middle of the week variation and the value thereof

well, here i am ready for my middle of the week ( i know its only tuesday, but close enough) variation with dumbbells. just finished reading another article that seems to reinforce the idea of changing routines almost every workout. again, good ole muscle confusion. i wish i had used this when i first started exercising. i would also have tried to lift bigger, faster. it seems that most folks agree that you make the biggest gains when you are a beginner.
today 2sets of these (all dumbbells):
bp 8x35
flys 8x30
upright rows 8x35
seated press 8x30
alt bicep curl 8x30
kickback 8x25
kneeling 1arm row 8x40
stationary lunge 8x25
ok round one:
     no rest (well 30sec or so) between exercises. panting (just a little). anylising  what weights to use next week. for the most part felt good
now for round two
ok. still panting. will add 5lbs each next week to every exercise except seated press and curl. also, when doing the moves am thinking of areas that still need LOTS of improvement, like legs!!!! sooooo... next round of exercises will include a little more leg work (yuk)
til next time
fred from nashville

another back to back and huge increase in reps continued

because of work schedule im doing another back to back exercise day. the good thing is that it helps in muscle confusion. the bad thing is it does not allow for enough rest between days. but it all works out since ill have several days to recoup before the middle of the week routine
the out line for this part b routine will be about like this:
2weeks 20 reps
2weeks 12 reps
2weeks 8 reps
there will be a decrease in weight used the 1st week and then gradually an increase before i go to the next phase.
today:
deadlift with trapbar 20x140
dumbbell curl 20x25
concentration curls 20x25
barbell curls 20x60
barbell rows 20x60
inverted rows 45
dumbbell reverse grip benchpress 20x25
crunches 85
military press 5x60
     its always nice to go to other sites of folks you respect and get their input and study their exercise philosophies. i follow clarence bass, dave draper and ellington darden. each one has something different to add. all are inspiring.
here we go ta da!
deadlift 20x140 yikes! i suppose the exercise that you hate the most is the one you need the most.
dbcurls pretty good form. hurts good
cc slight heaving towards the end, especially, the right arm of all things
bbc darn. quite a struggle. still gasping.
bbrow pretty good form. getting used to the reps. next time pull higher.
ir nice little change in pace using body weight
dbrbp different angle of attack for this basic exercise. really feel it in pec and tris
c even that is kicking my butt (or gut)
mp funny, that was almost a rest. almost childs play. concentrated on form and complete, proper extension. im reminded that it really is not the weight lifted but the effort expended, or more properly the perceived effort.
 well, im beat, ridden hard, put away wet.
fred from nashville

oh no i erased myself!

darn! im such a beginner. i just erased my last log entry.! darn darn darn. well a summary would be that im doing 20 reps instead of 8. i also drop 10 lbs per exercise. it is/was very challenging for one like me (remember, an average guy)
squat 20x120
calfraise 20x120
benchpress 20x150
arnold press 20x25
seated dumbbell extension 20x25
kickbacks 20x25
dips 11
pushups 13
military press 3x70
i was able to struggle through the routine. i dont really care if i use perfect form or not during these. sometimes i had to use partials and what i think are called xreps. but, i was able to use good form  on some. total time was about 45 minutes.
little bit abbreviated  entry due to me screwing up the post. oh well, like life, it is always an ongoing experiment.
going to go read a couple of dave drapers articles. always inspiring.
fred from nashville

middle of the week variety spice of lite

well, its the middle of the week and time for the spice of lite, where in i do light weights in a different type of exercise compared to the rest of the week. i do believe in muscle confusion yet be consistent at the same time. IF that makes any sense to you who have been around for awhile.
all dumbbells two sets done in circuit style with only a 2 minute rest between sets.
benchpress 8x30
flys 8x25
upright rows 8x30
seated press 8x25
alt biceps curl 8x30
kickback 8x25
kneeling 1 arm row 8x35
stationary lunge 8x25
and away i go...
     okay, ist set notes. trying to have good form in every exercise except lunge which reminds me how weak my legs must be. really feel it in the butt. the next thing is im adjusting weights for next week. some will be the same but most will go up. if i struggle too much they will go down as needed.
 now for the 2nd set
      still panting... boy, that gets me going. it really brings to mind how weak i am in many aspects. but. surprisingly, i seem to be pretty strong in other ways. you win some : you lose some. but keep staying in the game. never quit
fred from nashville

