I have had a cold from hell over the last week. The Beta-Glucan was crap in preventing it (even at 1,500mg per day) and shortening symptons. In fact I am now more certain than ever that supplements are useless, if you are in constant close proximity of people with a cold and you haven't had that strain - no amounts of supplements will help you. My tip is to save your money and spend it on some chicken and brocolli. I even tried some of that Mauka honey, I bought 2 jars of it as it is meant to be a potent anti-viral/anti-bacterial, again waste of money as it did JACK! I don't know why I keep trying new things?

Anyways I still have a runny nose and chesty cough but overall this is the best I have felt for about 6.5 days, so decided I to hit the gym before I got any weaker. I was quite excited as it was my first training session in a week and also it was my first session at my new gym. Funny but the weight on all the cable stations felt a lot lighter than my previous gym, for example on tricep rope extensions I usually only ever go up to about 50kg for 8 reps, today I did a real easy 65kg for 15 reps? I suppose it's a bit like leg press machines, I remember once I was doing 12 plates a side for 8 reps at a gym I was going to and went to a friends house to train, I got up to 8 plates a side and only just got 5 reps. That's why you can't compare exercises on machines like you can with free weight squats, deadlifts, benches etc.

So the new gym is good, it has got a power rack which allows me to train chest heavy when gym is empty. The only problem is that the lift off is too high, so I have a real struggle unracking and racking the bar, I might put the bench on some 20kg plates to reduce the distance. Also the free standing benches that can go into the power rack are too tall, so my feet barely touch the ground - again not great as I can't balance too well or drive off the floor, I tried stacking some 5kg plates on the floor to help but couldn't get it right, some experimenting is required.

The dumbbells are a lot better too, slightly thicker handle with knurling on it.

Overall power down again, since December my power levels have been dropping. I really need to stay illness free and get some consistency in my training.

Flat Benchpress in power rack (see issues above)
20kg x 10
60kg x 10
80kg x 6
100kg x 4
120kg x 2
130kg x 2
125kg x 3

Free weight loaded chest press (similar to hammer style)
1 plate a side x 6
2 plates a side x 6
3 plates a side x 6
3.75 plates a side x 6

Cable cross overs
15kg x 10
20kg x 6
25kg x 6
35kg x 12

Single arm Smith machine shoulder press from the side
20kg x 6
30kg x 6

Standing DB laterals
10kg x 12
17.5kg x 10
15kg x 10

Face pulls
25kg x 10
50kg x 15

Tricep rope extensions
50kg x 8
65kg x 15

My last day at my gym after 28 months membership, I felt suprisingly sad as there are some good people that train there. The sales staff and people that run the memberships are proper idiots but the staff on the gym floor are all good people.

So to sign off, I done another chest and shoulders workout. Don't know what was wrong with me but I didn't have the power to get the dumbbells onto my shoulders today, luckily one of the staff was there to hand me over the left dumbbell?

Flat Benchpress
20kg x 10
60kg x 12
80kg x 6
100kg x 2
110kg x 1
125kg x 4, 4

DB shoulder presses
26kg x 8
40kg x 5

Standing DB Lateral raises
12kg x 10
18kg x 9
12kg x 8 (drop set)
12kg x 10, 8

Face pulls
20kg x 10
35kg x 15, 10
25kg x 10 (drop set)

Dips
Bodyweight x 19

Tricep pushdowns
25kg x 10
52.5kg x 9

Barbell curls
20kg x 5
35kg x 12

DB concentration curls
11kg x 20, 10

Wasn't really in the mood for the gym tonight. I was all psyched up last night though as I had eaten well, also had a good power nap on the train home and was ready to roll. I got as far as the front door of the gym but got a telephone call from home, as everything was kicking off with the kids, so I rushed home and saved the day .

Anyways I felt a bit flat today, didn't manage to get a kip on the train. Lower back still sore, so I warmed up with some good mornings. My right hip has been feeling funny all week, I put it down to the leg presses but sussed it was the good mornings that were doing it. No more good mornings for me now.

High/moderate reps with strict form at moderate weight was the order of the day - don't want to blow up that lower back!

Good Mornings
20kg x 10
40kg x 10
60kg x 12

Bent Rows
60kg x 10
80kg x 6
100kg x 6
125kg x 10

T-Bar Rows
3 plates x 6
4 plates x 6
5 plates x 10

Pulldown behind neck
35kg x 10
55kg x 8
75kg x 8 (aborted the set as shoulders were aching)

Pulldown pullovers
25kg x 10
35kg x 12

Single arm pulldowns
25kg x 10 (abandoned set - couldn't feel the contraction)
20kg x 20

Face pulls
20kg x 10
35kg x 13, 14

My missus, son and daughter have a cold at the moment. I don't think it is the one I had a few weeks ago as they had the same one then.

