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Kristopher S
05-26-2012, 10:32 PM
Hello all! My name is Kris and I'm 29 years old. I've been lifting weights for over 12 years now for martial arts and CrossFit, but within the past couple of years I've changed my goals to bodybuilding and just recently Men's Physique. Men's Physique is an appealing area for me because it's more along the lines of the physique I want.

I have IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) and there are quite a few things that I can not eat. One of those things are protein shakes made with whey. If anyone is familiar with Louis CK's bit on "eating habits" then you can probably guess what happens if I consume just one whey protein shake. As such I'm fighting a hard battle to put on muscle (well, harder than average I guess). I'm also lactose intolerant so drinking a ton of milk is out. The bodybuilder's of old reached their goals without modern supplements so I'm optimistic that I will too.

I will be keeping my workout journal here in hopes of getting advice from like-minded men's physique enthusiasts/competitors. Any constructive input is greatly appreciated!

My current routine is an upper/lower split done three times a week. If upper is workout A and lower is workout B, then one week will be A-B-A and the next will be B-A-B. I started this routine last week so I'm still getting my weights right.

Upper:
Incline Barbell Bench (2x6-8): 115x9, 125x7
Pulldowns ("): 135x9, 150x6
Seated Cable Row (1x6-8): 120x9
Seated Dumbbell Press (2x6): 50x6x2
Lateral Dumbbell Raise (2x8): 17.5x9, 20x8
Dumbbell Shrugs ("): 60x8, 65x8
Incline Dumbbell Curl (2x6-8): 20x9, 25x6
Lying L-Fly (rotator cuff work, 1x8-10): 5x10
Close-grip Benchpress (2x6-8): 135x8, 135x6
Stairmaster Speed Interval Level 5 for 10 minutes

My known stats are as follows:

Weight: 140
Height: 5'7"B
odyfat: below 10% (don't know for sure, but abs are visible)

Kristopher S
05-26-2012, 10:43 PM
Since I'm a hardgainer I don't measure what I eat often, I just try to eat as much clean food as I can. I generally eat between 5-6 meals a day, each meal containing a complete protein and either vegetables or nuts. I allow myself cheat meals whenever the craving strikes. I've found that if I just give in to temptation (within reason, of course) then I can just get right back on the wagon. Here's a list of the foods I usually eat:

Eggs (hard-boiled, scrambled)
Chicken breast
Canned tuna
Salmon
Lean steak
Tilapia
Turkey

Baby spinach and other salad greens (except iceberg lettuce because eff that)
Quinoa (addicted to this stuff!)
Squash
Zucchini
Carrots
Hummus
Apples
Red potato's

Cheese (used to eat this stuff all the time but I've been eating it sparingly lately. I usually treat this as a cheat food)
Pasta (usually don't eat much)
Bread (again, usually don't eat much. I like the taste but I'm not a fan of the texture in starchy carbs)

I use oils and seasonings like olive oil, red wine vinegar, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, chipotle powder, etc. to add flavor. I usually cook in Pam.

Kristopher S
05-30-2012, 10:42 PM
I'm late on my update because I just got a new Apple PC with a 27" screen monitor. Freakin' awesome.

Here's my lower body workout from 2 days ago:

Deadlift (2x6): 155x7, 175x6
Standing Calf Raise (2x12-15): 45x15x2
Leg Press (2x8-10): 220x11, 230x11
Lying Leg Curl ("): 50x11, 55x8
Crunch (2x10-12): 12x2
Bicycle (1x12-15): 15
Hyperextension (2x8-10): 25x11, 35x8

Kristopher S
05-30-2012, 10:45 PM
Upper:

Incline BB Bench (2x6-8): 125x9, 135x6
Pulldown ("): 150x9, 165x6
Seated Cable Row (1x6-8): 135x8
Seated DB Press (2x6): 50x7, 55x6
Lateral Raise (2x8): 20x8x2
Shrug ("): 65x8x2
Incline DB Curl (2x6-8): 25x8, 25x6
Lying L-Fly (1x8-10): 7.5x10
CG Bench (2x6-8): 135x8x6

Kristopher S
06-02-2012, 09:03 PM
So I decided to change gears and do some higher-rep work for a while. Before I started this journal I had been focusing on lifting heavy weights in a 4-8 rep range. It felt good, I made gains, and I noticed changes in my body. However, my joints have started to ache so I need to take a break from the heavy stuff. I'm still challenging my muscles, just in a different way. I came across the HST workout and read about how lactic acid helps heal strained tendons, so I'm trying out this method (although I'm not doing HST). However, I think went too high with my rep range (15-20). I'm going to bring it down to 12-15 next time and see how that feels. I'm keeping the rest down to 30-45 seconds.

