It's Never Too Late

Tonight was chest & triceps after a few days break:-

Bench press
4 x 8 @ 30 (not such a struggle this time, last set will go up to 40 next week)

Dips
8
6
6
6
(few more than last time but collar bone/pec sore area came back :( )

Incline dumbbell press
4 x 10 @ 15 (better again)

Pushdowns
10 @ 9th plate
10 @ 10th
10 @ 11th
10 @ 11th
(triceps pumped like balloons, for me anyway! )

Keep it up matey!
You should do well finding a czech gym, there's some right monsters over there

Glad to hear it! I will be there in 3 weeks time for over a week with time to kill, so going gym hunting :)

Last night was meant to be chest & triceps, but too much pain in collarbone/pec area so gave up after bench and did different things:-

Bench press
4 x 8 @ 30 (weight no problem but sore as hell after racking the bar and relaxing after each set)

No Dips
No Incline Dumbbell press

Pushdowns
12 @ 9th plate
12 @ 10th
12 @ 11th
9 @ 12th

Dumbbell curls
4 x 10 @ 10 (right side still weaker than left, but hopefully is improving)

Lat raises
8 @ 10
7 @ 10
5 @ 10 (again right side weaker)

15 minutes rowing
30 mins bike

Last night was back, went pretty well:-

Deadlifts
2 x 12 @ 30 warmup
8 @ 50
8 @ 50
8 @ 60
8 @ 70 (hard but did it and still alive! I love chalk)

Seated rowing
10 @ 30
10 @ 45
10 @ 50

Pulldowns
10 @ 3rd plate (feels so easy)
10 @ 4th plate (feels so hard!)
9 @ 4th

EZ barbell curls
6 @ 20
6 @ 20
4 @ 20
Still weak on right side but much better than last time

Seated dumbbell press
10 @ 10
3 x 10 @ 12

Bike 30 mins

Got splendid DOMS in back today, very happy :D

Legs tonight, tired but it went well:-

Squats
8 @ 30
8 @ 40
8 @ 50
8 @ 55 (glad I didn't try 60, bit wobbly on this one!)

Extensions
3 x 10 @ 5th
10 @ 6th (it burns...)

Leg curls
8 @ 4th
8 @ 5th
8 @ 5th
Drop set 4 @ 6th, 6 @ 5th, 5 @ 4th

Calf raises
10 @ 100
10 @ 120
10 @ 130
10 @ 140
(all good, hard to stop feet slipping off the wooden base though)

Yesterday was another, hopefully the last, visit to the physio. No more neck/back problems, trap is mending ok and the pain between pec & collarbone is caused by strained tendons or something. She also did a horrible arm bending thing that re-seated my collarbone as one end was twisted. No I don't know how that happened either, but feels much better now!

I then went to the gym for chest/triceps:-

Bench press
8 @ 30
8 @ 30
8 @ 30
5 @ 40 (back in the 40s at last!)

Dips on a bench, have to avoid real ones until all is healed
4 x 10

Incline dumbbell press
4 x 8 @ 18 (getting better again)

Pushdowns
10 @ 9th plate
10 @ 10th
10 @ 11th
7 @ 12th (very happy with this)

Rowing 15 minutes
Bike 30 minutes

So 2months on from the start of the journal mate, how you feeling? Noticed much of a difference? Feel better in day to day living, more energy etc?

Most of the time much better, cheers :) Have lost about 6 weeks due to that damn neck/shoulder problem which is a shame, but almost completely back to normal now and weights are coming up again. Diet is very hit and miss, it suffered a lot during that month off but is much better now. Lost a few pounds but nothing to shout about yet, but I can see veins that have been hidden for years so happy with that :D

All in all, I'm glad to be back into it and I enjoy it. Now just need to stop hurting myself for a while and crack on! Thanks for your comments, always appreciated :)

Today was back session, not so full of beans but it still went well. Improved on last week and right side weakness is reduced every session thankfully.

Deadlifts
12 @ 30
12 @ 30
8 @ 50
8 @ 50
8 @ 60
5 @ 75 (hard as hell but very pleased)

Seated rowing
10 @ 35
10 @ 45
10 @ 55 (new personal best)

Pulldowns
10 @ 3rd
10 @ 4th
10 @ 4th (one better than last time, I'm so crap at these)

EZ barbell curls
7 @ 20
7 @ 20
4 @ 20 (still rubbish but better each week, 70% back to normal now)

Seated DB press
4 x 10 @ 12 (struggling at the end but still good, up to 15s next time)

Legs today, gym was completely empty until the last 15 minutes, bliss!

Squats
8 @ 30
8 @ 40
8 @ 50
8 @ 60 (going to 65 next week hopefully)

Leg extensions
10 @ 5th plate
10 @ 6th
10 @ 7th
10 @ 7th

Leg curls
8 @ 4th
8 @ 5th
8 @ 5th
6 @ 6th

Calf raises
10 @ 100
10 @ 130
10 @ 140
10 @ 150

15 mins hard rowing, exercise bike is dead :(

Finally back from the dead! I am now all moved and settled in the Czech Republic, and loving it very much :) Work, permits, house, girlfriend, bank, everything is all sorted out at last. Including the best gym I've ever seen less than 10 minutes walk from home *smug*

As No.13 said, there are some monsters here for sure. Apparently they all live in the gym though, never seen anyone with more muscle than a sparrow's leg in the streets, but the gym is full of some really big guys and beautiful sylph-like girls who only go to the gym to make the rest of them feel bad :D

My diet has been mostly crap and sometimes great; this is something that is harder to sort out here. Partly due to the settling-in-partying period and also the complexity of buying things you don't recognise in a language you don't understand. But I'm getting there and have lost a little bit of weight. Not enough to matter but at least it hasn't gone up! Now the gym is regular hopefully everything will settle down, in consistency of training and diet.

