Nordic Blood: Climbing And Lifting / Lifting And Climbing

[Bagsy]

@Voxel

I think I’ve been silent about life-stuff for a while, which is really the main benefit I find that these logs have. I believe that’s why we show up in one another’s logs, because we care about the person more than their training. That’s also where I’ve derived the most value personally, and learned the most from others.

Oh, for sure. I enjoy reading how people “fit in” (I use this term because training is a priority for most people here rather than an afterthought) this stuff on top of whatever they face in life. Also, I can’t speak for others, but I can’t talk about this stuff with anyone I encounter offline. Like for any hobby, having a community is great.

@Voxel

This year has been a can of worms, that I’m dying to speak out about, but I’m conflicted. I know I’m anonymous enough here that in practice I’m confident I could share all that has happened to the extent that I feel that I’d need to, for me, and to accurately portray all that has transpired.

However, I promised I’d keep my mouth shut until the wheels of justice have turned as that happens to be the level that it is at.

And a promise is a promise.

No shame. It’s good to reflect on what you do or do not want to share, as I find that most people today do not think about that at all.

@Voxel

In a similar way, I’m torn about other things that I’d like to share when other people’s actions have been fueled by the bad things that have happened to them — who am I to share their story? Because, if I just say what they did to me without context it just becomes “asshole, cut them out of your life” but with the background it becomes gray.

Yeah, it’s difficult when people don’t know the full context, which always seems the case on the Internet when sharing things with stranger.

[Voxel]

2021-11-21

Front squat 3x8,8,6+4@65,70,65
The plus 4 was after adding a belt

Deadlift 3x8 120

Linear Hack Press 3x10@+20 (1)

Lying leg curl 40-30-5 method

Walking lunges 3x10,10,9/L @ SSB+7.5

Conditioning (5 rounds, 17:52)
10 TGUs w 12kg KB
5 Burpees

Abs during workout
3 sets of garhammer raises
3 sets of full contact twist

Tried Abwheel but elbow wouldn’t have it

[Voxel]

@Koestrizer did you give this any thought or are you maybe too sick? I know it is a tough topic, so I just wanted to check-in with you and get a pulse for if you are okay/not.

[Koestrizer]

Ah man I’m so sorry. I simply forgot to answer. Sorry, I’ll get back to it tomorrow or later today.

[Voxel]

2021-11-22

AM: Morning run, Just Run, Whichever Week, Whichever Day. Set a new PR, again!

MP:
Ramp to 3 RM @ 52 Kilos (PR)
ss: hammer strength rowing thing, grips various, 4x7 (12s, 10s, 8s,…0s) pause.

Seated Cable Row Upper Back emphasis
ss: DB Savickas Press, weights various, aiming for 45-1m work

Ring Dips 5 sets
ss: Face Pulls (3 sets), Rear Delt thing 3 sets

Shrugs 4xAMRAP 4s pause at the top

Triceps felt fried already, could not repeat my previous dip performance.

PRs aside, I felt kinda underpowered? Probably doing too much. Will scale volume on upper-body sessions because of that, but also for other reasons — will post more on that later.

[throwawayfitness]

@Voxel

Set a new PR,

nice work

[Voxel]

2021-11-23

Didn’t manage to sleep, it’s been a while since I had a rest day so rest-day.

Took a walk around a local lake, 90 minutes, with the vest. Centurion loading.

Ordinarily this’d be a climbing day.

Hangboarding
20mm edge
-8kg open-hand, 7 second hang, 2 minute rest, 4 sets
-14kg half-crimp, 7 second hang, 2 minute rest, 4 sets
-24kg two-finger pocket (middle/ring), 7 second hand, 2 minute rest, 4 sets.

Elbow Rehab (morning/afternoon, minimum 6hrs between)
2x5s 90- and 140-deg arm angle, for pronated and supinated grip, 10-20s rest
3x5s 90- and 140-deg arm angle and neutral grip, 10-20s rest

2 sets of to failure hangs (aiming for failure at 30-45s — was on the lower end) neutral grip
BW + 16kg

2 sets of to failure hangs (aiming for failure at 30-45s — was on the lower end) pronated grip
BW + 16kg

[Voxel]

2021-11-24

Wednesday

AM: Ran, Just Run Week Whatever, Day Whatever. Week 6, I guess. 22 minutes, 4.9km.

PM: Went and did abs for 45m-1hr

2021-11-25

AM: Bouldering session. Warm-up was

Elbow Rehab (morning)
2x5s 90- and 140-deg arm angle, for pronated and supinated grip, 10-20s rest
3x5s 90- and 140-deg arm angle and neutral grip, 10-20s rest

2 sets of to failure hangs (aiming for failure at 30-45s — was on the lower end but better than last time) neutral grip
BW + 16kg

2 sets of to failure hangs (aiming for failure at 30-45s — was on the lower end but better than last time) pronated grip
BW + 16kg

PM: Upper body
4 sets of log press @ 50 kilo. Tangent previous rep performance but quality was better
1 6-8-10 drop-set (or tried at least). Started at 45, but taking away 25% at each drop is impossible given that the log weighs 30. Got some volume in though.