Today I worked chest, triceps, abs, and finished up with speed intervals on the Stairmaster.

Incline BB Bench (3x15-20): 95x15, 95x7, 75x11
Incline DB Fly: 20x20, 20x15x2
Standing Cable Fly: 15x20, 20x20x2
Skullcrusher: using the cambered bar with no weights, I did a set of 20, a set of 16, and a set of 15
Tricep Pushdown: 5020x3
Ab Circuit (do all three exercises back to back, rest 30 seconds, repeat):
Crunches on Ball: set 1 = 15, set 2 = 7
Leg Raises w/Ball: set 1 = 15, set 2 = 12
Bicycles: set 1 = 7 per side, set 2 = 5 per side

Stairmaster: Speed Intervals @ Level 7

Tomorrow I should be able to get in a leg workout where I'll be bringing back squats into the mix again.

Kristopher S
06-04-2012, 05:25 PM
Religion has it all wrong. Hell is not fire and brimstone, nor it is extreme cold. Hell is high-rep leg days. What a pump! It felt really hard to do this workout, but I have to say that the hardest thing right now is my ego. In order to do these reps my weight has been lowered quite a bit and, quite frankly, I feel like a little bitch with these light weights. Never mind that my legs are on fire and they have a great pump and how well this is working for me, my ego is hurt because I'm not lifting heavy weight. I keep telling myself "if you could lift heavy weight for 12-15 reps I'd already look like Sadik Hadzovic, but you don't shut the hell up and focus on lifting. Your rest is up".

BB Squat (3x12-15): 75x12x3
Leg Press: 90x15x3
Romanian DL: 65x15x3 (forearms were a limiting factor here)
Leg Extension: 30x12x3
Seated Leg Curl: 30x12x3
Standing Calf Raise: 30x15x2, 30x12

I was already sweating from the low rest periods and the intensity so I skipped out on cardio. I'll probably hit it tonight as I'm not too sore.

Kristopher S
06-05-2012, 09:00 PM
This was a tough workout today. I did back, biceps, and abs. My pulling muscles were on fire from my first working set. I wanted to rest more but then I remembered what Greg Plitt said about the "burn zone" and it motivated me to keep going. I was especially careful on the high-rep deadlifts as I wanted to ensure proper form. While resting between circuits during my ab workout I felt a hard cramp in my lower abs. It wasn't a hernia (thank God), but I think it was a sign that I need to drink more water. It's been over 100 degrees and it will continue to be over 100 degrees here, so I need to step up my hydration.

WG Weight Assist Pull-Up (3x12-15): 95x15, 95x12x2
Deadlift: 95x15, 95x12x2
BO BB Row: 75x15, 75x12x2
WG Lat PLD: 75x5x2, 90x12
EZ-bar Curl: Barx15, Barx12x2
DB Curl: 12x5x12x3
DB Hammer Curl: 10x15x2, 10x12

Ab Circuit (45 seconds rest between circuits)
Crunches on Ball: set 1 = 15, set 2 = 7
Leg Raises w/Ball: set 1 = 15, set 2 = 8
Bicycles: set 1 = 8 per side, set 2 = 5 per side

Kristopher S
06-07-2012, 09:48 PM
Gorging oneself on sushi and immediately training shoulders afterward is a good way to make yourself nauseated. I didn't vomit, but I came damn close.

Standing Military Press (3x12-15): Barx15, 10, 12
Standing Front BB OH Raise: 20x15, 13, 12
Lateral Raise: 10x15, 10, 12
EZ-curl Bar Upright Row: Barx15x3
Seated BO Rear Delt Raise: 10x12, 10, 8
DB Shrug: 30x15x3

This Saturday starts my next rotation on this workout. I'm going to do 3 sets of 8-12 on most exercises. Since I feel that my chest is a weak area, I will try to do 4 sets.

