Today I was 156 lbs; so no change since last week. It seems my maintenance is about 2800 kcal + veggies. According to my Fitbit, my daily average kcal burned so far is 2,879 kcal, so being weight stable makes sense I suppose. Anyways, my Thursday and Friday workouts of the Control phase went exceptionally well and I definitely like these days more than Monday and Tuesday. They seem to go quicker in the gym and give a better workout. However, it could also be that the first two days included a new exercise (front squat) and my straps broke for another (RDL). We will see how this week treats me since the routine has not changed.
I will say that today's workout went really well. Took me an hour, but was way smoother than last week. I finally figured out the bar placement for the front squat that makes it a great exercise, although my shoulders and low-back are definitely the weak points! Pullups went great as well, and I am already seeing improvement from last week. Still just doing bodyweight eccentrics though because eight repetitions taking my sweet-ass time to lower is a killer workout!
Thursday
I am loving this core workout. The side crunches were good, although I did slow bicycles during yoga later in the week and felt that I was really able to hammer the obliques better with them, but whatever, I'm not complaining! The Palloff Press has to be one of my new favorite exercises. Just like how Sean introduced me to the BOLR-2-Ext for the rotator cuff, the Palloff Press is great for building a strong foundation in the core. I get so in the zone simply moving my arms that I'm sure people think I'm crazy. If only they could see the stress my stomach is enduring *lol*. Side Planks/Pillars are a classic and I enjoy them as well.
The BB Bent-over Rows went better than expected. My back is definitely a weak point, but I did great (in my opinion) at staying parallel to the floor and holding the contractions during the isometrics. My back definitely got a good workout.
The DB Bulgarian Squats were tiresome. My forearms were killing me but I endured. It was the eccentrics that really hit home though since as fatigue set in, coming out of the bottom position after the slow decent was horrible (not to mention a great balance challenge).
I'm glad we changed the pullups to chinups. I enjoyed them. The Lateral Squats went perfect, and I nailed the hammer curls (see what I did there ;-)
Friday
Okay, so this time after talking with Sean I did the cable chops/lifts without moving my torso and kept my core locked in tight. Definitely a great workout.
I'm very familiar with the bench press, so nothing to say here. I loved it.
Wow, the PB Leg Curls were brutal and I was feeling the DOMS through Sunday. I ended up doing single-leg instead of double, taking 60 seconds of rest between each leg. I did that for both the isometrics and eccentrics. Never thought a bodyweight exercise could inflict so much pain, and my damn hamstring almost cramped up a couple times during the end of the isometric holds from contracting so forcefully to maintain position. I just kept on going and prayed it wouldn't happen. I'm sure my facial expressions were priceless.
The neutral-grip shoulder presses felt outstanding for whatever reason, and the single-leg DB RDL's was a great and much needed stretch after the leg curl work. Cable triceps pushdowns were done with a straight bar and pronated grip.