Results matching “log”

It's that time of year again. Before setting my health and fitness goals for 2006, I decided to check the status of a few things first. One of these is my current level of bodyfat - last estimated back in April this year.

Once again I used the same technique as used by the US Department of Defense, the formula being :

% body fat = 86.010 x log10(abdomen - neck) - 70.041 x log10(height) + 36.76

Note that the formula is a little different for females :

% body fat = 163.205 x log10(waist + hip - neck) - 97.684 x log10(height) - 78.387

Plugging in measurements for abdomen, neck and height gave me :
%bf = 86.010 x log10 (35-16)-70.041 x log10(72) + 36.76 = 16.65617 (slightly better than last time).

For demonstration videos showing how the measurements should be taken, have a look at the Physical Readiness section of the NPC site.

It all started last week when Alberto mentioned the unusually named YTWLs. Whilst googling to find out exactly what these were I stumbled across the article '8 weeks to monster shoulders' by Alwyn Cosgrove and Chad Waterbury on T-nation. A good read.

Trying out the flexibility tests - particularly the one involving touching fists behind the back (or coming somewhere near it) I discovered that a) I'm not equally flexible on each shoulder, and b) it's much more painful doing the left arm over / right arm under test. I suspect I'll need to address this difference before adding any real strength to the shoulders.

The pain (only whilst doing the test) is at the base of the right anterior deltoid, and there are several ways to stretch this (Exrx proves its worth yet again). My current thinking is to add a little deltoid stretching to the end of current bench workouts; and to add the serious shoulder strengthening to the workouts after a few weeks or so. The ROM isn't too bad at the moment - I simply want to attain the same flexibility on each side (and get rid of any pain in the process) before I start strengthening things.

On to the workout itself. A busy weekend gave the lat a chance to recover properly, and this morning I ended up doing a quick ME BENCH session. Only a day behind schedule - will no doubt catch up tomorrow.

Of the two major exercises the first is a combination I haven't really played with : close grip benching with a low incline. This warmed up the triceps and shoulders nicely for the subsequent seated half presses, and a new PR came along for the ride.

Finished up with a bit of anterior deltoid stretching - I'm keen to see whether this will have much impact over the next couple of months.

Bench press (15°, close grip) 2x20@20/44. 2x10@30/66, 10@40/88, 8@50/110, 5@60/132
Seated half press 4x12@40/88

It all started last week when Alberto mentioned the unusually named YTWLs. Whilst googling to find out exactly what these were I stumbled across the article '8 weeks to monster shoulders' by Alwyn Cosgrove and Chad Waterbury on T-nation. A good read.

Trying out the flexibility tests - particularly the one involving touching fists behind the back (or coming somewhere near it) I discovered that a) I'm not equally flexible on each shoulder, and b) it's much more painful doing the left arm over / right arm under test. I suspect I'll need to address this difference before adding any real strength to the shoulders.

The pain (only whilst doing the test) is at the base of the right anterior deltoid, and there are several ways to stretch this (Exrx proves its worth yet again). My current thinking is to add a little deltoid stretching to the end of current bench workouts; and to add the serious shoulder strengthening to the workouts after a few weeks or so. The ROM isn't too bad at the moment - I simply want to attain the same flexibility on each side (and get rid of any pain in the process) before I start strengthening things.

On to the workout itself. A busy weekend gave the lat a chance to recover properly, and this morning I ended up doing a quick ME BENCH session. Only a day behind schedule - will no doubt catch up tomorrow.

Of the two major exercises the first is a combination I haven't really played with : close grip benching with a low incline. This warmed up the triceps and shoulders nicely for the subsequent seated half presses, and a new PR came along for the ride.

Finished up with a bit of anterior deltoid stretching - I'm keen to see whether this will have much impact over the next couple of months.

Bench press (15°, close grip) 2×20@20/44. 2×10@30/66, 10@40/88, 8@50/110, 5@60/132
Seated half press 4×12@40/88

It's been known for some time that muscle tends to waste away as we get older (over the age of 40, people start to lose up to 2% per year). A team of scientists at the INRAs Human Nutrition Research Centre in Auvergne has demonstrated that this loss - at least in rats - is prevented with sufficent Leucin supplementation.

So what is Leucin? Leucin is one of the essential amino acids (essential as the body needs it but doesn't produce it directly). As it's found in all protein foods, it isn't exactly difficult to come by. In fact, bodybuilders have been taking protein supplements with leucin for years. The study, however, focuses on the effects of muscle aging - and recommends, among other things, up to 9 or 10 grams per day (the average in the US is around 4 or 5) to reproduce the results shown.

For a little more detail, the findings by Lydie Combaret and colleagues were published in the December issue of the Journal of Physiology (vol 569, issue 2, pp 489-499).

It's been known for some time that muscle tends to waste away as we get older (over the age of 40, people start to lose up to 2% per year). A team of scientists at the INRAs Human Nutrition Research Centre in Auvergne has demonstrated that this loss - at least in rats - is prevented with sufficent Leucin supplementation.

So what is Leucin? Leucin is one of the essential amino acids (essential as the body needs it but doesn't produce it directly). As it's found in all protein foods, it isn't exactly difficult to come by. In fact, bodybuilders have been taking protein supplements with leucin for years. The study, however, focuses on the effects of muscle aging - and recommends, among other things, up to 9 or 10 grams per day (the average in the US is around 4 or 5) to reproduce the results shown.

