Gorgeous day today. I'm home with my sick stepson and generally feeling sorry for myself for several reasons. Maybe this training and a rousing game of Little Big Planet will bring me out of my funk.
Not in the mood to prattle today, much to everyone's relief, I'm sure.
Started with Results, no dynamic work, and a bit of bar work. Not much of that, honestly.
Wore wrist wraps, knee sleeves, loose briefs, and a belt when it got heavy.
Military press
150kg x 5 easy
160kg x 3 easy
175kg x 3 not bad
210kg x 1 stayed with one rep
Squat
went up 20 kilos over last time
5 sets of 7 reps
Not bad. Expected to feel weak, but didn't. Everything was solid, got a good sweat on.
Hope everyone's week is better than mine has started out. Sorry to be so self-indulgent.
Monday, April 25, 2011
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Update
Sore today. Chest, glutes, hams, but not quads. That fascinates me. Maybe I should mix some narrow stance squats in and see what happens.
Also, I'm almost never sore in my triceps. Very, very rarely, and usually only when I do push-downs or something very specific. Guess I better get a plate-loaded cable station (or weld one up -- wife will love that).
Cloudy this morning -- hope it clears. Got to take the boy and his band of ruffians to the USD baseball game and to dinner later. Should be fun, if a little gang-like. Mayhem is certain.
Have a great day.
Also, I'm almost never sore in my triceps. Very, very rarely, and usually only when I do push-downs or something very specific. Guess I better get a plate-loaded cable station (or weld one up -- wife will love that).
Cloudy this morning -- hope it clears. Got to take the boy and his band of ruffians to the USD baseball game and to dinner later. Should be fun, if a little gang-like. Mayhem is certain.
Have a great day.
Saturday, April 16, 2011
Bench day, 3 rep + smolov day 2
Been way, way too long. Too much drama in my life, and most of it of my own making. I hate that. Time to tighten it up, coach.
Bench day. I love bench day. Historically, I have hated it because of so little progress over the last few years. But I do make progress, albeit in tiny increments -- we have to celebrate even the smallest victories or we'll go crazy with despair over lack of change. That in itself is an interesting irony -- we resist change constantly, but we crave it. Guess it's a matter of perspective, in that we tend to change what we want to and resist what would rob us of comfort. How soft.
Anyway, utterly gorgeous, warm day today. Summer is coming, which just means there will be less fog in the morning. Sandy Eggo is like that.
Rubbed up with liniment to fire up a sweat, did a little dynamic work (very little, sadly), and hit the bar. Wore knee sleeves and wrist wraps and that's it.
Bench
150kg x 3 too easy
180kg x 3 still easier than I thought it would be
200kg x 3 not bad
My right shoulder is weak right now and it showed. No pain, but I think I tweaked an old injury throwing baseballs; I've thrown a lot lately and noticed some shoulder pain. Probably have a small meniscus tear. Nothing for it. These were good.
I tried to put on my old Metal denim shirt for a couple of heavier reps but couldn't get it over my forearms. I'll try to stretch it out, but I'm not optimistic -- it wasn't even close to getting to my elbows, which is where things start to get big.
So I grabbed my Overkill and put it on. Barely got it over my upper arms and couldn't seat it in my pits. I'm going to have to soak it and work it on with some help from someone. Nothing else was tough but that, but I couldn't come close to touching with the plate not even on my chest. Needs work.
Squat
310kg x 5 x 7
Everything was great, though I was sucking wind hard. I expected easier wind and tougher muscles, but the opposite was true -- lifting the weight was easy, but not passing out was hard. I rested 3 minutes between on average; earlier sets were closer to 2 minutes and the last was 3 and a half. Sucked wind. Weight came up very easily, though, which felt great.
Hope everyone has a great weekend. Thanks for the comments, Bob, and I hope the angst eases. Hold fast.
