95x8
105x5
120x5 set 1
135x5 set 2
155x6 set 3
105x10
105x10
105x10
105x10
105x10
Partner got 9 on the money set.
Lat PD
5 sets of 190x10
Curls
5 sets of 55x10
Facepulls
5 sets of 12
Notes:
I thought my lower abs were healed up but the strict pressing aggravated them again. They were fine all week. Need to get that healed up.
Felt weak today but I bounced two nights in a row and probably didn’t eat enough for being on my feet so much more than I’m accustomed to. I’m also running on about 9 hours of sleep in the last two nights. That said, 289 was nice to see on the scale with my strength more or less holding steady.
I definitely feel like I’m on a sustainable trajectory with not drinking, eating well and training hard. Volume should probably decrease at some point but what we’re doing now is working for both my partner and I.
My lower abs are definitely injured. I pushed too hard on strict press last week when they were hurting me. The pain is very bad when sitting up/getting out of bed. I was very cautious on squats today, which probably cost me a few reps, but they felt good and were controlled. First sign of ab pain on anything this week and I’m stopping the set.
Frankly I was thrilled to get a decent workout in today. I was worried all three of these movements would hurt too bad to do.
95x8
135x5
155x5
195x3 set 1
225x3 set 2
250x0 set 3
225x8 feet on bench
Supinated Barbell Row
135x10
185x10
185x10
185x10
185x10
DB Incline Bench Press
75x10
75x10
75x9
65x9
65x9
Notes:
My abs hurt on 225 so I skipped the money set on bench. I did a set of flat-back bench press with my feet on the bench to take my core out of it and that went well. Getting up was painful.
I forgot my shoes today and managed to get almost a full workout in before getting thrown out of the gym for working out in socks.
No lifting today. I’m going to the Dr’s to get my abs checked out. I need to rule out a hernia and figure out a recovery path that keeps me active.
I’m also several days past a full month without a drop of alcohol. I have no plans to crack one open anytime soon either. I just want to work on getting leaner.
I remember reading a Dan John article that suggested everyone should go one month without alcohol to prove to yourself that you aren’t an alcoholic, or something along those lines. Well I guess I’m not an alcoholic, which is a real relief. I’m just a guy who likes beer enough to drink it almost every day for over a decade.
Alcohol is a tricky thing for the “recreational athlete” (or even for the competitive athlete). Putting aside full-blown alcoholism - because I’m not nearly qualified to comment on that - for guys like us who like to lift, be strong, and generally would rather be somewhat leaner than we are now…it’s tough to balance enjoyment of some quality beverages with our physique goals. Of course we know deep down that optimal consumption for someone trying to lean out is “zero” but for those of us who genuinely enjoy a good beer/wine/whiskey, it may be a losing exchange to entirely forfeit that pleasure.
I’ve pretty much settled on “one or two drinks, one or two times a week” (basically, a cocktail on Friday at happy hour and maybe sharing a bottle of wine with my fiancee on Saturday) as a level where I can still enjoy the beverages without doing any significant damage to my training & physique goals. However, I am fully aware that acceptable level of consumption is different for different people, and that some are not easily able to have just one or two at a time.
I can joke about being a connoisseur, but by any objective measure I am an alcoholic. I think I just lucked out with genes in this particular area. It was almost all in my head. The only physical withdrawals I had were minor troubles getting to sleep the first few nights after stopping. I realize many people have a lot more difficulty with giving it up. I am thankful that I did not.
I drank so much for so long that I’m just not missing it in the least right now. I’m much more level, much more at-peace, much more productive and much happier since I’m making very good progress towards a major life goal. Being single has also dramatically simplified my life and freed me up to prioritize the things that are important to me.
The general plan right now is to enjoy the hell out of some beers on the first non-backpacking camping trip of the year. That’s not happening any time soon, but those are the times when I truly enjoy drinking beer. Getting a buzz and paddling down the river or floating on a lake underneath the summer sun is pretty freaking fantastic if you ask me, and I’m not about to give that up.
