Workout change... recovery

I re-read parts of some Mike Mentzer bodybuilding books I have.   He was a fan of Ayn Rand, which is unfortunate (for a whole list of reasons I can list if anyone cares).  

But he makes many reasonable arguments about different aspects of strength training.   He describes his trainees working out on a routine that worked chest and arms on day one, shoulders and arms on day four, and legs on day seven, then rest until day ten and start over the next day on day one.   He said that most maintained good progress with their legs for long periods but not their upper body.  So he changed the routine so that the break between workouts was four days instead of three, and upper body progress still slowed.   Then he changed it again to chest/back on day 1, legs on day 5, shoulders and arms on day 9, and legs on day 13, rest until day 17, then start over with day 1, and he said progress was phenomenal for almost all trainees.   Some did not excel until the break was five days instead of four.

I've definitely found that my strength can stay the same or grow despite (or maybe because of) a 7 or even 9 day break between workouts.   I only did that haphazardly in the past, so now I'm going to try it consistently.   I haven't done a full workout since 12/15, so I plan my next one for 12/29.   If I make good progress in some exercises, I'll keep trying with 7,9, or even 12 days between workouts (since I have a best opportunity to reach the gym on Tuesdays and Thursdays).   I did some shoulder presses 12/19, so nine days off should be plenty of time to recharge for the 12/29 workout.  

Strength drop

So today my workout was disappointing. The leg press was occupied, so I started with pulldown and row, which were about normal. On leg press, on my last workout with legs five days ago I managed 12 reps with 230 pounds for each leg. I got 7 reps with my left leg and couldn't budge any more. On the shoulder press I managed 5 with 175 on the machine (I could never manage near that weight free weight), instead of the 6.5 I did last time - but maybe that was from fatigue from doing the pulldown and row first.

I see a few possibilities. I wasn't feeling totally energetic this morning. Maybe I have some disease temporarily slowing me down. I did full workouts Tuesday and Thursday last week and a wrist and grip workout Thursday and Saturday. Maybe I am slightly overtrained. And of course, maybe I am not training frequently enough.

I'm going to assume overtraining or sickness and take off until next Tuesday. I may do some wrist and grip work between now and then, but that's all. If I keep hitting a wall, I will drop the leg press, shoulder press, and a few other exercises down a few pounds and start again with more frequent workouts.

12-17-09: I skipped my strength workout for the day, the grip workout Tuesday (the 15th) and today, and just tried 3x6 on shoulder press with a 5 minute break between sets.  I managed 55 pounds in each hand, not bad.  (Not super, but not bad.)   Next time I try shoulder press, I'll attempt 56.  I see no reason to hurry, not hurting my wrist is top priority.

12-19-09 Tried shoulder press with 56 pounds, got 1x6 and 1x5.  Take a few more days off (maybe six or seven because of other upcoming workouts) and try again.   I may decide that two sets is plenty.   I'm also contemplating a switch to a seven or eight rep target per set instead of six.  It will slow down my progress, but presumably the longer sets will fatigue the muscles more - which hopefully is better for mass growth.  

Forearm/Wrist/Finger workout

So today was my first attempt at a wrist and finger workout. My left forearm is cramping up, hopefully that means I did well. Workout:
Hang from pullup bar (feet touching ground, but providing minimal support): 60 seconds -> try for 75
pinch grip between thumb and tips of fingers, two 2.5 pound plates: 60 seconds -> go for 2.5 and 5 pounds
dumbbell finger roll up (stand with dumbbell at side, let dumbbell roll down so only the tips of fingers support it, curl fingers until dumbbell is in palm of hand): 50 repetitions with 15 pound dumbbell -> try for 25 pound dumbbell
dumbbell wrist-up, seated with forearm resting on thigh: 21 repetitions with 15 pound dumbbell -> try for 25 pound dumbbell
dumbbell rear wrist-up, stand with dumbbell down behind back and lift wrist to the back: 50 repetitions with 15 pound dumbbell -> try for 25 pound dumbbell
dumbbell lift to outside, stand with dumbbell and all weight on one side (5 pounds on the 5 pound bar) and grip the other end, and lower and raise the weight: 16 repetitions -> try for 20+
dumbbell lift to inside, 21 repetitions -> raise the resistance
dumbbell pinch, 2.5 pounds and 5 pounds: 25 seconds, try for more
reverse curls, 15 pound dumbbells, 27 repetitions -> raise the resistance.
pullup bar hang, feet touching the ground but providing minimal support: 40 seconds, try for more.

