Changing Things Around

Well, I've kept up with my workouts but am changing things around a bit. I can't do Nautilus pullovers correctly because my arms are too short and I end up using my triceps a lot. Last workout, I had really sore triceps and abs, but my lats where not that sore.

I'm still using pec decks followed by incline bench press for chest, but I'm also considering changing that a bit. I'm now using 135lbs for pec decks, but my bench isn't really progressing as much. I know that this may be more for my ego because my chest is killing me! I've really learned to go for it on the pec deck and I'm really hurting by the time I get to the Incline press, so that hinders how much weight I can handle. But I want to see my progress on incline so I'll use that first next week, so that I can handle as much weight as possible, and then follow it up by pec decks. If my progress is substantial, then I'll know that this is really working and I'll go back to pec decks followed by incline. I'll change up every now and then just for variety.

Arms Heavy

Tuesday and my biceps are still sore. I can feel my shoulders and triceps, but not as much as biceps. My arms are really getting filled out now and I have a new peak that feels great. I still need to drop a few lbs, but progress is becoming more apparent now.

I feel good and need to ratchet up the running a bit. Knee pain slowed me down for the last 2-weeks, but I need to start kicking it back in gear. I'll try to run 2 miles today, but since I haven't gone out in 2-weeks, I'm not sure how I'll respond. Slow and steady!

Shoulders & Arms

Good workout today. I felt strong and used a variation of Mentzer's infitronic training, where you do a full max rep, rest for 10 seconds, and repeat for 4 - 5 reps. I did this for lateral raises with 120lbs and 100lbs for preacher curls.

I did 3 reps with 100lbs for preacher curls, so I probably could have used 110lbs. However, since I didn't have a training partner, I did not properly gauge my max weight properly and just went with what I started with. After 3 reps (I did attempt a 4th but hit failure), I then paused for 10 seconds, stripped the weight to 90 pounds, and did it again. I did this for 5 reps, barely moving the weight towards the end and really squeezing my biceps and slowly lowering the weight on my last rep. My biceps where BURNING!

Triceps and shoulders also felt good. Again, good workout.

Total time = under 20 minutes.

Getting Weaker?

I lost 50lbs on my incline bench and 35lbs on my rope pull downs in 1-week. Could this be possible?

I expected a drop of weight in my incline due to me putting this exercise second after pec decks. But that still seemed like a lot of weight for me to drop in a week. I have to attribute the additional loss of power to different machines. I pressed 250 easily on the Hammer Strength, but I only did 200 on another machine that had cables. So the weight on these machines isn't quite accurate. Also, I did feel a difference in the angle, so I'm sure that also had a lot to do with my power outage.

I then did rope pull downs 1-week with 135lbs for 8 reps, then could only manage 100lbs the next week on another machine. Again, I could not believe that I lost that much strength so I went back to the first machine and could easily lift 135lbs for a few reps.

So, machines make a difference, both in weight and in angles. However, I would have never imagined this big of a difference and am a bit disappointed. I mainly use machines because for the most part, I don't have a training partner so I cannot safely hit failure. I guess, for the sake of tracking, I need to use the same machine every time I workout. Otherwise, the weight discrepancy will not allow me to properly track my progress.

I don't care about how much weight I use, I just want to be able to track my progress. The difference in each machine just makes this task more difficult, so I'll have to wait if someone is using the machine that I'm tracking my progress on.

Chest & Back 2

I had a spotter today so I was able to go for it, weight wise. I was happy with my workout. I did the same routine for chest (Pec Deck, Incline), although I am considering altering my back workout.

My arms aren't long enough to do the Nautilus Pullover properly, at least on the machine that is available to me, so I will abandon this exercise and perform Cable Rows. My triceps and abs got a harder workout from the Nautilus Pullover than my lats.

I was able to use bigger weight in all movements, so progress is being made. Looking forward to my next workout, shoulders and arms.

Legs

I had a good leg workout yesterday.

