Weekly Thread (April 24-30, 2005)

[DinbinFanfoom]

Meh, maybe we can start one of these each week, might help with the motivation? Thoughts?

Anyway, just finished my upper body workout for this 6 day period:

3 x 12 dumbell presses (2 x 25 lb): Never were really a challenge; I've gotta get about twice that weight to be effective on a flat press, which is just normal.

3 x 12 lateral dumbell raises (2 x 25 lb): Good burn from em, but I can accomplish all 3 sets now, so it might be time to go to 2 x 30lb... maybe next pay... (can buy hex dumbells at $0.85/lb around here, which isn't bad, but still significant)

3 x 12 french presses (skull crushers) (1 x 25 lb): Don't really trust myself to do these with separate, lighter weights... my left arm is still significantly weaker than my right, and with a bad failure on one of these well... could be painfull... nothing like braining yourself with 25lbs of cold iron. :lowsmile:

3 x 12 dumbell flies (2 x 25 lb): Going for wider extension, can still complete 3 sets of 12, so might be time to up it. As with all of these exercises, focusing on form lets you get the same impact with slightly less weight at lower risk, so I might be good here for another 2 weeks...

3 x 12 seated military press (2 x 25 lb): OK, these are a real chore for me. I have to really work hard at that last set, especially left arm.

3 x 12 tricep dips (body weight): I love these. Simply love em. Talk about a compound exercise! Might add weight next week, I breezed through these this week and last. I do them from a good height too (probably 24") and lower myself down quite far.

3 x 12 bicep curls (25lb each arm): Left arm didn't fail on 3rd set this week, that's a first. Might do 25's for 2 more weeks and see how it goes. Sometimes I do concentration curls, sometimes standard ones, sometimes those "sevens" Ash raves about. Arms in general are making decent progress, especially triceps (outside and back). Question here: that "gap" between lat and tricep when you hold out a flexed arm... how do you fill that in? I'm guessing more deltoid/lat work? Cuz it doesn't seem like there's a lot of tricep there... close to the armpit... Kullen?

Make it a point to get 3-4 30 minute/2.5 mile sessions of cardio each week... last night I was able to do walk-2, run-10 for the duration, so I'm not far off from running the whole 30 minutes which has been one of my goals...

Thought I'd gained weight this week, but I actually found I was at 167lbs AFTER DINNER? I'm HOPING that's fat leaving, and I think it is... I seem to still be shedding 1-2 lbs per week, and I'm still progressing with weight-training; not encountering any exhaustion, so I think I'm on the right track. Upper abs are faintly visible... not so much as individual pairs, but at least as the top of two barely defined, parallel vertical "strips". Getting there! Beach is still 2 months away here... working hard!

[kullen]

3 x 12 bicep curls (25lb each arm): Left arm didn't fail on 3rd set this week, that's a first. Might do 25's for 2 more weeks and see how it goes. Sometimes I do concentration curls, sometimes standard ones, sometimes those "sevens" Ash raves about. Arms in general are making decent progress, especially triceps (outside and back). Question here: that "gap" between lat and tricep when you hold out a flexed arm... how do you fill that in? I'm guessing more deltoid/lat work? Cuz it doesn't seem like there's a lot of tricep there... close to the armpit... Kullen?

If I'm understanding you right, the best exercise i've seen for that area is a seated fly. Instead of keeping your arms straight, bend them at the elbows at about 60 degrees. (This should also work on a bench fly). This puts alot of the work into the armpit region. Don't overdo this exercise though. If you feel any pain it could be hurting your rotator cuff.

I'll ask my trainer tuesday if she knows of anything better for that region. The seated fly is about the only thing we've done to date.

[DinbinFanfoom]

If seated, don't the weights pull down? I know what arm movement you mean, just trying to picture the body position... Right now I'm doing bench flies (flat on back) so I could just add a bit of elbow bend to it, you mean?

[kullen]

Pull down machines usually work lats (Shoulders and back). There are seated fly machines that mimic the bench flies. You should be able to just put a bend in your elbows and get the same results.

[DinbinFanfoom]

Pull down machines usually work lats (Shoulders and back). There are seated fly machines that mimic the bench flies. You should be able to just put a bend in your elbows and get the same results.No, I know that, I'm just trying to picture how to do a sitting fly without using a "butterfly" machine... I'm thinking you're talking of a "reverse fly" where you raise the weights, arms slightly bent, while sitting?

[kullen]

Sorry, I was confused. It was using a fly machine.

