Days 51, 52 & 53: Off, Massage Therapy & Secondary Priority Training Day

By Dale L Roberts (One Jacked Monkey, LLC)

December 31, 2014

     Days 51 and 52 were my off days for pull up training and boy was I ever glad to have a massage appointment on day 52.  She literally grabbed large knots and my back and made me just about cry.  Thank goodness, after the massage session, I headed to my chiropractor and got an adjustment.

     I have had spinal issues for a number of years, so when I began having difficulty sleeping on my sides (my comfort zone) I knew I had to go back to see my chiropractor.  After a mild massage warm up, my doc came in and ZIP!  Done, I slept like a baby.

     Day 53 was secondary priority training day and I used the assisted pull up machine set at -90 pounds (a decrease of 5 pounds since the week before) and performed 100 repetitions.  The big victory came in that I boldly moved my grip to the outer grips.  It was smooth sailing up until I hit 50 repetitions.  Then my body started screaming with every repetition thereafter, but I dug down deep and mustered up the strength to get to 100 reps.

     After that I hit some push movements to finish out my workout.  Great times!  My off day will be a bit of cardio and leg training.  Hit me back in 2 days for the update.

  Stay tuned every Wednesday, Friday and Sunday to 100daysto100pullups.blogspot.com for updates on my progress.  Please remember to subscribe to this blog, voice your comments and share with your mother, your brother or anybody or another.  

You should consult a qualified medical professional before starting this or any other health & fitness program.  As with any exercise or diet program, if at any time you experience any discomfort, pain or duress of any sort, stop immediately and consult your physician.  The creators, producers, participants, advertisers and distributors of this program disclaim any liabilities or losses in connection with the exercises or advice herein.  Any equipment or workout area that is used should be thoroughly inspected as free of danger, flaw or compromise, ahead of use and the user assumes all responsibility when performing any movements contained in this blog.

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Day 49 & 50: Rest & Priority Training Day

Day 49 was an off day or rest day (if you will).  Make no mistake about it, the rest indicates taking time away from weight training, since I'm a big advocate for staying active EVERY day of the week.  I performed two sessions of 30 minutes cardio & 15 minutes upper body stretching.  As the day progressed, I felt my body begin to limber up and mentally prepared myself for the next day's onslaught.

Day 50 started out with 15 minutes cardio with 15 minutes of upper body stretching.  Later in the day I hit my priority training day.  On my first attempt at the pull ups (middle grips) I cranked out 26 repetitions straight and this is a new personal best in my journey so far.  After that I took a little extra time to rest between attempts at 2 minutes each.  I was then able to do a few more pull ups at about 15 repetitions per attempt.  I felt great!  This total routine took a little over 15 minutes.

Afterward I did 5 sets of 10 repetitions on the TRX inverted rows with ab exercises as active recovery.  Then, 5 sets of 10 repetitions on the machine lat pulldown (185 lbs.) with dumbbell biceps curls as active recovery (15s, 20s, 25s, 30s, 35s) for the same number of sets and reps.  Lastly, I performed squatted cable rows with the rope attachment at 37.5 lbs. for 100 repetitions. Woo!  I was done and feel great about the workout.

Catch you back in another couple days!

-Dale L Roberts
One Jacked Monkey

You should consult a qualified medical professional before starting this or any other health & fitness program.  As with any exercise or diet program, if at any time you experience any discomfort, pain or duress of any sort, stop immediately and consult your physician.  The creators, producers, participants, advertisers and distributors of this program disclaim any liabilities or losses in connection with the exercises or advice herein.  Any equipment or workout area that is used should be thoroughly inspected as free of danger, flaw or compromise, ahead of use and the user assumes all responsibility when performing any movements contained in this blog.

Day 47 & 48: Day off & Low Intensity Secondary Priority Day...another great day and video footage

Day 47 was an excellent day off with my day starting as it usually does with morning cardio and deep stretching.  In fact, I was ambitious and hit 30 minutes of cardio (10 minutes each on treadmill, elliptical & recumbent bike), then a relaxing 20 minute stretch session.  My stretch session was heavily focused on my tight lower body; primarily my hip flexors and hamstrings due to all the sitting I do at my office desk writing (these blogs and my books, but no complaints here, I love my work).

Day 48 was a fantastic low intensity secondary priority training day with work on the assisted pull up machine.  You will find the video attached above for the footage and accompanying commentary.   I placed the assist at 95 pounds and performed 100 alternating single arm pull ups.  This was tough and you may notice that my form begins to fail toward the end.  Oddly, I have had issues on my right side, but it was my left side that the range of motion begins to decrease as the exercise progresses.

