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.