Until the Wheels Fall Off

2018-12-05

Deficit Paused DL( 1 plate deficit, pause at mid-shin for 2-count, dbl overhand)
135x5
185x5
225x3
280 3x3
SupersSet With
Hanging Leg raises
8x5 sets

SSB Seated GM
205 8x2 sets

Chest-Supported DB Row
80’s 6x6 sets
superset with
1 Arm DB Press
55x3
60x3
65x3
75x3,3,2

DB Hammer Curls
50’s 5x3 sets

Adductor Machine
a few sets by 15 reps at various weights

Downward Dog to Cobra (Prescribed for re-seating the right shoulder blade.)
3x30 sec

Trying to unkink my adductors. Both sides have pulled muscles and twang if I put my knees out too far on a squat. Tried out the addy machine, but didn’t feel any stretch and was able to do ridiculous weight (the stack) on it. I think it’s the sartorius muscle, the one that lets you sit cross-legged with no hands, which is weird.

2 Likes

Pulled a muscle in my back lower left on the seated GMs. Back is still spasming. Left leg pulled muscle still twitchy, right leg pulled muscle seems to have mostly recovered. Fun times.

I’ll take a stab at squats, but it’s likely to be leg extensions, leg curls and whatever else I can do tonight.

2018-12-07

OHP from rack
barx10
95x5
115x5
135x3
150 3x3
120x10

Neutral Grip pullups
BWx5
BW+25x5
BW+50 3x3
BW+10x8

Dips
BWx8
BW+35x5
BW+50 5x3 sets

SQ
barx10,10
135x3,3
185x3
205x3
225 3x3

Belt one notch tighter, kept the knees closer together and took them down slow. Everything held together so I kept going. 1st rep of each set was shaky, but the weight settled in for the 2nd and 3rd reps.

Aaaaand the lower back has been painfully spasming since the last session. Makes putting on my socks on an event of pure hilarity.

I ignored the signs that this would happen. Invariably, the muscle tissue in my legs, arms and upper back become hypertonic and my grip strength goes down. If I keep pushing, my lower back will spasm for 3 days to a week. I kept pushing. Shoulda scaled things way back after the sartorial muscles in my legs locked up.

It’s clearing up, but I’ll have to start back lighter and stop boosting the weight additions as fast as I have been.

It’s a marathon, not a sprint. My workouts will be boring from now on.

1 Like

2018-12-14

OHP
115x5
130x3
140 3x3

Neutral Grip Pullup
BWx5
+20 x 4
+35 3x3
BWx6,6

Cleans
165 5x2

Hanging Leg Lifts (in between Cleans)
5x6

SSB SQ
205x3
225x3
245 3x3

Close Grip Bench
165 3x5

Everything felt good. Fast with good form.

If I just do the main sets and no extras each session, I should be fine going forward. Small weight jumps.

3 Likes

I really want to go lift today. But today is a recovery day.

Good sign.

2018-12-16
Warm up

Incline Bench
115x5
145x3
165 3x3

Pendlay Row
185 3x5

Muscle clean
155 3x3

Sumo DL (dbl overhand)
135x3
225x3
275x3
315 3x3

First two sets were a little slow off the floor. Paid attention, took up the slack on the the third and those went up good and fast. Was a little afraid that the adductors would seize up again, but no problem at all.

Leg curls
80 3x8

Something in the lower back went clunk in a good way on the first set. May do these just for the traction.

Curl Bar Curls
35 plate/side 3x5

Ab machine
140 3x15

Cobras
3x30sec

3 Likes

2018-12-18

Mobility and Warmup 15 min

Pullups
BWx5(One and a halfs)
+25 x 5
BW x 5
+25x3,3,3,3,3

Clean+PushPress
115x5
165 3x3

Snatch High Pull
165 3x3

Front SQ
135x5
165x3
195x3
215x3
205x3,3

Dips
BWx10
+45 3x5

Seated DB cleans
35s 2x8

Went to the bottom on the front squats. I’m sacrificing pounds, but it feels good. No troubles with the adductors.

My pullups suck, can’t seem to engage my right lat. I should take all the weight off and concentrate on the motion.