I'm super thankful for my viewers on the YouTube channel suggesting a recording of a session.  This helped me evaluate my form and build on that for future sessions.  Though the exercise set was not impossible, I still accomplished it with only a few times that I braced my biceps on the pull up.

The day after tomorrow will be priority training day and I will shoot for as many bodyweight pull ups in a row as possible with the goal of completing 100 total in as little time as possible.  In the very near future I will have the priority training day recorded, since I don't have many people jumping at the "exciting" opportunity to record a pull up session (cough, cough).

I'll see you in a couple of days!

-Dale L Roberts
One Jacked Monkey

You should consult a qualified medical professional before starting this or any other health & fitness program.  As with any exercise or diet program, if at any time you experience any discomfort, pain or duress of any sort, stop immediately and consult your physician.  The creators, producers, participants, advertisers and distributors of this program disclaim any liabilities or losses in connection with the exercises or advice herein.  Any equipment or workout area that is used should be thoroughly inspected as free of danger, flaw or compromise, ahead of use and the user assumes all responsibility when performing any movements contained in this blog.

Day 44, 45 & 46: Days Off & Low Intensity Priority Training Day

Day 44 was a wonderful change of pace and a much needed day off.  My body felt ROUGH and I just needed to get some quality nutrition, stretching and rest.  I got in 15 minutes of cardio followed by 15 minutes of total body stretching.  Every inch of my body was sore as hell, but I love that feeling.

Day 45 just happened to be a great day for massage therapy and my specialist did a great job and loosening up my super tight upper back and legs.  I really advice if you have the discretionary expenses and time, do afford a qualified massage therapist;  it is SO worth it.  I just go into a session, tell her what is aching me most, she works the hell outta that area, I silently scream and internally cry as she works it to near deep tissue levels.  But, afterward, I throw back lots of water, meditate then stretch and I feel like a million bucks!  Later in the day, I grabbed a cardio session for 20 minutes (on the recumbent bike) followed by stretching the lower body.  I'm happy to say that over the past 90 days, I have been incredibly diligent in my lower body stretches and I can now comfortably grab my feet from a seated (legs extended) position.  Woo!

Day 46 was the low intensity priority training day followed by leg training.  Warm up was on the treadmill at high inclines for 10 minutes.  Immediately, I hit the assisted pull up machine and duplicated last Tuesday's routine, but with the assist at 95 pounds (5 pounds less than last week).  I cranked out 100 reps...rather easily.  My emotions were at a high today and my confidence through the roof.  So, it came as no surprise.

The real test will come in 2 days when I attempt the same weight for 100 repetitions of alternating single arm pull ups.  I will have that documented on video and will share what I will be able to do.  Now, I share that the traditional pull up today was easy, but I will not let my ego dictate this next workout and drop the weight significantly.  Single arm pull ups, regardless of assist or no assist, are no joke and should be performed with caution.   Otherwise, injuries can happen and I'm not about to restart this routine a year or two from now because my ego decided that I could do this easily at a lower weight.

Hit me back next week.  Please take time to subscribe to this blog and my YouTube channel for the latest updates.  I'm putting the finishing touches on a website and anticipate a launch by February 1st.  The only way for you to stay abreast of all the cool stuff (yes, I will be launching with freebies and pre-sales of books and merchandise), you gotta subscribe to my blog and/or my YouTube channel.  Comment, like, share and subscribe!

-Dale L Roberts
One Jacked Monkey

You should consult a qualified medical professional before starting this or any other health & fitness program.  As with any exercise or diet program, if at any time you experience any discomfort, pain or duress of any sort, stop immediately and consult your physician.  The creators, producers, participants, advertisers and distributors of this program disclaim any liabilities or losses in connection with the exercises or advice herein.  Any equipment or workout area that is used should be thoroughly inspected as free of danger, flaw or compromise, ahead of use and the user assumes all responsibility when performing any movements contained in this blog.

Day 42 & 43: "Off" Day & Priority Training Day

Day 42, I got up and immediately threw back some BCAAs and Spark to hit the gym for a brief cardio (15 minutes) session and stretch session (15 minutes).  I was feeling like a million bucks and and ready to destroy all my goals for the day.

