Progress Log: Week 23

Details

Mode

It’s a high rep/low weight week.

Sunday

Chest and Biceps – I have to admit, my ego struggles with doing high rep free weight barbell benches. I love going heavy, however I purposely chose to do these exercises on high rep day to build up those compromised stabilizer muscles in my shoulders. I’ve got a history of rotator cuff issues in my left shoulder and chronic neck and rear delt/trap pain in my right.

I can still feel a lot of weakness in my left side and it’s humbling. I run out of gas at 7 reps with only 150 lbs and the slide down continues as I drop to 140 for 10 (goal is 15) and then 135, also for 10 (goal is for 20). I refuse to strip the big wheels off the bar, and yes, it’s a complete ego thing. Next time through on light day, we’ll go for 8, 11, and 12 and consider it a win.

These days are about high reps. The weight will stay where it’s at until I hit the goals.

Monday

Had a case of the Mondays at work. Didn’t make it in.

Tuesday

Leg and Shoulders – So I actually truly enjoy high rep leg day. The fact that I have more machines now just makes things a lot more interesting. I do include one actual machine leg press exercise, but I focus less on the poundage and more on keeping my feet in a narrow stance and sinking below 90 degrees, to really try to hit that outer sweep on my thighs. I superset these with toe presses. The machine I use is, in fact, pretty challenging. The angle of the sled to the platform is weird and the positioning of my feet on the toe presses forces me to use much less weight than I normally can – the overall positioning is more like a seated calf raise, to be honest.

I include exercises like Hip Adduction/Abduction, and the Glute Coaster, which is kind of like a standing single leg press. By the end of high rep leg day, I really do feel it in my legs from all angles.

I hit 3 PRs. These are on newer exercises that I’m still kind of feeling my way around on, however.

I complete 14 combined leg and shoulder exercises for four sets each on these days and since I’m not fussing with weight plate changeouts, my one minute rest between sets is truly one minute. This workout takes me about 1 hour and 50 minutes.

Wednesday

Back and Triceps – okay this is going to sound funny, but the exercise I hate the most on this day is actually the humble back hyperextension.

It all started when my legs began to go bad on me, back in 2021. I could not get a comfortable position on the hyperextension machine to save my life. The pain wasn’t in my low back, it was in the back of my knees. It was incredibly demotivating.

It’s amazing what persistent stretching combined with new and improved equipment can do. The new HE machine has much better stability, and I can position it in a way that takes the strain off of my knees and puts it more on my lower back and glutes, which is where I want it.

I can now do sets of 25 with my body weight. I can also do a set of 10 with a 25 lb plate on my chest.

Progress is often slow and humble. It’s still progress. It all adds up.

Big Three is complete.

Thursday

Circuit Training – I know I say this all the time, but I love this day. Sixteen exercises, four sets each, 30 second rests between each set.

12 PRs today. All of this completed in an hour and thirty minutes.

I crushed it.

Friday

One hour of yoga and 10K steps. The yoga was much needed. It’s been way too long. My shoulders feel much looser and my attitude is improved.

Today was graduation day for my future stepson. We got a lot of walking in. By 11:30 pm I realized that I only needed a little over 200 steps to hit 10K so I ran outside and stepped until my Fitbit buzzed me.

Fitbit was also proud of me for hitting my 5 day exercise goal. lol

Saturday

The in-laws are still in town post-graduation. We’ll probably meet for lunch before they head back to North Bend, then I’ll get to work on the lawn. It needs a good mowing, plus there’s a small sod removal project that I’d like to get done.

Diet

I was in small caloric deficit all week, even last night, when we went to Gamberetti’s for graduation dinner. Small caloric deficit is burning up to 700 calories more than I consume every day. About half of the week saw me floating around 250-300 over, the rest was a smattering between 400-700.

Protein consumption was pretty high: Su-198g, M-113g, Tu-147g, W-188g, Th-135g, F-196g

If we average it all out, I hit my hydration goals for the entire week. I was at my goal of 72 oz on Su & Tu, under my goal at 48 oz on M & F, and over my goal on W & Th at 96 oz. So, technically a win? 🙂