Workout & Diet Log: 10/16/2012

Injury & Rehab Workout: Legs

The Workout

Workout Notes

Yesterday's workout was intense at some points and easy at others. I need to figure out how to better dial in my intensity. I did add a lot of work to the day and improved on the more difficult lifts, cutting weight back in situations where I may have been unwise having so much weight last time.

On Front Squats, I went rock-bottom without any knee troubles. It was tiring, especially for my lower and mid-back. I need to continue strengthening my lower back so that I can really take advantage of my leg power during workouts. At this point, it's limiting my progress.

Dumbbell Step-Ups were easily the most difficult part of this workout. I increased weight from last week and powered through by sheer force of will. It was centrally taxing, not just tiring for my legs, which is why I think it felt so difficult. My lower-back got a great workout between this exercise and the front squats.

After hitting the primary workouts, I targeted my hips, which are perennial weak spots for me. That's really why I have been doing them early in my workouts. Ideally, I'd be doing these at the end as a supplemental lift, but I want to make sure I hit them hard to strengthen them up. I didn't have any trouble with the adductors today, but the abductors caused cramping in my left hip starting early in the 2nd set. I powered through though, stopping where necessary to allow the tightness to subside, but never more than for a moment.

On Leg Curls I need to be doing more weight. I started at a lower weight last week because they were tired from the step-ups and front squats, but this week they weren't, so I increased weight each set trying to find my Goldilocks Zone. Next time I'll start where I left off this time and see how that works.

Next, I went to "barbell" squats, which I performed without additional weight. They're as much for my feet as they are for my legs, and the added weight makes it too difficult to keep my balance after all the other leg work. I will ultimately build up to using weight for this exercise, however.

Calf Raises were blah. It's hard to get a good calf workout anymore because I feel like mine can just keep going forever; that or they cramp up. Today, it was the cramping, also in my left hip flexor. I think getting my hips figured out may make calf work more productive.

For my FST-7 exercise, I did Machine Hack Squats. I chose it because it's a difficult exercise for my entire upper leg, so the pump should be amazing. Unlike other squat movements, however, it's stable, which helps me to focus on my pump without worrying about straining my back or other weak points. I could have used the Leg Press instead, but it's so much work loading and unloading it and I don't feel like my hamstrings and glutes get the same level of work from it.

Fascial Stretching

The only fascial stretching I did during the workout was for my calves during the calf raises. For everything else, I waited until after my 7 sets of Hack Squats, when my muscles would be pumped the most. At that point, I performed the following stretches:

1. Standing Hamstring Stretch: 30-60 seconds
2. Standing Quad Stretch: 30-60 seconds
3. Standing Knee Hug: 30-60 seconds
4. Lunge Stretch: 30-60 seconds
5. Kneeling Quad Stretch: 30-60 seconds (probably won't do next time due to knee strain)

Cardio

  

I didn't do cardio in a traditional sense. I did an intense warmup on the rowing machine and a very light cool down on the stair climber after my stretching routine. I was pretty taxed physically after my workout and my legs were feeling quite wobbly, so I didn't want to overdo it.

Diet Log

Diet Summary

Did a reasonable job in general. Didn't get too many carbs, but had too much fat and not quite enough protein. Obviously the result of having 5 Guys for lunch, which I shouldn't have done. But the day wasn't a total loss, it wasn't a total loss.