Bench day. I love bench day. Historically, I have hated it because of so little progress over the last few years. But I do make progress, albeit in tiny increments -- we have to celebrate even the smallest victories or we'll go crazy with despair over lack of change. That in itself is an interesting irony -- we resist change constantly, but we crave it. Guess it's a matter of perspective, in that we tend to change what we want to and resist what would rob us of comfort. How soft.
Anyway, utterly gorgeous, warm day today. Summer is coming, which just means there will be less fog in the morning. Sandy Eggo is like that.
Rubbed up with liniment to fire up a sweat, did a little dynamic work (very little, sadly), and hit the bar. Wore knee sleeves and wrist wraps and that's it.
Bench
150kg x 3 too easy
180kg x 3 still easier than I thought it would be
200kg x 3 not bad
My right shoulder is weak right now and it showed. No pain, but I think I tweaked an old injury throwing baseballs; I've thrown a lot lately and noticed some shoulder pain. Probably have a small meniscus tear. Nothing for it. These were good.
I tried to put on my old Metal denim shirt for a couple of heavier reps but couldn't get it over my forearms. I'll try to stretch it out, but I'm not optimistic -- it wasn't even close to getting to my elbows, which is where things start to get big.
So I grabbed my Overkill and put it on. Barely got it over my upper arms and couldn't seat it in my pits. I'm going to have to soak it and work it on with some help from someone. Nothing else was tough but that, but I couldn't come close to touching with the plate not even on my chest. Needs work.
Squat
310kg x 5 x 7
Everything was great, though I was sucking wind hard. I expected easier wind and tougher muscles, but the opposite was true -- lifting the weight was easy, but not passing out was hard. I rested 3 minutes between on average; earlier sets were closer to 2 minutes and the last was 3 and a half. Sucked wind. Weight came up very easily, though, which felt great.
Hope everyone has a great weekend. Thanks for the comments, Bob, and I hope the angst eases. Hold fast.
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Deadlift day + smolov day 1
Warm day today -- gorgeous. Got a baseball game this afternoon and lots to do, so this will be short.
Started the usual way but with dynamic work and very little bar work. Wore loose briefs for the whole kiboodle, knee sleeves, leather belt. Wore my Ace squatter with the straps down for the squats, just because I wanted to.
DL
200kg x 5
210kg x 5
220kg x 5
Heavy, but manageable.
Seated SSB Good Mornings
Bunch of weight x sets of 20, bunches. Love these.
Squats
4 sets of 9 reps with 310kg.
Weight came up quickly and smoothly. Felt great, actually.
Have a great day, folks.
Started the usual way but with dynamic work and very little bar work. Wore loose briefs for the whole kiboodle, knee sleeves, leather belt. Wore my Ace squatter with the straps down for the squats, just because I wanted to.
DL
200kg x 5
210kg x 5
220kg x 5
Heavy, but manageable.
Seated SSB Good Mornings
Bunch of weight x sets of 20, bunches. Love these.
Squats
4 sets of 9 reps with 310kg.
Weight came up quickly and smoothly. Felt great, actually.
Have a great day, folks.
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Military press, 3 rep, smolov day 4
Can't remember which smolov week I'm in except that it's a deload week. Part of making it deload is mental, because I'm not training often enough to be in need of deload -- it's more about managing my own expectations of self.
Been raining -- as I type it's gorgeous again. Video today was all in low-light mode and worthless, so I didn't post it. Didn't check while videoing.
Started with Results and MGPM, which is back-ordered and I'm now out. I'll go back to the TeamSkip mix with malto added until the MGPM comes in. No biggie. Just like the convenience of the MGPM.
Wore wrist wraps for the military and knee sleeves and relatively tight Ace briefs for squatting. Used my Elite leather belt for the squats.
Military Press
180kg x 3 reps not bad
190kg x 3 reps felt a little heavy
200kg x 3 reps felt heavier -- go figure
No where near max and didn't rep out, but felt heavy. No shoulder or elbow pain, and no threat of not making the lifts. But felt heavy. We'll see.
