Exerbabble for 8-14-7

And now for something a little different. I decided I was DONE with Fat Loss I. I decided it was better to get in two weeks of Strength I before the gym shuts down for two weeks, than to continue with a routine that has lost its luster for me.

Today’s Workout:

NROL, Strength I
Day A, Workout I

BB Squat: Tempo: 301; Rest: ~3 minutes
3 @ 45 lbs
3 @ 135 lbs
6 @ 175 lbs
1 @ 205 lbs
6 @ 175 lbs
1 @ 205 lbs
12 @ 135 lbs
20 @ 95 lbs

Superset: Rest: 90 seconds
DB Bulgarian Split Squat: 15, 10, 10 @ BW
DB Step-up: 10, 10, 10 @ BW

Alternating Sets: Tempo: 222; Rest: Not much
Weighted Back Extension: 2×10 @ 10 lbs
Weighted Swiss Ball Crunch: 2×10 @ 25 lbs

Laps: 4

(Usual stretching.)

post-workout bodyweight: 156.4 lbs

I was wondering how the three minutes would feel. It felt long at first, but after the 12 reps, it felt wonderful. I tried holding a 301 tempo as best I could, but I had to pick up the pace for the 12 and 20 rep sets. (That’s 3 second eccentric, no pause, and 1 second concentric, with no pause at the top.) I went with the weight I felt I could handle with good form, rather than overshooting what I thought I could do. I’ll try and do more weight next time. Though, I don’t think I’ll add much to the back-off sets.

I knew the bulgarian split squat and step-up superset would be hard, but I couldn’t even do it for fifteen reps. Bulgarians are hard, but to then turn around and try to do step-ups, my quads were arguing with me. I’ll work up to it, and do the best I can.

I know the back extensions and crunchs aren’t entirely for strength, and more for getting blood flow to the area. The 222 tempo worked nicely. Controlled eccentric, controlled concentric, and a pause at the bottom, meaning you’re not jerking your body at all. I used a plate for crunches at first, but it was too big, and I switched to a dumbbell for the second set. Dumbbell concentrates the weight higher on the body, which makes it harder. I was thinking about even holding something overhead to challenge myself further. Oh, and the program says to do alternating sets with 90 second rest periods. But uh, I felt fine, so I just went when I was ready.

It was really weird just doing lower body stuff today. Tomorrow’s workout should be fun. I’m going to do dumbbells instead of barbells for the heavy stuff, since I can’t spot myself. And because hogging a squat rack when I won’t be doing a set for SIX MINUTES is obnoxious. I’ll just hog a single bench instead, and get the dumbbells for each set as I go. Should be fun.

Adjustment: The 6-rep sets should be 180 and 185 lbs, and I’ll bump the singles to 210 or maybe 215, depending on how I feel. For the split squats and step-ups, I’ll do everything at 12 reps, and work my way up. Can’t weenie out now. Back extensions to 15 lbs, and crunches to 30 lbs.