Michigan Muscle Boy

Last Workout of 2006

Well, I did my last workout of 2006 at Gold's Gym, Ann Arbor, the site of many a workout these past few months as they have been sponsoring our Muscle Ventures Blog.  This blog has been kind of dormant while Nancy and I have been faithfully updating muscle ventures once or twice a week with a podcast or video analysis.  I suspect the blog will remain dormant because I just don't have enough time with my learning remix activities and muscle ventures blogging to keep this up.

I started this blog a little over a year ago a hurting puppy.  My mother had died just a few months before.  I was getting beaten down by over training.  Nancy was prepping for her show and was kind of hell bent.  Well, we made it through Nancy's show and started periodized weight training, a sort of god sent antidote to over training.  Then this Fall, Nancy's mother in law, Virginia, died suddenly putting a weight of grief on her and her husband, Jim.  Through it all, we continued put a good amount of effort into our shared activity muscle ventures.  I expect my focus will remain there.  Nancy and I get a kick out of it, and we've had pretty good success with the site.  Last week, Google video indicated that our videos had had 134,000 viewings.

I may come back to this site at some point or incorporate a version of it into Muscle Ventures.  In the mean time, you can follow Nancy's and my adventures there.  Here's the relevant URLs:

• http://muscleventures.com/home for the latest podcasts and video exercise analyses.  Expect about one or two updates a week.
• http://muscleventures.com/video for the latest exercise analyses only.
• http://muscleventures.com/podcasts for the latest interviews only.

The Arnold Overhead Press Does the Trick

So, I noted in our training diary series over on Muscle Ventures that my shoulder was bugging me a bit.  I think I have tendon issues that flare up from time to time.  As Chris Dorr and Andy have pointed out, it has something to do with bringing my elbows out on the overhead press.

Today, I substituted in Arnold Presses for the overhead press.  As you can see in this video analysis, the Arnold press starts with your elbows down by your side and your hands curled up to your face.  During the whole lift, your arms basically go straight up.  It pulls stress out of the front delts and associated tendons.

Today was Day 4 of hypertrophy.  Nancy was unexpectedly not there (see next post).  For the record, here was the workout:

• Bench Press (60% 1RM):  115 lbs./12 reps X 4 sets
• Incline flye (60%):  30/12X4
• Arnold Press (60%): 30/12X4 (I had to drop weight at the end of the second two sets).
• Cable Lateral (60%): 17.5/10X3
• Shrug (60%): 50/12X4
• Prone dumbbell curl (60%): 25/12X4
• Seated Calf (60%): 120/12X4

Eccentric Training: The end of max strength training

Arnold and I just completed our sojourn in max strength training.  Maybe the most interesting thing was the eccentric training we did at the end.  In eccentric training, you go beyond what you can lift and just do the negative of each exercise.  We did 120% of 1RM.

So, in the leg press, say you think your 1RM is 545, you would do 655 for 120% 1RM.  Obviously, you can't lift that, so you have to have spotters.  We did that for 5 sets of three reps.

Initially, it's very mentally challenging, you think the weight is going to come down and crush you, but no, you actually control it.  To get maximum benefit, you need to lower the weight slowly.

It is typically the case that you can lower a lot more than you can lift.  The difference is a measure of how far you are from exerting your absolute strength potential in your 1RM.  If you are very good, you can get up to 90% of your aboslute strength potential, but usually you get 80% or less.  Our Muscle Ventures post provides more details.

Seven Months till Competition (Workout Diary)

This podcast inaugurates our workout diary series as we work toward Nancy's competition.

Note how we're using Google video.  You can get the downloadable, ipod compatible version at the original muscleventures article. In this diary, we're completing the medium week of max strength training.  The video cuts across two workouts, one on a sunday morning (ugh) and the other on a friday afternoon (better).

Nancy recently wrote about the challenges of max strength training, particularly the mental component, and you can see them in this diary.

Ketchup: The New Sports Supplement

As the big girl targets another bodybuilding show, I've decided to take on the role of her sports supplements adviser.  My first recommendation: ketchup, but only in quantities small enough not to blow her anabolic diet.

I think I've finally got the low carbs and lifting thing figured out.  Oddly, it seems to involve eating a McDonald's double quarter pounder with cheese without the bun and a bit of ketchup about 1/2 hour before hitting the gym (right around 500 calories, mostly from fat, my new fuel).  Timing food intake seems to be key.  I'm also thinking I might have to up carbs a bit during the week from the not more than 30 grams I'm currently doing.  Andy's given me some ideas for how to do that.

