Spesmilitis's workout journal

[spesmilitis]

k, so I cut the leg curl outta my program for glut hams

These are hip ex's http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/Hamstrings/WTHipExtension.html
They also work the hams really hard. These also hit my calfs alittle. But, I do em alittle differently from everyone else. I look up and keep my chest out and shoulders back, like a deadlift. And, before I come up, I thrust my hips forward-really dig my hips into the padding, and then I come up. This helps work the hams more than the lower back. The hip extension machine at my gym has a place to put your feet against (unlike the one in the link provided) ; on that, I am on my the balls of my feet, my heels are off the foot rest.
The best exersices imitate natural movements, so you can tell this one's good.

I can't do floor glut-hams without using my hands yet. Thinking about either doing glut-hams or hip extentions, not both since they both hit the hams hard.

I like to go high rep on my calves, around 30 rep range. I don't feel it in my calves at low rep range. I think you have to high rep for calves, since they are stubborn.

"Do a easy set, 5 reps.
Add some weight. 5 reps (should be a little harder
More weight, even harder. 5 reps.
Even more 5 reps
Even more 5 reps
By now it should be getting tough as hell
Keep doing that until you cannot do 5 reps, or until you feel that if you do one more set, that you won't make it.

Thats a 5RM set. I usually get about 5-6 sets of 3-5 in there.
(Generally 135,185,225,265,295 etc)
The higher my ending weight, the larger my jumps are...I try not to make TOO big of a jump, but yet not too low, so that I don't burn out.

THEN do your twenty reppers"

Man, intense. For some reason I thought a 20-rep squat should be done while you're fresh, so you can use as much weight at possible when you do it. Any truth to this?

 

[Skilla_Staz]

as far as I know...no.

It is intense, you'll be wobbly after that. Make sure you stretch, loosen up and get a serious meal after your workout. Your legs will probably be sore, but as we've established, that means very little other than you're sore.

 

[spesmilitis]

should I also do the 5x5 this way for deadlifts?

I usually use a weight thats easy for the first set, then by the last set its difficult.

 

[Skilla_Staz]

I do it for my bench/deads/squats. I didnt plan on it being a 5x5, but it ends up working out that way. Sometimes I hit a 6th or 7th set, but try to put up the 5 reps anyways.


Keep increasing the weight each set. I see no point in doing the same weight over and over and over again.

 

[spesmilitis]

ok, so I considered your advice:

for squats, I know I can handle more, but the reason why I keep my workouts short and sweet is so that I still have energy for jiujitsu. I'll do it when im off training. As for increasing weight each time you do a 5x5, i'll get tired by the time I get to the heavy weights. Im sure there are some advantages to pyramiding the weights, but i'll do what works for me.

Since both glu-hams and hip extensions pound away at my hams, i'll do em on seperate workout. Deads/exts and squats/gluthams. Btw, I have access to a glut-ham machine now. My new job is to keep the intercollegiate gym for and hour, then do whatever I want in that room for 2 hours, including working out. When I first walking in there and saw the glut-ham machine, its like I found the holy grail.

deadlits

220x5
237.16 5X4
Personal best.

Go up 225 and 242.5 next time. Remember, you want to keep you posture is verticle as possible as soon as possible, and you do that by keeping the bar as close to you as possible through the whole deadlift. Esp after the bar passes the knee's, it should be sliding against your body on the way up. Also, keep motion fluid and thrust hips out at the end.

Hip extentions:
105 - 15 rep, 7 rep. Aim for 17-20 reps next time. Personal best.

calves- 45x30

hip abductors.

 

[EFFORT]

Hmmm now that i think about it with your intense training for BJJ you'd do good doing an abbreviated full body routine once every 5days or so depending on your training schedule for BJJ an example would be something like


Day1-

Squat- Work up to a 3rep max, then 1x10
Pull Through- 2x15
Supinated Grip Barbell Row- 3x6
Incline Bench Press- 2x10
Heavy Abs- 3x8


Day 5

Pull ups or Weighted Pull ups- 3x6
Deadlift- Work up to a 3rep max
Glute Ham Raise- 3sets of as many partials and negatives as you can do
Incline Dumbbell Bench Press- 2x8
Heavy Abs- 4x6


Day 10

Dips or Barbell Bench- 1x3 Max
Rack Extensions or Skull Crusher- 3x8
Lateral Raise- 3x10
Squat- 1x20
Heavy Abs- 3x10


i don't have the time to write this whole thing out right now but thats the general idea, if u want more help you can pm me.

