TweetWednesday

Weighted pull up 4 sets
Weighted box jumps 3 sets
Squat 5 sets
DB curl 4 sets

Wall ball superset with high cable close grip row 3 sets
Seated calve raise superset w/ DB hammer curl 3 sets

Farmers walks superset with rope pulldown 3 sets

I was super tired yesterday again after lunch. It was hard to stay motivated at work and even less motivated for the gym. Pulling out of the work parking lot it crossed my mind to just skip the gym. I ended up going to the gym and it wasn't a bad workout. I think the worst part was the squat, everything felt really good. I had good form, I was getting deep, the weight wasn't bad but the endurance was trash. I was getting super worn out quicker into my sets. Because of this I did an extra set to get the reps up a bit. I also skipped the jumprope work just to give my legs a little less impact for the day.

Iconogenin is in full effect right now though. My knee pain has been a lot more manageable which happens with Lax products. I also feel a touch more lean day in and day out. I'm really happy with the way things are going right now in terms of the mirror.

TweetThursday

Incline bench 4 sets
Peck deck 3 sets
Reverse Peck deck 3 sets
Wide grip high row 4 sets
Behind head DB extension 4 sets
Rope extensions 3 sets

Jumprope superset w/ BW Dips and side lateral raise 3 sets
Jumprope superset w/ underhand extensions and chest press machine 3 sets

Felt much better yesterday entering the gym than I have all week. I was ready to go and felt like I had a pretty good workout. I would of liked to do the side lateral raise earlier and heavier in the workout but the gym was actually busy so I went with a movement I haven't done in awhile. I'm usually against going really heavy with high rows because of how your shoulders are angled but I figured doing it once every so often shouldn't be too bad.

I'm happy to have an off day today, not sure what I'm doing after work but I'm looking forward to taking advantage of the rest day.

TweetSaturday

DB superset w/ v bar extension 4 sets
BB curl superset w/ underhand extension 4 sets
DB hammer curl superset w/ rope extension 4 sets

A bunch of conditioning style work. Quick footwork, farmers carries, ladder runs, jump rope, box jumps

Tennis in the afternoon

My plan was to go into the gym and really work on some footwork for basketball. I was watching this youtube workout and it looked fun so I figured I'd do some of it. The workout itself was great and playing with the footwork drills was great. The humidity in the gym first thing in the morning was crazy and I was sweating buckets. Just when I thought I was done for the day I was asked to play tennis which I did. I didn't play very well but it was again humid and the extra workout I figured couldn't hurt.

Sunday

Basketball

Yardwork

Played basketball and played really well. However at the end I was toast. I don't know what it was but it felt like a really cardio heavy game of basketball. Even my brother who played said he felt like there was more movement than other weeks and we were both drained. I went home, had some water and got outside do cut the grass, pick weeds, spray weeds, and do all sorts of other stuff to get my yard back in order.


I'm taking today off from the gym. It is much needed though, my legs feel like jello today. The extra work during the weekend helps ease my mind about the day off. Hopefully it really helps as I move forward towards vacation to have today off and let my body rebuild as I've been working out 6 out of 7 days a week for about 3 months now.

TweetMonday

Off day

Originally I planned for it to be an off day because we were going to go out for my mothers birthday. However we went out Sunday night instead. I kept the off day just because I feel like I've been a bit worn down lately and needed an extra day or two away from the gym. I had some things to do around the house anyway. It's been raining almost everyday the last two weeks here and I got water in my basement so I wanted to get in there and really clean it up and make sure nothing of value was touched.

I still did my stretches though. I foam roll, use some bands, lacrosse ball work, and regular stretches. Hopefully this helps a bit but right now my left trap feels tight. I stretched my shoulder alittle and it released a little so as the day goes on I hope it gets loose.

TweetTuesday

Trap bar deadlift 5 sets
Straight bar pulldown 3 sets
Rope cable curl 4 sets
Preacher curl machine 3 sets
Leg extension superset w/ seated leg curl 4 sets
Leg press 4 sets

Jumprope superset w/ Close grip high cable row 3 sets
Footwork superset w/ push out hip machine and weighted crunch machine 3 sets

Basketball got cancelled last night because we couldn't get enough people. Luckily I've been bringing my gym clothes with me to work. The gym work was welcomed though, I felt like I haven't been there in awhile even though I was there Saturday morning. The deadlifts were a little ehhh. I've researched out the trap bar deadlift really helps with explosiveness for basketball but I think I'm going back to the regular bar next time. Everything else felt pretty good. Now I don't know how to organize today and tomorrow's workout. If I feel good after work I'll do chest and shoulders. Then worry about tomorrow when we get there, but we'll see how the work day goes.

