Silver and Steel

Holiday? What’s a holiday?

Is that time when you’re supposed to be off work😂

Bar Christmas Day, I’ve been at it full stop mate. Hunter gatherer mode has kicked in hard over the festivities.

How about you buddy?

It was pretty solid! I turned off my work phone/ emails for 2 straight weeks, and just hung out with my kids (who, of course, got sick). Just got back on today. I asked some questions of you smart folks on here and started moving forward with lifting again, which I really enjoy.

You’re in the home stretch, man! It’s going to be stressful, but super fun!

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Packed gym today!

Limber 11 (or 10…)

One-arm Supinated Pulldown
Some warm-ups
60/10 x 4

Deadlift
135/5
225/5
315/6 x 4

C/S Row
2 plates/8
2p + 25/8 x 4

Lat Pull-down
Long stretch every rep
100/8
110/8
120/8
130/8

Weighted Hang
45/~45 seconds

Hanging Leg Raise
4 sets of 10

Calf Raise Machine
4 sets of 10 reps + 10 partials + 10-second stretch

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Chest and Shoulders today

Limber 10.5

DB Incline
30/15
50/12
65/10
75/10
85/10
90/10

BB Incline
135/8
165/8
175/8
185/8
195/8

Machine Kinda Like a Smith - Slight Incline Press
1p/6
1p + 25/6
2p/6
2p + 25/6
2p + 25/5 → 2p/6 → 1p + 25/8

Dips
4 sets with a slow negative and hold on the stretch each rep

DB Side Raise
15/10
25/10 x 5

Rear Delt Destroyer
50/60
25/30
12/10

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??? Which one are you skipping?

Is it the one that allows the slide/bar to move forward and backward?

I don’t even attempt the Cossack Squat

No, but I like those; my brain also can’t figure out how they work (which is sad when you think your tax dollars paid for my engineering degree; call me “America’s Shame”).

This was on a track similar to Smith, but it had a bench attached in there that you could raise up and down. Maybe closer to like a plate-loaded machine.

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Really? I think I’ve seen other people say they skip that one too. I’m the one with the hip problem and I can do that one just fine.

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Cossack Squat is fine if you’re holding on to something…

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I’m doing it for mobility (mostly stretching the adductors) so I don’t care about holding the squat position. I touch the floor with my hand as I move back and forth.

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Aye man, fuck doing it with weights. Too cumbersome although in saying that, I would drape some chains over my shoulders now and again.

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I’m impressed. I feel like I’ve never done anything athletic in my life when I try them.

In the same vein, I feel noticeably better since doing these drills and all my lifts feel smooth.

On that note, random thought - a lot of folks write that they judge their reps on “speed;” that never feels right to me, and encourages me to get sloppy. I have been focusing on how “crisp” the rep is and that makes a huge difference. It also puts me at weights I can handle. If I squat 315 for a crisp 8, that’s way better than 335 for sloppy reps that I’m just praying I get through.

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Crisp reps mean crisp strength.

You know you’re getting stronger.

Sloppy reps always leave you wondering if you’re actually getting stronger, as you hump a squat up, looking like someone trying to fuck a barbers floor :joy:

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I like how you use the difference in speed and crisp reps. I agree. There are times when the rep is challenging but moves really well like finding a grove and it’s smooth. It moves crisp. I like it.

I’ve used a barbell on it. I just called them lateral lunges. I’ve officially discovered Cossack Squats through the Limber 11 (no weights necessary).

Exactly!

Quite an image; very poetic!

I start cardio tomorrow. Ugh…

I’m going to be a little smarter this year and hopefully gain a little muscle. Looking at the pic I just put up, I gained less fat than my diet would have you believe, but I don’t appear to have added any muscle. I am stronger, but that may just be the increased calories/ girth.

In other news, my boss’ new boss is coming to a meeting I’d planned with my team Monday. I am holding it at a bowling alley and playing laser tag, so I hope he is a good sense of humor… I like this boss and don’t want him to have to have a conversation.

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Captains Diet Log
Day 10

Rations are high, cardio is easy. Morale is high, but we’re a long way from shore. Outlook good.

I’ve hit all my meals and all my cardio - it’s pretty doable when I just stay on it and don’t think about it. Having someone just do my diet was a good decision - I don’t want to think about this stuff.

I have two really high carb meals after I work out, which is first thing, then no carbs at dinner. I know we are leveraging carb timing, but I may ask about moving some of the carbs from that second meal to dinner just to make it easier to eat with my kids between practices and school (like I can just get the kids meal from Qdoba if I can have some carbs).

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Here is my uneducated opinion about carbs after reading and listening to a ton of stuff.

I think of carbs in my system like a cup that has to be filled. This cup is all the muscle and liver storage for carbs. I want to make sure the body can replace my muscle storage after a workout and I want enough before a workout to finish strong. But I don’t want to fill up the liver. I want the liver always searching for more carbs… once the muscle and liver are full it all goes to fat storage.

So I can eat carbs anytime as long as the liver is not full or will be filled after a meal

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Thanks, and I agree with your reasoning. I do think timing my carbs around my workouts (for the most part) does make a difference. I get 50-65% of my days carbs there, and then it probably doesn’t really matter where the rest go, like you said.

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