So... we'll see how this works for me. In terms of vanity, I want to bulk up my left forearm. It's very skinny. In terms of useful strength, my left hand grip strength dramatically trails my right hand and I'd like the narrow the gap. It would even be cool if my shorter left arm had a monster grip even stronger than the right, but I would be pleased with near parity. I'd also like stronger wrists to protect myself during dumbbell lifts and be more useful moving furniture, twisting stuff, and so forth.

12/12 - second wrist workout. I doubt a 1.25 inch wide dowel, put a hole in it and a rope through it, and hung a 10 pound weight. I thought it would be easy, but damn is it hard.
Wrist curl up-> 1 repetition (all the way up and all the way down) w/10 pounds with a forward and down curl, about half a repetition with 10 pounds with a back towards me and down curl.
Bar hang: 65 seconds
pinch grip, 7.5 pounds: 45 seconds -> same weight
dumbbell finger roll-up, 25 pounds: 19 repetitions -> same weight
dumbbell wrist up - wrists were fried from wrist curl up, 17 repetitions with 15 pounds, stay.
standing rear dumbbell wrist up: 21 repetitions with 25 pounds -> same weight
dumbbell outside lift, weight on one side, 5 pounds: 21 repetitions -> same weight
dumbbell inside lift, weight on one side, 7.5 pounds: 17 repetitions but range of motion may be less, drop back to 5 pounds.
dumbbell pinch, 7.5 pounds: 27 seconds
reverse curl, 20 pounds: 17 repetitions. Watch right forearm, can't do a 'true' reverse curl with that weight, have it partly turned to use regular biceps. Fix it.
pullup bar hang: 25 seconds
wrist curl up: about half a repetition going forward and done.

Workout update

My right wrist is still bothering me from the October injury, so I stopped working on dumbbell shoulder press. To save time and for 'cardiovascular fitness' reasons (I am not even sure if I believe in that concept as it is traditionally defined) I've taken to doing my workouts with machines in a cardiovascular circuit.

Usually:
1. leg press - trying for 15 reps before increasing the weight, most recent was 10 reps with 230 pounds for each leg
2. leg extension - trying for 15 reps, but getting killed because it's right after leg press, most recent was 10 reps with 130 for each leg
3. leg curl - trying for 15 reps, most recent was 14 with 80 for each leg
4. shoulder press - trying for 10 reps, most recent was 6 with 175 pounds (the machine is easy, no way in hell I could free weight shoulder press that much)
5. chest press - trying for 10 reps, but my strength is awful because of the shoulder press, most recent was 4 with 150 pounds
6. weighted back extension - trying for 10 slow reps, most recent was 10 with 170 pounds
(Incidentally, using even 80 pounds with this hurt like hell before I discovered I had a herniated disk. I am now confident that my disk herniation was far older than June, it just wasn't acutely painful until June.)
7. weighted abdominal exercise - trying for 15 reps, most recent was 8 with 130 pounds
8. calf raise - one leg at a time holding a dumbbell, most recent was 21 with 35 pounds
9. pull down - trying for 10 reps, most recent was 7 with 145 pounds
10. row - trying for 10 reps but my strength is toast after the pull down, most recent was 5 with 115

I'm generally pleased with my progress. Those leg press numbers aren't my best ever, but they're pretty solid and I feel like my legs are getting more muscular. Unfortunately, that's subjective and I may be incorrect. The working weight for the shoulder press is also my best, although again most of the shoulder machines I've used before seemed more difficult. I'm not wildly enthusiastic, but there does seem to be some progress. My right leg is still noticeably stronger than the left, but at least the left side isn't weak any more. In all of the exercises above, I work my left leg to muscular failure and limit the right leg to match it without exceeding it.

The other good news is I watched a Youtube squatting video with Mark Rippetoe, who is considered an authority. Apparently my preferred squat form was pretty close to ideal. If I return to dumbbell home squats (dumbbells at chest height) I can do things the right way. Or if a local gym gets a real power cage, that would be even better. (Best of all would be someone buying me a power cage and finding a place to put it in my house. Any takers?)

I'm going to add forearm exercises to this, to beef up my left forearm, rehab my right wrist injury, and strengthen my grip. Exercises I plan are hanging from the pullup bar, wrist rollers, reverse dumbbell wrist curls, side dumbbell wrist curls, and plate pinch. I intend to work my left side harder than the right.