Kristopher S
06-11-2012, 07:31 PM
Been forgetting to update this damn thing. This is my chest, tri's, and abs workout on 6-9-2012. I started my hypertrophy routine, doing 3 sets of 8-12 reps. I did the calculations based off my estimated 1RM for these exercises and most of them were dead on. For my ab circuit, I decided to do one circuit and really focus on form, contracting my abs, and getting 15 reps on every exercise:

Incline BB Bench (3x8-12): 105x10, 105x8x2
Incline DB Fly: 20x12, 25x8x8
Standing Cable Fly (different machine than last time): 20x10, 20x8x2
Skullcrusher: 40x12, 45x12, 50x10
Pushdown: 55x12, 60x12, 65x12
Dips: 12, 10, 8

Ab Circuit:
Crunches on Ball: 15
Leg Raises w/Ball: 15
Bicycles: 15 per side

Kristopher S
06-11-2012, 07:35 PM
Here is my leg workout from yesterday, 6-10-12. I kept the same hypertrophy rep range, but I did drop sets on the Lying Leg Raise and some SMR at the end:

BB Squat (3x8-12): 70x12, 75x12, 80x10
Leg Press: 200x12, 230x8x2
Romanian DL: 75x12, 85x12, 95x8
Leg Extension (different machine than last time): 45x12, 50x12, 55x10
Lying Leg Curl (last set a drop set): 40x12, 45x12, 50x8 --> 40 --> 30 --> 20 --> 10
Standing Calf Raise: 45x12, 60x10, 75x8

Kristopher S
06-14-2012, 01:43 PM
Here's my back workout from yesterday:

Wide-Grip PLU's, Weight Assist (3x8-12): 12x95, 12x80, 5x65 (65 pounds didn't feel like anything so I'm going to hang at 80 pounds until I can do 3 sets of 12, then go without the weight-assist and do bodyweight)
BB DL: 135x8x3
BO BB Row: 95x12, 100x10, 100x9
Wide-Grip PLD: 95x12, 105x12, 120x8
EZ-bar Curl: 40x12, 45x10, 45x8
Alt. DB Curl: 12.5x10, 12.5x8x2 (grip was a limiting factor here)
Hammer Curl: 15x12, 15x10x2

Ab Circuit (did it backwards today just for a change):
Bicycle: 15 per side
Leg Raises with Ball: 15
Crunches on Ball: 15

Kristopher S
06-15-2012, 11:18 PM
Had a good day with shoulders. I changed my ab routine because the circuits I was doing were causing some very uncomfortable cramps. It was almost as if I could feel my stomach muscles twisting, which gave me some serious pause. The routine is Sadik Hadzovic's routine that he posted on cutandjacked, scaled down to my level. I will work on doing all of the reps for all of the exercises (1 minute rest between sets), then cut down my rest to 30 seconds before adding more sets.

Shoulders:
Standing Military Press (3x8-12): 55x12, 65x8x2
Standing Front BB OH Raise: 30x8x3
Lateral Raise: 12.5x12, 15x8x2
EZ-curl Upright Row: 55x12, 60x8x2
DB Shrugs: 40x12, 45x10x2

Abs:
Cable Crunch (2x15-20): 50x20, 70x20
V-Up Exchange w/Ball: 12, 10
Scissors: 20x2
Russian Twist: 8x15x2
Alt. Toe Touch: 15x2 (started with a different leg on each set)
Hanging Leg Raise (1xfail): 8

weezer
06-15-2012, 11:49 PM
You lost me when you said"cross fit" ,,,,,hell the words"men's(sorry didn't mean to laugh) physique had me holding back dinner,,,,i can't do nuttin for you man

Kristopher S
06-16-2012, 09:46 PM
You lost me when you said"cross fit" ,,,,,hell the words"men's(sorry didn't mean to laugh) physique had me holding back dinner,,,,i can't do nuttin for you man

I don't remember asking you to do anything for me.

Kristopher S
06-16-2012, 09:58 PM
You must be doing something right when the haters come out. I haven't even posted pics yet and already I have some trolls to feed! :)

I had a good chest and triceps workout today, even though I felt really weak going in. A couple of days ago I didn't sleep (not as in "I tossed and turned", but literally stayed awake) and ended up having a 40-hour day, so I'm still trying to catch up and get back into a rhythm. In any case, had a good day.

