Okay, so I’m taking squats off the table for legs. No major injury, but high levels of pain while feeling on the verge of something bad about to happen. Not worth the risk, so lunges will be the prime quad move for now. I guess this will be one way to avoid any future old-guy-with-flat-butt issues…
Quads: Step-back lunges (2×10,8); Sissy squats (2×12,10)
Hamstrings: Stiff-legged deadlifts (1×10); Leg curls (2×12,10)
Calves: Donkey calf raises (2×45,40); One-legged calf raises (2×14,12)
Chest: Incline DB presses (2×12,10); Incline flyes (1×10); DB bench presses (2×10,8); DB flyes (1×9)
Triceps: Lying extensions (2×10,9); Overhead extensions (1×10); Bench dips (1×12)
Note: My current PowerBlock gym split is based on the Phase 2 workout in the 20 Pounds of Muscle in 10 Weeks e-book.
Summary: The warmup on squats felt okay, but the first 4-5 reps of a real set made me realize I was a ticking time bomb, so I stopped and moved on to Step-back lunges. They actually felt great for quads and glutes, with zero lo-back pain. They take twice as long because of doing alternate legs for each rep, but that’s not a bad thing from a conditioning standpoint. For chest I decided to swap things around, so I’m starting with Incline presses for upper pecs, then finishing with lower-pec work. Personal preference, and mostly because I need more upper-pec development at the moment. Great workout once I was able to let go of the need to squat… For now.
Diet, Supplements & Nutrient Timing: For meal-by-meal diets plus training and nutrition info, see the X-treme Lean e-book.
