Cardio and Legs

Today I did cardio for approx 1hr followed by a 1hr leg workout. I realized the mistake I made doing cardio for so long prior to working out legs. Next time I will decrease cardio workout time by about 30 minutes prior to leg workout in hopes of seeing the workout the entire way through.

My leg workout consisted of the following:
Leg press ( 3 plates on each side) 10 reps x 3 sets
Seated machine quadriceps ( 90lbs) 10 reps x 3 sets
machine hamstring  )90lbs) 10 reps x 3 sets
standing calf raises ( using own body weight) 20 reps x 4 sets

I attempted to finish off with barbell squats which is my enemy workout. I know it is the best leg workout and it must be done but 2hrs into my gym time I was completely drained. I will attempt to do this workout the next time I walk in completely fresh.

Cardio and shoulders

Did my usual pre-workout stretching followed by cardio for approx 1 hour. After I was warmed up I moved on to weight lifting.

After my cardio workout I moved on to working out shoulders. Here is a weird pic that didnt come out very clear as I took it myself

My shoulder workout consisted of the following:
Shoulder press (30lb dumbell, 35lb dumbell and 40lb dumbell) 10reps x 3 sets
Front dumbell raise ( 20lbs) 10 reps x 3 sets
side dumbell raise (25lb) 10 reps x 3 sets
Shoulder shrugs ( 70lbs ) 10 reps x 4 sets
Cable rear delt fly (70lbs) 10 reps x 4 sets

Finished today's workout with sit ups and leg raises. Overall a great workout. I can definitely feel myself getting back into my usual routine.

Cardio and stretching

Today I walked / jogged on the treadmill for approx one hour alternating at a speed of 3.8mph - 6.0mph. I decided not to lift weights today as my body is extremely sore so i decided to stretch for approx 20 minutes after my cardio. This included some dynamic stretching as seen in the instructional video posted on canvas along with some static stretching to help with my sore chest and arms.

My workout today was approx. 1 hour 20 minutes. I think I will be able to lift some weights during tomorrows workout after today's stretching technique.

Easing back into it . . .

Got plenty of rest the night before and had all the energy today. Over an hr on the treadmill and one hr weight lifting. My routine today was the following:

Bicep curls using dumbells ( Alternating 30 lbs and 35lbs each arm) 10 reps x 3 sets
Standing tricep press ( alternating 20lbs and 25lb dumbells) 10 reps x 3 sets
21's ( bar with 10lb plate on each side) 7 reps at 1/3 curl , 7 reps, 2/3 curl, 7 reps full curl x3 sets.
Tricep pulldowns (20lb setting) 10 reps x 4 sets
Seated bicep curl ( 25lbs) 10 reps x 3 sets
Pull downs ( Using own bodyweight) 10 reps x 3 sets

Finished the day off with situps and crunches. 30 reps x 4 sets.

I can feel myself getting back into the groove of working out again. Its a little difficult getting over the soreness of muscles from previous workout days but the stretching helps. I am also now stretching at home prior to going to bed and right when I wake up.

Workout posters

I never really noticed these posters hung up on the wall at my gym. They seem like a great guide for teaching exercise methods. May incorporate some of these into my workout routine.

Fifth day workout. Keeping my heart rate at fat burn range

I have calculated that my heart rate needs to be between approximately 112 - 131 BPM. I arrived at this range using this formula.

220 - 33 =187.  187 x 60%                                     187 x 70%
                         ------------   = 112 bpm                 ------------  = 131bpm 
                              100                                                100

I have realized that to achieve this target heart rate I will need to jog on the treadmill at a consistent 5.5 mph. I was able to jog at 5.5 mph for approx 10 minutes before having to back it down to my 4.0mph fast paced walking speed. After a short break to catch my breath I was able to jog at 5.5mph again for approx 5 minutes and then back down to 4.0mph again. My entire cardio exercise from start to finish was about 30 minutes before I decided to move on to working out legs

I worked out legs today by first doing squats. Which is my LEAST favorite exercise. I realized that I will need to work on my form a bit.