 

[spesmilitis]

I would like to avoid as much shoulder work as possible, that gets sore the most. It is not so much intense for my legs and lower back, except for days when we concentrate on wrestling/stand up, then my lower back/legs gets a beating. However, we concentrate mostly on ground work, and my forearms/tricepts/shoulder gets a beating. Jiujitsu gives my core/abs a beating, so heavy abs aren't very essential right now, but I know they would be helpful.

I just reached the point were my upper body is conditioned enough so I can do upper body work regularly now.

I love the beating weighted hyperextentions give to my hams/gluts/lower back. Its a great complement to the deadlift, and I keep improving on it, so I want to continue with the exersice.

Right now I just want to concentrate on the essential lifts, and not spend extra energy on supplemental lifts. I need so save energy for bjj. BJJ gives a lot of supplemental work anyway.

So far my routine looks like this:

Monday:
squat: 5-7 repper, then 15-20 repper
hip abductors/cavles- easy exersices for rest
Glut-hams

weds:
weighted pull ups- 3 sets- each 5-8 reps
incline bench- 2 sets 5-8 reps
Rows- 2 sets 5-8 reps

Fri-Deadlifts 5x5, first set is a little lighter
calves/hipabductors
hyperextentions- 2 sets

sat- same as weds

On this routine- I can add 5-10 pounds each time I do my dead lift and squat, and I still have good energy for jiujitsu. That is good enough for me. I'll probably change it as my conditioning gets better, or I don't improve on an exersice if I feel im 100% for that exersice. When I took bjj off, my upper body was the same, except with db shoulder press at the end. In each of these exersices, I would improve each time with reps or weight 90% of the time, and I have a feeling that will continue.

 

[spesmilitis]

squat:
145-5 reps
120-20 reps personal best.
remember to practice going way below pararlell (this weight room doing have a mirror, so I can't tell visually, I gotta feel it out)
go up to 150-5 reps
125-20 reps.

Some light calf work,

First time doing glut-hams on a proper glut ham machine:
4 sets.
Settings: height at highest setting, verticle at 8.5.
Next time start with 25-30 lbs dumbells, then go down in increments of 10-15.

 

[spesmilitis]

deadlift:
225 5 reps
245 5 reps x 4 sets
Personal best.
Keep posture as vertical as possible by sliding the bar against body, including the shins even if it hurts. Shoulders back, chest out.

calves: 45 lbs x 33 reps

weighted thrusted hip extensions:
110 lbs - 15 reps, 10 reps.
Personal best.
do 115 lbs next time.

hip abductors, 2 sets.

 

[spesmilitis]

weighted pull ups- 60 lbs-6, 50 lbs-6, 40 lbs-7. Screw the military method, next time let your chin go way over the bar. This is holding back the explosivness. Buy tape so you can tape the bar in paper towel so your neck can touch the bar. Same as last personal best.

IBP-115-5, 105-5. Personal best is 120-7.

Rows-100-6 reps. Personal best. 90 4 reps, then 75 3 reps.

shoulder press-45-4. 42.5 5, then 2 of 30's.

 

[spesmilitis]

squat: 150 lbs, 5 reps. PErsonal best
125 lbs, 15 reps. Personal best.
Practice going low since theirs no mirror to tell if you are giong below parallel.
Be vertical and be more stable. Never compromice the arche

2 sets claves.

glut hams-4 sets
Lets try this, pick a weight you can do for 10 reps, then lower the weights untill 15-20 reps. Next time, use 15's and go for 10 for the first set.
After that, start with 25's, 20's, 15.