So, (it goes without saying that) I decided to absolutely hit the gym with reckless abandon and my priority was legs.  Well...two hours later (not my normal amount of time!)...and on day 43 I got out of bed feeling wobbly and stiff-legged.  It was a great feeling, but...sadly I believe that it was my crux in my day 43 not working out to my advantage.

Day 43 was the beginning of week 7 in my 100 day challenge and I was feeling like a train ran over my legs and even my upper body was a bit sore from some of the weights I was grasping for the workout.  I'm proud of my efforts from day 42, but it was not directly helping my priority training day.

I re-routed my plans (originally set to perform as many pull ups without rest on the first attempt) to favor a more steady and consistent effort.  That plan proved to pay off (somewhat).

On the middle grips, I performed 10 reps for the first few sets (30 seconds rest between each attempt) and thereafter did about 5-6 pull ups with each subsequent attempt.  The 100 pull ups took me 12 minutes and 45 seconds to complete (see any similarities?).

Afterwards I did the following workout:

EXERCISE	WEIGHT	SETS	REPS
Bent Dumbbell Reverse Flys	15s/20s/25s	3	15
Smith Machine Bar Shrugs (rear0	135/185/205	3	15
Machine Reverse Flys	100/115/130	3	15
Single Cable Shrugs	62.5/72.5/77.5	3	15
Dumbbell Side Raises	15s/20s/25s	3	15
Seated Bent High Rows	20s/25s/30s	3	15

Warm up and cooldown are per usual;  10 minutes each.  

I'm looking forward to a Tuesday and Thursday workout with video updates on Wednesday and Friday (respectively).  Friday will be an "off'" day, so no more high intensity, no matter how much I feel the temptation.  The Tuesday/Thursday routines will be a lower intensity and quick routines.  This Thursday I will be recording the session and posting that for everyone to check out (sadly I don't have a camera crew and not too many people willing to follow me around).  

See you again on Wednesday with the updates.

-Dale L Roberts

One Jacked Monkey

You should consult a qualified medical professional before starting this or any other health & fitness program.  As with any exercise or diet program, if at any time you experience any discomfort, pain or duress of any sort, stop immediately and consult your physician.  The creators, producers, participants, advertisers and distributors of this program disclaim any liabilities or losses in connection with the exercises or advice herein.  Any equipment or workout area that is used should be thoroughly inspected as free of danger, flaw or compromise, ahead of use and the user assumes all responsibility when performing any movements contained in this blog.

Day 40 & 41: Rest & Low Intensity Priority Day

Day 40 started out (as most days) with some cardio and stretching.  I did about 20 minutes of cardio on the treadmill and elliptical followed up with some deep stretching for 15 minutes.  Great day!

So, it's no doubt that I attacked day 40 with a ton of vigor and vitality.  I crushed another morning cardio & stretch session.  Then, as I normally do, I went to the gym late at night (it's always empty in the gym and I just love the solitude and serenity).  I warmed up on the treadmill on some extreme inclines then jumped right into a hit and split.

I used the assisted pull up machine at -100lbs. and performed 100 alternating single arm pull ups on the middle grips.  Okay, this was not too bad (as Tuesday's routine was), but I got in around about 60 repetitions and my arms and back were just lit up!  But, I loved it.  At about the last 10 reps, I resorted to bracing my biceps on each pull up, but no brace on the descent.  I love the pump after these quick routines.

Tomorrow will be a day off from pulls and a priority on legs and abs.  I'm gonna give it my all and anticipate a BIG step forward on Saturday (the beginning of week 7).  I anticipate at least 25 pull ups straight on my first attempt.  After my 100 pull ups (timed), I plan to hit my shoulders (side/rear delts & traps) with a minor emphasis on biceps.

What are you currently doing in your upper body routine?  What have you been successful at and what have been some setbacks?  Please comment and thanks for tuning in.

-Dale L Roberts

One Jacked Monkey

You should consult a qualified medical professional before starting this or any other health & fitness program.  As with any exercise or diet program, if at any time you experience any discomfort, pain or duress of any sort, stop immediately and consult your physician.  The creators, producers, participants, advertisers and distributors of this program disclaim any liabilities or losses in connection with the exercises or advice herein.  Any equipment or workout area that is used should be thoroughly inspected as free of danger, flaw or compromise, ahead of use and the user assumes all responsibility when performing any movements contained in this blog.

