Deadlift day

It's still pretty hot around here, but the fan was on high and everything was fine in the home gym. Finally back to some real weight, it was deadlift day.

AtLarge Results and finishing off some Biotest SWF before and during. Feeling fat, so I'll likely decrease calories this cycle and tries to lose some lard. Tired of feeling jiggly.

Wore Metal Viking briefs and a Spud DL belt with wrestling shoes.

To it:
Deadlift:
- 240kilos x 5 felt kinda tough, though not sure why
- 270kilos x 5 still felt tough
- 290kilos x 5 saw stars. A little confused why this felt so heavy today.

- 160kilos x 5 x 8 breezed up

supersetted with:

Good mornings w/ Safety Squat Bar and 50 kilos on the bar 5 x 10 very easy

Also did some curls for fun, though not in the squat rack: fat DB w/ 60 pounds, 5x10

All in all, a good day. Not sure why the heavy DLs felt so heavy -- they should have raced up. Maybe I need to video a workout and get some advice.

Overhead day

8/28

Temp is up in the high-90s, which is rather unusual for the area. Santa Ana blowing through.

Wore APT Convict elbow sleeves and used AtLarge Results and Biotest SWF. I honestly think the SWF works well for me, but only if I mix four scoops in 20 oz, which brings the cup to about $5, I think. Nuts. AL Results are a different matter, since it's primarily beta alanine and creatine; it works and isn't several dollars a cup.

Starting a new 5/3/1 cycle -- let's get to it:

Seated military press:
110 kg x 5 super easy
120 kg x 5 yup
130 kg x 5 again, easy

Supersetted 100kg sets of 10 with anterior/medial/posterior shoulder sets with ten pound dumbells (yeah, yeah) in sets of 20 reps per movement. So each should set is 60 reps, Very humbling. Also supersetted chins in there.

Hot. Good work, though shoulders crunchy on anterior lifts. Time to get serious about Inside/Out now that Mike Robinson sent me a copy -- no excuses anymore.

Great day, everyone.

Deload bench day

This marks the end of another deload week, and I have to say I'm glad. I find deloads deadly boring and not progressive, which I know intellectually is a mistake. But it doesn't change my desire to whine about it.

I technically lifted yesterday, August 21, and am just getting around to posting. I wore APT Convict elbow sleeves and APT solid wrist wrap bands -- the sleeves because I value my old elbows and the wraps because they're a security blanket.

Bench:
140kg x 5
160kg x 5
170kg x 5
120kg x 5 x 10 + a bunch of chains set to just leave the floor at extension

2" fat DB rows w/ 60kg 5 x 10

Nothing fancy. Used AtLarge Results and Biotest Workout Fuel during and after. At a big sushi dinner with the wifey about an hour later and made a pig of myself. Also had half a Kirin draft and a carafe of some really good sake and don't feel a bit of guilt.

Have a great day and thanks for looking.

Overhead deload day

8/17

It's deload week, which translates to boring. But things have been progressing well, so I shouldn't complain.

Right to it.

Military:
80 kilos x 5
90 kilos x 5
100 kilos x 5
70 kilos x 5 x 10

Wore APT Convict elbow sleeves (always do with arm movements) and light wrist wraps. Very easy.

Chins: 5 sets to failure unassisted.

Called it a day.

Pic from squat day

I never realized how bulbous my butt looked in those Ace briefs.

Anyway, on the way down -- bar is still bouncy. This was rep two.

I need some knee sleeves.

Squat day

Started late for a weekend, but still before lunch. Feel good today.

It's a bit warmer today, so it was a bit hot in the gym. Good thing I had the fan.

For whatever reason, I forgot my dynamic warmup work today. Couldn't tell you why, since it's part of every squat and deadlift day. Just got out of routine and blew it.

Today was a max effort day and the last 5/3/1 week before deload.

Metal Ace briefs throughout.

Squat:
warm-up sets
275kg x 5 very easy; it's funny how heavy the walkout felt when the weight came up so easily
310kg x 5 also easy; only was supposed to do 3 reps, but had 5 before I thought about something besides form
350kg x 5 banged out 5 reps without much fuss -- the first several were easy and I left a couple in the tank

I think this is a PR, certainly for reps. I'll have to search through back logs, but I'm pretty sure that's a PR for weight and reps.

190kg x 5 x 10 just getting it done

Pendlay rows: 140 kilos on an ez-curl bar (weight includes the bar) 5 x 5 For some reason these felt really hard today.

Head's pretty unhappy right now, but that seems to come with the territory.

Bench day

Good day today. Feel pretty good, nothing hurts too much, and everything's still working (as far as I can tell.) Great day.

Bench day. Never really do enough dynamic warm-up. I need to buy Robertson's Inside-Out and live it or my shoulders are going to revolt, I suspect.

Bench:
180kg x 5 First set always seems hard.
205kg x 3 Easier.
230kg x 3 Hard, no matter how you slice it. I think this is a PR for a triple.

130kg x 5 x 10 Easy until the last set -- I was getting fried by then.

Fat DB rows with 60kg. Good pump if nothing else. Took these slow.

A few sets of a few flies with some chains. Nothing too serious. Just looking to move blood around.

My low-back hurt getting off the bench every time. It's structural and I'm sure my round of golff Saturday exacerbated it. Late holes hurt over short irons and wedges -- bending over was misery after my DL day last week. So it goes. Welcome to middle-age.

I wore APT Convict sleeves throughout and wraps on heavier sets. No other support.

Deadlift day

Warm evening here, though a nice breeze is blowing. I've started the hard week of the cycle, so some weight is moving.

Dynamic warm-up and usual warm-up sets.

DL:
245kg x 5 This hurt for some reason. Bad form, I guess.
275kg x 3 This was surprisingly easy.
310kg x 4 PR, I think. This flew up.

175kg x 5 x 5 Just getting them done.

Supersetted the last 5x5 with SSB Good Mornings with 50 kilos and a bunch of chains. These are getting better, though I'm not sure I want to do a max test.

My head is going to explode. Good sense tells me not to take Advil, but my splitting head is begging for as many as my liver and kidneys will tolerate. Wish I knew how to avoid this part.

The weight is flying up these days. Whether I'm just doing something right or 5.3.1 suits me, I'm making huge gains. I still want about 20 pounds on my frame and would like to drop some BF, but it's hardly a perfect world.

Overhead

Great day. Not so hot, had a good breeze, wife's feeling better, and the weight was flying up.

Standing military press:
100kg x 3
120kg x 3
130kg x 3

Seated military:
60kilos on the bar with a lot of chains 5 x 10 Just felt great, actually.

Chins: 5 x 12 Easy, but I still hate 'em.
Ab roll-outs 5 x 10

Squat day

I haven't eaten enough today, but couldn't wait to squat. Aside from the obvious need, I've got too much to do this afternoon.

Hot day again, though nothing like it has been. Having a fan in the room has made a huge difference. Still, heavy valsalva has ruptured several capillaries in my eyes and my head is splitting open as I type. What a whiner.

The usual warm-up with insufficient dynamic work. I've got to get on that.

Squat:
290kilos x 3 very easy
310kg x 3 easier -- getting warm and my Ace briefs are starting to catch me at the bottom
330kg x 3 still easy. I'll get a PR this cycle. The walkout was tough for some reason, but the weight flew up.

190kg x 5 x 10 super easy.

Pendlay rows x 3 x 8 w/ 120 kilos on the bar. These were hard.
Some hammer curls and Hise shrugs.

All in all, great day.