Chest:
Incline BB Bench (3x8-12): 105X12, 115X6x2
Incline DB Fly: 20x12 (was supposed to start with 25. Whoops), 25x12, 30x8
Standing Cable Fly: 20x12, 25x8x2

Triceps:
Skullcrusher: 50x12, 55x8x2
Pressdown: 70x12, 80x12, 90x10
Dips: 12, 10, 8

Tomorrow is leg day. Joy.

Kristopher S
06-21-2012, 02:11 AM
Very crowded in the gym so I couldn't get to the squat rack. Oh well, I only do them because I'm supposed to.

Leg Press (3x8-12): 230x12, 250x12, 270x8
Romanian DL: 95x12, 105x8x2
Leg Extension: 55x12, 60x12, 65x12
Seated Leg Curl: 40x12, 50x8x2
Standing Calf Raise: 75x10, 75x9, 75x8

I woke up yesterday morning with a 102-degree fever and today I'm back to normal. Don't know how in the hell that happens, but if my temp's still good then I'm back in the gym.

Kristopher S
06-21-2012, 06:29 PM
I still feel that there's something deep in my chest that needs to come out, so I figure the best way to get my breathing going is by going hard on deadlifts (well, hard for me. You stronger, more jacked guys probably laugh at my weights! :p). It felt good to get back in the gym after a few days.

Back:
WG Pull-ups weight-assisted (3x8-12): 80x12x2, 80x8
BB DL: 135x12, 155x8x2
BO BB Row: 100x12, 105x10, 105x8
WG PLD: 120x12, 135x6x2

Biceps:
EZ-curl Bar: 45x12, 50x8x2
Alt. DB Curl: 12.5x12, 15x10, 15x12
Hammer Curl: 15x12, 17.5x10, 17.5x8

Kristopher S
06-24-2012, 03:25 PM
Went to 24 Hour Fitness over in Tempe for shoulders and abs because my gym closed at 9 (should take "24 Hour" out of the name if you're not open 24 hours, but whatever). Intensity was through the roof for this workout, and the lights they had made me look better than I actually am so that was a motivator. I saw my future!

Shoulders:
Standing Military Press (3x8-12): 65x12, 70x9, 70x8
Standing BB OH Raise: 30x9, 30x8x2
Lateral Raise: 15x10, 15x8x2
Upright Row: 60x12, 65x8x2
Seated BO Rear Delt Raise: 12.5x12, 15x8, 15x10
DB Shrug: 45x12, 50x12, 55x8

Abs:
Cable Crunch (2x15-20): 70x20, 80x20
V-Up Exchange w/Ball: 10x2
Scissors: 20x2
Running Plank: 20x2
Russian Twist: 8x20, 8x15
Alt. Toe Touch: 15x2 (started with a different leg each time)
Hanging Leg Raise (1xfail): 8

Kristopher S
06-24-2012, 03:36 PM
3-week progress report:

I've been doing a lot of reading on how to properly train the chest. I've always had a problem with really isolating my chest; my shoulders and triceps get most of the load. I've learned about scapular retraction, so I'm going to go back to flat barbell bench for a while and really train this. I may even try neck presses, but I'd feel more comfortable training a familiar movement while trying to get this whole scapular retraction thing down. I'm also going to back off on front delt work on my shoulder days, probably by removing the presses. Everything else is coming along okay. My weakness is diet, of course, and I'm working on that. I'm trying to get in more protein by eating more lean meat, and the reason is simple: I love eating meat (keep the gay jokes civil, guys. :p). I feel lethargic as hell when I try to eat more carbs than protein, so I think my body responds better to a higher protein, lower carb diet. What the exact distribution of macros is, I can't say at the moment because I'm still figuring it out. Gotta' love the process, though.

Kristopher S
06-25-2012, 06:21 PM
What a difference! I applied the whole scapular retraction thing and it made a HUGE difference in feeling the weight in my pectoral muscles! I also flexed my pecs for 30 seconds after each set (until the Standing Cable Fly's) and got a great pump. I changed my routine around a bit to keep it interesting. I changed two chest exercises - flat bench replaced the incline, and I'm performing my cable flies from high to low instead of straight out to the side. Another change I made in terms of performance was to the Incline DB Fly. I stay in the bottom (stretched) position for a two-count.