TweetWednesday

Side lateral raise 4 sets
Reverse Peck Deck 3 sets
Flat bench 4 sets
Peck deck 3 sets
Pushdown machine 4 sets
Overhead rope extension 3 sets

Jump rope superset w/ reverse hack squat press 3 sets
Jump rope superset w/ a bunch of random work

Got to the gym and decided to go with shoulders and chest. It worked ok. I didn't feel super tired but when I watched the clock I must have been moving slow and taking extra time between sets without paying attention. I got through my normal stuff and thought, I don't have much time left for extra volume. I did want to do the hack squat press though since I feel like it works shoulders, chest, legs, etc. After I did that I basically was jumping rope and doing whatever to hit the muscles a bit more but just 1 set and not full 3 or 4 sets.

Not a bad workout overall. Just not sure what I'll do today since I hit everything the last two days.

TweetThursday

Squat 4 sets
Lat pulldown 4 sets
DB curl 4 sets

Jumprope superset w/ wall ball and weighted low back extension 3 sets
Jumprope superset w/ DB hammer curl, seated calve raise, and outward thigh machine 3 sets


I just did legs and back two days ago so I didn't know how things were going to go. I didn't feel sore or tight so I figured I'd give it a shot. I kept it light on the squat and I'm glad I did. I didn't feel tight at all but it was tough to get low during the squat. After that everything was good. The wall balls which involve squatting felt way better than they usually do. Maybe it was because I stayed light on the squat or maybe it took me longer to get loose but I was getting the ball higher on the wall, into the set I didn't feel fatigued as quick, and I felt like I was getting low. I tried to do somethings I don't do either to hit muscles a way I don't usually, like the hip machine, calve raises and the lower back extensions.

TweetSaturday

DB curl superset w/ rope extension 4 sets
EZ bar preacher curl superset w/ reverse overhead extension 4 sets
DB hammer curl superset w/ under hand extension 4 sets

Conditioning work: jump rope, ladder runs, farmers walks

Saturday's workout once again turned into a really solid footwork and conditioning day. I did get a really good pump and went pretty heavy on the arms first but after that I had fun coming up with agility style things. I had a crazy sweat going and felt super winded. I've said it before but its worth a mention. Farmers walks after doing arms creates one of the craziest burns you'll experience in a muscle.

Sunday

Basketball

Not the average game of basketball. We only had 7 people total. So we played 3 on 3 and the other team had a sub. However instead of playing half court the other guys still wanted to run full court. It was intense and a lot of ups and downs. However I'll take the extra cardio coupled with the ball in my hands more made for a fun Sunday morning workout.

TweetTuesday

Tennis

I get out of work, go home to cook and do whatever I do before basketball. I then find out its cancelled for the night. I didn't want to go back to the gym at that point so luckily I was able to play tennis. Usually when I play tennis it's after my gym sessions so I felt a lot more fresh than usual. I figured I'd be running like a maniac playing basketball so I tried to exert as much energy as possible when playing tennis. I was chasing everything and hitting the ball really hard. It wasn't the energy I'd put out during basketball but I am glad I got outside and was able to do something.

TweetNothing feels better than runninaround silly in the fresh air

TweetWednesday

Pendlay row 4 sets
Squats superset w/ pull ups 4 sets
BB curl 4 sets

Leg press 3 sets
Wall balls superset w/ straight bar pulldown 3 sets
Jumprope superset w/ DB curl 3 sets

I feel like I did more but maybe I'm forgetting some of it. I tried pendlay rows for the first time and I kind of liked them. I only did them because at the time the squat racks were taken but it was an interesting feeling and a way to change things up a bit. After that I squatted but didn't go to heavy, more explosive and then threw in some pull ups. I did squats and leg press so I probably should of did extensions or curls but I really wanted to do wall balls and even though it's a similar movement than the other two, I still went with it. All in all not a bad workout.