I suppose you could say I’ve been building up good habits for some time now and I just pulled the plug on the last aspect of my lifestyle that was holding me back. Not drinking still requires some effort, but all of the rest is nearly automatic at this point. I lift, I sleep, I shop, I cook, I clean, I plan ahead and I do all of this without thinking of it as hard or as a burdensome chore. It is just what I do now.
On a related note, I can accurately claim to have “beer muscles” at all times. Much of my calorie surplus was from beer as I was getting stronger. In fact, I’ve really changed very little about my food intake except taking out alcohol calories and being more consistent with good execution, especially on weekends.
So I have a sports hernia. I’m not sure if I need surgery yet or not. All things considered, I’m optimistic. I squatted 405x5 on it without any issues, which has to be a good sign.
I’ll know more later on this week but I’m just going to take things easy, do a lot of walking and stay away from lifting until more is known.
BW was 290 on the industrial scale in work clothes and steel toes, which should have me around 286 or so with my normal weigh-in attire.
Sounds like you’re on a good trajectory with not drinking. Congratulations on that! I have an (albeit small) umbilical hernia. Mine doesn’t hardly ever trouble me.
Thanks for the kind words kpsnap. I definitely feel like I’m on a much better trajectory than I was last year.
“Sports hernia” is a bit of a misnomer, as nothing is poking through my abdominal wall like most hernias. From what they could see on the ultrasound yesterday it looks like my left abdominal has a tear where it attaches to the pubic bone.
I still may need to go in for more imaging. I may even need surgery. I should know more soon. Once I consult with my doc I will resume whatever lifting I’m cleared for. I see no reason why this will limit me long-term.
For now its not a bad reason to rest up a little and get some stuff done outside the gym. I’ve been procrastinating a lot of less-than-critical tasks that still need to get done.
Kept everything really light. I tried tricep rope pulldowns or whatever you call them and that hurt, so I only did one. Overall I feel like I’m healing up but I’m just taking it easy until my surgical evaluation on the 11th.
Also, fat loss is pretty easy when I’m not sucking down beer. Meat + veggies + milk + nuts + eggs + protein powder is basically what I’ve been eating. Had a little rice today and some potato the other day, but otherwise keeping carbs very low. Sure, some junk food and beers would be nice, but I don’t find this stressful at all.
Cheated a bit this weekend but had a good time. No alcohol, just Five Guys and some other crap. I’m just going to do 3 full body pump workouts this week. Everything felt great today and the pain in my lower abs is gone. Taking it easy like this until next Monday’s evaluation.
Surgical evaluation went great. Cleared for lifting as long as I stop if it hurts. Tested the waters today, all systems go for squats. I’m going to take a similar approach for the rest of the week before hopping back on 5/3/1 next week.
My Dr. advised that I not compete in Central Maine Strongman. I was going to enter as a novice anyway, so I don’t think it will be too much. I’ll see how I feel over the next week and then make a call.
Glad to hear that your injury seems to be a mild hindrance at most. Squatting 455 would appear to be indicative that it shouldn’t slow you down too much.
Thanks AG. I was a bit sore in the lower abdominal area today but nothing alarming. I think squatting a pretty easy single at 455 is an even better indicator that my fat loss is on a good trajectory.
Tuesday 4/12/16
BW 284
Bench Press
95x10
135x5
155x5
185x5
225x5
245x6
Incline DB Bench
4 sets of 65x10
1 set of 65x8
Supinated BB Rows
1 set of 135x10
4 sets of 185x10
Lateral raises
5 sets of 10
Band pull-aparts
5 sets of many
Notes:
Pressing strength seems to be going down with weight loss, but I’m not sweating that too much. Overall very pleased with how things are going.
Notes: I’m really pleased at how easy 545 was. I donated blood yesterday and then bounced until 1:30, slept about 5 hours. No carbs in my system except for Plazma during workout.
I haven’t picked up the fifty pound kettlebell in quite a while. It felt like a toy after getting used to the 88.