Chest:
BB Bench (3x8-12): 115x12, 125x8, 125x5, rest 10 seconds, 2 more, rest 10 seconds, 1 more to make 8 total (flexing really took my strength away, but I don't care about how much weight I lift)
Incline DB Fly: 30x10, 30x8x2
Standing Cable Fly (to the side): 25x12
Standing Cable Fly (high-to-low): 20x10, 20x8

Triceps:
Lying Tri. Ext: 55x10, 55x8x2
Pushdown: 90x12, 100x8x2
Dips: 12, 10, 8

Kristopher S
06-27-2012, 12:59 AM
Legs:
Leg Press (3x8-12): 270x8x3
Romanian DL: 115x8x3
Leg Ext.: 70x12, 75x10x2
Seated Leg Curl: 50x12, 60x8, 60x6
Standing Calf Raise: 75x12, 90x8x2

Kristopher S
06-29-2012, 06:39 PM
Had a weak day today.

Back:
WG PLU weight-assist (3x8-12): 80x12, 80x10, 80x8
BO BB Row: 105x12, 115x8x2
WG PLD: 135x8x2, 120x8 (ROM was compromised on the 2nd set so I went down in weight)

Biceps:
EZ-bar Curl: 50x12, 55x8, 55x6
Alt. DB. Curl: 17.5x12, 20x8x2
Hammer Curl: 17.5x12, 20x8x2

Kristopher S
06-30-2012, 07:46 PM
Went in for shoulders, did all three sets of my first exercise and said "to hell with this, I feel like working chest", so I improvised a chest workout today. I really focused on retracting my scapulae and pushing my chest out to make sure I was hitting my chest. It brought my weights down but I felt it more in my chest, and feeling my muscles work (and getting the pump, of course) is all I care about in the gym. I'm starting 10 sets of 10 after two days off so I wanted to be sure I had my form down.

For abs, I'm keeping all weights and sets where they are until my reps come up in some weaker exercises.

Chest:
Incline BB Bench: 95x8, 105x6, 105x8
BB Bench: 105x8, 105x6x2
*tried Decline BB Bench for a set and hated them*
Incline DB Bench: 30x8, 35x8, 40x8
Seated BO Rear Delt Raise (3x8-12): 15x12, 17.5x8x2 (to try and negate all the pressing I just did)
Incline DB Fly: 20x0, 25x10, 30x8

Abs:
Cable Crunch (2x15-20): 90x20x2
V-Up Exchange w/Ball: 12x2
Scissors: 20x2
Running Plank: 20x2
Alt. Toe Touch: 20x2
Hanging Leg Raise (1xfail): 10

Kristopher S
07-04-2012, 09:22 PM
Started 10 sets of 10 yesterday. It feels good to be doing something different. On compound movements my tempo is 4020, and on isolation movements it's 3020. The only exceptions will be on shoulder day.

Chest and Back:
BB Bench (75): 10x6, 5, 8x2, 10
WG Lat PLD (90): 10x5, 6, 8x4
Inc. DB Fly (3x10-12): 20x10x3
Seated Cable Row: 105x12, 105x10x2

Kristopher S
07-04-2012, 09:27 PM
Got up at 5 am today to get this one in before work. Today was legs and abs, and I'll admit that I was dreading this. I felt such a burn on chest and back that I worried I may puke doing this kind of work on legs. However, I apparently have more endurance strength in my legs as my weights that I was supposed to start with weren't enough, but not by much. I'm going up five pounds for next week, so maybe I'll puke then.

Legs:
Leg Press (140): 10x10
Lying Leg Curl (30): 10x10
Standing Calf Raise (3x10-12): 75x10x3

Abs:
Cable Crunch (2x15-20): 90x20x2
V-Up Exchange w/Ball: 12x2
Scissors: 20x2
Running Plank: 20x2
Alt. Toe Touch: 20x2
Hanging Leg Raise (1xfail): 11

Kristopher S
07-07-2012, 02:56 PM
Yesterday was arms 10 sets of 10 and shoulders. I totally underestimated myself on the pushdowns and hardly got a workout in at all for triceps. I'd be more mad about it if my triceps didn't overpower my biceps. Biceps were better even though I did all 10 sets. I got a new job that's going to require some 11 hour days so I'm going to have to cut my planned cycle of 10 sets of 10 short and find something that will get me in and out of the gym in a brief period of time. I'm going to try Kane Sumabat's SuperHero Interval Training (abbreviate the capital letters for the joke) today for chest and see how that goes.

