Still deloading.
Gorgeous, warm day here. Started with rain, now bluebird, if a little hazy.
Hips are a little beaten up from DLs two days ago.
Started with Results and MGPM. Will likely down some Dark Matter in a little bit.
Got some old school LL Cool J in my ear while typing -- Momma said knock you out. I listen to very little rap, but Cool James was way ahead of his time, and this one tune remains solid over a decade later. Inspired, and great for lifting, though a little odd with the rest of what runs on my workout playlist.
Used elbow sleeves and mild wrist wraps. Kept a sweatshirt and the heater on until I had a good sweat on.
No dynamic work and a little bar work to warm up.
Bench: worked up to a couple of sets of 5 at 145kg
Supersets:
Incline Bench: 5x20 with some weight
Elbow-out extensions: 5x20 with a 100# stone; these ended up a little more like a spoon press
The first couple of sets of assistance work were ridiculously easy, but the last few reps of the last set were as brutal as they could be. Nevertheless, I immediately ordered a larger stone form from Slater. Always getting more serious.
Work hard, folks.
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Monday, October 24, 2011
training 10.24
Dark and rainy here. No problem there.
Results, MG's Powdered Muscle, maybe some Dark Matter later. At a PB/honey/bacon sandwich about an hour before, too. Sue me.
Deload week still. Wore nothing supportive today; no briefs, no sleeves, nothing but chalk. Not even any stims. A bit of dynamic work to warm up, and several warm-up sets with the bar.
DL: two sets each of 140kg, 170kg, 200kg at 5 reps each, all to the floor. Concentrated on keeping glutes activated, hams taut, and back arched. Sumo, in case you haven't picked it up or seen me lift. My hip flexors were noticing the lack of briefs and will likely be barking tomorrow. Pretty easy, all told, as it's supposed to be.
Supersets:
RDL + shrug at the top: 5x12 (shrugged 20)
Side Bends: 5x10 with the same bar loaded for the RDL
Got a job, start next week. It will be good to get back to it. I will report in from time to time.
I find I get tired of eating (I know, I know), so I seek out recipes for 100cals/ounce of food. The bacon/honey/PB sammy is an example -- two of those go down easy and total 1000cals. That's the way. Took a recipe off of EliteFTS and have been making burgers between two grilled cheese sandwiches -- pickles, tomato, lettuce, and all -- and find them incredible. That's got to be about the same re:calories, though I'll have to run the numbers to find out. Anyway, I'm open to suggestions -- please keep them as unprocessed as possible, as an ice cream sandwich made with Pop Tarts might do it, but I won't want to eat it.
I don't like deloading, I'm afraid.
Have a great week, all. Thanks for checking in.
Results, MG's Powdered Muscle, maybe some Dark Matter later. At a PB/honey/bacon sandwich about an hour before, too. Sue me.
Deload week still. Wore nothing supportive today; no briefs, no sleeves, nothing but chalk. Not even any stims. A bit of dynamic work to warm up, and several warm-up sets with the bar.
DL: two sets each of 140kg, 170kg, 200kg at 5 reps each, all to the floor. Concentrated on keeping glutes activated, hams taut, and back arched. Sumo, in case you haven't picked it up or seen me lift. My hip flexors were noticing the lack of briefs and will likely be barking tomorrow. Pretty easy, all told, as it's supposed to be.
Supersets:
RDL + shrug at the top: 5x12 (shrugged 20)
Side Bends: 5x10 with the same bar loaded for the RDL
Got a job, start next week. It will be good to get back to it. I will report in from time to time.
I find I get tired of eating (I know, I know), so I seek out recipes for 100cals/ounce of food. The bacon/honey/PB sammy is an example -- two of those go down easy and total 1000cals. That's the way. Took a recipe off of EliteFTS and have been making burgers between two grilled cheese sandwiches -- pickles, tomato, lettuce, and all -- and find them incredible. That's got to be about the same re:calories, though I'll have to run the numbers to find out. Anyway, I'm open to suggestions -- please keep them as unprocessed as possible, as an ice cream sandwich made with Pop Tarts might do it, but I won't want to eat it.
