T Nation

I Lift for Sanity

#1

I've been lurking around this site for a while and finally decided to start a log. Right now I'm lifting with a set up of a barbell squat rack, dbs, and pullup bar in my living room, so my workouts are simple.

Last night I did:
Deadlift:
115x5
135x5
165x5x3
185x5x6

GHR (putting my feet under my couch and having my lifting friend sit on it- you have to get creative)
5x5

Pullups
15lbs added to my bodyweight (db between the legs)
5x5

This morning I did the short yoga program in "Yoga: yoga, tantra and meditation in daily life" by Swami Janakanada and a loving kindness meditation. This particular sequence and meditation really open up the hip flexors, make your back feel straighter than it's ever been, and cut workout recovery time by quite a bit. IMO, lifting and yoga/meditation are the best combination in terms of feeling mentally ontop of life; my patience and happiness are always maximized when I eat right and give myself time to do those things.

In terms of goals, I'd like to hit a 215lb deadlift and a 185lb squat within a few months. I am currently at a 205x3 deadlift and a 175lbx5 squat. I haven't benched in a while because I don't have a bench right now, but my push press is at 95lbs.

#2

Today I entered the workout feeling a bit sad and lonely, as I just broke things off with a guy. It wasn’t a good match over all, and I feel more productive not being involved, but there was still an element of “I wish someone was here” in an abstract sense. That probably doesn’t make sense.

I did have a lifting partner, and I think that helped. She’s a friend that I’ve been teaching some of the basics of lifting. Mostly we just laugh at sex jokes when we can breath. That helped a lot. About halfway through the workout, I was still feeling depressed, but by the end I felt(feel) fantastic.

Tonight I did:
warm-up
snatch-grip squats (I am mind-blanking on the name for this)
45x10
55x10
65x10
75x10

standing OHP
65x5
75lbsx5repsx9sets

Pushups
20
20
20
17
13 (fail!)

Bent-over BB row
85x5
95x5
105x5
115x5
115x5 The last time I did this exercise I tweaked an old injury, so I felt pretty risky trying it again. My back has been good for the last 6 months (since I started doing the yoga program and meditating). It felt good during the exercise, and 115 was flying up just fine, but I was too nervous to increase.

I cooled down with the short yoga program, which is basically a lot of inversions and stretching. My back feels great right now.

#3

Nearly forgot- my diet is pretty simple. Today I ate 4 eggs fried in coconut oil and a baked sweet potato (plain. They taste great on their own.) for breakfast, brown rice and a baked chicken leg for lunch, and a spaghetti-like sauce with about a cup of oregano, chives, and sage from the garden mixed with ground turkey over more brown rice for dinner. I also snacked on a bunch of broccoli leaves and lambs-quarter while I was watering my plants.

I’ve found that it’s easiest to make up a huge batch of rice and a huge batch of baked chicken and just eat on it til it’s gone. I don’t even try to make meals up individually ahead of time anymore- instead I just pack a piece of meat and a scoop of rice every morning when I head off to work.

This actually saves a lot of money compared to not eating clean if you buy bulk, fatty cuts of chicken and bulk rice and lentils.