Did the isometric hangs simultaneously. Going to failure 2x4 times in a day on isometric hangs is taxing. Wonder if it is sustainable alongside my gym schedule.

The 5 sets of dips and 5 set of horizontal rows (various) with Fat Gripz!

Bis and tris, 3 sets to failure

Shoulder finisher (growth factor shoulder training thingamajig)

[Voxel]

Mentally, I’m pretty beat. I gave @Koestrizer a crude timeline of my year and he gave my experiences some legitimacy by saying that it was some of the most horrible shit he’s read. So today I’m very grateful for him, and that he is around to share his words.

[Koestrizer]

You make me blush, my friend. I’m always happy to be there for you!

[Voxel]

2021-11-26

Accidentally did a rehab session for elbows this morning but today was supposed to be a rest day

Semi-active day (14k+ steps)

Lower Body

Was somewhat destroyed from some life-stuff that happened yesterday. Felt nags and niggles throughout my body. Popping fingers etc. Had a tough time getting warm / felt cold and sweaty simultaneously. Felt spent from lifting in a way that had me call another audible on conditioning.

Front Squat, ramp to 3 reps at 90kg
Back-off 3x5 at 80kg

Both were tough

3x6 @ 120 sumo deadlift

2x20 Hack Squat
8@120, 12@100, 15@80 Hip-thrust

3x12 Single Leg KB RDL

3 sets of standing calf raises to failure

---

Doing both hinge and squat movements in the same workout is killing me. I find it harder to get the volume over the week right than going lift-specific for lower-body specifically. For upper-body pressing I don’t have the same problem. Just do 5 sets of overhead, 5 sets of horizontal → sweet spot of 9-12 sets per week accomplished.

But, for lower, which goes,

Squat
Deadlift
Quad-dominant
Hip-dominant
Uni-lateral
Calves

I don’t get enough quality sets in on my main movements, or if I do I have to eat volume out of the supplemental.

Will go back to lift-specific lower body days. This just isn’t working for me right now. Might revisit another time.

[dagill2]

@Voxel

Will go back to lift-specific lower body days

I find that it depends what head space I’m in whether lift specific days or more general days work for me. If I’m feeling pretty excited and less disciplined, lift specific days are awesome. You can go in and crush a lot of solid work and walk out knowing you improved your lift. When I’m feeling more disciplined, I find more general days fit the bill better. I can stick to a more rigid plan l, which fits so much better with this style of training.

[Voxel]

2021-11-27

AM: Lead-climbing and elbow rehab

PM: Will hangboard!

---

I’ve been listening a lot to Dave Tate’s Table Talk recently and I’m getting a lot out of it. Especially with regards to his stories about how he functions, and what motivates him to train and so forth. When he was talking about being given a program by John Meadows as he was bodybuilding and he just goes “Fuck you, you can’t tell me what to do”, I can somewhat relate to that as I’d say the percentage for how often I’ve been able to follow a program to a tee is about 5% and that’s just for a few sessions if even one. And second, becoming bored. That, if every set is the same and nothing changes it just doesn’t go. Hard relate on that.

[dagill2]

I’m a big fan of Dave Tate, despite having practically no interest in powerlifting as a sport.

[hustlinghat93]

Love me some of Dave Tate… I remember listing to his seminar about Training Accessory Movements (can be found on youtube) and taking so much from it.
Might have to add his podcast to my current list

[Voxel]

I’d like to share something I took the effort to transcribe because I found it worth having available in text,

This story is something that I was working with a woman years ago and as part of her healing she wrote this story that was very much about her own process, so this is something she wrote. And in it, she was seven years old and she describes hiding in a closet and being terrified after an unexpected attack by her drunk and enraged father.

And the little girl in the story is praying. The little girl is saying, “Help, I can’t take it anymore.” And then the little girl opens her eyes and sees a fairy in a haze of blue with a glittering wand.

And she lets the fairy know how her father has been beating her and her mother doesn’t help and how she feels like they both wish she was dead. And the fairy listens with tears in her eyes and then tells her that while she can’t make all the pain and fear disappear, she can help her get through this time, she can help her forget, and then remember later when she is able to handle it.

And with the wave of the wand the good fairy said, “I’m going to send things into different parts of your body and they’re going to hold them for you until you feel strong enough to let them move freely again.” And she explained that she is going to tighten and dull the little girl’s pelvis and belly and she is going to constrict her heart and her throat and protect her from feeling the raw intensity of the hurt and the fear and the broken heartedness.