I don't like deloading, I'm afraid.
Have a great week, all. Thanks for checking in.
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
training 10.19.2011
Rainy day for the second in a row, which is very unusual. I don't mind it, but I do have some stuff to do that it gets in the way of a little. So be it. Plenty else to do.
Big day today, being a max effort squat day. I gave myself an extra day to loosen my back before hitting this one, which is one way of saying that I am both exhilarated and intimidated by heavy squat days.
Started the usual way with the usual things, and added some Axcel for added oomph. (I admit to loving stimming-up, even though it has side effects. I just love the intensity of everything.) Did a bunch of dynamic work and worked up quickly under the bar to training weights. Wore knee sleeves and loose briefs for the whole thing, though was so pumped by the effort that my briefs were not very loose by the end.
Squat: numerous sets working up to 335kg. Got 3 reps at 335, which makes me deliriously happy -- that's a lot of flippin' weight. My reps at 325 were very good for depth, but I have no idea about the last set; I was paying attention to not dying. The first rep came up easily enough that I suspect depth was short, but I waited for the familiar feeling of depth on the second and third. I might have had a fourth, but didn't feel like finding out. Very pleased. No pain anywhere.
Did some RDLs and deep narrow-stance squats to a "box" (a 15# med ball, so about 13 inches high) as assistance work, but wasn't interested in much. Frankly, the main event sapped most of what I had, so I called it.
Good movement, good weight (nuttin' but a peanut), no pain. That's a good day.
On the TMI tip, my kidney stone finally came out today, ten days after passing. Yeah, it's more than you wanted to know, but you might as well know what you're in for if you ever pass one. Anyone wants real details, I've kept journals and pain management charts for the last two events. This is the first time (I've passed four stones) that I recovered the stone, so I will be able to get it analyzed and find out what to change. The whole reason I'm telling you all this is because that makes me very happy -- no guesswork makes me happy. Knowledge is power.
And while spewing rainbows and unicorns, I got a job offer today. I am very likely to buck the trend and no longer be a statistic, soon re-entering the world of the employed.
So rain or not, it's a good day for this cowboy. Have a great day yourself.
Big day today, being a max effort squat day. I gave myself an extra day to loosen my back before hitting this one, which is one way of saying that I am both exhilarated and intimidated by heavy squat days.
Started the usual way with the usual things, and added some Axcel for added oomph. (I admit to loving stimming-up, even though it has side effects. I just love the intensity of everything.) Did a bunch of dynamic work and worked up quickly under the bar to training weights. Wore knee sleeves and loose briefs for the whole thing, though was so pumped by the effort that my briefs were not very loose by the end.
Squat: numerous sets working up to 335kg. Got 3 reps at 335, which makes me deliriously happy -- that's a lot of flippin' weight. My reps at 325 were very good for depth, but I have no idea about the last set; I was paying attention to not dying. The first rep came up easily enough that I suspect depth was short, but I waited for the familiar feeling of depth on the second and third. I might have had a fourth, but didn't feel like finding out. Very pleased. No pain anywhere.
Did some RDLs and deep narrow-stance squats to a "box" (a 15# med ball, so about 13 inches high) as assistance work, but wasn't interested in much. Frankly, the main event sapped most of what I had, so I called it.
Good movement, good weight (nuttin' but a peanut), no pain. That's a good day.
On the TMI tip, my kidney stone finally came out today, ten days after passing. Yeah, it's more than you wanted to know, but you might as well know what you're in for if you ever pass one. Anyone wants real details, I've kept journals and pain management charts for the last two events. This is the first time (I've passed four stones) that I recovered the stone, so I will be able to get it analyzed and find out what to change. The whole reason I'm telling you all this is because that makes me very happy -- no guesswork makes me happy. Knowledge is power.