 

[spesmilitis]

No PR's today! DAM!

weighted pull ups: 60 lbs 6 reps. 50 lbs 8 reps, 40 lbs 7 reps. same as last pr
incline bp: 115-5. 95-8. pr is 120-7
rows- 100lbs 5 reps. 85 lbs, 4 reps, then 3 reps of 60.

Possible causes for no PR's, lack of sleep, stress, had to workout at night instead of afternoon.

 

[spesmilitis]

deads: 230x5. 250 5x4. Personal best. Remember to dig the bar into the shins. Get verticle as soon as possible.

some calf work- go up to 50 lbs

thrusted w-hypers- 115-13, 9 reps. Was aiming for 15, but still a personal best since it was at a higher weight. Aim to do 17-20 reps next time.

 

[spesmilitis]

weighted pull ups: 60 lbs 7 reps. 55, 6 reps. 45, 7 reps. PErsonal Best. time to go up to 65.

incline bp: 115-5 reps. 105, 6 reps. Time to switch to bbbp.

rows: 100 lbs 6 reps. 80 lbs, 5 reps, then 3 reps of 55. Same as last personal best.

db sp: 42.5's, 8 reps. 6 reps, then 4 reps of 32.5's. time to go to 45's.

 

[spesmilitis]

squats
155-5. Don't go up in weight. Did some cheats in the form. Be stable and don't push forward when you go up, just go straight up.
125-15. Same as above.

2 sets cavles- 50 lbs

glut hams- 15's 11 reps, 5's 1 rep, 0 3 reps. Go up to 20's.
20's 5, 10's 3, 5's 1, 0's 3. Go up to 25
15's 6, 5's 2, 0's 3. next time, 20's/

 

[spesmilitis]

Deadlift- 240x5, then 260 5x4. PErsonal best! Next time only go up to 265 even though I still feel I can do more. Next time, put 30 lbs difference for warm up set. So start with 235.

Remember to keep pressure on traps thoughout lift. Life with the top of your traps, esp in the beggining of the lift. Bar doesn't have to dig as deep into shins as I though, but the upperbody should still be back and verticle as much as possible to act as a counter balance to the weight. After the bar clears knees, you should be pulling hella back. Become completly verticle after bar clears knees. Remember, you are not pulling only up, but back too. Think/emphasize pulling back more.

2 sets calf work

Thrusted W-Hypers:
115: 14, 11, 9. Reps. Good form, kept back straight, didn't go to low, did powerful thrusts straight from begging, went all the way up, and did these explosivly.
1 rep Personal best.
Eh, stick to 115 and aim for 16-17 reps. 115 lbs is the heavest minidumbell, so after this, I have to use a regular barbell. That is gonna get me alotta 'wtf' looks.

 

[spesmilitis]

weighted pullups: 65, 5, 55, 5, 45, 6. Next time use a backpack for those extra 20 lbs.

bench press: 135: 4. 115:7. Next time do 125.

dynamic rows: experimenting since this is first time I did em. Next time, try 135 lbs. Angle doesn't matter much, find a form that suits your body. Do T-bars after

shoulder press:
45's -6
45's-3 then 3 with 35's.

 

[spesmilitis]

dynamic row form:

Start each rep slow like dl, don't power it like thrusted hyper.
Heels on ground. Start above parallel and go towards paralell as bar comes close. Don't worry about how high bar goes as long as its touching the hips.
Keep heels on floor.
Don't cheat at end of movement
Arche lower back.

 

[spesmilitis]

squats-
do 10x's from now on. Start at 135. Keep form perfect, push through heels, always aim to do one more.

calves-

floor glut-hams- 7x4. do 10x3 next time. Ok to bend at hips when on the bottom, but the second you don't need hands, straighten out those hips/body.

 

[spesmilitis]

deads:
230x5
265 5x4
Personal Best.
Keep track of posture during the lift. Always try to lean\pull back, straighten out posture whenever possible.
Get some long socks.

thrusted reverse hypers: 115 lbs, 14, 10 reps.
Go all the way up. Rise. Be explosive. Thrust!
Do 120 next time.

weighted pull ups
65 lbs, 5.
55, 5 reps.
ow man, bad idea. Too close to my jujitsu days, arms have not recovered.