Squats
330kg x 10 sets of 3 reps
Love the tighter briefs. Metal Ace briefs are the business as far as I'm concerned. I haven't tried the Titan super-duper briefs, but I also don't feel a need to. Love my Aces. Tightened the belt a lot this time -- one hole tighter than usual. For whatever reason, I usually like more room to press my belly against the belt, but didn't today. The extra back support was welcome, and my setup felt better.
My right knee was a little unhappy with warm ups, but was fine for the lifts. The weight felt heavy in the torso and low-back, but sat firmly on my back and felt stable all the way through. Kept hips back and chin up, pointed toes out a little more than usual, and sat back. Felt great. Honestly, felt more effort in torso stability than in quads or hips, which makes me very happy. I feel rubbery in the quads now, but felt plenty strong then. Very happy with the way this went and with the extra weight today.
Yes, I know that without video it didn't happen. I'm going to go up on my weight this next Smolov cycle and will get the video up. I am debating going geared the whole cycle for bench and squat, so I might keep the weights up and stroke my inner gear whore. Jo would be proud.
Great day. Off to throw baseballs later and hoping VCU finishes off Kansas. We'll see.
Have a great afternoon, all.
Been raining -- as I type it's gorgeous again. Video today was all in low-light mode and worthless, so I didn't post it. Didn't check while videoing.
Started with Results and MGPM, which is back-ordered and I'm now out. I'll go back to the TeamSkip mix with malto added until the MGPM comes in. No biggie. Just like the convenience of the MGPM.
Wore wrist wraps for the military and knee sleeves and relatively tight Ace briefs for squatting. Used my Elite leather belt for the squats.
Military Press
180kg x 3 reps not bad
190kg x 3 reps felt a little heavy
200kg x 3 reps felt heavier -- go figure
No where near max and didn't rep out, but felt heavy. No shoulder or elbow pain, and no threat of not making the lifts. But felt heavy. We'll see.
Squats
330kg x 10 sets of 3 reps
Love the tighter briefs. Metal Ace briefs are the business as far as I'm concerned. I haven't tried the Titan super-duper briefs, but I also don't feel a need to. Love my Aces. Tightened the belt a lot this time -- one hole tighter than usual. For whatever reason, I usually like more room to press my belly against the belt, but didn't today. The extra back support was welcome, and my setup felt better.
My right knee was a little unhappy with warm ups, but was fine for the lifts. The weight felt heavy in the torso and low-back, but sat firmly on my back and felt stable all the way through. Kept hips back and chin up, pointed toes out a little more than usual, and sat back. Felt great. Honestly, felt more effort in torso stability than in quads or hips, which makes me very happy. I feel rubbery in the quads now, but felt plenty strong then. Very happy with the way this went and with the extra weight today.
Yes, I know that without video it didn't happen. I'm going to go up on my weight this next Smolov cycle and will get the video up. I am debating going geared the whole cycle for bench and squat, so I might keep the weights up and stroke my inner gear whore. Jo would be proud.
Great day. Off to throw baseballs later and hoping VCU finishes off Kansas. We'll see.
Have a great afternoon, all.
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Bench day, 5 rep + smolov day 3
Training was yesterday, actually. Just getting around to posting.
Working before work has merits and costs. I may be more likely to get it done, but I tend to get in the minimum due to time worries. I just feel like I need to get on to the office, so I do less accessory work. I also wait less time between sets, so there are ancillary benefits as well.
Started with Results and MGPM. Did a fair amount of dynamic work for the squatting, but none for the benching. Foam rolled, did some bar work to warm up and had the heater blasting. Started in a sweatshirt, too, so I had a good sweat on before long.
Used loose briefs and knee sleeves squatting. Nothing for benching.
Bench
145kg x 5
155kg x 5
160kg x 5
All easy, honestly. No strain, full ROM. Felt fine. Stayed with 5 reps rather than repping out.