And while spewing rainbows and unicorns, I got a job offer today. I am very likely to buck the trend and no longer be a statistic, soon re-entering the world of the employed.
So rain or not, it's a good day for this cowboy. Have a great day yourself.
Sunday, October 16, 2011
training 10.16.2011
Gray morning this morning. The air is very still and a little humid, which is odd. Ran the heater in the rumpus room until I had a good pig sweat on.
Started with Results and took Dark Matter during. Also took two Axcel before the workout; they didn't leave me nearly as juiced as last time, which likely had to do with how sleepy I am this morning. Dragging for some reason, likely between my ears.
Wore elbow sleeves and wrist wraps during.
Fair amount of bar work to warm up; no appreciable dynamic work today for some reason. I need to change that.
Bench Press: Worked up to 235kg for a max effort. Used the Slingshot and got 4 reps -- had at least one more in the tank. The 210kg work set prior to the last jump was raw and felt very heavy for some reason, but the 235s didn't. I'm always fascinated by that -- the adaptation. It's probably mental, knowing I have the slingshot and whatever else. It just didn't feel as heavy.
Supersets:
Incline bench with some weight, 5x20, emphasis at the bottom
Incline row with some DBs, emphasis at the top
Elbow-out extensions with the same DBs
My triceps are blasted. Only unexpected pain was a slight tightness in my left shoulder during the incline benches. Very odd. My right shoulder was fine the whole way. Really concentrating on form and a tight setup, which has made a big difference not only in how these shoulder-intensive workouts feel, but the results as well.
Not a bad day, all told. I think I'm still progressing here.
Have a great day, folks.
Started with Results and took Dark Matter during. Also took two Axcel before the workout; they didn't leave me nearly as juiced as last time, which likely had to do with how sleepy I am this morning. Dragging for some reason, likely between my ears.
Wore elbow sleeves and wrist wraps during.
Fair amount of bar work to warm up; no appreciable dynamic work today for some reason. I need to change that.
Bench Press: Worked up to 235kg for a max effort. Used the Slingshot and got 4 reps -- had at least one more in the tank. The 210kg work set prior to the last jump was raw and felt very heavy for some reason, but the 235s didn't. I'm always fascinated by that -- the adaptation. It's probably mental, knowing I have the slingshot and whatever else. It just didn't feel as heavy.
Supersets:
Incline bench with some weight, 5x20, emphasis at the bottom
Incline row with some DBs, emphasis at the top
Elbow-out extensions with the same DBs
My triceps are blasted. Only unexpected pain was a slight tightness in my left shoulder during the incline benches. Very odd. My right shoulder was fine the whole way. Really concentrating on form and a tight setup, which has made a big difference not only in how these shoulder-intensive workouts feel, but the results as well.
Not a bad day, all told. I think I'm still progressing here.
Have a great day, folks.
Friday, October 14, 2011
training 10.14.2011
There is a Santa Ana blowing through, so the past two days have been hot. As in 85 at 8 p.m. hot. So the rumpus room was pretty warm today, and I had a good sweat on early.
Started with Results and used Dark Matter during. Tried the new blue raspberry Results flavor, which was stunningly sweet. Smelled awesome, hardly tasted it. Doesn't matter, as fast as I down it. The DM is somewhat tart, actually, which I like a lot. Had to down some protein before training due to hunger. Took two AtLarge Axcel, which is a thermogenic, with the Results. The result was that I was already jazzed like I'd Spiked before lifting, and I was hungry enough to eat a full meal. Great feeling, though. I will let you know how I like it over time.
Warmed up with a fair amount of dynamic work and a lot of bar work. Wore knee sleeves and briefs, and used a Spud DL belt for everything.
Deadlift: Worked up the usual way to 270kg and pulled three reps cleanly, full from the floor, no pause between. That represents at least a personal record match, which thrills me no end.
