Coming Back From the Dead

Bigger Stronger Leaner Over 35 Lifter
821

Monday after workout was just exhausted. Came home from class, flopped down on bed and napped. For 3 hours. Got up, ate, checked email, then went back to bed. Slept super soundly for about 10 hours. Weirdly, the nap relaxed me enough to sleep. Have been sleeping really erratically for as long as can remember, take a nap now and then, but not nearly as often as should. Woke up feeling . . . pretty good, really. Aches & pains almost gone. But how was strength? Got out the band and did pullaparts. Was stronger. Not much, but definite. Really perked me up.

Tuesday night slept like a baby again - didn’t even go to the bathroom!! Today feeling pretty good.

So how will that translate into workout? Will do deadlift. Must not overtrain. If energy left over, do something more.

Deadlift
115 x 8 easy
185 x 15
easy peasy. Took a couple of breaths, was fine.

Cybex Ab
110 x 8 hmm, had to pause a bit
105 x 8 also tough, but still feel fresh

OH press
25 x 10
55 x 20
piece of cake.

I have hope.

822

hope is good!

823

Weird workout.

Squat
95 x 8 go up just a tad
155 x 15 wow, this was hard, couldn’t even get all the way down
155 x 5
155 x 5 just angry, kept knocking out reps, slow going

Bench
65 x 10
105 x 17 this went pretty good, only the last one or two started slowing a bit

Bar Row
75 x 10
115 x 12 failure - wait - FAILURE??? that can’t be
115 x 5 FAILURE I don’t accept that

junky workout

824

The bar row is a tricky beast. I used to emphasize biceps too much and it irritated my elbow. One has to think of the movement pattern as moving my elbows back and above my hips.

No, that wasn’t a junky workout, this is a junky workout:

825

I missed that episode. Ha chasing the dragon. He said junky not junkie :stuck_out_tongue:

Anyway Cav sounds like your body likes a good night’s sleep.

826

Crushed, that’s creepy. (I hate needles.)

Techno, I may spend time in bed, but if sleep isn’t sound, it’s pretty useless.

Continue on my quest to keep workouts from burning me out, no PL moves today:

Icarian squat machine (plate loading)
0 x 10
90 x 12
180 x 12
270 x 12
360 x 10

didn’t go all the way down, but had some DOMS from last time which only kicks in when I squat ATG. Meaning? I squatted lower than I thought?

Dips
x 1 1/2 still can’t really do them

Incline DB press
40 x 15 slight rest pause, but good
40 x 10

Cybex row
90 x 15
90 x 15

Icarian dip machine
100 x 20
120 x 15

827

Not looking forward to today - it’s deadlift day. But need to see if I’m making progress.

Deadlift (sumo)
115 x 8
195 x 15 pretty good, a little rest pause, but kept hands on bar. think I’ll try another set
195 x 10 no rest pause, rammed through them

Cybex crunch
105 x 16
110 x 12
big improvement over last time

Want to work arms, maybe upper back - curls? rows? why not bar row?

Bar row
95 x 15
oh, that’s why - lower back did NOT like that. well hell, it’s back day
115 x 8
115 x 10
bleah. well, that’s plenty of work anyway.

828

Careful high rep deads have been known to make you sexy! Nice job Cav…15 reps set of deads is workin’ it

829

Hey Goat, thanks for dropping by.

Hmm . . . that might explain why that one lady student has been so VERY attentive during my lectures . . .

830

[quote]cavalier wrote:
Hmm . . . that might explain why that one lady student has been so VERY attentive during my lectures . . .[/quote]
You know the rule, right?

Your age, divided by two, plus seven. No younger than that.

831

I don’t know her age, and if I did, I couldn’t reveal it. But I do know she’s not fresh out of high school.

832

Seemed good and recovered from deadlifts Wed. Seems I was wrong.

Squat
95 x 8 seems good, ready for 155 x 20, but first will check with 135.
135 x 14 started to get rough, so will make this the 20 repper - but before the end, HACK, RETCH, CHOKE. What the hell?

pretty angry at that. Rest, then take another stab at it.
135 x 15 a little better, but still ran out of juice. Really, really PO’d. Take weight done, do squats but only in low position - bottom to half way, down and repeat.

95 x 10 that’s it, I racked it, flung myself over the bar and just gagged for half a minute.

Bench
65 x 8 easy. Can I beat my previous record of 105 x 17?
105 x 18 started easy, suddenly got hard, the last couple reps my body was murder, breathing, but nearly vomited from the strain.

I can’t take this. Everyone keeps telling me how easy it is to get strong. Well, I will MAKE it happen.