Squat
Same weight as last time, 7 sets of 5 reps
Setup was fine. Only fixated on the feet one set when my soles were wet from venturing outside the rumpus room. Chalked them and moved on. Back stayed good. All in all, treating this week like a deload week, I guess.
I thought my customary long lay-off would cost me, but it didn't. Felt strong and solid. Left quad hurt during the early lifts, which is unusual, but went away later. No lasting effect.
It was a good day, and better to be calmed before heading to the office. Long day yesterday, between meetings with the County HHSA and a Board Meeting and all the drama surrounding both. Hoping for a quiet day today. Baseball game for the boy tonight, which I look forward to.
Ever hopeful. Thoughts are with you, Bob and Milda both.
Working before work has merits and costs. I may be more likely to get it done, but I tend to get in the minimum due to time worries. I just feel like I need to get on to the office, so I do less accessory work. I also wait less time between sets, so there are ancillary benefits as well.
Started with Results and MGPM. Did a fair amount of dynamic work for the squatting, but none for the benching. Foam rolled, did some bar work to warm up and had the heater blasting. Started in a sweatshirt, too, so I had a good sweat on before long.
Used loose briefs and knee sleeves squatting. Nothing for benching.
Bench
145kg x 5
155kg x 5
160kg x 5
All easy, honestly. No strain, full ROM. Felt fine. Stayed with 5 reps rather than repping out.
Squat
Same weight as last time, 7 sets of 5 reps
Setup was fine. Only fixated on the feet one set when my soles were wet from venturing outside the rumpus room. Chalked them and moved on. Back stayed good. All in all, treating this week like a deload week, I guess.
I thought my customary long lay-off would cost me, but it didn't. Felt strong and solid. Left quad hurt during the early lifts, which is unusual, but went away later. No lasting effect.
It was a good day, and better to be calmed before heading to the office. Long day yesterday, between meetings with the County HHSA and a Board Meeting and all the drama surrounding both. Hoping for a quiet day today. Baseball game for the boy tonight, which I look forward to.
Ever hopeful. Thoughts are with you, Bob and Milda both.
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Deadlift day, 5 rep + smolov day 2 week 1
Actually trained a couple of days ago, but haven't had the chance to post.
After a packed weekend, full of lots of baseball (2 practices, 2 games, LL opening day stuff, etc.) and a balloon ride, I needed some sweat time.
Started with Results and MGPM. Did a bit of dynamic work and a fair amount of bar work to warm up. Wore loose briefs, knee sleeves, and a belt for the heavies.
DL
200kg x 5 no problem
220kg x 5
240kg x 5
Big jumps, but it was ok.
Seated SSB Good mornings
Wenning's SYTYCS video on Elite gave me ideas. Did a bunch of these with 22kg plates for sets of 20. Five sets.
Squat
265kg x 5 sets of 7 reps
Not bad. Worked on foot placement and solid stance. No pain, no trouble, weight came up easily. Still, my setup needs work.
Taking the train to LA today to make a presentation. I should view it as a day off, but all I think of is the things I am not getting done. Hope it's useful to someone.
Have a great day, folks. Thanks for the encouragement of late.
After a packed weekend, full of lots of baseball (2 practices, 2 games, LL opening day stuff, etc.) and a balloon ride, I needed some sweat time.
Started with Results and MGPM. Did a bit of dynamic work and a fair amount of bar work to warm up. Wore loose briefs, knee sleeves, and a belt for the heavies.
DL
200kg x 5 no problem
220kg x 5
240kg x 5
Big jumps, but it was ok.
Seated SSB Good mornings
Wenning's SYTYCS video on Elite gave me ideas. Did a bunch of these with 22kg plates for sets of 20. Five sets.
Squat
265kg x 5 sets of 7 reps
Not bad. Worked on foot placement and solid stance. No pain, no trouble, weight came up easily. Still, my setup needs work.
Taking the train to LA today to make a presentation. I should view it as a day off, but all I think of is the things I am not getting done. Hope it's useful to someone.
Have a great day, folks. Thanks for the encouragement of late.
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