2 Likes

Used to do pullups holding a 50 lb dumbbell with my feet, the get the chin over the bar kind. Decided to try one of 'dem “genuine” try to touch the sternum to the bar pullups (I think it was a Poliquin video); was absolutely shocked at how poorly my pullup strength transferred.

Haven’t done a weighted pullup since. Mind muscle is king for this exercise imo. For normal humans of course.

Tangentially, noticed a guy at my gym (doctor dude, keeps track of everything in a little book, does all the “right” exercises) watch me doing pullups, drop the dumbbell between the feet pullups he’d been doing, and go to bodyweight only pullups. I’m soooo tempted to tell him to vary the angles of pull, use the mmc etc. but I just can’t bring myself to be “that guy” lol.

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I have never been able to touch my sternum to the bar on a pullup unless I was doing a muscle up. My arms and forearms are long, my shoulders are narrow, my torso is flat and, what is more probable, I don’t really want to badly enough.

But if you can do it, I certainly can and do admire that.

Hah. Sorry to misspeak. No way I can actually touch my sternum yet (long arms also); but I’m getting closer…theoretically it’s possible, as long as you can touch the bar to your chest when benching?

I was only speaking of “intent”, sorta like trying to lift a heavy weight “fast”. Trying to pull towards different parts of the chest area (helps the brain) work the back muscles a lot better than just trying to get the chin over the bar is my main point I guess.

Wrt engaging the lat, have you tried (in your head) supinating your hand (especially squeezing the pinky)? I know I can’t seem to engage my left lat doing dumbbell rows unless I use a supinated grip plus a different angle of pull. (yes, I do right rows mostly pronated and left rows mostly supinated lol)

Or, if you can deadlift with a mixed grip, why can’t you do it with a “pullup”?

1 Like

Good points. Intent often does make the difference.

I’m supinating the right hand on my top DL sets precisely in an attempt to engage the lat. I should do it for all sets.

It might do something similar on pullups. I wonder if I might end up twisting a bit though.

2018-12-21
Warmup 10 min

Snatch
95 5x2
105x2

1 Arm DB Press
50x5
60x3
70 3x3

1 Arm DB Row (unsupported)
115x3 (no glasses, couldn’t read the number. Thought it was 85)
95 3x6

Deficit DL
135x3
225x3
275x3
325x2
365 3x1
325x3

Hammer curls
50’sx5
45’sx5,8

I was low energy today. This was all really hard. I am momentarily discouraged. Probably because short on sleep last two days.

1 Like

Catch up physically on rest,food, hydration. Keep training. A little bit every session adds up over time. Some training days are better than others.

1 Like

2018-12-23
W/U 10 min

OHP
95x5
115x5
135x3
142.5 3,3,5

Pendlay Row
187.5 3x6

SQ
135x5
165x4
195x3
225x3
255x3
265x3
275 3x3
225 x 5 (3 count pause at bottom)

Close Grip Bench
167.5 3x5

Neutral Grip Pullup
47.5 3x3

Good session. Nothing particularly difficult, which was what I was aiming for. Clee was correct.

Went to different gym where there is no safety squat bar. Looks like the differential between SSB and straight bar is about 30 lbs…for me, currently.

2 Likes

2018-12-26

W/U 10 min

INcline BP
barx15
115x5
135x3
155x3
167.5 3x3

DL Row
135x5
175x5
205x5
225 3x5

Sumo DL
135x3
225x3
320 3x3

AB Wheel rollouts (knees)
3x10

Curl Bar Curls
35+2.5/Side 2x5, 1x8

Face Pulls
50 3x15

Hamstring Curls
80 2x8 (3 count negative)

1 Like

Nice work.

Thanks. I’m just going to keep titrating up the poundage by 2.5 on upper body and 5 lbs on lower body on the main movements each 4-session cycle. That way total volume doesn’t go up too fast and crush me. If I go stale on a movement I’ll switch it out, but given the episodic distance, I shouldn’t need to do that for quite a while.

Smart.
I’m a fan of the 1&1/4 lb plate myself.
Programming your own training is fun.

1 Like

Someone brought honeyed holiday ham, salami and various cheeses to work today for everyone.

Loading up my plate.

Ain’t nobody else gettin’ none of it.