Arms:
Pressdowns (60 and 70): 60x10x5, 70x10x5
EZ-bar Curl (40): 10x10

Shoulders
Seated BO Rear Delt Raise (3x10-12): 12.5x12, 12.5x10x2
Seated Lateral Raise: 10x12x3

Kristopher S
07-07-2012, 05:33 PM
Well I'm a fan of SH!T training for sure. I really enjoyed doing many different rep ranges in one workout, plus I was done in a little over 15 minutes. I think it would've been more intense had I not again under-estimated my strength on the later exercises (I figured I'd be toast), but I guess it's better to be conservative when you're trying something new.

BB Bench (5x5): 135x5x4, 135x3+1+1
Incline DB Bench (4x6): 35x6, 40x6x3
Weighted Dips (3x8): 10x8x3
Incline DB Fly (2x12): 15x12, 25x12
DB Push-Ups (1x25): 15, 5, 5

Kristopher S
07-09-2012, 01:30 PM
Did SH!T for legs last night and finished up with some unplanned ab work (the fiancé wasn't done on the Stairmaster yet). Have to move up in weights used because I again under-estimated my strength. It's hard for me to know whether or not I'm going to be spent. Also, I tried doing this on my calves by doing one machine (Calf Raises on the Leg Press) for all 15 sets, but I feel my calves don't get any stimulation with heavy weight so I'm going to throw in a few sets of high rep work during the week to make sure they are sufficiently stimulated. Abs were my usual program, although the workout felt more difficult than normal. I rested one minute between sets for legs and abs, and 40 seconds between calf sets.

Legs:
Zercher Squat (5x5): 95x5x5
Leg Press (4x6): 270x4x6
Backward DB Lunge (3x8): 10x3x8
Lying Leg Curl (2x12): 40x2x12
Body Squat (1x25): 25

Calves (Calf Raises on Leg Press Machine was done for all sets):
270x5x5
230x4x6
90x3x8
70x2x12
45x16, 45x9

Abs:
Cable Crunch (2x15-20): 90x25 (whoops), 90x20
V-Up Exchange w/Ball: 12x2
Scissors: 20x2
Running Plank: 20x2
Alt. Toe Touch: 20x2
Hanging Leg Raise (1xfail): 8

Kristopher S
07-10-2012, 12:50 PM
Feeling like an old man today.

Horizontal and Vertical Pull SH!T:

Weighted Wide-Grip PLU's (5x5): 10x4x5, 10x1x3+2
One-arm DB Row (4x6): 40x1x6, 45x3x6
WG Neutral PLU's (3x8): 1x8, 1x5+2+1, 1x4+2+1+1
Straight-arm PLD's (2x12): 50x1x12, 70x1x12
Narrow-grip Neutral PLU's (1x25): 7, 3, 4, 4, 3, 4

Kristopher S
07-13-2012, 01:08 AM
Yesterday's chest workout:

BB Bench (5x5): 135x5x5
Low Incline DB Bench (4x6): 45x4x6
Weighted Dips (3x8): 15x3x8
Low Incline DB Fly (2x12): 25x2x12
DB Push-Ups (1x25): 13, 5, 3, 4

Rest was 40 seconds between sets, unknown between exercises as typical of these SH!T workouts. Glad to see that I'm moving up in weight even though I'm still lifting heavy (for me, anyway) and using short rest periods.

Kristopher S
07-13-2012, 01:11 AM
Today's leg SH!T workout:

Zercher Squat (5x5): 105x5x5
Leg Press (4x6): 290x4x6
Backward DB Lunge (3x8): 15x3x8
Lying Leg Curl (2x12): 45x2x12
Body Squat (1x25): 25
Standing Calf Raise (3x10-15): 60x3x10

Something was up with the standing calf raise machine - it felt like it was catching on something which made the weight feel heavier - so I didn't do as many reps as I could under normal circumstances. Rest was 1 minute.

Kristopher S
07-16-2012, 09:11 PM
I attempted to do a vertical push SH!T workout but my left shoulder felt really funny so I couldn't do it for real. As a matter of fact, I have been wrestling with the idea of doing a rehab-type of workout ever since and although I don't want to (I want to keep lifting heavy!) I'm going to do a high-rep/cardio routine for a couple of weeks (complete with rotator-cuff exercises) until I heal, then jump right back into SH!T workouts.