last of this series and back to back again

well this is the last of the series of 8 reps. next friday begins the 20 rep series, which i look forward to (?) with trepidation  and hopefulness.
deadlift 8x150
dumbbell curl 8x30
concentration curl 8x30
barbell curl 8x70
barbell row 8x70
inverted rows 50
dumbbell reverse grip benchpress 8x30
crunches 90
military press 5x70
     and a one a and a two a... here we go
i dont like doing back to back days of exercise but my work schedule sometimes makes it easier. in general, i agree that you should take at least a day off between routines to rest and recover
dl  i hate deadlifts. one reason ( dont laugh too loud) but im afraid i might go thru the floor since im on the second floor. also, i just hate the struggle
dbc depending on my mood ill try to do it alternating curls or together. i like alternating better since i can concentrate better on each arm
cc feeling the movement and really emphasizing the full range of movement
bbc wow the bis are really feeling this. as you can tell, this is the pulling phase of my routines
bbr this really duplicates my motions at work with 5 gallon paint tubs.im trying to lift as high as i can without hurting my shoulder too much
ir another pulling exercise done with as wide a grip as possible
rgbp the purpose of this is to emphasize the triceps. for me it ads another variation to the good ole bench
c my eventual goal is 100. i keep my feet flat on the floor. i think this is one of the best gut exercises, so, when i change after 100 ill modify it by putting my legs on a chair or table to change the angle .
mp perfect form, full extension.
  i really like the feeling of exercise. my muscles feel hard and strong. i want to keep on keeping on as long as i can. i want to keep up with the younger folks at work. i dont ever want them to feel they have to help me cuz i cant do it. i dont think i can look like an athlete but i can be in good shape for my age. i feel like im 37 instead of 67. it would be nice if i looked like 37 though
fred from nashville

heavy, heavy, rest time

this is almost the end of my heavy  heavy phase. starting at the end of next week ill be switching to 20 reps! more on that later.
     i rest between each exercise . during todays routines and fridays routines i use about a 2 minute rest. but...on my experimental wednesday routine i try to take no rest between exercises and use about a 2 minute rest between sets. muscle confusion, semi cardio etc
squat 8x130
calfraise 8x130
bench press 8x160
arnold press 8x30
seated dumbbell extension 8x30
kickbacks 8x30
dips 12
pushups 14
military press 10x70
     here we go :
sqt i actually do the squat and calf raise as one exercise
calfraise  see above. form still not good. i SHOULD  use warm up sets but i dont. dont hate me.
bench press only partials. but... one day. in a couple of months i will hit my goal of 170 (no snickering please) then i will do at least a 30 lb drop so i can do complete movements. then begins the very slow build back up..
arnold press well, this is more the way it should be. that is, heavy enough so i can just barely finish the exercise but with very good form. the reason why i think many articles stress proper form is that  that way you use a complete movement thus exercising the  part more thoroughly thru a wide range of motion
seated dumbbell extension i like the feeling of my triceps after arnold press followed by seated dumbbell extension
kickbacks adds just a little more spice to the tris.
dips ohhhhh, that is borderline pain for shoulder. dont want to push it too much
pushups what a nice feeling, full range, exercise (so far)
military press 9 very good fast form, 1 partial. still panting a little
well, thats the end of this rotation. next friday i will drop ( thats righ, i said drop) 10 lbs ( 5 on the dumbbells) and switch to 20 reps . it is the most tiring frustrating, challenging, almost fun part of my rotations. as ive said before the guidelines for this come from my hero clarence bass lean for life book.
later,
fred from nashville

