Exercise Log 2.8.14 (Back Day, No Cardio)

Quick log for today’s back workout. Had a great time and feel great now that it’s over, better than I did last week.

Changed my back warmup this week (normally did rows on a machine) to pair up a light set of bent over rows and good mornings. Also did appropriate warmup sets prior to deadlifts.

Deadlifts: Today I wasn’t sure how this would go but I started with what I regard as heavy and after I woke myself up, I started feeling real good. Fun story though on what happened in a sec. Set 1) 5 reps @ 245lbs. Set 2) 5 reps @ 245lbs. Set 3) 5 reps @ 265lbs (slow but all pulls were very good). Okay at this point I decided to try to push up, I had no intent to try another “one rep max” set like I had the last few weeks but I just felt so good here I wanted to try anyways. After a few reps of 275, which went with ease, I tried a pull at 285 and didn’t budge it on the first try (stopped myself before I got too far into the pull so didn’t fatigue myself trying).

As I was waiting to regather my senses, an older gym patron decided he needed to give me a bunch of advice. I’m still not sure his advice was good (he insisted I needed to dig my hips lower and throw my eyes up, I’m typically against contorting the head during any movement try to keep it in line with the spine) but I don’t like getting in a pissing fit so I listened to the advice. Eventually I tried to ignore what he was saying, and try that 285 pull again. So I tried it, but as I did it he was talking, and when doing a complicated lift you need all that mental focus you can get, and the distraction had me lose control of my grip. I had to return the weight to the floor before a full and proper lockout to stay safe, but I did get the weight up and I was standing upright with it.

So… Set 4) 3 reps @ 275lbs, 1 rep @ 285lbs (no full lockout). Set 5) 5 reps @ 225lbs. After this set, the old man was gone to the other side of the gym, and I had a moment to think. I really felt good today and wanted to try that 285 pull again, and this time do it with a clear head and focus. I had a very hard time getting off the ground, I lost a lot of that energy on the previous pull which was clean on the liftoff, but when the weight finally went up I did lock it out. Set 6) 1 rep @ 285lbs (full lockout, shakey pull but new max!). Finally ended with a nice drop set of 12 reps @ 135lbs.

For anyone who has had this experience, I just want to remind people no matter how good you think your advice is, honestly how someone exercises is none of your business unless you’re a personal trainer who they asked for advice. Next time I get distracted like that I’m going to have to politely ask the person to step off or get the gym staff involved. It’s one thing if I’m curling, but deadlifting is complicated and requires your full attention.

Barbell Shrugs: The only place to do seated overhead shrugs at the gym is a little too high for me to reach the rack. The trap shrug machine is also a little redundant. So I figured I’d do trap shrugs today right where I was doing the deadlifts, and honestly I can’t recall the last time I did conventional trap shrugs with a free weight. Sets 1 & 2) 10 reps @ 135lbs. Sets 3 & 4) 10 reps @ 185lbs. Set 5) 20 reps @ 135lbs. Noting I lost grip tightness on the fourth set. Why a trap exercise on back day? Well I’m classifying the trapezius as upper back for the purposes of my workout schedule, because it’s a nice strong supportive muscle so it just pairs well with the weights used on back day. It also lets me focus more just on delts for chest day.

T-Bar Rows: Sets 1-3) 10 reps @ 70lbs. Sets 4 & 5) 8 reps @ 90lbs.

Back Hyperextensions: Set 1) 10 reps (count pose). Sets 2-4) 10 reps (superman pose)

1-Armed Dumbbell Rows: Started heavier than I could handle then went down, so a weird juxtaposition, but sometimes that’s good. Set 1) 6 reps each arm @ 80lbs. Sets 2 & 3) 8 reps ea. @ 70lbs. Set 4) 10 reps @ 60lbs.

Bent-Over Rows: Sets 1-3) 10 reps @ 110lbs. Felt really good contraction here.

Lateral Pulldowns w/Underhand Grip: It always amuses me to read these results in a long workout because my handwriting degrades as the sets go on. By here it’s no longer staying in the lines of the page or fully forming letters, I didn’t even write “underhand grip” here just “under”. Sets 1 & 2) 12 reps @ 85lbs. Sets 3 & 4) 10 reps @ 100lbs.

Pull-Ups (wide grip): 3 sets of 7 reps. Did a few forced negatives as my body was tired from the workout.

No cardio today, had a few errands to take care of, like hitting the hot tub and buying a new gym bag. Fun times though, and a great workout. At home now writing this I have that post-workout “glow” going on in full effect.

A couple notes for next week: On the next developmental day, I need to do a good core workout and hit my abs pretty hard, I just don’t work them much anymore. Also on my next cycle, I’m going to emphasise high volume and light weights, to redouble up on my form and let my body grow a bit. I don’t want to be making every workout a new max rep pull workout. I’ll start that on the next cycle’s back day… hoping it gives me a nice change of pace.