[DinbinFanfoom]

Sorry, I was confused. It was using a fly machine.So I guess I should have qualified my question as "how can I target that area with just dumbells?" I suppose you could mimic the fly machine setup by lying on your back on a bench and doing flies with arms out and bent 90 degrees up (actually horizontally) towards your head, and then move elbows together atop chest?

[kullen]

http://www.thecrossover.com/icon/proform/crossover/65exercises.html

Look under Shoulders. In-Fly Rotation.

[DinbinFanfoom]

http://www.thecrossover.com/icon/proform/crossover/65exercises.html
Look under Shoulders. In-Fly Rotation.
I THINK I could accomplish that with dumbells by:

Lying on my side on a bench, upper arm parallel to body and just in front of bench, lower arm perpendicular to body but parallel to floor (if I were standing, I'd look to be halfway through a bicep curl). With dumbell in hand, palm up, pivot shoulder so dumbell comes to chest across from elbow. Not sure how awkward that'll be, but it sounds simple. :biggrin:

[kullen]

Just to track my progress, I'll list my weekly weights. I also have a body fat measurement Tuesday, so we'll see if I've lost any additional weight.

Trainer day:
All of these are 3x15

5 minutes cardio warmup.

Chest Press 130
Lat Pull down (Triceps) 35
Lat Pull down (Shoulders) 70
Seated row 70
Standard Fly 80
Ball Fly 25 each arm
Bi-cep curls 30
Skull Crushers 25

All other days:

12 min cardio (eliptical)

200 crunches with 10lbs weight (4x50)
Plank (2x45sec)
Pushups (3x15)
Reverse Twist with 10 lbs (2x15 each side)
Lower leg extentions or ball lifts with legs (2x15)
Chest Press on ball 25lbs (3X15)

I don't mess much with arms, chest, legs, and back when working out at home because i'm already satisfied with the definition.

The abbs are definately more defined with the lower abbs starting to show and a mid abb crease developing. Ugh I hate lower abb work. It has to be some of the most uncomfortable exercises. As it was, last weigh in was 3 weeks ago and I was 209. I still expect to be over 200 even though I've lost an inch on the waist.

[attriel]

I feel so ... yeah. This is why i used to avoid the gym, everyone else is throwing around half-ton weights and i'm an out of shape, overweight computer programmer!

Off-days: 15 minutes on the eliptical; worked it up to 15 now, so going to start upping the difficulty some more again. Then I do stretches and the "Lower Back Extension" b/c my lower back is frequently killing me, and that machine is a gift from the gods :o

3x/week: Training

10 minutes on the eliptical, slightly lower setting than when I'm doing pure cardio
Still working up the weights on the nautilus equipment, but trying to do 10 or 15 reps on each piece .
80lbs: preacher curl, seated dip, compound rowing, abominals, leg extension, seated leg curl, shoulder press
70lbs: prone leg curl, b/c that freakin' hurts!
210 on the leg press

only doing one round of each right now, will probably start doing two rounds once I get more comfortable with ones. Most of the weights are starting to near the range where it's hard to get to 15 (the first 10 are OK, the last 5 start pushing me), so I figure they're around the right place right now.

You may all commence laughing at the weakling codehacker now :p

--attriel

[kullen]

80lbs: preacher curl, seated dip, compound rowing, abominals, leg extension, seated leg curl, shoulder press
70lbs: prone leg curl, b/c that freakin' hurts!
210 on the leg press

Actually, those numbers aren't bad for starting out.

About the leg curls. There are usually two types of machines to work those. One I can't even use because I get pain in the knees. Any time a ligament hurts and not a muscle, its time to look for a different machine.

[attriel]

Actually, those numbers aren't bad for starting out.

About the leg curls. There are usually two types of machines to work those. One I can't even use because I get pain in the knees. Any time a ligament hurts and not a muscle, its time to look for a different machine.

Yeah. I use both. The seated I can do 10-15 at 80 right now, the prone I can only do about 7-9 at 70 (I can't even move the thing at 80).

Stupid gravity :o

I may quit with the prone, though, yeah, b/c it seems excessive and annoying

[DinbinFanfoom]

I feel so ... yeah. This is why i used to avoid the gym, everyone else is throwing around half-ton weights and i'm an out of shape, overweight computer programmer!I'm really wimpy, don't despair! Kullen's a monster next to me. :D I don't have the equipment to really test myself (find out what I can bench-press, for example). Just working on toning everything out right now, reducing body fat, primarily. All progress is good progress!