I have to say, I love seeing that many wheels on the bar. Unmounting the 50kg plates is a bitch, but it's nice to feel the bar flex under load.
Supersets:
RDL: 5x10 with some weight and added a shrug at the end. Concentrated on hams for this one -- took it slow, despite desperately wanting to be done.
Step-ups: nothing special. Feeling protective of my left knee, which has started giving me sharp grief going up stairs (but none going down them.)
Added a bunch of standing bent-over rows at the end just for some extra yoke work. Not much weight, high-rep, scaps pinched hard.
Great day. Off to eat that big meal.
Started with Results and used Dark Matter during. Tried the new blue raspberry Results flavor, which was stunningly sweet. Smelled awesome, hardly tasted it. Doesn't matter, as fast as I down it. The DM is somewhat tart, actually, which I like a lot. Had to down some protein before training due to hunger. Took two AtLarge Axcel, which is a thermogenic, with the Results. The result was that I was already jazzed like I'd Spiked before lifting, and I was hungry enough to eat a full meal. Great feeling, though. I will let you know how I like it over time.
Warmed up with a fair amount of dynamic work and a lot of bar work. Wore knee sleeves and briefs, and used a Spud DL belt for everything.
Deadlift: Worked up the usual way to 270kg and pulled three reps cleanly, full from the floor, no pause between. That represents at least a personal record match, which thrills me no end.
I have to say, I love seeing that many wheels on the bar. Unmounting the 50kg plates is a bitch, but it's nice to feel the bar flex under load.
Supersets:
RDL: 5x10 with some weight and added a shrug at the end. Concentrated on hams for this one -- took it slow, despite desperately wanting to be done.
Step-ups: nothing special. Feeling protective of my left knee, which has started giving me sharp grief going up stairs (but none going down them.)
Added a bunch of standing bent-over rows at the end just for some extra yoke work. Not much weight, high-rep, scaps pinched hard.
Great day. Off to eat that big meal.
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
training 10.12.2011
Gorgeous, warm day here today. Fabulous.
Started with Results and Dark Matter during/after. Did some bar work and some dynamic work to warm up, though forgot to start with the dynamic and did it in the middle of the pure shoulder work. Worked fine.
Military press: built up the usual way to rep out at 145kg; got 5 clean reps at 145. Not sure I had any more left. Seat was at 80 degrees. Weight felt heavy, but moved smoothly. Shoulders felt fine.
Supersets:
DB Snatch: 5x10 with a fairly heavy fat DB
Inverted rows: 5x10 with chains
Once again, the assistance work was tough, at least from a motivation standpoint. Just wanted to sit down somewhere and be quiet. Cutting back on caffeine and it shows in lots of ways.
By the way, this is the dynamic shoulder work I've started doing, and it's brilliant. Kudos to Charles and EliteFTS for publishing something so simple and effective.
Hope everyone has a great day.
Started with Results and Dark Matter during/after. Did some bar work and some dynamic work to warm up, though forgot to start with the dynamic and did it in the middle of the pure shoulder work. Worked fine.
Military press: built up the usual way to rep out at 145kg; got 5 clean reps at 145. Not sure I had any more left. Seat was at 80 degrees. Weight felt heavy, but moved smoothly. Shoulders felt fine.
Supersets:
DB Snatch: 5x10 with a fairly heavy fat DB
Inverted rows: 5x10 with chains
Once again, the assistance work was tough, at least from a motivation standpoint. Just wanted to sit down somewhere and be quiet. Cutting back on caffeine and it shows in lots of ways.
By the way, this is the dynamic shoulder work I've started doing, and it's brilliant. Kudos to Charles and EliteFTS for publishing something so simple and effective.
Hope everyone has a great day.
Sunday, October 9, 2011
Training 10.9.2011
Gorgeous day today, though a little chilly when I started.