middle of the week experiment time/ MAJOR change

well, its the middle of the week and time for the routine that is more experimental . here is the major change. two rounds of these rather than just 1 set. so... do the entire routine. rest a couple of minutes. then do the routine again without resting. really ups the ante. at the beginning and end of the week i have a routine that is planned out for at least 12 weeks. the middle of the week i use a 6 week routine that is gathered from various areas of the routines. these routines are even more challenging because they contain a mixture of moves i like and others i hate. probably the ones i hate are the ones i need the most (like lunges yuk).
all dumbbells
benchpress 8x30
flys 8x25
upright rows 8x25
seated press 8x25
alt bicep curls 8x30
kickbacks 8x25
1arm rows 8x30
stationary lunges 8x25
     here we go...
bp 25 lbs was just way too light so this week im using 3 lbs. again, trying for good full motion and form. feel it more.
flys still use good form and being very careful about shoulder
upright rows. well, still experimenting. more of a bent over row mixed with upright rows
seated press pretty quick pushing listening to my shoulders "talk". its funny, ive always been proportionately stronger curling than pressing
alt curls 30 lbs this week. about right. again, again, again, keep the form
kickbacks fighting the tendency to go to fast. slower. feel it more
kneeling one arm row still too light. even using explosive drive followed by slow negative. will up it next week
stationary lunge by far the most difficult move for me. balance is a problem for mature guys and this one really makes me concentrate
the first set i did with a rest between exercise so i could jot my notes. the second set no rest. trying to increase the perceived effort and get more explosive/ cardio like feel.
til next time
fred from nashville

back to back but ohhh so good!

i just exercised yesterday so i should not do it today. however, because of my work schedule im not resting today. if you do back to back all the time it would not be good.  sometimes just shocking the muscles by doing something different is ok, though. yesterday was what i call a mostly pushing day while today will be a mostly pulling day
     the other good thing that im excited about is dropping some weight and doing better form. i like this cuz  i will have much more movement and will feel the whole move better than just tossing heavy weights around on the borderline of injury and discouragement.
deadlift 8x150
dumbbell curl 8x30
concentration curl 8x30
barbell curl 8x70
barbell row 8x70
inverted row 50
dumbbell reverse grip benchpress 8x30
crunches 90
military press 3x70
deadlift one of my very weakest moves. i will be dropping significant weight next rotation. i need to get deeper and in more control of the weight. for an inspiration ill read dave drapers weekly blog. just down to earth and keeps on trucking
dumbbell curls great form today if i do say so myself. it is hard to say but proper full movement makes the targeted muscles feel it more than just tossing it.
concentration curl just feels comfy but i really am concentrating on good form and exaggerated full movement done fairly slowly
barbell curl more stressful than i thought but at least no cheating. strict form.
barbell row using shoulder width grip. lifting as high as i can since the weight is so light for this exercise
inverted row ill be changing this out next rotation
dumbell reverse grip bench press just a strange different move i picked up on the internet
crunches my goal is eventually 100 then ill think of another movement. ooooph that smarts
overhead press if you look through the web youll see that many many lifters recommend overhead presses. so i do incorporate this move. now i will have better control (i hope). yeah, i did have much better form. it also feels good to do full movements instead of partials at the outer limit of safety
    thats about it for this diary
fred from nashville
   

up the intensity!

ok , today we up the intensity by adding 5 lbs more per movement. intensity helps. you can do it several ways like speed, sets, reps or weight . this week its weight. in a few more weeks you will see the number of reps sky rocket.
the exercises of the day
squat 8x130
calf raise 8x130
bench press 8x160
arnold press 8x30
seated dumbbell extension 8x30
kickbacks 8x30
dips 12
pushups 14
military press 5x100
squat didnt feel too bad. always aiming to get lower in the movement
calf raises i normally do that movement without resting after the squats. otherwise i rest a minute or 2 before the next exercise
bench press for the last few weeks every bp has been a personal record. are they perfectly done? no! the 1st one i lower as deep as possible, the others are quick partials. when i reach 170 i will cut back drastically so i can do "perfect" ones
arnold press upping the weight by 5lbs per dumbbell makes a   b   i    g     difference in effort.
seated dumbbell extension not a tough exercise but always gives a nice burn and my tris feel it the next day
kickbacks again makes my tris burn
dips if you have shoulder problems (like me) you will feel them . be careful
pushups just feels good, strong and still easy. good form(even for me)
overhead press okay thats the end of trying at 10 lbs for now. next week ill be way lower in weight, but higher in form, control and safety
well, thats it for this week. tomorrow ill do my "pulling " exercises
fred from nashville

