John Phung

#Workout Log: Tues Aug 16 [Recovery]

August 16, 2011 — Leave a comment

Power Clean

195lbs: 3,1,1,2,1

Front Squat

185lbs: 5,5,5

Bench Press

N/A

Notes

Felt sharp shoulder pain in both shoulders while performing power cleans. Felt the pain shooting down both of my arm. Tried to do some dips, but that only aggravated the issue. Decided not to bench press
Should spend more time warming up my shoulders & rotator cuff
Power cleaned the bar for front squats

In Workout Log Bench Press, Bursitis, front squat, Impingement syndrome, power clean, rotator cuff, shoulder pain, Tendinitis

#Workout Log: Thurs Aug 11 [Intensity]

August 11, 2011 — Leave a comment

Squat

380lbs: 1,1,1,1,1
First 2 sets - failed on 2nd rep. Decided to do 3 more singles.

Bench Press

295lbs: 2,1
Needed assistance on the 2nd rep during the 2nd set

Deadlift

430lbs: 3,3

In Workout Log Bench Press, deadlift, Squat

#Workout Log: Sun Aug 7 [Volume]

August 7, 2011 — Leave a comment

Squat

330lbs: 5,5,5,5,5

Bench Press

235lbs: 5,5,5,5,5

Notes

Had about 3.5-4 hours of sleep, but still managed to get through today's session.

In Workout Log Bench Press, insomnia, Squat

Weekly Review: Setting Goals, KISS, Women Should Lift Weights, Rest Periods, Bench Press & Success by Schwarzenegger

August 6, 2011 — Leave a comment

Setting Goals

I have found that setting goals allow you to stay on track. On track for what? On track to hitting your goals of course!

Setting goals in my experience have also:

kept me motivated
keeps me focused on the process of reaching the goal (in this case, weight training)
always monitoring & tweaking the plan to reach my goals
progress faster because I'm working towards something
gives me a reason why to go to the gym and train

I have also found if I don't set goals, then...

I'm not as motivated
I feel lost
experience less improvement, and
since there's no target to move towards, often times I find myself doing the same thing over and over again and not improving

Since I've already broken my previous goals, I've decided to set some new ones today!

Here they are:

Squat: 500lbs (current 1RM is 423.5lbs)

Deadlift: 600lbs (current 1RM is 500.5lbs)

Bench Press: 400lbs (current 1RM is 319lbs)

Press: 300lbs (current 1RM is 214.5lbs)

Power Clean: 315lbs (current 1RM is 225.5lbs)

Deadline: My birthday (April 3rd, 2012)

Weight Loss

I've lost weight since moving back to Canada. I was 195lbs, but it's now hovering around 190lbs since 2 weeks ago. Which is great because if and when I do compete in powerlifting competitions, I would probably go for the 82.5Kg class (181.5lbs).

I'm also finding that my gut sticks out a lot less, and it's a lot easier putting on my weight lifting belt!

How did I lose 5 pounds in less than 1 month? It's probably because I'm not eating out all the time, and I'm rarely eating any junk food. On top of that, I'm kicking the heavy bag twice a week (which sure beats any cardio machine) and I walk to and back from the gym (about a 15 minute walk each way).

Good Reads Around The Interwebz

Want to get stronger? Keep it simple, (stupid!)
Talk to me Johnnie clarifies how long you should rest in between sets is dependent on what you're trying to achieve
Women: more reasons why to lift weights. Men: more reasons why to get your girlfriend/wife to lift weights: http://www.niashanks.com/blog/strong-and-feminine
Old school muscle man Marvin Eder is a beast
And just when you thought you knew everything about the bench press, Mike Robertson takes you to school again: http://robertsontrainingsystems.com/blog/bench-press/
Last but not least, here's a video where Arnold speaks about his 6 secrets to success (via http://rosstraining.com/blog/2011/08/04/success-by-arnold-schwarzenegger/)