Well, things have kind of fallen off a bit for a couple weeks. Between family medical issues, an increased workload, and a stubborn child, I have had recent difficult both making it to kickboxing and lifting weights. Because of this I feel myself becoming softer, smoother, and in poor cardiovascular condition. Eating junk food at Halloween didn’t help either.
Check out the Olympic front squat chick in the video at the bottom of this post, if you get bored with my training log rant.
Kickboxing
In this time period I’ve been able to make it to kickboxing twice, with a total of about 45 minutes additional kickboxing put in as a warm up to lifting. I can tell that kickboxing is a key piece of the puzzle for me, when it comes to getting into shape.
Without kickboxing I can lift to my heart’s content, but I can just tell that I have less agility, less cardiovascular fitness, and less flexibility.
If only I could find a reliable babysitter for Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 5:30-7:30pm. I think I’ll check Craigslist.
Weight Training
Out of my 6 scheduled weight lifting sessions in these three weeks, I made 4 of them. Strength is improving in some areas, while it is stagnant in others.
Often I will hit my goal on the first work set of the exercise, but then fail on my second work set. This is discouraging, but this is also why it pays to change things up. It’s not time for a change yet, but it will happen within the next couple months. Perhaps for the new year.
I HATE smith squats! For my top set, (130 x 2) + 45 = 305 lbs, should be what I am squatting. However, since the smith machine sucks because the bar it attached to greased up rails, the REAL weight I am lifting is unknown.
From what I understand, because the bar is on rails it only weighs about 35 lbs, but the equipment that attaches it to the rails adds 10 lbs, which inevitably works out to be 45 lbs. However, it is plain to see, for anyone who has ever back squated or benched with free weights, that a smith machine bar does not FEEL like it weighs 45 lbs.
I am thinking about starting a program of Olympic front squats to replace my smith squats once in a while.
Another thing I have noticed, is that I keep unconsciously increasing my workload. I keep randomly adding additional work sets to the end of each exercise, and I keep adding a fourth exercise to the end of some of my workouts.
The reason I am doing this, is because I am training based on instinct, and lately I have felt that my planned final exercise on certain sets does not feel the weight a final work set should. I constantly feel like I haven’t put quite enough volume on a given muscle, or I haven’t lifted the weight that I am capable of, or I haven’t hit my target rep range the way I had planned. This is just an observation for now, no action need be taken yet.
The Training
Monday 10/20 – 60 mins kickboxing
Tuesday 10/21 – 15 mins warmup kickboxing
1a) Smith squats – 45 x 10, 90 x 7, 115 x 5, 125 x 4, 130 x 2, 90 x 10
1b) Lying sit ups – 20 rep x 3 sets
2a) Incline dumbbell press – 50 x 7, 75 x 3, 70 x 7, 70 x 5
2b) Seated calf raise – 45 x 12, 70 x 7, 70 x 7
3a) Chin ups – 0 x 10, 25 x 5, (25 x 3, 0 x 3)
3b) Seated calves – 70 x 7, Lying sit ups – 25
4a) Dumbbell shrugs – 85 x 15, 95 x 12, 100 x 9
4b) Lying sit ups – 20 reps x 2 sets
Wednesday 10/22 – Off
Thursday 10/23 – Off
Friday 10/24 – 15 mins warmup kickboxing
1a) Bench press –
1b) 1 leg sled calves –
2a) Step ups –
2b) Medium grip pull ups –
3) Deadlift / hang clean / push press / double back squat complex – (135 x 5) x 3
Monday 10/27 – 60 mins kickboxing
Tuesday – Friday – Off for personal, family, work, and medical reasons.
Monday 11/3 – Off
Tuesday 11/4 – 5 mins warmup kickboxing
1a) Deadlift – 135 x 10, 225 x 8, 315 x 5, 375 x 5, 415 x 1, 365 x 5
1b) 1 leg seated calf – (50 x 8) x 3
2a) Wide grip pull ups – 0 x 8, 0 x 6, 0 x 4, (1,2,3)
2b) Lying sit ups – 30, 25, 20, Cable crunches x blah!
3a) Flat dumbbell press – 50 x 7, 75 x 5, 90 x 5, 95 x 3
3b) Dumbbell curls – 40 x 7, 45 x 5
4a) Skull crushers (lying French press) – 25 x 7, 30 x 7, 35 x 4
4b) Hammer curls – 45 x 7, 50 x 4, 40 x 12
Wednesday 11/5 – Off
Thursday 11/6 – Off
Friday 11/7 – 10 mins warmup kickboxing
1a) Overhead press – 95 x 8, 145 x 5, 150 x 3, 150 x 2, 145 x 4
1b) 1 leg seated calf – (50 x 10) x 3
2a) Jump squats – 155 x 5, 155 x 5, 155 x 7
2b) 1 arm dumbbell row – 90 x 7, 100 x 7, 100 x 10
3a) Close grip bench – 135 x 10, 185 x 5, 195 x 4, 200 x 1, 135 x 10
3b) Dumbbell curls – 40 x 7, 45 x 7
Comments
Wow, those skull crushers hurt. Aside from close grip bench, I haven’t been training triceps directly. But from now on I will be, because they do hurt so good.
Progress was made on pretty much everything, although my overhead pressing did not go so good. It looks OK on paper compared to the previous overhead press session, but if you were there you would realize I was frustrated. I think a jump up to anything over 150 would be premature at this time.
Skipped right over 405 on deads. Next stop: 500 x 1!
Alternatives to smith squats: Olympic front squats, barbell hack squats, Zercher squats, lunges, one leg squats, Bulgarian squats, and split squats. There are many more alternatives that I will have to examine to replace smith squats. I may not replace them yet, but soon I will. I HATE smith squats!
I went ahead and posted a separate entry about Zercher squats for your viewing pleasure. Please check it out.
Olympic Front Squat
Don’t be afraid of front squats. Here’s a chick doing some!
Tags: front squat, Personal, squat, training log, workout log
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