Day 37/38 & 39: Rest, More Rest and Priority Day

     I'm naturally a very obsessive person with an addictive mindset when I set my mind to task.  This can work for me, but it also can work against me.  Some time ago I had a psychologist diagnose me with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and offered me 2 choices.  My decision was to be medication to manage my diagnosis or set to task with exact guidelines, calculated, premeditated and exact.  I chose the latter of the 2 options, because I really didn't want to pump my body full of pharmaceuticals if I could help it.
     Naturally, I embraced the process of having to physically write out an itemized list of actions that needed completed, scheduling my day planner and filling my time with meaningful activities.  To this day, I keep to this methodology, but every now and then, my ego gets the best of me as I allow myself to fall off the proven and beaten path.  Simply put, I just don't stick to the gameplan of writing it out and implementing.
      A goal is great to set since it gives me a target to aim at in my many life conquests.  But, unless I define how I plan on hitting the bullseye, or completing my goal, I'm just leaving a blindfold over my eyes and blindly aiming into a darkened room where my target may or may not be.  To remove the blindfold, I must give into the proper process that has gained me many victories and far less tribulations.  This process includes, writing down the goal, then working my way backwards from that point to the present situation.  My map.
      This map will turn on the lights, focus my eyes directly on the target and have me aiming with precision.  This is my plan to complete 100 pull ups straight in the next 60 days:

1)  Saturday is training day when I focus on nothing but pull ups and complementing movements to push me toward the goal of 100 pull ups straight
2)  Tuesday and Thursday are secondary priority training days with quick workouts focused on the movement of 100 repetitions
3)  A strict sleep schedule will be adhered to of going to bed and getting up at exactly the same time every day with 7-9 hours of sleep
4)  Carbohydrate intake will be increased on Saturday to provide extra fuel for the workout
5)  Documenting progress and completed tasks on Sunday, Wednesday and Friday on YouTube and Blogger.  This holds me strictly accountable and on task.
6)  Daily stretch implementation of 5 minutes of the 15 minute daily routine is devoted to upper body stretching (I normally skip my upper body flexibility training)

      Day 37 and 38 were complete rest days for pulls.  I had a great leg workout yesterday, but nothing pull specific (trust me, I wanted badly to do deadlifts, but they were skipped for the reason that it is a pull specific movement).
     Day 39, today, was tremendous.  I went to the gym, warmed up for 10 minutes on the treadmill, looked at the pull up middle grip bars and thought, "I'm gonna own you, bitch!"...and I did!
     With strict form of allowing my lower body to dangle and pull with zero momentum, I completed 25 pull ups straight.  Admittedly the last rep was toughest, but I did it and I felt like a million bucks.
     Directly after, I went to the assisted pull up machine, set the pin select at 100 pounds and did 100 pull ups (on the middle grips) without rest.  The first 25 were easy to complete, but by 75 repetitions, I was starting to feel a bit exhausted.  This is when I dug down deep, and mentally fought through this challenge.  And, I did it.
      How fitting?  I placed the pin select at 100 pounds (off my weight) and completed 100 repetitions straight.  I loved it and afterward I felt a slight runner's high.  Whew!  So, I hit the treadmill for a cooldown and called it a night.  My biceps were singing and blood was pumpin' big time through my arms.
      Hit me back on Friday and I will give you an update on how successful I am with my plan.  This Thursday, I will be doing the same pull up model as today, but this time, I plan to do alternating single arm pull ups for 50 repetitions each side.  What are your thoughts on this approach?  How would you tweak this model to gain bigger victories?  What have you been most successful at in your pull ups?

-Dale L Roberts

One Jacked Monkey

You should consult a qualified medical professional before starting this or any other health & fitness program.  As with any exercise or diet program, if at any time you experience any discomfort, pain or duress of any sort, stop immediately and consult your physician.  The creators, producers, participants, advertisers and distributors of this program disclaim any liabilities or losses in connection with the exercises or advice herein.  Any equipment or workout area that is used should be thoroughly inspected as free of danger, flaw or compromise, ahead of use and the user assumes all responsibility when performing any movements contained in this blog.

Day 36: Priority Training Day

This marks the beginning of week 6 and my progress has hit a new challenge.
1)  I missed one day of logging somewhere in the past week
2)  Priority training day is always on Saturday
3)  Moving to middle grips is a bit more difficult than I anticipated
4)  Consistent rest at night has not been great, though I have had my full 7-8 hours.
5)  The right shoulder flares up from time to time, but stretching does help it immensely

My plan of action is this:
1)  Go to bed the same time every night, rise the same time every morning
2)  Get plenty of good complex carbohydrates on my priority training days
3)  Stretch more often between sessions to keep that right shoulder loosened
4)  Begin to mimic the number of repetitions in movements on secondary training days.  For example, I use the assisted pull up machine and crank out 100 on an easy setting.  Then, as time progresses, gradually take away the assist 5 pounds at a time.