For a little more detail, the findings by Lydie Combaret and colleagues were published in the December issue of the Journal of Physiology (vol 569, issue 2, pp 489-499).

What's this site all about?

A couple of years ago I got a bit of a surprise when an old man ran past me down a flight of stairs (admittedly there was a Bingo hall near the bottom of them). Shocked to discover just how unfit I'd become, I set about getting myself into some sort of shape.

After a couple of weeks enduring mind-numbing stints on a stationary cycle, I invested in a bench, bar and a small pile of plates. I also grabbed a copy of Mens Fitness (for the first and last time) as it had a 10 week routine for those just starting out.

Before starting, I went through the routine and changed a few things to exercises that I could do with the equipment I had (for example, all of the dumbbell things were out). I decided not to follow the suggested diet, instead simply trying to eat reasonably cleanly and in the same calorie ranges as the magazine suggested.

10 weeks later I was bigger, stronger and well and truly hooked. The main benefit - in my eyes at least - was the strength, and I started reading about Powerlifting. The magazine hadn't mentioned exotic things like box squats and rack pulls, in fact there wasn't even a word about a power rack; and I turned to my trusty friend, Google.

Whilst trying to find out exactly what box squats were I came across Kris Lindqvist's blog 'Under the Bar' and was amazed to find that not only had someone answered any number of questions I already had, but generated a wealth of new ones. An incredible feeling.

Gradually my home gym evolved, now consisting of a rack, Olympic bar & plates, dumbbells, and of course the original bench and weight set. The workouts themselves have gone through a constant process of refinement, but have been based on the WSB 4-day-per-week template since shortly after I finished the original 10 week course. Lifting is now much more than a 10-week thing - it's a permanent part of my life.

What's this site all about?

A couple of years ago I got a bit of a surprise when an old man ran past me down a flight of stairs (admittedly there was a Bingo hall near the bottom of them). Shocked to discover just how unfit I'd become, I set about getting myself into some sort of shape.

After a couple of weeks enduring mind-numbing stints on a stationary cycle, I invested in a bench, bar and a small pile of plates. I also grabbed a copy of Mens Fitness (for the first and last time) as it had a 10 week routine for those just starting out.

Before starting, I went through the routine and changed a few things to exercises that I could do with the equipment I had (for example, all of the dumbbell things were out). I decided not to follow the suggested diet, instead simply trying to eat reasonably cleanly and in the same calorie ranges as the magazine suggested.

10 weeks later I was bigger, stronger and well and truly hooked. The main benefit - in my eyes at least - was the strength, and I started reading about Powerlifting. The magazine hadn't mentioned exotic things like box squats and rack pulls, in fact there wasn't even a word about a power rack; and I turned to my trusty friend, Google.

Whilst trying to find out exactly what box squats were I came across Kris Lindqvist's blog 'Under the Bar' and was amazed to find that not only had someone answered any number of questions I already had, but generated a wealth of new ones. An incredible feeling.

Gradually my home gym evolved, now consisting of a rack, Olympic bar & plates, dumbbells, and of course the original bench and weight set. The workouts themselves have gone through a constant process of refinement, but have been based on the WSB 4-day-per-week template since shortly after I finished the original 10 week course. Lifting is now much more than a 10-week thing - it's a permanent part of my life.

You might also like to see how my diet has evolved over the past couple of years.

...and press.

I enjoy rotating my exercise selection regularly - it keeps things moving, the body adapting and prevents workouts from getting boring. Today I was reminded (reading John's blog) of an exercise that I had first seen over a year ago, considered interesting and promptly forgotten.

Welcome the Cuban Press. As with the Zottman Curl, the Cuban press is limited (in terms of the weight you can hoist) by one small part of the lift - the rotation.

According to a number of sites around the web, as well as photos in trashy fitness magazines, a lot of people seem to think the rotation part makes up the entire exercise. Unfortunately (or fortunately, for anyone with a slightly masochistic nature) that's only one part of three.

Thanks John.

I enjoy rotating my exercise selection regularly - it keeps things moving, the body adapting and prevents workouts from getting boring. Today I was reminded (reading John's blog) of an exercise that I had first seen over a year ago, considered interesting and promptly forgotten.

Welcome the Cuban Press. As with the Zottman Curl, the Cuban press is limited (in terms of the weight you can hoist) by one small part of the lift - the rotation.

According to a number of sites around the web, as well as photos in trashy fitness magazines, a lot of people seem to think the rotation part makes up the entire exercise. Unfortunately (or fortunately, for anyone with a slightly masochistic nature) that's only one part of three.

Yesterday's scheduled squat workout never felt right. After a few sets of light depth-checking I decided to leave it until today.

The squats today still didn't feel right (couldn't get into a comfortable rhythm at all) so I elected to switch to a bit of deadlifting instead. Nothing like a bit of rack pulling to get the blood pumping.

With my stance now reasonably wide, I reduced my grip width a little; bringing both hands well into the smooth area of the bar. Whilst this made the movement a little easier overall, grip was certainly a concern - particularly for the last couple of sets.

Rack pull (above knee) 8×3@140/308
Dimel deadlift 4×12@60/132
RDL (sumo, explosive) 4×10@60/132
assorted ab work

NB : I suspect Brent Mikesell's current deadlift challenge (405×20) is safe for a few weeks at least (from me, anyway).