What the hell is going on? I can’t believe it’s been 7 weeks already.
The irony 
heck yeah man… the journey continues but starts a new phase.
You’ll be back in action 100% before you know it.
CNS adaptation most likely…
Thanks, Mort!
To be fair, you were gone for half of this LOL
I went back to my usual branch of the YMCA and they had ALL NEW plates!!! The only problem is that there wasn’t a 25 lb plate in site. WTF? There were tons of 35’s though. Sooooo, loading 205 was way easier than 200, and all I needed was to add a pair of 5’s and 2.5’s for 220. It’s not as weird as it looks!
It feels slow but I realized this morning how far I’ve come. I got out of the shower and balanced on my left leg (the repaired one) as I dried off my right leg and foot. Then I switched. It dawned on me how just a few weeks ago I couldn’t even touch my left foot due to not being able to flex my hip.
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That explains it lol
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I don’t know who botched the order but they now have enough 35s to fill every bar. The only 25s I saw were the old plates and there were only a couple.
The downside to the new stuff is that they’re not round. They’re Iron Grip. I wasn’t able to tell if they are smaller than the bumpers. If not then there will be a lot of complaints from the deadlifters.
I really wish they’d allow me to buy their old stuff, but they won’t. I already checked.
Another plus is that they have DBs up to at least 120 (which I will use for rows). The old ones were missing their match. They only had one 110 and were missing the 90s or 95s.
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2.10.18
Woke at 221.2 lbs and this was with my flannel pajama pants + a shirt and socks. Strange considering I drank 6 ounces of rum last night and woke up thirsty as hell.
Yesterday’s Nutrition
3698 calories, 323g carbs, 137g fat, 222g protein.
Been high on fat for three days in a row now. I guess I’ll see if it affects me negatively or not. The first two days I ate queso; I’m not sure what did it yesterday.
I finished writing out my next cycle of Best Damn 5/3/1 as well as 12 weeks of CT’s Guaranteed Strength & Size program from ThibArmy. I only wish I could actually do the workout. I now have three different programs ready to go when I’m 100%: the full version of Best Damn 5/3/1, the 5/3/1 Full Body template I was running prior to surgery, and CT’s newish program. I’ve also been eyeballing @ActivitiesGuy’s Daily Dose program. So many options… I think the first step will be to pick a priority and it will probably end up being power cleans! I miss them so much…
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Power cleans? You are a glutton for punishment. I hate them. I do 3 sets of 15 once a week and they suck every time.
There’s your problem! I usually stick to singles and doubles and occasionally I might do some triples. My program calls for 12 sets of 1 the first week and eventually gets down to 6 sets of 1 over six weeks. I just try to get the total reps so I might do 4 x 3 on the first week. I’ve done it before and had good results. My PR when I started was 295 and the goal was 300. I stretched the six week program to 10 and hit 315 at the end. I haven’t focused on cleans in a while and was only able to do 275 lbs right before my surgery.
I’m a better puller than anything else. I catch the bar high in a quarter to half squat (which I why I call the power cleans instead of cleans). I can actually power clean more than I can front squat so you won’t see me doing the Olympic version of the lift.
Here’s my post where I shared some videos of my PR’s or close to it. Some young whipper snapper told me my clean form looked like a deadlift with some weird jump and a reverse curl. I posted it in CT’s forum and he said it looked pretty good. Granted, I’m an average Joe and not training for any comps but I’ll take his word over an internet teenager He is an Olympic lifter, after all.
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BD 5/3/1 W3 D6
WARM UP
Precor AMT 5 minutes—not feeling this today. I was looking at the timer less than a minute in… oh well.
REHAB
Monster walks, lateral walks, reverse clams, SL hip thrusts sprinkled throughout
PENDLAY ROWS (MYO)
135 x 8
135 x 8
135 x 13-6x3
I’ve never done these so thought I’d try them. I have been struggling to get any mind muscle connection out of rows lately due to my nerve pain and weakness. These weren’t so bad and they might find their way into my program in the future.
LAT PULL DOWN (mTor)
110 x 10
130 x 10
150 x 10 + 20 sec hang from pull up bar
Grip was my limiting factor here and for the rest of the workout. I’m thinking about buying some hooks.
LYING LEG CURL (mTor)
45 x 8 each
45 x 8 + 2 assisted (right leg)
45 x 5 + 5 assisted (left leg)
20 second DL iso hold
VOYER SHRUG
320 x 10
340 x 10
380 x 12
Grip again.
