(Michael Gilerman)( Gym Rat Project)

 Today was an unreal day in the gym for me and the lifting crew. I started the day off with a good meal from the dining hall, and good hydration. After breakfast I started with a very lengthy warm up to make sure I was fresh and ready for my workout. The warmup lasted an hour and consisted of static stretching, dynamic warmup, plyometrics, and squat technique primers. My workout was as follows: 1 hour of static/ dynamic warmup with 1 round of plyometrics: 10 squat jumps 10 split squat jumps 10 box jumps 10 lateral explosive step ups  5 rounds of 10 Medicine Ball Squat Throws (15 lb big ball) 5 sets of Barbell Back Squats (225 for 5) (240 for 4) (270 for 3) (275 for 3) (275 for 5) 5 sets of 5 Dummbell One Arm Rows 5 sets of six dumbbell step ups 5 sets of 8 supine rows 5 sets of 10 dumbbell reverse flys 5 sets of 10 sumo ball pushups 30 minute ab circuit The afternoon consisted of a 1 hour run and stretching  and rolling out for me, as well as continuing to work on my work...

 Another solid week in the books for our lifting crew. Previously, I had never felt such contraction in my muscles I never felt that I was actually hitting the muscle group, but over the last two weeks I can physically feel my legs getting stronger. In addition, I feel more explosive both laterally and vertically and I know my cardio is where it needs to be this time of the year. Each day there’s a heavy focus on the lower body through squats, lunges, and other exercises while also mixing in plenty of upper body work to make sure that is not lagging behind. But make no mistake, the lower body is definitely the priority. I’ve really loved and been proud of how I’ve been able to push through soreness and fatigue in some of my lifts. I am well aware not every lift is going to be perfect and pretty so I am pretty happy with how I’m pushing through adversity and fatigue. The diet was up to par this week, and I’m still burning lots of calories each day. My only complaint would be my wate...

 Well, Day 12 was Saturday morning and it definitely wasn’t what I expected or hoped for. I started off the morning feeling well after my vaccine the day before. I started with a few sets of shoulder presses , and I felt good throughout my work sets and joker sets and hit my target weight and reps. After though, my whole body felt sore and achy and the rest of the workout was a real grind for me. But like everything in life, you have to push through the adversity. The workout was 2 hours long, and pushed me to my limits with my achiness. The workout was as follows: 1 hour of rolling out + static stretching 9 sets of 3-10 barbell shoulder presses superset with pull-ups  3 sets of 10 incline dumbbell rows superset with 3 sets of 12 supine rows 3 sets of 10 bicep curls superset with 3 sets of 12 tricep push downs. Ab circuit Overall, I couldn’t be too happy because I obviously couldn’t bring the intensity and drive I always bring into this workout. But I feel super accomplished t...

 Today was an odd day for the lifting crew, as the gym was opened an hour after our arrival. While this was not ideal for us, it gave me more time for a dynamic warmup and stretching. I didn't lift today as the muscles and body felt pretty fatigued as I destroyed my legs yesterday. Today was a focus on stamina and endurance. I hammered the bike for 1.5 hours then finished with 20 minutes on the treadmill and 20 minutes of an ab routine. The focus is to keep my cardio up to snuff in the offseason as it is easy to get attached to the lifting, eating, no cardio lifestyle. That lifestyle results in the addition of bodyweight and that is not my goal. My philosophy is to train hard, lift heavy, eat smartly, and keep my cardio up to snuff. There's nothing worse than as an athlete going for a jog and ending up winded and tired. That's why I always try to keep my cardio up to snuff. Bike Circuit: 10 rounds jog 10 resistance- 1 minute sprint 15 resistance- 1 minute 1 hour cooldown jo...

 Today was another high-intensity explosive training day for me. Luckily, I didn't feel too sore heading into the workout so that was definitely a positive. I was in the gym this morning for 2.5 hours and in the afternoon I stayed in my dorm and worked on mobility and stretching with a lacrosse ball and my foam roller working on recovering for tomorrow's lift. The workout was as follows:  30-minute warm-up/ mobility 5 sets of 5 Bodyweight Explosive Lateral Step Ups 5 sets of 5 back squats superset with 5 sets of 8 Dumbbell Lat Pullovers 5 sets of 6 per side alternating dumbbell bench presses superset with 5 sets of 10 elevated hip extensions 5 sets of 10-12 supine rows superset with 5 sets of 12 dumbbell reverse flys Cardio: 10 rounds on bike 1-minute jog at 10 resistance 1 minute sprint at 15 resistance Abs: 10-15 minutes The workout was a little more rushed than I would like, and I took less of a rest time between sets. But I was proud of myself along with my durability and ...

 Today was quite an interesting day for me. I started the day with a 192.4-pound weigh-in and felt proud of myself for the work I put in yesterday. Today I was pretty sore, I'm pretty sure I'm not hydrating enough, but I know I'm hitting the 8-hour mark for sleep. I started the day off with a good breakfast, and then I took a 15-minute ice bath to curb some of my soreness. Today my workout was an arm day with metabolic conditioning and an ab circuit.  4 sets of 8-10 EZ Bar Curls Superset with 4 sets of 8-10 Preacher Curls  4 sets of 8-10 Cable Rope Extensions superset with 4 sets of 8-10 standing curls  3 sets of 8-10 skull crushers superset with 3 sets of 8-10 Hammer Curls 3 sets of 10-12 overhead cable extensions 3 sets of 10-12 close-grip underhand curls Metabolic Conditioning: 5 sets 10 Dumbbell One Arm Hang Snatches 12 Dumbbell Goblet Squats 5 per arm Dumbbell One-Arm Standing Press 8 per arm Dumbbell One-Arm Row I followed this up with 30 minutes of Abs and 20 ...