9 September Workout

I almost had to go workout by myself today. My buddy Mike and I had planned to workout from 1200 - 1300, as soon as I had finished the class I was teaching (1100 - 1200). However, they sprung a surprise meeting on Mike at 1300, so work-out became a no go. However, quick on my feet, I decided that since I was the instructor, I could cancel class to fit my personal needs, and did such -- working out alone avoided! A great success!

Spent some time today on the the triceps and shoulders:

Seated bench press
Set 1: 65lbs, 10 reps
Set 2: 85lbs, 6 reps (my partner left his weights on, though the bar felt heavy...)
Set 3: 75lbs, 8 reps

Tricep Pull Downs
Set 1: 30lbs, 10 reps
Set 2: 50lbs, 10 reps
Set 3: 60 lbs, 10 reps

Free Weights
Did two different exercises (sets 1-3 and 4-6), but I don't know what they are called. One involved raising the weights out my side and bringing them back down to my side and extending them out in front of me. The second one involved leaning over on a weight bench and extending the weight into the air
Set 1: 10lbs, 10 reps
Set 2: 10lbs, 10 reps
Set 3: 15 lbs, 10 reps
Set 4: 15lbs, 10 reps
Set 5: 20lbs, 10 reps
Set 6: 20lbs, 10 reps

Change of plan

So, I started talking to a reserve recruiter today. No, I have not been offered the job, but I wanted to get some basic information on the Army Reserve as to what to expect if I did get the job. Anyways, I explained to him my current fitness plan. While the recruiter certainly thought the 100 pushups plan was a good idea, he suggested an alternate workout plan to get into shape for potential Army service.

As such, I am modifying my workout plan to more adequately fit my needs and requirements. Here is the general plan:

Workouts three times x week; 30 - 45 minutes
Day 1 - back and chest
Day 2 - triceps and shoulders
Day - biceps and legs
All days - abs and moderate cardio

Rest, assured, I will revist the 100 pushups and 200 situps, and I will be victorious, just not now.

Week 1, Day 2 (Pushups)

I thought yesterday was just a fluke, but today I felt just as tired when I started the routine. Still, none the less, I pushed on today -- if I make an excuse of being tired for one day, then I will just find myself making excuses for another day, and the next thing I know, I'll have lots of excuses and no exercise. The way I see it, if I go to work, I can work-out. Plain and simple.

That being said, however, I think it would be to my benefit to change when I workout. I have a sneaking suspicion that I am dead tired when starting my workout because I'm getting home at 9 and working out, which means I'm working out after 14 hours of straight work. Maybe if I switch to my lunchtime I wont find myself so tired.

In this set, I found myself getting really tired near the middle of set 4 -- I also had to restart set 3 as I did the pushups wrong (and have a nice back pain to thank for it). Here are this weeks results:

Set 1: 6
Set 2: 8
Set 3: 6
Set 4: 6
MAX (minimum 7): 8

Total pushups this workout: 34

I was a little disappointed that my max wasn't higher, but I still have 5+ weeks to work on that.

Week 1, Day 1 (Situps)

I thought pushups were tough, but situps seemed to give me a run for my money. I think I was a little cocky going into the first situps workout because I had managed 25 situps during the initial test. I don't know if I was just tired out from work today or what, but I definitely struggled. Anyways, today's routine was:

Set 1: 9
Set 2: 9
Set 3: 6
Set 4: 6
Max (minimum 5): 10

Total situps this set: 40.

Week 1, Day 1 (Pushups)

After completing the initial test last night, I decided to begin the first set of pushups today. I think perhaps it mat have been a bit soon -- as I started into the second set pushups, I started to feel that burn of sore muscles. None the less, I pushed through and completed the 4 sets and the max:

Set 1: 6
Set 2: 6
Set 3: 4
Set 4: 4
Max (minimum 5): 10

Total pushups this set: 30