135 x 4 wow, was this tough. Do it AGAIN.
135 x 3 every one a grinder. whole body shaking.

take weight down. Do speed reps
95 x 6 hit failure. Bar suddenly froze in mid-air, all my effort couldn’t budge it. Had to rest it on my chest for a moment, then got it up.

Rest for a bit. Need to work triceps.

Icarian dip machine
120 x 12 worse than last time. I’m worn out. Will push to the limit.
120 x 8 total failure. Grips suddenly stopped in mid-air, I gave it 200%, still nothing. Eventually got it moving - slowly.

End workout. Slugged down protein drink. Go out to car. Break into tears. That’s how hard I push it.

833

I missed Sunday’s workout, partly because I had to work on an exam for school, partly to recover. Absolutely stressed to the breaking point.

Clearly, this hi rep stuff is just burying me. I dug up my old logs from some years back. I’ve been squatting for many, many years, but in 2009 video’d myself and discovered I was horribly high. Had to relearn to go deep. So started all over. Took a broomstick and squatted to a box. Kept at it. Worked muscles I hadn’t worked before. After 3 months, managed to get up to 135 lbs deep for a few reps. It’s the fastest I’ve ever gained.

So will adapt that and see if I can repeat it. Assuming I haven’t hit my genetic limit.

Deadlift
135 x 8
185 x 5
205 x 3
205 x 3
205 x 3
205 x 3
225 x 2
225 x 2
whew, this was a little tougher than I expected. 225 felt heavier than it should. Got a splitting headached halfway through all this, concentrated on calming down, seemed to help.

Cybex crunch
105 x 7
110 x 5
110 x 5
120 x 3
120 x 3
120 x 1 FAILURE whoa, sure didn’t expect that, body just screeched to a halt.

Arm curl
45 x 8
55 x 5
55 x 5
55 x 5
55 x 5
55 x 5

Will this do me any good? Heaven only knows.

834

Don’t know about you, but yes anytime I have a headache during a workout is because I’ve been stressed. Had a bad one last week while in the gym, it’s no fun. In one way I need to give myself time to get relaxed and focused in the gym, in another way so much to do that I need to get out of the gym in time though. The beat goes on as they say.

835

Techno, I’m definitely stressed these days. Slight dryness in the throat, sure sign I’m on the verge of a cold. Keeping protein up, vitamins up, sleep.

OK. Going back to my (semi) old system of squats one day, bench the next, deads the next. Except gym will be closed Easter. So will do squatting and bench today. Take . . . it . . . easy.

Squat
95 x 8
135 x 5
155 x 3
155 x 3
175 x 1

hmm - form was really good, now that I wasn’t pushing for marathon sets. Felt a lot better.

Bench
45 x 10
75 x 8
95 x 5
125 x 3
135 x 2
had intended just 1 rep for 135, but felt good and controlled, so did a double.

Want to do something for arms - god, arms are so thin.
Tri rope extension
40 x 12
60 x 8
60 x 8
60 x 8 these were done very slow and controlled, really felt it.

hmm. first workout in a while I actually felt better after than before.

836

[quote] first workout in a while I actually felt better after than before.
[/quote]

i feel you man, my recovery really hasn’t been there lately.

837

Got some strange aches in the torso over the past few days. DOMS? Sprain? Not sure, pain is there when I lie down. Yesterday, wham. It felt like knifes stabbing me. Screamed from the pain.

So today I took a deep breath and headed to the ER. They poked me, prodded, took urine, took blood, X-rays, ultrasound, the works. Conclusion: gall bladder is fine, no stones. Nothing apparently wrong. Apparently muscle spasms. So they gave me a prescription for pain pills and sent me on my way.

I feel like someone’s pounded me with baseball bats.

And that’s how I spent my Easter.

838

Been a few days. Pills helped me get some good sleep. Pain going away on its own. A twinge now and then, mostly when I think about something stressful. Seems pretty clear stress was the main contributor.

It’s happened before. Landed in the ER three times before with terrifying and painful symptoms, each time benign. In the past 15 years. Had suspected that might be the case this time, but didn’t want to take the chance. Now looking forward to endless bills.

So didn’t workout today. May take a while. Getting better, but won’t even look at a weight until I know everything’s healed up.

Had to take the car into the shop AGAIN cuz the air conditioner’s on the fritz. Just what I need with summer coming. They quoted me $900 to fix it. Are they kidding??? Surely someone else can get me a better price. If not, I’m sweating this summer.

Still don’t know if I’m getting signed up for any classes next semester.

839

Oo poor Cav. Yeah best to rest up until you can go at it again with the weights. Hope you get some good news for next semester soon. Constant stress does weird things to the body, or well just plain fucks with you.

840

get well soon.