My boss at work also has a stonking cold and to top it off my training partner turned up with a cold. I was para about spotting him as I didn't want him to breathe near me.

The big question is, will the beta-glucan 1-3, 1-6 do it's job and keep me healthy (touchwood).

I have been eating raw garlic as well, below is my full supplementation program at present:

1,250 mg of Beta 1-3, 1-6 Glucan, split into 5 doses
3,200 mg of Turmeric, split into 4 doses
3,000 mg of Vitamin C as Ascorbic acid, split into 4 doses
33.2 mg of Zinc, split into 4 doses
533.2 mg of Magnesium, split into 4 doses
2 raw cloves of Garlic, split into 2 doses
1 Multi-vitamin
4,000 mg of Flaxseed oil, split into 4 doses

I consume the supplements with a meal or shake to try and maximise its absorption into the body.

At present I think supplements are over-rated, let's see how will they do to keep me disease free.

Peace

Lessons I have learnt from doing chest and shoulders is not to expect to lift too much weight on the shoulder pressess following benching. Also threw in some rotator work to warm up.

I rushed my warm up (school boy error), which meant my last set of benchpresses felt a lot lighter and was easier than the first set.

Dumbbell L-Fly (rotator cuff work)
10kg 12, 12, 12

Flat benchpress
20kg x 16
60kg x 8
80kg x 4
100kg x 2
122.5kg x 4, 4, 4

DB Shoulder Presses
20kg x 8
26kg x 6
40kg x 4

Standing DB laterals
12kg x 10
18kg x 8
12kg x 8 (drop set)
12kg x 6, 6, 6, 6 (30 seconds rest between sets)

Standing DB Curls
12kg x 12
18kg x 12
14kg x 12

ABOVE DB Curls supersetted with Lying DB extensions below

Lying DB extensions
12kg x 12
18kg x 6
22kg x 11

Overhead rope tricep extension
20kg x 10
37.5kg x 8

2nd benching session of the week, I kept the reps really slow and controlled. Triceps were toast afterwards and the dumbbell shoulder presses were pathetic.

Flat Benchpress
20kg x 10
60kg x 8
80kg x 5
100kg x 5
120kg x 5, 4

Dumbbell Shoulder press
18kg x 10
26kg x 8
40kg x 4

Seated DB Laterals
12kg x 10
18kg x 8

Standing DB laterals
14kg x 8 (drop set from above set)

Standing one arm laterals
12kg x 12

Upright rows
20kg 8
40kg x 6
60kg x 5

Alternating DB curls
12kg x 10
18kg x 12

Cable Curl
25kg x 8
15kg x 10 (drop set)

Tricep pushdowns
15kg x 10
30kg x 8
52.5kg x 8

Trying to train smart, my lower back is still sore and my left knee still a bit gouty (although almost back to normal). The plan was to warm up the lower back throughly, stretch it out and then do some moderate reps with very strict form. This seemed to work.

Also done some leg presses, only for maintenance purposes but again I needed to make some adjustments. I always try and go as low as possible to the extent that my lower back occasionally comes off the back seat, I still went down so my knees touched my chest but was consious to keep my back against seat. Also I only went to 85-90% of lockout as my knee still can't extend fully (I never usually lockout anyways but cut the extension of leg down more). The side effect was quite a good pump as there was always constant pressure on the quads.

Finished off with some cardio, decided to do my Lance Armstrong impression. I managed a massive 14 mins with one minute of that on level 15 - man that battered me, my quads were burning. Bear in mind I usually have it set on level 5 to 6, so for me it was serious! Still hate cardio but need to do it, to stay relatively healthy.

Stiff leg deadlifts
60kg x 8

Good Mornings
30kg x 6, 12

Lower back and hamstring stretches - 5mins

Bent over rows
60kg x 10
80kg x 6
100kg x 6
120kg x 10, 9

Seated Rows (not really a seated row machine but an improvised cable station)
65kg (full stack) x 6
full stack + 40kg (105kg) x 12, 10

Cybex Squat Press
120kg x 10
160kg x 8
200kg x 6
240kg x 6
280kg x 6
320kg x 5
400kg x 9

Pulldown pullovers
25kg x 10
35kg x 15

Facepulls
25kg x 10
40kg x 12, 10
25kg x 15 (drop set)

Excercise bike 14 mins - 1 minute on level 15!!!
Average BPM - 148