Attempted Vertical Push SH!T:
Front Plate Raise (5x5): 35x5x5
Upright Row (4x6): 55x6x4
BO DB Raise (3x8): 15x3x8
Seated Lateral DB Raise (2x12): 10x2x12
Face Pull w/Rope (1x25): 10x1x25

Kristopher S
07-16-2012, 09:14 PM
Arm day was an attempt to hit my biceps a little harder than my triceps since they tend to grow faster, and also to see if my shoulder was still acting funny. My biceps really felt a burn and a pump, and my shoulder still felt weird.

Arm SH!T EZ-bar Curl (5x5): 65x5x5
French Press (4x6): 55x4x6
Cable Curl (3x8): 80x3x8
Pressdown (2x12): 90x2x12
Cross-body Curl (1x25): 10x1x25

Kristopher S
07-17-2012, 01:54 PM
I created a "shoulder rehab" program to do for a few weeks while my shoulder heals. It involves high-rep, slow tempo training where I really focus on the squeeze in the muscle (think Frank Zane-style) along with a dedicated cardio and ab day. Extra cardio may be thrown in if I feel like doing it. Also, everyday I am in the gym I will perform some kind of rotator cuff exercise (cables, dumbbells, whatever) before I do anything else. Finally, I will be doing no direct shoulder work save for bent-over raises for the rear delts.

Cardio:
30 minutes (alternating between 5 minutes 3.5 @ 10% incline, 5 minutes 5.0 @ 0% incline), 10 minute cool-down

Abs:
Cable Crunch (2x11-13): 100x2x13
V-Up Exchange w/Ball: 2x12
Scissors: 2x13
Running Plank: 2x13
Alt. Toe Touch: 2x12
Hanging Leg Raise (1xfail): 8

Kristopher S
07-17-2012, 06:56 PM
Figured out what's bothering my shoulder - pressing movements. This all started when I tried heavy overhead pressing for my shoulder SH!T workout. The next day I went to a Sports Authority and was messing around with the kettlebells, did some clean and presses and noticed that my left shoulder still bothered me. Fast forward to today and I started with Incline DB Fly's with no problem, but around the third set of Incline DB Benchpress I felt that familiar pain. It didn't bother me during any other exercise today, so thanks to the process of elimination I'm not going to do any pressing movements for about 4 weeks and do all isolation movements on my chest.

Chest:
Incline DB Fly (4x11-13): 15x13, 20x13, 20x2x10
Incline DB Bench (5x11-13): 30x2x13, 30x8, 25x2x10
Standing Cable Fly (3x11-13): 15x3x13
Wide-grip (as wide as you can go) Lat PLD's (4x11-13): 60x4x13
Seated Cable Row (5x11-13): 60x5x13
Hyperextension (3x11-13): 13, 11x2

Got "The Dark Knight Rises" soundtrack today so the workout was more epic than normal.

Kristopher S
07-19-2012, 11:59 PM
Worked legs today and noticed that my hamstrings have very little endurance. I know I worked them well because I'm still having a hard time walking!

Legs:
Leg Press (5x11-13): 140x1x13, 140x4x11
Leg Extension: 55x11, 40x4x11
Lying Leg Curl: 35x13, 35x11, 35x9, 30x9, 25x8
Seated Calf Raise (6x11-13): 25x4x13, 25x2x11

Kristopher S
07-22-2012, 07:01 PM
Haven't been home for the past couple of days (taking an active break and icing my shoulder every day), but on 7-20-12 I worked extra hard in memory of the people who lost their lives to that jacka$$ in Colorado.

I read another article on bodybuilding.com about properly training chest (there's a whole series of articles on their front page right now) and there was an interesting bit on tempo so I tried that on the chest along with some very light dumbbell bench press. I've found that I go way too low on the negative portion which could be triggering my shoulder issues.

Arms:
Preacher Curl Machine (4x11-13): 50x13, 50x3x11
Skullcrusher (5x11-13): Barx13, Barx2x11, Barx10, Barx8
DB Curls (4x11-13): 15x13, 15x3x11
Pressdown (5x11-13): 60x5x13

Chest:
Incline DB Fly (4x11-13): 20x13, 20x2x11, 20x7
Light Inc. DB Bench (3x11-13): 20x3x11
Dec. DB Fly: 20x3x11
Standing Cable Fly, different machine: 20x13, 25x11, 30x11

Shoulders:
Rear Fly Machine (6x11-13): 30x4x13, 40x2x13