Legs are worked out in this manner:
Warm-up - Leg Press. Do 2 relatively light sets, then 1 with a fairly decent load.
Leg Extensions - 1 set to failure, 12 - 14 reps.
Leg Press - 1 set to failure, 12 - 14 reps.
Leg Curls - 1 set to failure, 12 - 14 reps. You would normally not do these, but I'm not doing Dead Lifts, which work the hams, so I'm incorporating this into my routine.
Standing Calve Raises - 1 set to failure, 12 - 14 reps.

I did Leg Presses for 10 reps and 2 negatives with 220lbs. Kind of weak, but I've neglected my legs for a long time so I was OK with this. Gives me a base and something to really work on. I then used 110lbs for leg extensions, with my wife helping me crank out 4 negatives at the end. I used 80lbs for leg curls, with again my wife helping me on negatives. Leg curls hurt, man! I've never really concentrated on this movement and I was a bit uncomfortable. I then did calve raises with 140lbs until failure. This exercise is unique in that it creates a burning sensation towards the end. The pain is brief but intense.

I'm not as strong as I should be on legs, but I felt that I used a high level of intensity in my workout. I'm sitting here a bit sore the next morning, mainly in my hams and calves. Looking forward to my next routine!

Tough Ride

My knee felt a little sore after my run on Tuesday, so I decided against a run and went out for a bike ride instead. I completed 20 miles in a little over an hour.

I wasn't really sore from the ride, but I haven't ridden in a while so the saddle was killing me! I kept standing and shifting positions, but I obviously need to do a little more riding before I can go for a ride of considerable distance.

Overall, a decent ride. The first half went smoothly and I was averaging a bit over 17 MPH. However, the return trip was horrible! I was in constant discomfort from the saddle and even my feet where suffering a bit. I also had to battle a tough headwind that made me feel like I was crawling my way back!

I will postpone Sunday's leg workout and hit them on Monday.

2nd Workout, Shoulders & Arms

The 2nd and 4th workouts in Mentzer's book are legs, but I'm running so I'll only perform legs on the 3rd workout before beginning the cycle all over.

So, for my 2nd workout, I did shoulders and arms last night. This workout went a lot better than my first. 2 possible reasons:
1. I was a lot more familiar with the exercises.
2. Smaller muscle groups than chest and back.

Shoulders
I didn't do shoulders with dumbbells. I used the lateral and rear lateral Nautilus machines and was pleasantly surprised with the weight I could handle. I used 105 lbs for both movements to failure.

Arms
I also deviated from the barbell curls in favor of preacher curls. I've had good results and this is a movement that Mentzer has an an alternative (there's a whole section on alternative movements to the ideal workout). I used 90 lbs and proceeded to alternating curls with 40 lbs to failure. Both of these exercises are isolation movements, so the order didn't matter much to me.

I then proceeded to do triceps with rope pull-downs, using 130 lbs. I used another machine that isolates the triceps but I don't know what it's called. There where no labels so I'll try to describe the machine. It looks similar to a preacher curl, but the grip is above the small bench near your forehead. You grip it and then push down, working the triceps. I used 60 lbs for each arm.

I already feel the effects of this workout and felt drained last night as I made my way home. I was pleased at my effort and intensity.

Total workout time: a little over 20 minutes.

Shoulders & Arms

Shoulders are worked in this manner:
Warm-up - Lateral Raises. Do 2 relatively light sets, then 1 with a fairly decent load.
Lateral Raises - 1 set to failure, 6 - 8 reps.
Bent Over Raises - 1 set to failure, 6 - 8 reps.

Biceps are worked out in this manner:
Warm-up - Curls - Do 1 or 2 relatively light set(s), then 1 with a fairly decent load.
Barbell Curls - 1 set to failure, 6 - 8 reps.
As an alternate, do 1 set of Reverse Grip Pull-Downs with a close grip, 6 - 8 reps. Mentzer felt that this exercise was actually better for the biceps than barbell curls.

