t feel right. So I moved to another and used the same bar I used on Friday. Felt better. Inclines felt just fine.

Rows.. It’s an easy exercise to cheat with. I’ll watch myself. I struggled with presses. I struggled for that one rep improvement. So be it.

Reverse flies felt more difficult than flies. I should be able to handle a weight increase easily, though for reverse flies, I’ll have to watch how high the reps go, I don’t want to cheat form. Shoulderhorns BURNED. In a nice way. A challenging weight.

Reverse crunches burned. I like that. Keeping my knee at 90 degrees, I’d lower my feet to the floor slowly, touch off, then raise them and ‘reverse crunch’. If I were to just raise my lower back off the floor, I probably wouldn’t get much out of it. It’s the leg-lowering that burns more than anything else.

Felt woodchoppers in my abs more this time. I lost track of reps on the third set, meaning I clearly can affort to increase the weight. Shucks.

Went slowly through sun salutation, as my legs are still sore. I’ll be fine tomorrow. Well. I’ll be lifting sore or not.

Something else I’ll toss in. I’ve been taking a self-defense class. The instructor said at the beginning of the course that we’d be tested on push-ups, sit-ups and leg-raises. I thought maybe I should practice this, but it turns out it wouldn’t have made a difference anyway. We know what a lying leg raise is, on your back. That’s one thing. How he wanted us to do it was effectively an isometric leg raise. Up, middle, near the ground but not touching, then back up again. Similar thing with push-ups. I realize we could do that form a perspective of Time Under Tension, but that’s not how I’m training right now. So, I’m kind of irked. Way to exploit what weakling I am.

Isometric push-ups. Maybe some other day. Maybe isometric rows would be good for me – like pull-up negatives.

OH. And my weight. What the hell? I swear, I ate this weekend. Did my leg workout just sap all my calories or something? Gotta redouble my efforts, I am NOT losing weight this phase.

Adjustments: Bump incline weight to 105 lbs. I’m expecting to knock out all 4’s, if not 6/5/4. Bump flies to 15 lbs, bump reverse flies to 10 lbs. Bump reverse crunches to 15 lbs. …Those isometric leg raises got me thinking. I’ll lower the weight a little slower next time, maybe for a three or five count. When my leg bumps the floor, I’ll crunch up. That’ll burn like all hell. Woo. Bump woodchoppers to 60 lbs.