Day 2

My training schedule is a little jacked up right now, which is part of the reason three lifting days a week works really well for me. Of course, consistency is important, but when things get hectic, it's much easier to still space your days for optimum recovery while not getting off track. This workout, I had to do at another gym. Though not a commercial disaster, few places can hold a candle to the "for the love of iron" accommodations at the Studio.

Military Press

  • 60 x 3
  • 70 x 3
  • 80 x (6)

I started my chins between these sets and continued them through the dip sets for a total of...

Chins

  • BW + 10 x 3 x 10 sets

Dips

  • BW x 10 x 4 sets

I'm not gonna lie, I know atmosphere isn't everything. In fact sometimes I truly enjoy a desolate no music, no partner, no distraction session, but this was wearing on me...so I jammed out this little circuit and cut out promising myself to do a killer conditioning session tomorrow.

Quick Circuit - three times through

  • Split stance one arm dumbbell press x 10 each
  • One arm dumbbell row x 10 each
  • Tricep push up on med ball x 10
  • Dumbbell power cleans x 10

A few notes if I may, on proper gym etiquette

If you take notice of a female, and would like for her to notice you...talking about her right in front of her face as though she wasn't there is not a preferable or an effective flirtation strategy. Discussing body parts and such, even in another language, (some of us do understand more than one) is distracting and will make the hunted female want to flee prior to kill time.

Creepy Loitering behind the super high chin up bar right in the doorway ALSO has a less than desirable effect on training atmosphere. Not only is your hot breath burning my calves, but now there's a back up of gym go-er flow in the doorway and I can't get down off the box.

Please don't touch my notebook. 'Nough said.

A note on deodorant and cologne. This is the Goldy Locks of social hygiene. Too much is waaaaaay too much and too little well, that just wont do either. There is a happy medium that is juuuuuust right and maybe one day they will print these recommendations on the bottles. Kind of like cigarettes - too much of this will not only kill YOUR social life but potentially choke out others around you.

That's all for now. Thanks for listening.

Day 3

Deadlifts

  • 180 x 3
  • 205 x 3
  • 230 x (3) Prescribed reps only

*No Glory Here. Sometimes you know. My goal right now is to stay in the season- not score the winning touchdown. There will likely be a few more of these humble "graduation" rep days that serve not much more than to keep me in play. I'm ok with that.

Other work
TRX Bulgarian Split Squats

  • BW x 15 each x 3 sets

(Testing the waters with unilateral work given the whole hip/pelvis thing which I know will be passing. Though BSS-s get a bad wrap for being brutally miserable I happen to not mind that and sets of 15 especially BW is pretty breezy.)

Hamstring Curl on Stabilty Ball

  • BW x 15 x 3 sets

Cable Column Chop Variations for play-it-safe-ab work *See below for details

Back Extensions on the GHR

  • BWx15x3sets

Sled Drag

  • 130 # 5 Plaza Laps forward and back

*With this thought of "playing it safe" I'd like to make a couple side notes on the hanging leg raise (for those of you that are interested in learning more training application concepts than do this's and do that's.)

The Hanging Leg Raise:
Good, Bad or ugly...

Whether from a hang position or a Roman Chair style elbow supported position- raising your legs straight out in front of you (stiff legged or bent at the knee) is a movement actually carried out largely by the hip flexors.

"But I feel them in my abs!"

Well you do because the abdominals kick in as stabilizers for your pelvis. So yes, stabilization actions, intense enough, will increase strength and even hypertrophy of your abs. BUT...

If you really want to engage your abs then you have to execute a gymnastics -like pike movement in which you aggressively crunch the abs to lift the legs vertically upwards, without any active hip flexion being allowed to take over. (obviously best done from the hang position.)

"But I heard those can be bad for your back. Are you sure they're safe for myself and my clients?"

Dynamic abdominal exercises can impose at least 50% greater stress on the lumbar spine than isometric exercises (lifting straight out in front of you). The key to this is your body being advanced enough to properly stabilize your pelvis/lower lumbar during the movement. So the answer?

Leg raises are not dangerous- they can be performed either safely or unsafely. If you can't do them properly - don't do them.

I didn't do them today for the specific reason that my my pelvis and lower lumbar are in need of more than a little TLC. So if I was to do them in this session, my situation the way it is, I would be taking a perfectly good exercise and making it potentially bad or ugly.

Just saying, is all.