After my workouts I've been stopping at the park to shoot baskets for about 10 minutes or so. My legs must have been jello but I couldn't run, I was laughing to myself because I was moving slow and my shots were all short. I had no legs left which is actually a good thing because I hit them pretty good during the workout.

TweetThursday

Side lateral raise 4 sets
Incline bench 4 sets
Reverse peck deck 3 sets
Peck deck 3 sets
Pushdown machine 4 sets
Overhand extension 3 sets

Jump rope superset with cable cross, DB high row, and underhand extension 3 sets

I was at work literally falling asleep at work so I didn't know what to expect at the gym. Well the workout was pretty good overall. The incline bench was nothing special weight wise but the squeeze and mind/muscle connection was amazing. I'm pretty happy with how things went. I didn't include it in the write up but I also threw in some farmers carries at the end. I did feel pretty worn out at the end and I didn't go crazy heavy on the farmers carries, I mainly did it to add in some extra cardio and to help with the arm pump a bit.

TweetSaturday

DB hammer curl superset w/ wide grip handle extensions 4 sets
Incline DB hammer curl superset w/ rope extension 4 sets
Double high cable curl superset w/ db behind head extension 4 sets

Farmers walks, ab work

I was at the gym for about 45 minutes instead of my normal hour but it seemed like I was there a lot shorter period of time. I had somewhere to be at 915 and the gym doesn't open until 8. I sort of knew after my appointment I wasn't going to want to go to the gym at that point so I went in and got a quick workout. I'm glad I did, I sat at the car dealership for 3 hours waiting, it was awful. By the time I left I was furious, tired, and had a headache. Anyway I didn't think the workout was anything special. But I woke up Sunday and my biceps were sore which hasn't happened in months. I know it's not an indicator of a good workout but it was a welcomed surprise. My abs were also sore since I switched up what I usually do. That was also a nice surprise.

Sunday

Basketball

I played like garbage but when I look back at it, I think only 3 people played well. It felt like a weird game of basketball. The team was not spacing the floor well or moving like they should. Almost like everyone was tired. I didn't feel tired and felt like I was moving more than anyone but it didn't amount to much. Good cardio though as I was soaked and felt like I did a lot of running.

TweetThis week

This is my final week of dieting. I'm on vacation starting tomorrow.

I still went to the gym or played basketball this week but work has been insane so I haven't had time to really log on each morning and log my workouts.

So I'll just summarize some of what I did, Monday was my legs and back work, I didn't go super heavy with my deadlifts but everything for the workout had higher reps that usual. I also cut down a bit on cardio actually to get as much blood into the muscles as much as possible. Since I'm low on carbs I wanted to deplete everything out of the muscle that I could.

Tuesday was basketball. Ran a lot of sweat a lot. I was drenched, which is basically everytime with basketball but this felt like extra sweat on my compression tank. Good cardio

Wednesday was chest and shoulders, I basically followed the same rules as Monday, really trying to squeeze everything.

I lowered my calories a bit during Mon thru Wed as well. Kept protein high but my calories were super low and I felt it. The lower calories couples with the different work schedule and some stress had me worn out. People all week were telling me that I looked tired. I felt sluggish.

Thursday was my birthday and I have some stuff to do before vacation so Wednesday was my last day of work out. I still did my stretching routine on Thursday and even did some YOGA style work as well. I re-introduced carbs back into my diet last night for my birthday dinner. Today I came into work extra early so I can get the vacation started earlier but I feel much better now with some carbs.

Time to relax on vacation and start reintroducing more food into my diet as we get into the fall and winter.

TweetBack at it

I'm back from vacation, I let myself just eat, relax, and drink whatever I wanted on vacation. I gained 4 or 5lbs which was expected. I needed to break. Towards the end, when vacation was close, I was running on fumes. I needed time off from the gym and needed some big calories.

While I don't look as lean as when I went, I'm not unhappy with how I look. Actually my muscles look more full now than when I went.

So this week in the gym I'm not going to push it, just get the form on the lifts back. I'm not adding any supplements this week either.

Next week I will start Follidrone 2.0 and Iconogenin as I attempt to gain some lean mass going into the fall and winter.