Squats (45lb plate on each side and 45lb bar = 135lbs) 10 reps x 3 sets
Leg press (45lb plate x3 on each side = 270lbs) 10 reps x 3 sets
calf raises - (using my own body weight) 20 reps x 4 sets
Lying leg curls (approx 90lbs) 10 reps x 3 sets
Leg extensions (90lbs) 10 reps x 3 sets

My entire workout was approx 1hr 20 minutes. I spent about 5 minutes stretching.

Fourth day workout.

Today I walked / jogged on the treadmill for approx 30 minutes at my usual 4.0 mph gradually increasing to 6.0mph and back down to 4.0mph again.

Weight lifting: I worked out biceps and triceps using the following exercises

Dumbell curls 35lbs each arm 10 reps x 3 sets

Pulldowns using own body weight 10 reps x 3 sets

Cable biceps bar at 60lbs 10 reps x 3 sets

Cable triceps bar  at 60 lbs 10 reps x 3 sets

Attempted to do 21's but I wasnt able to fully get through the sets. I will attempt again at a later time.

Overall a good workout. Cardio isn't very difficult. It will take some time to fully get back into my weight lifting routine. I have not implemented the use of a pre workout supplement as they are difficult to find where I am located so I might just use a lot of caffeine right before I begin working out.  I am also not able to find a good post workout protein supplement so I am eating more chicken, fish, steak and other high protein sources.

Third day. No weight lifting today

I have decided to not workout my upper body using weights today. I think I killed myself yesterday attempting to go back to my usual workouts.

Today I walk / jogged / ran on the treadmill for approx 1 hour. It seems that my cardio ability hasn't declined but i am very sore especially in my chest area. I began at a speed of 5.5mph ( a light jog) and increased to 6.0mph and then 6.5mph. I did this for approx 10 minutes and brought it back down to 4.0 mph which is a fast paced walk for me.

Sit ups. I wasnt able to find the BOSU ball (which is a half ball mounted on a flat plate) to be able to do crunches. Instead I did regular situps 30 reps x 3 sets. Followed by some stretching, especially of my upper body.

Second day. Back to my old routine

I attempted to get back into my old routine today which is a jog / run on the treadmill for 45 minutes and weight lifting. I was able to do the 45 minutes on the treadmill no problem but the weight lifting part needs some easing back into. Today I began working on chest. I did the following:

Flat bench press ( 45lb plate on each side with a 45lb bar = 135lbs) 10 reps x 3 sets

Incline bench press (25lb plate on each side with a 45lb bar = 95lbs) 10 reps x3 sets

Decline bench press (45lb plate on each side with a 45lb bar = 135lbs) 10 reps x 3 sets

Butterflies machine (100lbs setting) 10 reps x 3 sets

I finished off with situps of 30 reps x 3 sets. which wasnt very difficult for me.

Looking at numbers up top I realize that I have had a significant drop in strength. This is to be expected. I understand that maintaining muscle takes a lot of work which I have not been contributing to for the past year. I will need to also get back into supplementing protein shakes post workout. I may consider taking a pre-workout supplement like "Jack3d" (which may not still be on the market) or one of the many other pre workout supplements on the market. This will help in carrying me through my workout at a consistent pace.

First day workout

Today I jogged approx 1.5miles on the treadmill after having been out of the gym for some time. I ran / jogged for 12 minutes and was able to work up a sweat. I was very surprised with how much I was able to do. After my 12 minute jog / run I walked for 15 minutes to cool down before moving on to the next activity.

I attempted to do as many pushups as I can without stopping. I was able to do 21. I attempted to see if I can beat this score but was only able to do 18 on my second try.

I attempted to do as many situps as I can without stopping and was able to do 30. I was able to do another set of 30 situps without much of a problem.

I concluded with approx 5 minutes of stretching.

Pre-workout pics

I have decided to document my pre-workout weight and picture of me to assess my progress. At 210lbs I believe I can drop 10-15lbs within the next 6 weeks if i follow a strict diet and exercise regimen. Which I plant to do. 

Here is a picture of me at my current 210lb weight. Approx 6'0" tall