The gym is great, has everything I could ever want (x2 or x3) and all in immaculate condition. It's pretty busy but rarely have to wait for anything, and strangely only once ever seen another person doing squats. Maybe that is why the big guys there never show any leg haha. Only downside is they don't allow the use of chalk, which is a real shame. I'll perservere with deadlifts but will be a battle again.

Anyway, I spent a couple of weeks there just doing squats, bench press and seated or t-bar rowing to break myself in again as I had had a long gap. Back to regular routine now over the last week but it needs some adjusting.

So a week ago was Chest/triceps:-

(still all olympic bars/weights)
3 x 12 @ 0
4 x 8 @ 30

Dips off a bench (wont be doing real ones again any time soon after injuring myself last two times)
4 x 10

Incline DB press
3 x 10 @ 14
1 x 10 @ 16 (shaky as hell but didn't smash my skull at least)

Pushdowns
10 @ 30
10 @ 35
10 @ 35
6 @ 40 (jelly arms :)

30 mins bike, 7.8 miles

Then it was Back/Biceps:-

T-bar rowing
2 x 12 @ 10
4 x 10 @ 20 (fairly easy but cautious of hurting myself on first proper go)

Seated rowing
10 @ 35
10 @ 40
10 @ 45

Pulldowns
10 @ 30 (too light)
10 @ 40
8 @ 45

EZ barbell curls
8 @ 10
8 @ 10
6 @ 10 (most noticeable strength drop is on this, but at least both arms are the same now, recovered from neck/back injuries at last!)

Seated DB press
4 x 10 @ 12

Yesterday was Legs:-

3 x 12 @ 0
10 @ 30
3x 8 @ 40 (this was good and can definitely go up next time)

Extensions
10 @ 35
10 @ 35
10 @ 40
10 @ 45

Leg curls
10 @ 30
10 @ 30
10 @ 35
 9 @ 35 (aaagghhh)

Calf raises
10 @ 80
10 @ 90
10 @ 100
10 @ 100

Wobbly!

Last night was chest which went better than last time, starting to recover at last :)
 
Bench press
3 x 12 @ 0
8 @ 30
8 @ 34
8 @ 34
8 @ 38 (just! want to get back to 40 soon)
 
Flyes
3 x 10 @ 12
 
Incline dumbbell press
10 @ 14
10 @ 14
10 @ 16
10 @ 16 (these are definitely going up next time)
 
Pushdowns
10 @ 45
10 @ 50
10 @ 50
 
30 mins on bike, 7.9 miles

I'd just like to add that right now the only thing that hurts more than my calves (from Monday) is the rest of my body from last night. Every time I get out of my chair I am making more fuss than a woman giving birth :)

Friday night was back which also went well, improved on most exercises and also found the strength imbalance between right and left sides is now gone :)

T-bar rowing
3 x 12 @ 10
10 @ 20
10 @ 20
  9 @ 25
  9 @ 25

Straight leg deadlift
5 ft olympic bar
4 x 10 @ 20 (hamstrings still sore now!)

Pulldowns
10 @ 35
10 @ 40
10 @ 45 (these are all going up next time)

Hammer curls
10 @ 10
10 @ 10
  8 @ 12 (both arms the same at last)

Bent over lat raises
10 @ 8 (too much, caused much pain in left shoulder joint)
10 @ 7
10 @ 7

Bike 45 mins, 11.6 miles 300 calories

Last night was push, improved on most things and pretty happy with it :)
 
Bench press
3 x 12 @ 0
8 @ 30
8 @ 34
8 @ 34
7 @ 40 (back in the 40s at last!)
 
Flyes
3 x 10 @ 12
 
Incline dumbbell press
10 @ 14
10 @ 16
10 @ 16
18 @ 18 (felt good, these will go up again next time)
 
Seated dumbbell press
3 x 8 @ 12 (should have been 10 but arms were dead)
 
Pushdowns
10 @ 40
10 @ 40
  8 @ 40 (jelly arms)
 
Bent over lat raises
3 x 10 @ 7
 
Collapse in a heap.

Last night was legs, a pleasure as always :)

Squats
3 x 12 @ 0
10 @ 30
  8 @ 40
  8 @ 40
  8 @ 50 (+10kg)
(yay! these are all going up next time)

Extensions
10 @ 35
10 @ 40 (+5kg)
10 @ 45 (+5kg)
10 @ 50 (+5kg)

Leg curls - hamstrings still buggered from SLDL the other day, so these weren't so good
10 @ 30
10 @ 30
  9 @ 35 (-1 rep)
  8 @ 35 (-1 rep)

Calf raises
10 @ 80
10 @ 90
10 @ 100
10 @ 110 (+10kg)

I've had a few days of rest due to my young lady having a couple of birthday parties and then a weekend away with her folks. Today should be back in the saddle but feeling like crap. I'm still plagued by insomnia, for many months now and last night was particularly bad. So not sure whether I'll make it to the gym tonight at this point :( God knows how to sort it out, doesn't matter if I hammer myself in gym, do nothing, drink a lot, read a book to relax, I still wake up every couple of hours every night. It just grinds you down to feeling like a zombie some days...