a new routine !!! and the importance of previewing your blog

well. here we go. a new wednesday routine. this will be for the middle of the week for 6 weeks. how did i arrive at it. well, i knew i wanted to use dumbbells so i surfed the web taking a few exercises from here and there until i felt i had a viable set up. the first day is always an experiment in the amount of weight to use and how it feels.
     last blog i got a big head so i just wrote it and sent it. then i read it. oy! please preview ,then send it. good lesson. but after all im a new guy at this and it is an experiment.
here we go:
bench press 8x25 too light. next week will be 30 lbs. remember these are all dumbbells; not barbells
flys 8x25. go for form . try to feel it all the way. careful of shoulders
upright rows 8x25 ill be lifting as high as i feel comfortable.if you have an arthritic shoulder like me make sure you are not hurting it but rather are strengthening it.
seated press 8x25. i started pressing movements much too late in my routines of the past. i feel this or something similar should be used quite often.
alternating curl 8x25. just feels good. and gets the biceps warm.definitley heavier next week
kickbacks 8x25. try to feel your triceps at the end.
kneeling one arm row 8x25 way too light. add 5 lbs next week
stationary lunge 8x25 yuk! my weakest area. i think the exercise you hate the most you need the most.
ooooh. what rotten form. well, im just learning this. it almost feels like one legged squats. us more mature folks really need get strong legs. for sure for sure.
well, thats it . next wednesday we will add 5 more lbs to some exercises and add another set to the whole routine. i will, also, go through the routine without rests between reps. oh yes, it gets more demanding.
fred from nashville

sunday exercises/importance of written log

for me one of the most important aspects of doing my exercises is having a written plan/log for my routine. if im able to use the pictur ad ill show you mine (dont have to show me yours). this gives me the day, the weight, the exerise, how many and a grand overview of what i will be doing for the next few weeks. for instance not only do i know what im doing today but i know (groan groan ) that next week ill add more pounds or at least shift some of my exercises.
deadlift 8x145 try to get as deep as possible. because my "gym" is on the second floor of my duplex im a little afraid to put too much weight on the bar, so when i hit 150lbs im going to switch exercises.
dumbbell curl 8x25 again, since the weight is so light im using extremely controlled and strict form. next round ill be adding 5lbs. that will make it a total of 6lbs and i will feel it more.
concentration curls 8x25 way too light, but form and control counts. next week well see how controled i am
barbell curl 8x100 only able to 4. bummer. now i will do the rest of my routine and then come back and try to do the other 4reps well, the good thing ina way is next week ill drop a huge amount of weight and start working my way slowly back up
barbell row 8x100 almost relaxing after the curl attempt!!
inverted rows 45 remember this is done lying on my bench wide grip on my barbell and doing like a modified chin. im not sure how much it accomplishes but its almost a resting exercise except for the high speed i do it at
dumbbell reverse grip bench press 8x25 form, form. explosive up very controled down and deeeeep as i can go
crunches 85 my eventual goal is 10. after that im not sure what ill substitute if anything.
standing barbell press 10x100 welllllll...one almost good one followed by 9very partials.
barbell row 4x100 okay, that finishes the rest of my HEAVY curls
i think that about does it for today

fred from nashville

what time should i exercise

     well, now im not use to exercising this late in the day. normally, i exercise early in the morning, but since i had to work today, im doing my friday routine at about 2:30 in the afternoon. just about every lifter ive talked to has a favorite day and time. but the real thing is just to do it!!
     here we go.  darn! couldnt find my gloves. yes i wear old work gloves. some folks dont . some folks do. its not important to me. just shove that metal around.
sqt 8x125 go as deep as you can. dont hurt yourself. i follow this immediately with
calf raise 8x125
now comes the bitch
bench press 8x155 one good one (or pretty good one) followed by 7 fast partials. not pretty but still much better than when i first started (think positive)
arnold dumbbell press 8x25 ahhh feels so good. probably because its so light. this too will change over the next few weeks. just watch.
seated dumbbell extensions 8x25 i love the way it stretches my triceps.
kickbacks 8x25 again, trying to emphasize the tricep burn
dips 11 boy, my rt shoulder hates this. go down as deep as possible. somedays you are the windshield. somedays the bug
pushups 13 boy that felt good. i use pushpstands because it keeps my wrists from hurting.
overhead press 3x100 way more than i should attempt. results only partials, but as i say this weight will be dropped drastically in a few weeks.
feel good now. biceps feeling like a tough guy. total time1 half hour. til next time
fred from nashville

that special wednesday exercise routine oh boy!