Skipped curls because I could barely grip my pen after this. I didn’t bring my straps today and I regretted it. I’ve been eyeballing those wrist wraps with the hooks for pulling. I’m on the fence because part of me thinks my grip needs work and will come along if I keep using it. The other part of me wants to get shit done for my back and traps and is tired of grip failing.
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I’ve had the opportunity to try hooks once, I didn’t like them at all, for them to offer any help I could not grab the bar sufficiently myself, did not like them at all
Then again, they were some low-quality hooks and I don’t even know how to use versa grips, so it might just be me
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There are a few that allow you to move the hook up and down to fit your hand better. On my slow eccentric sets I wouldn’t mind letting go with my fingers and just letting the wraps hold on.
If you do buy them definitely get the higher quality stuff then, I felt like I had duct taped hooks from coat hangers to my wrists
If they do work they could be a really good tool for feeling your back working better
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I found some reviews and comparisons online including a pro and con section for various types. Some are even rated for deadlifts (up to 600 lbs total).
2.11.18
Woke at 221.0 lbs
Yesterday’s Nutrition
3841 calories, 369 carbs, 173 fat, 237g protein.
I was starving yesterday afternoon and I didn’t eat great even I got home. Queso & chips plus a PB & J for dinner. I’m over again today thanks to three donuts I ate at work.
Best Damn 5/3/1 W4 D1
(I didn’t change my TMs for bench and OHP)
SMITH SPLIT SQUATS (mTor)
25 x 8
35 x 8
55 x 12
Didn’t go to failure but did the same work with both legs.
INCLINE (MYO)
135 x 10 x 2 sets
155 x 13-3-3-2
HAMMER BENCH (mTor)
90 x 8 x 2
90 x 12 + 20 sec stretch
CABLE LATERAL RAISE (mTor)
10 x 10 x 2
10 x 12
LEG PRESS (L LEG ONLY)
80 x 15 x 2
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2.12.18
Woke at 219.2 lbs… soooo if I overeat and it’s mostly extra fat then I lose weight??? I won’t be surprised if I gain four pounds for tomorrow’s weigh-in. Can’t trust the scale and eating day to day… the body is too complex.
Yesterday’s Nutrition
3627 calories, 412g carbs, 134g fat, 225g protein.
Training will be at the worst hour possible again today. The kids are finally healthy but my wife insisted that I keep them in the house for a few more days to let their immune systems recover. My wife has had really bad luck. She had some infection or illness prior to the influenza type A that showed up last week. The flu cleared up and she had/got a secondary infection. She went to the ER Saturday night because she couldn’t breathe. Now she’s on an antibiotic that treats damn near everything along with prednisone. Hopefully she gets some relief soon. That poor woman hasn’t felt normal in over four months (when her asthma made its comeback).
She was just getting back to a good training place when the asthma returned in September/October. She likes to run marathons and do 20+ mile runs every weekend and she was finally starting to feel like she was in shape for the first time since having our son in June of 2016. She was cruising at the 3 hr 30 minute pace during her October marathon (which would’ve qualified her for Boston) before her asthma shut her down.
I feel terrible for her. I’d gladly deal with complications with my hip if it meant she could get back to normal.
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Alright, @danteism, here’s my before pics of my quads. I was going to take pics at my usual place and time (bedroom first thing in the morning) but I’m feeling lazy.
These are from yesterday afternoon after my workout.
Relaxed
Flexed (in case you couldn’t tell)
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Decided to give these a shot. I’ve copied the text from a review I found at kickasshomegym.com.
Grip Power Pads Pro Lifting Hooks
These weight lifting hooks cost a bit more, but the price is reflected in the quality. The materials hold up really well. Even the padding on the steel hook doesn’t wear down with heavy use, so the hooks remain comfortable.
The Pro lifting hooks would be the best if they only had adjustable hook lengths. Now, you can’t move the hook further or closer to your palm, so they might be uncomfortable for some hand sizes.
Features:
Wrist Size: Fully adjustable to 17.5 inches
Hook: Solid steel with padding
Wrist Strap: 2-inch neoprene
Rating: 600lbs
Adjustable Hook Position: No
Reversible: No
Pros
Good pull rating
Solid hook is comfortable in the hand
Quality materials = durable product
Cons
Hook distance can’t be adjusted
It’s not really all that bad, an untrained eye would miss it, but nevertheless it’ll be interesting to see how fast the size comes back
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