Curl bars are great, much more comfortable than doing curls with a barbell.

My bench numbers depend on consistency, and right now with so much going on (mainly back-to-back road trips) I'm not doing so well. At my best I can bench 130 lbs. [60 kg] (including 10 lbs. bar), 3 sets of 10. Even when I'm staying consistent, if I'm not feeling it that evening, my wife might have to help me with the last 2 or 3 reps on the 3rd set. I've never progressed passed this weight, not even possible as I'm maxing out the capacity of my bar and bench (I've tried a little more weight before and it's kinda scary).

Right now I'm being "lazy" and inconsistent (skipping workouts), pressing 120 lbs. (54.4 kg) 2 sets of 10. However, I am working on form and speed, trying to do each set as slowly as possible, adding to difficulty. Also, I don't want to chance hurting myself before NYC next month, the biggest vacation we've ever taken (years in the planning). I'm also not running at all on pavement right now, only brisk walking, with a little running on the treadmill when the mood hits me.

When we get back into full swing after NYC, I'll post our actual clipboard progress charts (like the blank ones I show in an earlier pic).

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One thing you might consider is a smaller utility/multi-bench like the gray one you see in my previous pic a page or two back (at the head of my full bench). Also, look at the posters I show, the second one came with that bench. You can do almost any of the exercises with dumbbells as you can with a barbell, and you don't need a full bench.

Sometimes when my wife goes first (we rotate, since the weights are setup for whoever went last) I don't feel like swapping out weights on the curl bar and instead I grab a couple of dumbbells to do my curls, mixing it up a little. That's what my charts are about, not just keeping up with weights, but making sure we mix it up for each major muscle group.



The rusty wire that holds the cork that keeps the anger in
Gives way and suddenly it’s day again
The sun is in the east
Even though the day is done
Two suns in the sunset, hmph
Could be the human race is run