Category Archives: Health

Cheap Workout Sunday Report 5

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Okay, I slipped again to Monday instead of Sunday as I normally would.  I was feeling various aches and pains in my pecs and shoulders, so I decided to give my body extra time to recover.  Currently, I’m doing all major body muscles on the same days and it’s taking it’s toll on my body.  Eventually, I’ll break it up doing pecs and legs on one day, then curls, back  on the other day.

Again I decided to keep it quick and heavy, below is what I did on this fine Monday…

    • 45 lbs –   the bar for 8 reps (felt okay today, no clicks).
    • 135 lbs – 8 reps warmup, felt good but not light yet.
    • 185 lbs –  8 reps (felts good, kept it at 8 today because I want to go for reps with 205).
    • 205 lbs –  5 reps (felt strong, but I decided not to go for 6 because I probably wouldn’t have made it.)
    • 165 lbs – warm down set (8 reps, did this set slowly but it felt better than last week.)
  • Curls (Switched to Barbells this week) – Had weird clicking sounds when curling last week so I went barbells this week.

    • 25 lbs – for 10 reps, each arm
    • 45 lbs – for 6 reps, each arm
    • 35 lbs – for 8 reps (still heavier than I thought).
  • Rows
    • 135 lbs – 6 reps (very heavy)
    • 115 lbs – 10 reps (135 zapped me so I was glad to lessen the weight).
  • No weight squats
    • 2 set of no weight squats for 10 reps each.  My right leg hurt a bit where I have a muscle tear from the past.
  • Goals
    • Be able to bench press 250 lbs by the end of the year (I’d be happy if I could get 225 by the EOY). – I’m pretty sure I can now get 225 for 1 maybe 2 reps, but I’ll stick with 205 since my pecs continually feels sore.
    • Curling goals already met and can be ignored now.

Felt strong, but I’m cautious because I’m sure my joints and tendons aren’t ready for heavier weight yet.  I would like to build my base before trying to go too heavy.  Shoot I might not even go heavy at all.

That’s it for this week,

Don

Cheap Workout Sunday Report 4

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Today, I shifted my workout to Monday instead of Sunday as I normally would.  The reason I did this was because some of my muscles were still sore form last week, so to present injury I decided to wait an additionally day.

So to keep it short today, below is what I did on Monday instead:

  • Bench:
    • 45 lbs –   the bar for 8 reps (weird clicking sound in my left arm, so I’m taking it careful)
    • 135 lbs – 8 reps warmup.
    • 185 lbs –  10 reps (no real problems, but I felt it… no straining this time though).
    • 205 lbs –  4 reps (felt strong again today, I might have been able to get 5 reps, but I’m still sore.)
    • 165 lbs – warm down set (8 reps, did them slowly because my right pec felt weird, hope it’s not a pull.)
  • Curls
    • 45 lbs – for 10 reps
    • 75 lbs – for 10 reps
    • 95 lbs – for 10 reps (weird clicking sound so I took it easy this week.).
  • Rows
    • 95 lbs – 2 sets of 10 reps
    • 115 lbs – set of 10 reps (no problems, but tired so no increase).
  • No weight squats
    • 2 set of no weight squats for 10 reps each.  My right leg hurt a bit where I have a muscle tear from the past.
  • Goals
    • Be able to bench press 250 lbs by the end of the year (I’d be happy if I could get 225 by the EOY). – 225 might be possible now, but why push it?  Once I can do 205 for 8 reps, I’ll think about trying 225 for 1 or 2 reps.
    • I already met my curling goal, so maybe I’ll try to go for 115 for 10 reps instead.

Working out is definitely not the same as it was even 6 years ago.  I’m making decent progress, but still very weak overall.

That’s it for this week,

Don

Cheap Workout Sunday Report 3

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While I’m sure I’ll be sore in a few days, I can tell that my muscles are starting to respond by coming back to life.  They have been dormant for so long that I’m much weaker than I imagined I would be.  I’m trying to keep my progression under control because I’ve had shoulder issues in the past and don’t want that problem to rear it’s ugly head by increasing the weight I’m pushing too quickly.