Triceps are worked out in this manner:
Warm-up - Rope pull-downs - Do 1 or 2 relatively light set(s), then 1 with a fairly decent load.
Rope Pull-Downs - 1 set to failure, 6 - 8 reps.
Dips - 1 set to failure.

Running Is Hard!

I ran on Monday night and let me tell you, running is hard! As I've stated before, I am NOT a runner. I took 2 weeks off from running due to my schedule and some other distractions, but I tried to get back into the grove and had a hard time. I did run 2 miles as planned, and even my time was decent at an 11'32 pace, considering that I included a hill in my route (I read that an 11 - 12 min / mile pace is good for a first time marathoner). Here's my Nike+ tracker:

I live near some hills so I sloooooooooowed way down when I tried to hit one. I ran the first mile on a flat, but as you can see by the chart, I struggled once I hit the hill. I had to walk a bit and that's what killed me. But I again sped up once I hit the down slope and flat, so I guess it wasn't that bad. If I don't run hills, I can keep a 10'30 pace.

I've read so much conflicting info, but one training tip that I liked is to walk 1 minute for every mile run. So you run a mile, walk a minute, until you don't have to walk. I've tried not to walk and have run 4 miles straight before slowing down. However, the hills are a different animal and I need more work.

Hey, I have until March to establish a good base so I'm not worried. I should be in good enough shape to tackle the 18-week schedule presented in the latest issue of Runner's World. If all goes according to plan, I'll start that in November. I should be able to run comfortably for 4 miles straight by then. I can run 4 miles now, but NOT comfortably! Last time I ran 4 straight and walked 1 at the beach, but I was hurting once I started to walk.

Marathon Training Schedule

The August issue of Runner's World has a good article for the first time marathoner (me!). It provides an 18-week schedule with strength training and diet tips. Also included is an article that helps runners cope with and be aware of the dangers of running in hot weather.

Check it out.

Pre-exhaust - Isolation & Compound

It may seem strange that Mentzer would have one perform an isolation movement first. The reason for this is that performing an isolation movement first, like pec deck or Nautilus pullover, hits only the muscle being trained. The next movement follows immediately and this exercise will employ other muscles to further fatigue the muscle being worked.

Working out in this manner is called a superset employing a pre-exhaust technique. The isolation movement is immediately followed by the exercise that employs more muscles. Let's take chest as an example. The pec deck works only the chest. Moving on to the incline press will allow one to truly waste the chest because the shoulders and triceps will help lift the weight, with the chest failing before those other secondary muscles do. This second exercise is called a compound movement.

So, if you want to structure a similar routine while not employing the exact same exercises that Mentzer recommends, perform an isolation movement first, followed immediately by a compound movement. This will ensure that the targeted muscle is fully worked out.

Monday Soreness

As I wrote in my last entry, I was a bit disappointed with my workout on Saturday. I was experimenting with weight/reps and so I didn't feel like I worked out as effectively as I could. However, I do feel sore 2 days later so I guess I did something right. My chest doesn't feel as sore as it normally is when I start with bench or incline, but I guess that's to be expected. I'll push harder next time! My traps are really sore, which is surprising since I felt that my grip gave out before I could fatigue them.

Being that this was a holiday weekend, I had family over and so didn't get to do my long run yesterday. I'm going to run 2 miles or so tonight, with my next lifting session set for Thursday.

Until then, TRAIN HARD!

1st Workout, Chest & Back

Today was my first actual workout using Mentzer's 'ideal' routine as presented in his book. I have employed HIT, but I've always used a different routine.

I was a bit disappointed because I could only handle about 180 lbs on the incline press. However, I usually start with either flat bench press or incline, so I can handle heavier weight.

Chest
I warmed-up with incline presses and then did a set of pec decs to failure. I had never done this movement first, so I had to play around with the weight a little. I ended up doing more than 1 set because the first weight I chose was to light. I used 90 lbs, and finally settled on 105. I did too many reps, though, so next workout will be a bit more precise. I ended up doing about 12 reps with 105 lbs. I figure that this is what killed my incline because I moved immediately to the incline press and, since I didn't have anyone to help me do negatives, I did about 6 reps with 180 lbs, really pushing the last negative.

