January 7, 2017 – Week 4, Day 3

5 Minutes Cybex Arc Trainer

Leaning Calf Raises
BWx30

Sumo Box Touches (12” Box)
BWx25

Squat Therapy (16” Box)
BWx25

Regular Box Touches (12” Box)
BWx25

16” Box Squats
45x15
95x10

Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Presses
30’sx10
40’sx10
50’sx10
60’sx10
70’sx10

Seated Alternating Dumbbell Curls
15’sx20
30’sx15
45’sx13

Triceps Pushdowns (straight bar)
40x25
60x20
85x18

Stretching

Comments: Slept in today so I felt quite a bit of soreness from the week’s workouts. Some irritation in my SI area and lower back but it doesn’t bother me when I’m doing any activity. Some self-adjustments seemed to help. All the elliptical machines were in use besides the busted one so I tried out a different machine called an Arc Trainer. I just pushed the quick start up option and upped the elevation to the max. A good bit tougher than the elliptical but easier on the joints. Heart rate up go up to 171bpm. May use it again if elliptical isn’t open but there are only two of them at the gym. Also can’t turn off the tv that is on it. Calf raises were pretty easy again. Wide stance box touches were good. Hamstrings were tight but not as much as last week. On squat therapy, I really concentrated on keeping everything tight and bracing. I didn’t want my lower back to relax like last session. I think I keep that to a minimum. Certainly made the set a bit tougher and a little longer. Regular stance box touches helped loosen up my back and hamstrings some more. Then on to box squats. Had to use the half rack thing again. These felt good. Better than the first session this week. I was perhaps too close to the middle of the rack as the bar kissed the rack a few times on the set with 95lbs. No odd pressure feeling so also good. Next was dumbbell pressing with back support. I wasn’t too concerned about the pressure on the lower back, as it hasn’t been an issue on any of the other pressing so far, but the clean to the shoulder was going to be interesting. First set felt off but it was more that the weight was light and I hadn’t done this in many months. I got better as I went. The gym’s dumbbells get weird at 70lbs. Some have thick handles and some are mismatched. Top set was slow but I had control and was good for another rep or two. Biceps and triceps after that. I tried to take what I learned from last time with how they responded to try and adjust my sets accordingly. Alternating curls I started out lighter and made bigger jumps. Even at that light of weight, still getting a decent amount of fatigue for the sets working up to the big set. Left biceps is definitely behind my right one as my form was much sloppier and heaving. I felt good for more on the right but stopped after I got too ugly on the left. I had better success with triceps. First set just right amount of resistance. I went a little heavier than I was thinking for the last set but still good. I need to let myself be ok with making not equal jumps in weight for warm-ups haha. Home to stretch. One third of the way through this first cycle.