Training 9-20-07

I have to be at work from 8 a.m. until at least 10 p.m. today. Boo. But I got my butt out of bed at 5:45 this morning so I could make it to the gym and get in today's workout. This is the exciting part of having a training plan -- I'm seeing progress and I'm actually excited enough about going to the gym that I'm willing to get up at an ungodly hour (for me, at least) to keep from having to skip a day.

B

Front Squat
5 x 5 x 170

Military Press
3 x 5 x 130
4 x 130
3 x 130

Bent Over Barbell Row
5 x 5 x 135

Dips
4 x 7 x 20
11 x 20

Leg Raises (laying down)
15, 15, 15, 15

Front Squat felt hard but good. I think I have a tendency to shift my weight more onto my right leg as I come up. I'll stay at 170 next time and see if I can sort that out.

Military Press (aka overhead press) was the standard upper body strength benchmark for the old school strongmen (think black and white photos of muscular guys with handlebar mustaches in leotards), and I can see why. Something about putting all of your effort into pushing something heavy above your head is just FUN. I'll stay at 130 and see if I can get another rep or two in on the last sets next time.

I'm using a narrower grip on Bent Over Barbell Row (index fingers less than an inch from the inside edge of the knurling), and it helps somewhat. I'm still working on full range of motion and involving the back as much as possible. I'm going to stay at 135 for a few workouts, until I can really nail the form.

Added weight to dips with a 20 pound dumbbell held between my feet. I stopped myself at 7 reps on the first 4 sets and then did as many as I could on the last set. Looks like I'll need a heavier dumbbell next time. It's going to get hard to add enough weight pretty soon without a dip belt.