its wednesday. time for the creative routine. i like to workout 3x week. sundays and fridays i follow my alternating exhaustive routine that is ongoing. but wednesdays!!!!... i use a dumbbell routine for 6 weeks at a time. this happens to be the last week of this rotation so next week will start a new innovative tortuous, fun (?), semi cardio weight routine.
     if you check out the old school lifters they generally had a routine that they did day in day out, year in year out. the key variation being progressive poundage. nowadays, you will see more and more variation. check out clarence bass, logan franklin, even dave draper. btw, these guys all have their own great websites which i readily admit are my major inspirations.
     well...here we go: this routine only consists of 2 sets but they are non stop with only a rest between sets.
     set1
dumbbell squat 35lbs ea arm x10
stiffleg deadlift 35x10
calfraise 120barbellx20
bp 35x10
milpress 30x10
1arm row 35x10
concentration curls 30x10
kickback 30x10
few minutes later :  oooooph! still panting or should i say gasping. who said you cant use weights for cardio. in fact you can check out the info about this on the web.
also, i admit that on the "milpress" i actually am doing alternating arms. well, what do you expect? im just an average guy.
 set2
yea! i made it. i try to keep my form good since these weights are pretty light, but, whatever, if i have to get a little sloppy so be it. dont stop keep going!
if you want insight from a former mr universe, check out dave draper. his main message seems to be to keep lifting no matter what.  he uses intuitive lifting now which seems to mean, do a routine with moves that you are inspired to do at the moment. of course, hes been lifting about 50 years!
thats it for now

happy new year, moment by moment lifting, how i got started

happy new year! well, its 4:20am and im getting ready to do my exercises. i use an exercise log so i know weeks in advance what exercises ill do . im getting myself pysched up now. while im getting ready i thought id review how i started exercising.
     it was about 10 years ago and i was not liking my deteriorating body. its not that i was a blob but rather that i just did not feel happy about aging (not thrilled about it today either). so i got this book called top shape by joyce vedral. she was in great shape and her book looked so simple. just get a couple of super whimpy dumbbells, a bench and start doing it. that book is very encouraging. even though my weights were light and the exercises were  mild, i got into it. since that time ive been exercising 3 times a week. it becomes a habit that you just cant, wont, dont want to give up. i dont spend hours in some strange gym, youll see. but gosh i feel better.
well, here i go:
deadlift 8x145 oh that was good to get over with. i use a trapbar which allows me to keep the weights loaded on the bar and does not hurt my wrists as bad. boy do i hate (love) that exercise!
dumbbell curls 8x 25 boy, i almost feel guilty that is such a light weight.as you will see in the coming weeks, though, that this will drastically change. im also going through a strict form phase with this particular move.
concentration curls 8x25 per arm the important thing about this is to concentrate on form and use a very controlled movement. one of my weaknesses as you will see is to just toss weights around so i can get heavier. when i switch to very light weights i can do a proper movement and really feel the exercise while being in control. watch this next exercise!!
barbell curls 8x100 oh that was a bitch!!! im still breathing hard. actually, was a personal best . have never before done 8x100. ive always had to do a couple of curls and then come back later to do a couple of more until all 8 were completed. form??? rotten! throw weights around almost out of control? yup. soon you will see a drastic drop in weight to get more control and better all over muscle response.
upright barbell rows 8x100 for some reason i have always found this exercise fairly easy. i use explosive movements or very slow movements when i do this one.
inverted rows 45 for this one i lie down on my flatbench under my benchpress bar. i then do a movement like pullups with my arms very wide. i do it fast and always feel im not getting anywhere.
dumbbell reverse grip bench press 8x25 again, way too easy. but, as ive said this too will change!using very proper form fairly slowly. the more i get into this exercise thing the more i feel that variation is a good thing. i think joe weider used to call this muscle confusion. i think this is the reason you find more varied routines. my email, pal, clarence bass has a fabulous website that explores this and many other things. you will hear me refer to clarence often. he is my ongoing hero and inspiration
crunches 85 what can i say... a pain in the butt but needed
military press 5x100 form absolutely awful! its really more of partial reps. i dont have the oooomph for even one good press. in the next few weeks you will see a huge drop in weight and a return to full contrlled movement. its funny, i feel like even this failure is still helping make progress but it can definitely lead to injury.
     well, thats it for today. i hope some folks will eventually find this little blog and find it straightforward, and maybe even fun