Warm up and cooldown was on treadmill for 10 minute (per usual).

Today, I DID accomplish something and I certainly still look at it as a success.  I completed 100 pull ups on the middle grips in 12 minutes and 50 seconds.  My first attempt I was able to complete 20 pull ups straight without rest.  Thereafter, I cranked out about 10 a few times, then finished out with 5 pull ups at a time.  After that, I focused on these movements:

EXERCISE	WEIGHT	SETS	REPS
Single Dumbbell Upright Rows	50/60/70	3	15
Dumbbell Shrugs	50s/65s/65s	3	15
Dumbbell Side Raises	20s/25s/30s	3	15
Bent Single Dumbbell Shrugs	55/60/65	3	15 each
Cable Single Arm Side Raise	12.5/17.5/20	3	15 each
Smith Machine Rear Shrugs	135/155/175	3	15

-Dale L Roberts

One Jacked Monkey

You should consult a qualified medical professional before starting this or any other health & fitness program.  As with any exercise or diet program, if at any time you experience any discomfort, pain or duress of any sort, stop immediately and consult your physician.  The creators, producers, participants, advertisers and distributors of this program disclaim any liabilities or losses in connection with the exercises or advice herein.  Any equipment or workout area that is used should be thoroughly inspected as free of danger, flaw or compromise, ahead of use and the user assumes all responsibility when performing any movements contained in this blog.

Day 34: Off Day, Rest and Relaxation

I took an entire day off and my only physical activity was going out and shopping for the day.  I was pretty mindful of the calories I was taking in for the day and cut back just a bit to make up the difference for the lack of activity.

Tomorrow is priority training day!  Tune in then as I will have a video and blog post.


-Dale L Roberts

One Jacked Monkey

You should consult a qualified medical professional before starting this or any other health & fitness program.  As with any exercise or diet program, if at any time you experience any discomfort, pain or duress of any sort, stop immediately and consult your physician.  The creators, producers, participants, advertisers and distributors of this program disclaim any liabilities or losses in connection with the exercises or advice herein.  Any equipment or workout area that is used should be thoroughly inspected as free of danger, flaw or compromise, ahead of use and the user assumes all responsibility when performing any movements contained in this blog.

Day 33: Push/Pull Day

Today I focused primarily on push movements complemented with some minor pull movements that will only further aid me in my ultimate goal of 100 pull ups.  With a little more than 70 days left to goal, I have plenty of wiggle room, but I still want to stay focused.  During that time, it's easy to get swept up in the goal of pull ups only, but I do NOT want to let the rest of my body go to waste.  

The agonist muscles (primary movers of an exercise) will take me to my goal, but if I let the rest of my body go weak or unkempt, then this can lead to an unfulfilled goal or worse yet disaster.  So, today I targeted the antagonist muscle (the opposition to my agonist muscles) to keep myself in peak condition all over.  

Here is the routine:

Warm up, 10 minutes, treadmill

EXERCISE	WEIGHT	SETS	REPS
Dips	-	3	15
Machine Reverse Flys	100/115/130-	3	15
Dumbbell Curl	15s/20s/25s	3	15
Smith Machine Flat Press	135/155/165-	3	15
Dumbbell Bent Reverse Flys	15s/25s/30s-	3	15
Alternating Plate Curls	25/35/35	3	30
Single Dumbbell Overhead Press	25/30/35	3	15
High Cable Reverse Flys	12.5	3	15
Isometric Curls (10 second hold)	-	3	15
Single Arm Pull Up	-	1	3 each

Cooldown, 10 minutes, treadmill

It was an exhausting workout since I gave myself NO rest between sets.  But, I felt great with my efforts and look forward to a day off.

-Dale L Roberts

One Jacked Monkey

You should consult a qualified medical professional before starting this or any other health & fitness program.  As with any exercise or diet program, if at any time you experience any discomfort, pain or duress of any sort, stop immediately and consult your physician.  The creators, producers, participants, advertisers and distributors of this program disclaim any liabilities or losses in connection with the exercises or advice herein.  Any equipment or workout area that is used should be thoroughly inspected as free of danger, flaw or compromise, ahead of use and the user assumes all responsibility when performing any movements contained in this blog.