Started with Results and Dark Matter during/after. Wore loose briefs and knee sleeves for the squatting.
Lots of dynamic work and some bar work to warm up.
Did the accessory work first.
Superset:
DB Side bends: 5x20 reps
1-leg RDL: 5x20
Not much weight for the RDLs, as I was trying to get used to the motion and form without falling over. Proved tougher than I expected.
Squat: same weight as last time all the way. Got 5 reps on the final set and had maybe one more in the tank.
I feel really good about this whole workout, actually. I passed a kidney stone Friday, so I'm all of 28 hours since heavy narcotics. Still taking a little Flomax to make sure everything wanders through. Didn't need the ER this time -- last time was only three years ago, so I still had the meds and protocol. Going to have to visit my Uro to get a 24hr urinalysis to figure out what it's made of. Suspect either creatine (hate to say that) or Vitamin D supps, given the incredibly short time since lithotripsy annihilated everything in that kidney. From dead clear to passing a stone in three years does not make me happy -- something is up. Time to find out what.
Anyway, I felt great today and moved weight for more reps than last time I squatted. Very pleased. No residual narc hangover, either, which is also great.
Have a great day.
Started with Results and Dark Matter during/after. Wore loose briefs and knee sleeves for the squatting.
Lots of dynamic work and some bar work to warm up.
Did the accessory work first.
Superset:
DB Side bends: 5x20 reps
1-leg RDL: 5x20
Not much weight for the RDLs, as I was trying to get used to the motion and form without falling over. Proved tougher than I expected.
Squat: same weight as last time all the way. Got 5 reps on the final set and had maybe one more in the tank.
I feel really good about this whole workout, actually. I passed a kidney stone Friday, so I'm all of 28 hours since heavy narcotics. Still taking a little Flomax to make sure everything wanders through. Didn't need the ER this time -- last time was only three years ago, so I still had the meds and protocol. Going to have to visit my Uro to get a 24hr urinalysis to figure out what it's made of. Suspect either creatine (hate to say that) or Vitamin D supps, given the incredibly short time since lithotripsy annihilated everything in that kidney. From dead clear to passing a stone in three years does not make me happy -- something is up. Time to find out what.
Anyway, I felt great today and moved weight for more reps than last time I squatted. Very pleased. No residual narc hangover, either, which is also great.
Have a great day.
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
training 10.5.2011
Cloudy day today. Supposed to rain, but I don't think it will. It was a little cool in the rumpus room, so I put on a sweatshirt and turned on the heater. It got hot quickly enough.
Started with Results and used Dark Matter during. No Spike, though I could use it. Back on AtLarge ETS because of my SI annoyance (and other basic aches/pains). ETS is one of those supps that I notice not when I take it, but when I stop (if that makes sense), so I return to it when needed.
Fair amount of bar work to warm up.
Bench: 10 kg up from last time for each of the three work sets, 3 reps each set. Got 7 reps on the final heavy set. Happy with that. No shoulder pain. Ring finger on the ring.
Supersets:
Incline bench: bench about 40 degrees 5 sets of 20 with some weight on the bar. Middle finger on the ring.
Incline chest supported row: 5 of 20 with heavy DBs
Triceps: 5 of 20
The assistance work was good. Feel pretty good afterward.
Still without a job; everything has fallen through for odd reasons. So it goes.
Have a great day, all. Work hard.
Started with Results and used Dark Matter during. No Spike, though I could use it. Back on AtLarge ETS because of my SI annoyance (and other basic aches/pains). ETS is one of those supps that I notice not when I take it, but when I stop (if that makes sense), so I return to it when needed.
Fair amount of bar work to warm up.
Bench: 10 kg up from last time for each of the three work sets, 3 reps each set. Got 7 reps on the final heavy set. Happy with that. No shoulder pain. Ring finger on the ring.
Supersets:
Incline bench: bench about 40 degrees 5 sets of 20 with some weight on the bar. Middle finger on the ring.
