PTAaron's DC Training Journal

[PTAaron]

Did some different exercises than usual today for chest and shoulders ... it is cruise period, so whatever Funny story about what happened in the gym parking lot will be found below

Workout
Cruise period workout - lighter weights, straight sets, not to failure.

Hammer Strength Decline Press:
115 each side x 15

Cybex Dual Axis Shoulder Press:
95 x 14

On the floor EZ Curl Triceps:
70lbs x 15

Low Pulley High Row:
10 plates x 12

"Yates" Cable Row:
10 plates x 14

Stretches...

NOTES:
Okay... every day I go to the gym I wear my snap up the side track pants over a pair of shorts along with a long sleeve t-shirt over a regular t-shirt - not that you guys really care about my wardrobe... So I get to the gym, grab my MP3 player, wrist support, water jug, and my logbook out of my gym bag because I'm in a hurry and don't need my whole bag with me today - and procede to get out of my car... stand up fully, and my pants just drop down around my ankles! Immediately I freak out for a second because I forget I am wearing shorts... drop down and try to pull them back up with my hands full of everything else... lol... I glanced around, no one saw it... so I just pulled them the rest of the way off and tossed them in the car. Apparently somehow the top snaps came loose while I was driving... and the pants are a little loose in the waist anyway - not a good combination! Okay... so it wasn't THAT funny - but it sure seemed like it at the time!

[PTAaron]

Last cruise workout today... short cruise period this time - and I didn't go in on Thursday for various reasons - mostly related to my thread about hating Fed Ex... Made plans to go to the fed ex center instead of the gym thursday with plans to workout friday - but they screwed up so I had to go to the fed ex place friday...
Anyway... Got the stereo piece now - and it is GREAT!!! Was up til 2 watching Return of the King - I'm amazed how much different it sounds with this receiver compared to my old one, and the old one was pretty damn good too!
Alright... on to the reason this journal exists:

Workout
(straight sets, not to failure, relatively light weights)

Hammer Strength Flat Bench:
135lbs per side x 15 straight

Stretch with 90lb dumbells

Smith Front Shoulder Press (to nose level):
115 x 16 straight

Stretch

Rope Tricep Pressdowns:
12 plates x 15 straight set

Stretch

Front Pulldown:
12 plates x 15 straight set

Floor Deadlift:
315 x 5

Stretch

Notes:
Not much to say... the "not hanging out with the ex wife anymore" plan is going reasonably well - except for last Sunday night when she came over to sign a check that had both of our names on it, and brought her damn boyfriend up to the door with her... we have to meet up again to sign another check (that somehow got forwarded to her house) and I made sure to tell her that she had better not bring him around this time... not like I'm gonna hurt the guy, I just don't want to see him. Okay - so it wasn't workout related... but there are some notes for ya

[buffness]

what's your cary over as far as weight when using hammer flat bench as apposed to regular bb bench press?

[PTAaron]

Interesting question buffness - to be honest I don't do bb flat bench press. Closest thing I do is decline barbell bench and so far my highest on there has been using 265 for a decent rest paused set of 11... while last workout when I did decline hammer strength for a "light" set I was using 115 per side for 15... so thats what, 230... that may actually be reasonably close.
For the flat bench hammer strength though - I was up to 180 per side for 12 RP last time, and if I put 360 on a barbell I bet I wouldn't get 1 rep with it.

[goes4ever]

do you ever plan to compete in a powerlifting comp? if not, why would you ever do flat bench?

[buffness]

Interesting question buffness - to be honest I don't do bb flat bench press. Closest thing I do is decline barbell bench and so far my highest on there has been using 265 for a decent rest paused set of 11... while last workout when I did decline hammer strength for a "light" set I was using 115 per side for 15... so thats what, 230... that may actually be reasonably close.
For the flat bench hammer strength though - I was up to 180 per side for 12 RP last time, and if I put 360 on a barbell I bet I wouldn't get 1 rep with it.

I hear you. I get vertually no carry over from hammer strength bench to regular bench..

[buffness]

do you ever plan to compete in a powerlifting comp? if not, why would you ever do flat bench?

your joking right?

[goes4ever]

no why would I joke?? I rarely if ever flat bench anymore. I do incline bench, and if I go flat I do dumbells. Flat bench is just too hard on my shoulders.

[PTAaron]

no why would I joke?? I rarely if ever flat bench anymore. I do incline bench, and if I go flat I do dumbells. Flat bench is just too hard on my shoulders.

I hear ya there... that is the main reason I don't do flat barbell bench - incline and decline don't cause a problem for me though.
I've got some bad shoulders too... my left AC joint is pretty degenerated, and will need surgery eventually - and the right is starting to feel the same!

It is kind of funny though when you see guys that think it IS the same between the hammer bench and flat bench - I saw a couple of high school kids doing 3 plates per side on hammer strength for like 3 reps walk over to a bench and put 3 plates per side on... thank god they couldn't even get it unracked, or we would have had some paramedics running around in there screwing up everyone's workouts!

[PTAaron]

Cardio day today - did a 6 mile bike ride on some dirt trails... decent workout!

[future]

no why would I joke?? I rarely if ever flat bench anymore. I do incline bench, and if I go flat I do dumbells. Flat bench is just too hard on my shoulders.

At the same time some people do really well with flat benching...those people are the rule breakers. I actually am the most comfortable just sitting on a bench.

[future]

Nice cardio PTA!

[PTAaron]

Thanks Shawn.

[goes4ever]

At the same time some people do really well with flat benching...those people are the rule breakers. I actually am the most comfortable just sitting on a bench.

always a joker

[PTAaron]

First real workout after a 1 and a half week cruise period - this was the workout that I did for my last real workout. There won't be any "last time" weights listed, I am resetting and starting from new baselines.

Workout

Cybex Bicep Curl:
120lbs x 12 RP

Rope Cable Hammer Curl (4-6 second negative each rep):
12 plates x 12 straight set

Stretch Bis

Leg Press Calf Raise (5 second negative, 15 second stretch at bottom of each rep):
320 x 10 straight set

Cybex Prone Hamstring Curl:
170lbs x 14 RP

Leg Press:
720lbs +sled x 10; 590lbs +sled x 20

Stretch Hams
Stretch Quads

NOTES:
Felt good to do a real workout again - and I should have an easier time keeping up with the eating now... having dealt with the issues that were really hurting me in that department before my cruise period.
Not real happy with my leg press numbers - I will give them one more go, and if I am still struggling like this I am going to switch over to front squats for my work set. I mean the weights are decent - but 2 blast periods ago I was getting 950x8 and 700 x 20, so I really should be doing better than this. Some left patellar tendon pain after the heavy set ... going to have my student practice her ice massage and patellar tendon cross fiber massage techniques on it today