She said, “You’ll have trouble feeling and being close to people, but it will be your way of surviving. And at those times when the pain erupts, you’ll find your own ways to control it, ways that may not look good to the world that you may judge yourself, but they’ll be of temporary comfort. And you, my darling, will be a fairly functional being in spite of all this because you have a strong mind, and you can hold this all in. And I will be helping you.”

The child looked directly into the fairy’s eyes and asked, “How will you help? Will you come back to see me?”

"You’ll not forget everything. I will leave a voice inside you that will urge you to reconnect with your whole self. It may be a very long process but in time you’ll feel an urgent calling to step out of imprisoning beliefs, to unwind your body and release what it has been holding all these years.

You will learn the art of sacred presence. There will be physical and emotional pain as you open but you’ll have what you need – the compassion and wisdom, the support of loving others – to be a whole person, spiritually awake but still the same.

This is because your soul has always been there just hidden by the scars of this lifetime."

The good fairy put her arm around the child’s shoulders and gently lead her into bed. She waved her wand and stood by as the little girl finally relaxed into a deep sleep. She gazed tenderly at the small, innocent face and then whispered her goodbye.

“When you wake up you will forget I was here, you’ll forget you asked for help, you will forget the sharpness of your daily pain. This is the only way I know to get you through this.

You are a beautiful child. I love you and in fact your parents love you although they are incapable of showing it to you. You’ll have to love yourself enough to heal so that when you are older your life will be powerful, full, and free. One day you will know who you really are. You will trust your goodness and know your belonging.
Until then, and for always,

I love you.’”

Facing Fear in a Traumatized World, with Tara Brach

[Bagsy]

This was nice; I listened to more of the video beyond this excerpt.

If I may recommend a book, I read Tao of Fully Feeling by Pete Walker this year and found it helpful. You might like it (but you might not).

[Voxel]

2021-11-28

AM: Cardio
PM: Abs
3 sets of pull-downs
3 sets of serratus crunches
3 sets of almost cyclones/russian twists
3 sets of windshield wipers
3 sets of hanging leg raises supersetted with garhammer raises

Did som saxon bends and full-contact twists too!

2021-11-29

AM: Bouldering and elbow stuff
PM:

I did something fishy with my shoulder during the weekend when I tried doing ring push-ups with a vest. That was on Saturday I think. I’m still in pain (on the 30th). Skewed from normal reps therefore as I know that my shoulder can feel a bit unstable when I’m in this kind of pain

Elbow rehab weaved into the main work

Overhead Press (3 sets) 40 kg
6 s eccentric (2 reps)
3 s pauses at mid-point (2 reps)
normal reps (2 reps)

Seated Barbell Savickas Press 3 sets of 1.5 reps for 4-6 reps (go down, halfway up, back down, all the way up, that’s one 1.5 rep) ~30-35kg

Tried 30 deg incline, nope, ended up doing push-ups on parallettes using omni-contraction there too but
6 s eccentric (2 reps)
3 s pauses at mid-point (2 reps)
1.5 reps (2 reps)
normal reps (2 reps)

supersetted with lat pulldowns with a peak contraction

And then spider curls with an ez bar

EDIT: Also hangboarding!
-7kg open-hand, 7 second hang, 2 minute rest, 4 sets
-12kg half-crimp, 7 second hang, 2 minute rest, 4 sets
-22kg two-finger pocket (middle/ring), 7 second hand, 2 minute rest, 4 sets.

Pockets are gnarly, half-crimp seems like I could jump ahead quite abit but I won’t? Open-hand seems to be stalling. It’s tough, but bear in mind that I boulder in the morning so there is some residual fatigue there. Doesn’t take much to warm up for it tough although I wear fingerless gloves. On some days my apartment is cold. And the boulder hall is atrocious at the moment, way too cold. Then again, it went from being like 0C to -20C in a day or two so there is that.

2021-11-30

Alternating sets SSB squat and front squat. Omni-contraction style like above. 80 and 60 kilos respectively. 4 working sets total.

1.5 reps Zerchers. 4x4 at 60kg

Bulgarian Split Squats 3x8/leg w 40 kilos

Leg curls 2/1 method 3 sets

Farmer’s Walk 2 rounds, 1.5 times the length of the gym with handles loaded with 60kg each.

Conditioning, deck of doom. Tangent my best number of cards left I think

Then some stretching.

Dead and hungry! Already had a hamstring cramp typing this out.

[Voxel]

In other news the elbow thing seems to be helping a lot. I feel as if I’ve made more progress with the iso-hangs than the hundreds of wrist-curls I’ve done.

[Voxel]

You may recommend me books at anytime @Bagsy