Upper Body

More Upper Body Stuff

10/19/2020

1-Arm DB Press

  • 20 x 6 for 5 sets

Pushups

  • 12
  • 8
  • 7
  • These all felt like trash, I have been pushing these so it looks like its time to start rotating movements.
  • Left pec also feels like it needs built up more again.  More light work for it, more reps, etc.

DB Skullcrushers

  • 12 x 8
  • 12 x 8
  • 12 x 8

Db Hammer curls

  • 12 x 10
  • 20 x 12
  • 20 x 12

Red Band Rows

  • 10 sets of 15 reps

Red Band Facepulls

  • 6 sets of 12 reps

Red Band Pushdowns

  • 25
  • 20
  • Was doing these in the rain so had to abandon them since hands were slipping too much.

Progress is continuing to be made on all fronts of fitness right now.  I do feel like I need to start rotating in more exercises though.  As I get older I want more variety in my workouts.  I felt like I hit the wall with the pushups today.  I had been improving with them but today they felt horrible.  I think it was just a symptom of movement fatigue.  I will have to brainstorm some more pushup and pressing varieties to cycle in.

Leg Day

Just a plain old leg day workout.

10/17/2020

Goblet Squat

  • 25 x 10
  • 25 x12
  • 25 x 10
  • 25 x 10
  • 25 x 10

DB Laying Leg Curl

  • 12 x 10
  • 12 x 10
  • 12 x 10

Lunges (each leg)

  • 5

Felt tired and out of it, so cut the workout short at this point.         

I need to keep building up work capacity to get through all these workouts.  My fitness is less than impressive at this point.  This is something as my workouts go on that I should be able to do get good at during this whole COVID thing.  I don’t have a lot of equipment, but I have enough to be generally fit, so I will keep moving towards that. 

Overall this workout was a workout and it moved things forward.

Upper Body Work

More upper body work today.

Workout Performed 10/15/2020

Triceps are weak, need to try and squeeze some arm work on Fridays since there is room in split.

Knee Raises, Pushups, and Red Band Rows performed in Tri-set, very little rest, just getting the work in fast.

Hanging knee raises

  • 11
  • 12
  • 12
  • 10
  • 11
  • 10
  • 7
  • 5

Pushups

  • 10
  • 10
  • 12
  • 10
  • 10
  • 10
  • 8
  • 5
  • 75 total reps

Red Band Rows

  • 12
  • 12
  • 15
  • 15
  • 15
  • 15
  • 10
  • 15

These are getting easy to the point of being stupid.  I’ll keep doing because they are what I have access to, but yeah dumb.  The thing is though, I seem to be getting more lat muscle when I look in the mirror, so yeah they might be working.  If nothing else they help provide a base.

Scap Pullups

  • 10
  • 12
  • 10
  • 10

Red Band Pull Aparts

  • 15
  • 12
  • 12
  • 10

Leg Day

Leg Day Work

Workout Performed 10/13/2020

Goblet Squats

  • 25 x 13
  • 25 x 10
  • 25 x 10
  • 25 x 10
  • 25 x 10

Lunges(each leg)

  • 10
  • 10
  • 5

DB Romanian deads

  • 20 x 10 for 4 Sets

I felt a bit sluggish.  Allergies really went nuts on me later in the day.  Now is a time for going through the motions.

Shoulder Pressing For Gains

Another Upper Body Workout

Workout Performed: 10/12/20

DB Shrugs

  • 20×12
  • 20×12
  • 20×12

1 Arm DB Shoulder Press

  • 12 x 5
  • 20 x 5
  • 20 x 5
  • 20 x 5
  • 20 x 5
  • Triceps are feeling weak on these.  Need to bring up Triceps.  Now that I am doing some banded pressdowns I think this might start to resolve itself in a couple weeks.

Db Curls

  • 12 x 12
  • 20 x 10
  • 20 x 10

Lateral Raises

  • 5 x 12
  • 5 x 12

Red Band Rows

  • 10 sets of 12 Reps
  • I need more band tension, but this is what I got for now.  Sticking some pauses in for a little more stimulation.

Pushups

  • 10,3,5,6,12 reps 

Scap Pullups

  • 5 sets of 10 reps.

Hanging Knee Raises

  • 10
  • 10
  • 12

Red Band Pull Aparts.