So why is this a “Cheap Workout”?  Because I’m in the basement with a cheap bench and weights that could be found on craigslist or freecycle for a pretty decent deal.

I’m walking too during the week and doing a few light sets of varying exercised during the middle of the week, just to keep my muscles growing.  I’m hoping that I can improve my health by making my body more active.

And now on with the workout:

  • Bench:
    • 45 lbs –   basically the bar for 5 reps (my pre-warmup, I’m beyond this set as a warmup set, which is great!)
    • 135 lbs – 1st set for 10 reps (now a cross between my warmup set and a real set…)
    • 185 lbs –  2nd real set for 8 reps (felt stronger today, may have even been able to get 9 reps, but why push it)
    • 205 lbs –  3rd real set for 3 reps (felt strong today, I might have been able to get 4 reps, but I’m still slightly sore for last time.)
    • 165 lbs – warm down set (8 reps, easier this time than last week.)
  • Curls
    • 45 lbs – bar basically, warmup for 10 reps
    • 75 lbs – 1st set for 10 reps
    • 95 lbs – 2nd set for 8 reps (could have went for 10, but why push it, my shoulder was making an odd sound anyway).
  • Rows
    • 95 lbs – 2 sets of 10 reps
    • 115 lbs – set of 10 reps
  • No weight squats
    • 2 set of no weight squats for 10 reps each.  I think this is hard for me because my legs get a pretty decent workout with the previous sets of rows.
  • Goals
    • Be able to bench press 250 lbs by the end of the year (I’d be happy if I could get 225 by the EOY). – 205 was heavier than I imagined and even this week I only got it for 3 reps..
    • Be able to curl 95 lbs for 10 reps by the end of the year. (I can probably do this now, but I’m in now hurry to increase the weight).

They say without your health you have nothing, and since my health hasn’t been optimal these past few years, hopefully this cheap workout series will help me improve it.

We’ll see,

Don

Cheap Workout Sunday Report 2

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I was much more sore from that past workout than I ever imagined that I would be.  On some days last week, I questioned where I could even walk, not to mentioned that I felt totally depleted and without energy.  Starting to work out is never easy, but this was much, much harder than I imagined.

What makes it even more difficult is the fact that I am trying to lose 20 to 40 pounds be the end of the year.  So that makes it that much more complex of a scenario.

Hero-in-Man-of-Steel

If you want to read about my first official start to my cheap workout series, read Cheap Workout Sunday Report 1.

And now on with the workout:

  • Bench:
    • 45 lbs –   basically the bar for 10 reps (my warmup)
    • 135 lbs – 1st real set for 10 reps (years ago, this was my warmup set… disappointing…)
    • 185 lbs –  2nd real set for 7 reps (an improvement from the past week, but still pretty weak)
    • 205 lbs –  3rd real set for 2 rep (The 2nd rep was nearly missed, but I got it this week.)
    • 165 lbs – warm down set (10 reps, easier this time than last week.)
  • Curls
    • 45 lbs – bar basically, warmup for 10 reps
    • 75 lbs – 1st set for 10 reps
    • 95 lbs – 2nd set for 4 reps (heavier than I thought it would be).
  • Row
    • 75 lbs – set of 10 reps
    • 95 lbs – set of 10 reps (easy, but harder than last week)
  • Sissy Squats
    • 2 set of no weight for 10 reps each.  I think I might be going to deep because I hurt a little directly after doing these.
  • Goals:
    • Lose 20 to 40 lbs by the end of the year (only down 2 pounds from the last Sunday report.  Progress, but slow progress…).
    • Be able to bench press 250 lbs by the end of the year (I’d be happy if I could get 225 by the EOY). – 205 was heavier than I imagined.
    • Be able to curl 95 lbs for 10 reps by the end of the year. (This week only 4, but next week might be better).

Well this last workout should be pretty hard on my too.  I got new rep goals, but I head to try pretty hard to accomplish them!

Hopefully, this will become easier with time!

Bests,

Don