But also because I’ve been taking a more guerilla approach to the whole process. I had gotten into really planning my workouts, counting to 10, carefully checking each station off the list and being out of the gym in 30 or 40 minutes tops. I think that was really holding me back and keeping me from the aggressive, limit-pushing workouts I need to make gains. So now I’m storming into the weightroom looking at it like a buffet and enjoying myself a lot more. I also feel stronger than ever.

A note on strength: while my pounds, or reps, or both, have gone up on most exercises, they’ve actually gone done on the bench press. I think it’s more form than anything, because I can’t imagine I lost that much strength in the few months I didn’t work out. I found out that going all the way down to my chest was probably the source of my shoulder trouble. Turns out that it was also probably helping me post bigger numbers. I stop when my upper arms are parallel to the floor now and it’s a lot harder. Once I noticed this I started looking around and noticing a lot of people going all the way DOWN, but not all the way UP. I’m no weight-lifting expert, but from my experience, this seems a little bit like cheating to me.

The workout I’m jazzed about right now was something I recently saw in Men’s Journal. You row 500m as fast as possible and then go workout as hard as you can, and then get back on the rower and try to beat your pre-workout time. I set a benchmark the other day at 1:56, and then today I smashed it pre-workout with 1:53. Post-workout time was 1:56 again. I expect big gains in this fairly quickly. I want to get down to 1:45. If anyone reads this, try it and comment with your times.

kicking my own ass for the last several weeks:
10,000×999x1 (PR)

Duration: 999 minutes

concentration curl - right arm:
20x8x3

concentration curl - left arm:
20x8x3

hammer curl - right arm:
20x10x3

hammer curl - left arm:
20x10x3

back extension:
0x12x3

Duration: 20 minutes

dumbbell press:
70x8x1
90x8x1
110x6x1

dumbbell triceps extension:
30x10x1
40x3x1

treadmill, 12 minutes:
0x0x1

Duration: 30 minutes

twisting v-sit w/medicine ball:
6x50x1

leg kicks:
0x8x2

dumbell press:
60x10x1
70x8x1
100x8x1

treadmill, 19 mins:
0x0x1

Duration: 35 minutes

dumbbell press:
60x8x1
70x8x2
90x8x1

treadmill 15 mins:
0x0x1

Duration: 25 minutes

standing barbell curl:
50x10x3

back extension:
0x10x3

dumbell hammer curls (20lbs each arm):
40x10x3

seated calf machine:
200x25x3

Duration: 25 minutes

decline sit ups:
0x10x3

bench press:
95x10x3

triceps pushdown:
80x10x3

twisting v-sit w/medicine ball:
6x30x1

Duration: 13 minutes

barbell curl:
50x10x3

back extension:
0x10x3

seated calf machne:
200x25x2

Duration: 20 minutes

bench press:
95x10x1
115x10x1

triceps pushdown:
80x10x2

seated medicine ball twists:
6x25x1

Duration: 20 minutes

run w/puppy:
0x0x1

Duration: 20 minutes