Saturday, May 5, 2012

Meathead Post #1

 I recently finished week 4 of AST's MAX-OT weightlifting program, so its time for me  to be a meathead and to evaluate my progress and change the regimen.  I have done this program before--in late 2010, and since I am a packrat who never throws out his workout logs, I can compare my progress across the years.  For once my destructive habits are useful!  YAY!

As it were, it looks like I am stronger in every muscle group across all exercises EXCEPT THE BICEPS.  For these it looks like I'm more-or-less the same. EDIT: Just ran the calculation, I've had a 1.6% increase.

So overall this is a pretty exciting time--I didn't break my Deadlift Personal Record on this cycle (405 lbs. for 8 reps), but I was able to experiment a little between styles.  I typically perform them Sumo-style, but tried classic deadlifts this time.  These both target the same muscle groups--hamstrings, quads, erector spinae--the difference is that with the regular deadlift, the sticking point (the most difficult part of the exercise--where the repetition is most often failed) is about 3-4 inches above the ground, and with sumo-style 'lifts, it is on the ground.  For shorter people--like myself--this sticking point is incredibly small, so naturally the sumo deadlift is my method of choice--but it was good to go outside of my comfort zone this cycle.

It looks like in the upcoming cycle I'll be doing a lot of pullups...also I should use this opportunity to reassess strict form on my Bent-Over Rows--which have been sloppy recently.  I'll have to find an alternative to the Seated Military Press since THERE IS NO WAY TO PERFORM A SEATED BARBELL PRESS AT MIT'S GYM.  Which is totally ridiculous to me to be blunt.

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Also remember that since it is the first Saturday in May, today is Free Comic Book Day for participating stores.

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