Tuesday Workout Report (I Like to Move It, Move It Edition)

[the_gneech]

Watched Madagascar for the first time while doing tonight's workout.

I LOVED IT. I gotta get me a Dancing Alex icon.

Anyway, on to the workout report!

Rows: 3 mins @ 55 lbs (warmup)
Resisted Reverse Crunch: 1 set 15 reps @ 15 lbs
Rope Pushdowns: 1 set 10 reps @ 35 lbs
Deadlift: 2 sets 10 reps @ 25 lbs
Reverse Curl: 2 sets 10 reps @ 35 lbs
Barbell Bent Over Rows: 3 sets 10 reps @ 30 lbs
Stiff Leg Deadlift: 2 sets 10 reps @ 20 lbs
Seated Lateral Shoulder Raise: 3 sets 10 reps @ 25 lbs
Abdominal Crunch: 2 sets 15 reps
Rows: 3 mins @ 35 lbs (cooldown)

Body Weight: 299.0 lbs (yeah, baby!)

Today's big achievement: Under 300 lbs at night, baby! I'm not positive that's the first time it's happened on the new regimen, but I believe so. Let's hope it's the beginning of a trend!

And that's all from me tonight. Have a great night and an awesome tomorrow, I love you all. :) Even those of you who think I don't.

-The Gneech

Comments

[nekomimikun.livejournal.com]

Heh. I loved Madagascar since they finally found a way to integrate the classic cartoon styles of Tex Avery and Chuck Jones into 3D. That and the art style was really cool. Too bad it didn't do very well critically.

[the-gneech.livejournal.com]

It did well enough to get the penguins a short. ;)

-TG

[nekomimikun.livejournal.com]

But that was done in-house by the Dreamworks staff because they needed a featurette in front of Wallace and Gromit due to its short length.

Although it is good enough economically to warrant a sequel. It's Dreamworks' newest flagship series at #2. (Under Shrek)

[dilletante.livejournal.com]

hey, how do the deadlifts work on this machine? i keep being boggled by the low weights. deadlifts with freeweights tend towards... well, large numbers.

[the-gneech.livejournal.com]

Well, you clip the bar to the cable, then the cable to the resistance rods. 25 lbs on either side (as above) makes a total weight of 50 lbs. It's not a "grunt, grunt" sort of exercise, the idea is to build endurance, at least in the workout I'm doing. :) My erector spinae need to build up to heavier weights anyway ... they can't take too much punishment.

-The Gneech

[the-gneech.livejournal.com]

Oh, also, the lower weights are something peculiar to Bowflex. I don't know the ins and outs of it, but in the training video that came with it, they said that the resistance rod setup tends to provide more resistance throughout the entire range of motion, whereas freeweights provide most of their resistance at the beginning and end. Therefore a lower weight still ends up providing a tougher workout overall.

It might be marketing hype, I dunno, but that was the explanation.

-The Gneech

[dilletante.livejournal.com]

interesting. i have no idea. other machines actually tend to use higher weights than you do with freeweights, as the machine restricts your range of motion and provides support that you otherwise would have to provide yourself with relatively weak stabilizer muscles (freeweight proponents will say that working those stabilizer muscles is important for joint integrity and represents a benefit of freeweights).

i guess the rods could provide different resistance depending on where they are in the motion. that might be interesting. the weird thing is that all the other weights look reasonable to me. 35 pounds for a tricep pushdown? sure, that's a sane weight. etc.

as a comparison, if you'd said you were deadlifting 500 pounds i would be impressed but not shocked.

[the-gneech.livejournal.com]

The Bowflex uses the stabilizers for most exercises too, actually, because it's all cable-pulling. The only exercises I use the bar for are the various deadlifts and the bent-over rows.

When I read "deadlifting 500 pounds" my lower back muscles recoiled with a horrible hissing sound, much like a vampire confronted with a cross. Maybe in a year -- but not now!

-The Gneech

[kylet.livejournal.com]

Limbs swing in an arc, while gravity (via pulleys on the machines or whatever) always pulls downward. So geometrically, if you're doing something like a curl, you're moving it more up and down at some points but more sideways at others based on what area of the arc you're at. I'm guessing the Bowflex claims to compensate by adding resistance to the sideways parts, and I can see how they say that.

Even if it's cables, it's still anchored in one way or another and pulling in a single direction that may or may not be the same as gravity--no lateral leeway. Trust me, I was doing cable-based arm exercises before the trainer switched me over to free weights, and the difference in weight was DEPRESSING. My sense of balance is terrible, and my right arm is apparently a good bit stronger than the left, so keeping a barbell balanced is a pain.
But I believe you mentioned all of the above exercises are actually the weight x2, right? The weight listed is PER limb?

[the-gneech.livejournal.com]

But I believe you mentioned all of the above exercises are actually the weight x2, right? The weight listed is PER limb?

Yup, exactly. Thus 110 lbs total for the warmup rows, 30 lbs total for the resisted reverse crunch, etc.

-TG

[hallan.livejournal.com]

I've never seen Madagascar, but I keep hearing good things about it. Congrats on the workout and weight loss!

Hallan

[kamau-d-lyon.livejournal.com]

Oh you've got to see it my young lion friend. Ask for the DVD as a Christmas gift.

[kamau-d-lyon.livejournal.com]

I can't believe you didn't see Madagascar until now! Dang, I'd have come down there and dragged you out to it if I'd known. I loved the movie and have watched it several times now. I love the double layer of humor in it with some at kids level and other parts at adult.

I'm glad to see the workouts are doing so well. Keep it up. I'll also have to talk to you about the bowflex one of these days. I keep looking at them but I'm still not sure about getting one.

[the-gneech.livejournal.com]

Well, I may be upgrading to the newer model myself in the upcoming year, in which case I'll be able to offer you a good deal on a slightly-used one... ;)

It has a few glitches, but on the whole I've been very happy with it.

-TG

[kamau-d-lyon.livejournal.com]

Oh if you do that let me know. Not only would it give me something to continue my weight training I started at Navy Chaplains school but would give me an excuse to get down your way again.