Incline chest supported row: 5 of 20 with heavy DBs
Triceps: 5 of 20
The assistance work was good. Feel pretty good afterward.
Still without a job; everything has fallen through for odd reasons. So it goes.
Have a great day, all. Work hard.
Monday, October 3, 2011
training 10.3
Gorgeous day here. The ocean water temp is dropping precipitously, as you would expect, but it's still beautiful.
Started with Results and used MHP Dark Matter during. More on that later.
Did a bit of dynamic warm-up work and a lot of bar work. Used a Spud DL belt for the heavy sets, but was otherwise gear-less.
Deadlift:
185kg x 3 Not bad after the first rep
220kg x 3 Same
255kg x 3+ Got 4 reps. Had a fifth, but pitched forward onto my toes and ditched rather than try to save it.
DL strength is a lot more solid than I expected after a long lay off. Pretty happy with this. My neck aches after each set, though, from grimacing. Haven't looked to see if I popped anything in my eyes or face.
Heavy step-ups: 5 x 10
DB Side Bends:5 x 10
I have to start doing the assistance work first and the primary work set last. By the time I get through squatting or deadlifting, I don't want to do anything else but die. I should use the assistance as an advanced warm-up or something and accept that the weight will likely drop a little bit. The assistance work is miserable, and I'm sure I could do better.
No unexpected pain today, which is great.
Started the Dark Matter today. Using blue raspberry flavor, which is fine if a little sweet. Used about 24oz water. It has a thickener in it, whether protein or cornstarch or who knows what, so it ends up as a bit of a slurry. Pushes all my ice into my teeth, making it hard to drink any faster than a sip. I like using post-workout drinks peri-workout, so the slow drinking is a bit of an issue. I like my drinks cold.
Anyway, I will try this for a few weeks and let you know. I will still get some MG's Powdered Muscle from True Protein, so we'll see what happens if I do both. Needed a Spike today, but decided to only try one thing at a time to see if the DM upset my stomach. No problems so far. Still tingling from the B-Alanine in the Results, so I can't tell you if I can feel the DM at all.
Anyway, more to come. Have a great day.
Started with Results and used MHP Dark Matter during. More on that later.
Did a bit of dynamic warm-up work and a lot of bar work. Used a Spud DL belt for the heavy sets, but was otherwise gear-less.
Deadlift:
185kg x 3 Not bad after the first rep
220kg x 3 Same
255kg x 3+ Got 4 reps. Had a fifth, but pitched forward onto my toes and ditched rather than try to save it.
DL strength is a lot more solid than I expected after a long lay off. Pretty happy with this. My neck aches after each set, though, from grimacing. Haven't looked to see if I popped anything in my eyes or face.
Heavy step-ups: 5 x 10
DB Side Bends:5 x 10
I have to start doing the assistance work first and the primary work set last. By the time I get through squatting or deadlifting, I don't want to do anything else but die. I should use the assistance as an advanced warm-up or something and accept that the weight will likely drop a little bit. The assistance work is miserable, and I'm sure I could do better.
No unexpected pain today, which is great.
Started the Dark Matter today. Using blue raspberry flavor, which is fine if a little sweet. Used about 24oz water. It has a thickener in it, whether protein or cornstarch or who knows what, so it ends up as a bit of a slurry. Pushes all my ice into my teeth, making it hard to drink any faster than a sip. I like using post-workout drinks peri-workout, so the slow drinking is a bit of an issue. I like my drinks cold.
Anyway, I will try this for a few weeks and let you know. I will still get some MG's Powdered Muscle from True Protein, so we'll see what happens if I do both. Needed a Spike today, but decided to only try one thing at a time to see if the DM upset my stomach. No problems so far. Still tingling from the B-Alanine in the Results, so I can't tell you if I can feel the DM at all.
Anyway, more to come. Have a great day.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)