  • 4 sets of 12 reps

Red band Pushdowns

  • 4 sets of 20 reps

Today’s workout was the first workout focuses on building up shoulder pressing.  I want to build up to doing a heavy one arm dumbbell press, I have a dumbbell I can load up to 95 pounds or so.  I think that would be cool to be pressing one handed.  So the journey starts here. 

Doing Some Extra Work

Upper Body Workout.

Workout Performed 10/10/2020

Rail Pushups

  • 10,12,12,12

Inverted Rows

  • 10,8
  • My biceps were not liking these on the second set.  I need to train biceps more at home with curls.  Also greasing groove with just 2-3 rep sets on these might be good. 

Hanging Knee Raise

  • 10,8

Red Band Rows

  • 12,12,12,12

Scap Pullups

  • 5,5

The whole point of this workout was just to get some upper body work in without much effort.  My body is adding a lot of muscle right now and strength, so all is well in general.  I am looking at starting to have an actual training split and workout program starting this week.  Overall my fitness is moving in the right direction and soon I should be able to start doing some actual cool things.

Boring But Healthier Workout

Upper Body Workout

Performed: 10/8/2020

The workouts continue to keep progressing.  My joints are feeling more stable with each workout, which was a problem.  I am doing the pushups against a rail from a standing position to pump blood in and get some higher rep work.  These seem to be building up a lot of muscle and getting my pec tendons happier.  Having torn both pecs I need and like a lot of higher rep work to keep things feeling good.  In the future I think I will probably push the reps rather high on these just for general health purposes.  I don’t think they will do much for strength or growth past a point. 

Everything else is going rather fine in the workouts.  They are boring but I am noticing more muscle in the mirror so they are doing their job.  My lats are responding the band rows, but they  are starting to get really easy.  I am going to have to come up with something to bridge the gap between doing these and being able to do pullups. 

Rail Pushups

  • 8 Sets of 12 reps

Red Band Rows

  • 8 sets of 12 reps

Red Band Facepulls

  • 5 sets of 12 reps

Red Band 1 Arm Shoulder Press

  • 1 set 12 reps.  (These felt like yuck so I just quit.)

Red Band Curls

  • 3 sets 12 reps

Walked a bit after the workout on the nature trails for easy cardio.

Another Post Hernia Leg Day Adventure

10/7/20 Leg Workout

Did a simple workout in the garage for legs.  The only goal right now is to rebuild and rehab after having hernia surgery and the layoff that came before that. 

I tossed in a few shrugs and side bends to build up those areas. 

Goblet Squats

  • 25×12
  • 25×10
  • 25×12
  • 25×10
  • 25×10
  • 25×10

Lunges

  • 6
  • 6

DB Romanian Deads

  • 20×10 for  5 Sets

DB Shrugs

  • 20×12
  • 20×10
  • 20×10

Side Bends

  • 12×10
  • 12×10

Workout was followed with walking around the nature trails at the park for easy cardio.

The Useful Strong Stuff Journal Vol. 16

This week was another week of normal workouts for me.  Nothing impressive was accomplished.  I stepped forward though and got a little stronger, a little more muscular, and a little more fit.  This week I was consistent with my workouts, and that was about it.  Consistent was all I needed to be this week.

Consistency is the number one skill needed to get stronger.  Even when you feel like you’re not doing much to get better, if you’re being consistent then you’re on the path still.

Every week I spend a lot of time reading and looking for new ways to get stronger, healthier and more awesome.  Here are some of the best things I have found this week.

Strength and Conditioning

A good tutorial on setting up bands for squatting.  http://www.brandonsmitley.com/thirst-gym-terre-haute-how-to-set-up-bands-for-the-squat/

Good option for doing facepulls with bands.  http://www.brandonsmitley.com/thirst-gym-terre-haute-x-band-face-pull/

This is a good list in the article, and it’s always good to think about what needs to stay in our own workouts year round.  https://www.elitefts.com/education/5-exercises-to-never-take-out-of-your-program/

I thought this was a good overview on a bunch of different tricep exercises you don’t see done enough in the gym.  https://www.elitefts.com/education/12-exercises-to-build-massive-triceps-for-your-bench-press/

Mindset

Thoughts on making power moves https://www.raptitude.com/2020/09/make-the-power-move/

Some good thoughts on time management https://zenhabits.net/top-performers/