Back
Back was a similar story. I had never done Nautilus pull-overs, so I had to mess around with the weight. I ended up also doing 2 sets, the second one with about 105 lbs for again, too many reps. I then did a set of Reverse Grip Pull-downs with about 175 lbs, which was also a bit too light. Due to my running, I won't be employing Dead Lifts until I run the LA Marathon in March. The reason for this is that this really taxes my lower back and this hurts me when I run. I literally get a stabbing pain around the 2nd mile, so I'm laying off in order to not hurt my running progress. I therefore did shoulder shrugs, another movement that I had never done. I ended up doing a final set with 70 lbs, with my grip giving out before my traps. I need to therefore do a little bit of grip work to do this properly!

Overall, my workout was a bit disappointing, but that was expected. I had never done some of these exercises or done major lifts/pulls as a second exercise. I know my legs, shoulders, and arms will be a similar story, but I'm determined to stick to this routine. I know I'll eventually get the pounds/reps figured out so until then, expect more experimentation and less than stellar performances.

Total workout time: a little over 20 minutes.

Chest & Back

The first workout in 'High-Intensity Training the Mike Mentzer Way' is Chest and Back.

Arthur Jones, who Mentzer credits with introducing him to HIT, advocated training larger muscles first. However, Mentzer felt that training this way would fatigue one too much and therefore not allow a full workout of the smaller area (chest in this case).

Chest is worked out in this manner:
Warm-up - Incline Press. Do 2 relatively light sets, then 1 with a fairly decent load.
Flyes or Pec Deck - 1 set to failure, 6 - 8 reps.
Incline Press - 1 set to failure, 1 - 3 reps.

Back is worked out in this manner:
Warm-up - Reverse Grip Pull-downs. Do 2 relatively light sets, then 1 with a fairly decent load.
Nautilus Pullover or Straight Arm Pullovers - 1 set to failure, 6 - 8 reps.
Reverse Grip Pull-downs, 1 set to failure, 6 - 8 reps.
Dead Lifts - 1 set to failure, 6 - 8 reps. Take extra time warming up with this one!
As an alternative to dead lifts, 1 set of Shoulder Shrugs to failure.

Dorian Yates Tribute To Mike & Ray Mentzer

I have to admit that I was deeply moved by the writing of Mike Mentzer. Mike didn't just write about bodybuilding, he wrote about character and life. I was not the only one moved by the wisdom of Mike. Please read the tribute that 6 times Mr. Olympia Dorian Yates wrote about Mike and his younger brother Ray. Dorian had the privilege of being trained by Mike in 1992 as he prepared for his 2nd Mr. Olympia contest, one that would catapult him towards the winner's circle for 6 consecutive years.

You can read the tribute as it is posted on Mike's site at:
http://www.mikementzer.com/sportremembers.html

TRIBUTE TO MIKE AND RAY
BY DORIAN YATES

When I became interested in bodybuilding in the early eighties, I devoured everything that I could find in print about the sport. During this time, I became aware of Mike and Ray Mentzer and was obviously impressed with the huge dense musculature that Mike and Ray displayed. More impressive than the physiques though was the radical and logical training approach that Mike was recommending through his regular articles in Muscle and Fitness.

Mike was a great inspiration to me during my early training days. I was lucky enough to meet Mike and Ray during one of my early visits to California, and during this time, we developed a friendship and mutual respect. I had spoken with Mike shortly before his death, so I was deeply shocked to hear of his passing.... and then the tragic news of Ray's death.

I will personally remember Mike and Ray as pioneers in the sport, strong proud men who stood up for what they believed in and didn't worry about going against the grain..... I WILL MISS THEM!

Dorian Yates
Mr. Olympia winner six consecutive years 1992-1997