Getting in a hurry on rowing intervals. I think I did the last 200m pulling with my lower back instead of pushing with my legs. Stupid. I'm always so careful with form.

I think it's a strained muscle. I've had a slipped disc before. Stretching HURT when I did that. Stretching now helps. Icing it off and on tonight along with periodic stretching. Tomorrow is mostly presses and jogging. Supposed to row a 1000m at the end, but I think I may skip that and do extra jogging instead. :)

I gotta tell you, I've finally got back into the gym the past three weeks after a four year lay off and I'm having the best workouts of my life.

Pump is absolutely amazing during the workout and I'm already showing gains in strength and muscle mass.

I'm thinking that the Hugh Jackman contest isn't going to be enough. He's kinda scrawny.

Back is much better today. Still not 100%, but I thought it would be stiff from sleeping all night. A little sore, but nothing I can't work through. I did my normal workout today minus the 1000m row. I did do 30 minutes on the elliptical with a friend before doing my workout though. Also looked up stuff to do for lower back pain on the foam roller and ended my workout with that and some extra stretching.

luv's attention to detail is amazing!

I agree.

I have never kept any record of any workout (weights, reps, sets, etc.). Always have just gone into the gym, 15 minutes of cardio to get the heart rate up and then figured out where I was going with a warm up set on the initial exercise.

I'm impressed by luv's meticulous detailing of her workout.

I write down ever workout, every set and every weight. If you aren't progressing to get stronger in the gym, why lift weights? My programs are designed off percentage based lifting that increases over time. You have to write things down to stay programmed and know when to adjust reps, sets or weight.

Eh, while you don't have to be extremely detailed in recording your workouts, you should still keep track of what you're doing.

I've always gone by feel on the day of the workout.

I tend to really mix up my exercises a lot as well, so I'm not sure if a log is going to help track specific gains in strength.

Like I said, I'm getting some really great results the past three weeks and my muscles have just been screaming throughout the workouts.

I'm not sure what a log/journal is going to do for me at this point.

Can I ask why you mix up exercises a lot?

Same. Well, I let the spreadsheet calculate it, but still. I have a record. I can track every workout back to almost 8 years.

I believe that by continually changing the exercises that it helps in keeping muscle "memory" to a minimum by being constantly being worked from different angles, weights, etc.

I'm not concerned about how much I bench or whatever. I just try to keep the form as strict as possible and push each set as hard as I can.

I've been doing a superset workout based on the following:

Monday/Thursday: Chest/Bicep
Tuesday/Friday: Back/Tricep
Wednesday/Saturday: Leg/Shoulder

Three excerises per body part, three sets with a warmup set preceeding each individual exercise to "loosen/warmup" and ascertain the weight I start with for my first set of 12. Go to 10 then 8 and try to get failure on the final rep maintaining strict form. I might go four exercises on the major muscle groups (chest, back) depending on how much I have left as I end the workout.

No "wait time" behind sets other than walking over to the area where I'm working that body part.

- Now playing: The Trammps "Disco Inferno"

I'm going to have to change my shoes. I can't shake these shin splints. This is day three of resting them. I chased a dude last night for only forty or so yards and my shins were killing me when I got done. I feel like I'm getting behind on my workouts.

You are lifting weights to get stronger, right?

How does mixing up exercises keep muscle memory to a minimum? This is the biggest lifting myth out there and simply means nothing. Just because you mix up the lifts and get sore doesn't mean you've done yourself any benefit. It how many shitty personal trainers keep clients coming back for more. Mix shit up so much that every workout you are sore as shit the day after. This doesn't mean you are doing anything to help yourself get stronger though which is what lifting should be about, even on a small scale. In lifting you WANT muscle memory for the main lifts. And yes, everyone should have main lifts in their workout. The accessory work you fill in after the main lifts is up to your preference, however.

You are there to get stronger, which in turn gives your more muscle mass. It's how training naturally works. FACT: You have to get stronger to keep progressing your muscle mass. To get stronger at a lift, you have to get better at that lift. To get better at that lift you have to continually do this lift. It's like someone trying to work on getting better at three pointers in basketball but only practices shots from the free throw line. It simply doesn't translate. I've you've got workout ADD, you'll plateau very quickly with the weight work you do.

No, not really.

In fact, now that I think about it, I've never lifted "to get stronger." It's more of a methodology to better aesthetics. (My little brother took the opposite and power lifted and competed in that aspect of lifting for a while, so I understand where the need for continual focus in a specific lift comes in at a functionary level, the need for meticulous cataloging of gains, etc.)

Perhaps.

But as you pointed out, the constant levels of lactic acid retention brought about by varying the exercises that the muscles see does provide, perhaps, a psychological benefit to my regime that gives me a sense of satisfaction which leads to greater future exertion in my workouts.

That is a side benefit, but not the main goal.

And this is where you and I differ. I don't need nor want to necessarily get stronger in a lift. And I do try to maintain "better" in all my lifts, i.e., strict form and movement, trying to isolate specific muscle groups within the primary muscle area.

Actually, I think it's the constant repetition in a specific exercise that leads to plateauing, at least in my case. I believe that a perpetual change is necessary to maintain focus on the workout in general versus a specific exercise.