At any rate, I had a great workout today, a 15 rep per set wonder with 60 seconds rest between sets.  Today was a hypertrophy day in the medium microcycle.  Here's the workout:

• Bench (60% 1RM): 115lbs/15 reps X 4 sets
• Incline flye (60%): 30/15X4
• Dumbbell front press (60%): 35/15X4 (drop setted down to 30 starting second set)
• Cable lateral raise (65%): 21.25/15X4
• Dumbbell shrug (60%): 50/15X4
• Dumbbell incline curls (60%): 30/15X3; 25/15X1
• Calf raises (60%): 120/15X4

I've started some mild shoulder issues which I managed to fix by altering angle on some of the exercises.  I've become convinced that the shoulder thing relates back to a dislocation I had as a kid.  If I manage it and stretch a bit, I do OK.

More Hypertrophy Training

I worked out at 6:00 PM yesterday.  What a hard time to work out.  I'd been in an orientation all day and was kind of hungry, but I felt I had to hold to the training regimen.

Here's the drill (60 seconds between sets):

• Bench (60% 1RM): 115 lbs./12 reps X 4 sets
• Incline dumbbell flye (60%): 30/12X4
• Front dumbbell press (60%): 35/12X4
• Incline side lateral (60%): 15/10X3
• Dumbbell shrug (60%): 50/12X4
• Incline dumbbell curl (60%): 30/12X4
• Seated calf raise (60%): 120/12X4

It was hard, but I held up pretty well.  However, I was tapped on cardio.

Today, I ate shortly before going in for cardio.  That worked well.

Squats vs. Leg Press in an H workout

Remarkably, it's Tuesday, two days out from the weekend carb load, and I'm feeling like a stud.  I'm not sure I've got the carbs quite right, but it feels better than last week.  One thing, I seem to sweat a good bit more.

As I mentioned in my last note, Nancy and I are on a hypertrophy phase.  This is the light week.

Here's today's workout:

• Nautilus Leg Press (60% 1RM):  275 lbs./ 12 reps X 4 sets
• Single leg pulley leg curl (60% 1RM): 70/8X3
• Smith Lunges (60%): 113/12X4
• Bent Underhand Rows with EZ Bar (60%): 105/12X4
• Back Extensions: 15X3
• BOSU Crunches: 15X3
• Skull Crushers (60%): 65/12X4

One might wonder at the leg press.  The movements is similar to the squat.  Muscle activation studies show that the squat works the glutes and lower back more than the leg press.  However, stress on the lower back may also be just the reason for avoiding the squat, particularly if you have back issues.  One intriguing suggestion is to combine the leg press with a partial deadlift to get the glute activation.  I may try that.

Short H Workout

Hammered out an H workout today with some good intensity.  I seem to have my strength back after a lull.  Eating close to 4000 calories per day in fat and protein.  I think the body is coming around.

Here's the workout:

• EZ Bar skull crushers (80–85% 1RM):  85 lbs./7 reps X 2 sets; 90/5X3;
• Behind neck pulldown (80–85%):  125/7X2; 135/5X3;
• Dumbbell rear delt lateral (75%): 25/6X5;
• Dumbbell shrugs (80–85%): 60/7X2; 80/3X5;
• Back extensions: 15X5

A good but tough max strength workout

The Big Girl seems to be having an easy time cutting over to the anabolic diet, a good thing.  I've done low carb diets like the anabolic diet before, but my experience is that I tend to need more than the minimum carbs to feel really good.  The thing that attracted me to this diet is that it seems designed to get you to the right level of carbs for exercise ... eventually.

I hit the wall a bit on carbs yesterday, day 3 of the diet, and felt a little drained.  But, I had a decent enough workout.  Here's what I did:

• Smith Squats (90% 1RM):  174 lbs./2 reps X 1 sets; 184/2X4;
• Kneeling hammerstrength leg curls (80%):  95/6X5
• Bench Press (90% 1RM): 172.5/2X5
• Bent underhand EZ Bar row (90%): 150/2X5
• Front dumbbell press (90%): 55/2X1; 50/2X4;
• Hack calf raise (80%): 240/6X5

A few observations.  We worked out at Gold's.  The Smith machine there is different, angling you back in the squat, and the bar weight is also different also.  It's harder than what we do at Liberty, so I can do less weight in the squat. 

On the bench I needed some light spotting on the last two sets (thanks Arnold!).  The bar is also a little heavier than standard (47.5 lbs. vs. 45).

Based on past performance, I felt pretty sure I could do 55 lbs. on the dumbbell press.  Well, barely.  I suspect the carbs were hitting me.

Nice little H workout with intensity

So, I trained with Mary today and did a nice little H workout.  Lots of intensity, hitting some new levels.  Here's the workout:

• Skull crusher (80-85% 1RM): 85 lbs./7 reps X 2 sets; 90/2X5; 90/1X3; 85/1X2;
• Nautilus wide grip pull-down (80–85%): 125/7X2; 135/3X5;
• Incline rear delt dumbbell flyes (75%): 25/6X5;
• Dumbbell shrugs (80–85%): 65/7X2; 70/3X5;
• Back extensions: 15X4