Sunday - 18 July 2021 Workout: Extra conditioning, 1110-1135 (25 minutes)
100 1-pump burpees + air squats - 15x10, E2MO2M
Got these in, no longer fasted. Did 1 rep of each move back-to-back and repeated 15 times in each round for 10 rounds, every two minutes on the top of each two-minute period. Boiled down to about 30-40 seconds of rest between rounds, so I can reduce that to push these forward over the long run. Regardless, today’s rounds left me lying in a small pond of sweat by the end—just what the doctor ordered.
@Bagsy - I have a question for which you might know the answer (though I welcome input from anyone): if I’m feeling a bit of strain in my lower back during standing ab rollouts, does that indicate I’m going too far out? Or is that actually indicating my core is just plain weak?
I was experimenting with a ramp setup for these, and while I was actually able to get some decent reps, I was surprised to feel them in my lower back when I was out pretty flat.
Because I can’t even do a standing rep myself (I’d like to find a ramp to help achieve this), I doubt my words will be very useful. I’ve never experienced low back pain during rollouts.
Maybe you should post a video of some reps. The first thing I would ask is if you are bracing as if you were squatting or deadlifting. If not, you might be shifting at least some of the stress to your lower back.
I also tried propping it across my bar, racked at an appropriate height, and that worked just fine too. You might be able to rig up something similar without too much effort.
I had the 2x6 on hand, but they’re running about $15 at my local Lowe’s home improvement store—not too expensive, especially considering the cost of lumber these days.
I’ll see if I can grab some videos next time I try these. My phone sucks, but you’re right: a video is really the only way to get some form-check feedback!
Probably not—definitely a good thing to double-check, and straightforward to correct if I actually find that I’m not giving it the right attention.
Kept the pace up, made it through with 7 supplemental sets (and corresponding assistance) in the same time it took to do 5 sets last week. Press was moving well throughout. Chose BB curls for the extra assistance; used short BB for these, weighs 30 lbs.
Pull-ups suffered today, hit failure several times and had to finish off one additional rep. But got 56 reps across chins/pulls in 5 mini-sets. Not sure how best to push those forward, so I’ll just keep at it.
If yesterday’s pump was wicked, then today’s is skin-splitting: pecs feel like they’re bulletproof, and my triceps are so full I can’t straighten my arms.
Today’s squat workout went much better than last week’s: got everything in (but just barely), completed all the dips in the second set this time, pull-ups/chin-ups kicked my butt, push-ups left me breathless, and the pushdowns left me swollen. Squats themselves were tough, but clean and smooth.
Sled push later; it’s 82 F and full sun, so, yeah, that’ll be a ton of fun.
Weighted vest walk - 16 kg - 14 minutes (to park)
Easy run - 9 laps, about 1750m - 9:39
Weighted vest walk - 16 kg - 15 minutes (from park)
SL CR - mtor - L/R - 20x6, 25x6 | 30x6 + isofail: 26s
Jump rope tabata - 8x20/10 - 2 rounds, 2 minutes rest between
Fasted. Wanted to push the run this morning, and I did. In fact, I’m 99% sure that time is actually for 10 laps: I lost count on either the 4th or 5th lap, so I called it the 4th just to be safe. The run felt fast either way, and I’m happy with the time even if it was actually just 9 laps.
Wednesday - 21 July 2021 Workout: Extra conditioning, 1040-1115 (35 minutes)
150 1-pump burpees - 3x50, 50-second rest between
50-second rest
150 1-pump burpees - 5x30, 30-second rest between
No longer fasted—casein shake and literally 1-spoonful of plain Greek yogurt while getting my daughter’s breakfast together.
Only had 150 burpees slated for today, but my inner whiny teenage girl thinks all the food is starting to catch up with me: for the past few days, I would swear my love handles are bigger.
Hopefully it’s just that body dysmorphia @Cyrrex, @simo74, and @dagill2 were discussing over here. Anyway, more conditioning may or may not be the answer, but when my mind starts to wander, there’s nothing like some hard work to bring things back into focus—at least for a little while.
I may regret this tomorrow, which means I’ll learn my lesson and never again sacrifice tomorrow’s work for today’s ego. More likely, however, I’ll find I’ve actually got more capacity, in which case I’ll likely ramp things up in the days and weeks ahead.
Crushed that one! Bench was downright easy today, the rest was typical. Added upright rows as the new assistance move, got the weight just right first time: hard with a burn in the last few reps, but not too hard or grindy.
Yesterday’s 150 extra burpees definitely didn’t impact my bench, but my quads were a bit tired—could be left over from Tuesday’s squats, but more likely that’s where I was feeling the extra burpees. Feels like I can handle some additional reps, regardless; time will become the issue sooner than anything else, I think.
Speaking of which, (at least) 150 burpees to follow at some point later today.
