Entry #1141

ROM progression squat (7th pin):
520 lbs x 25
> With the aim of a 440 max at the bottom I wonder if I didn't start heavy enough to have enough of a drastic difference from the top to the bottom. Oh well, not gonna start over every time I doubt something. Run this through and use the experience for next time if necessary.

SSB pause box squats:
260 x 10, 10

Ab wheel:
5 x 5

Crush gripper #1:
5 x 5
> I've had these for years and always sucked at them, but I'm making it my personal goal now to close the #2. 

Supplement-wise, I'm off creatine and have started taking vitamin D. I also got a blender so I've been making smoothies a lot.

Entry #1140

Deadlifted 475x3 the other day. Back hasn't been feeling good. Need to address this with a long-term solution so I'm going to read up on Stuart McGill and figure something out.

Had to train today 15 minutes after eating, but surprisingly I didn't feel bloated or nauseous. I must have had the right amount of the right things (hummus, turkey patty, walnuts, and green tea).

Swiss bar bench press:
210 x 3
240 x 3
270 x 8
> Awesome, proficiency with the Swiss bar is returning to normal. Let out a roar to get the last rep up.

Swiss bar pause bench + Fat Gripz:
192.5 x 3 x 10

Kroc rows:
135 x 25
> Jesus this sucked, which rules. 

Ran out of time so went to the park again.

Dips: 15, 12, 10

Neutal-grip chin-ups: 12, 12

1-minute pull-up: 2 sets

Also didn't record that I did hill sprints yesterday.

Entry #1139

Did Turkish get-ups, then went on a 25-minute run, just to get some cardio in. Deliberately took it easy since I pull tomorrow, though it's worth noting that I've never been a proficient-enough runner before for 25 minutes to be considered "easy". But yeah, wasn't breathing hard or anything.

Have started supplementing with vitamin D. 5000 IUs a day.

Entry #1138

Missed recording a lower body entry on Christmas Eve. Started a ROM progression scheme for squats: 2 sets of 25 reps with 530 lbs at the 6th pin, then 450 x 5 deadlifts. Was pressed for time and had to finish in half an hour.

Didn't train on Christmas, for once. Being in a relationship is normalizing my holiday schedule. Did play Tekken Tag 2 with her, though. Beat the boss in co-op mode (PR).

Tonight-

Swiss bar strict press:
150 x 3
170 x 3
190 x 6
> Better than my bench press showing. Nothing groundbreaking but it was what I set out to do and leaves me with a 1-rep improvement.

Swiss bar pause press + Fat Gripz:
120 x 5 x 10 

V-handle chin-ups:
12, 12, 12, 11

At the park afterwards I did 12 chin-ups, 12 dips, dumbbell external rotations, and 1-minute chin-ups for biceps. Before taking a shower I couldn't help but notice that my lats have increased enormously in size. Will take pics next time.

Entry #1137

Back in Portland and things felt off today.

Swiss bar bench press:
195 x 5
225 x 5
255 x 9
> Weight felt heavy and I misgrooved a lot. Reps were slow and ugly.

Swiss bar pause bench + new Fat Gripz:
190 x 5 x 10
> Pretty hard, had to rest between sets for a while.

Kroc rows:
130 x 20, 15, 10
> Even though this kicked my ass as far as nausea was concerned (felt like I was going to lose my lunch), the actual weight felt light and grip was the ending factor. Should go heavier.

1-minute chin-ups + holds:
1, 1

Because of the poor bar tracking I believe I just need to get used to the Swiss bar again after two weeks off it.

Also, I want to start supplementing with vitamin D. Being in California has made me realize how little sun I get up here.

Entry #1136

No upper-body training for four days and I've had four shots in the last two, including the arm-crippling tetanus that forced me to take an additional day off. I also had a big blood sample drawn today. All things considered, I'm pretty damn pleased with today's performance when I half-expected to come in and just hit the bare minimum of 5. Being consistent is solely the biggest factor for strength.

Press:
140 x 5
160 x 5
180 x 8
> All the pause pressing makes me feel in unparalleled control of the bar. Left shoulder hurt from the shot, but a long warm-up made me feel better.

Pause press:
120 x 3 x 10

NG chin-ups:
12, 12, 12

Ran out of time so went to a park after.

Decline push-ups + chin-ups

2 sets of a super slow chin-up with a long hold for biceps

Leaving for Portland tomorrow. Had a great time in California despite all the bureaucracy stuff we had to take care of. Going to miss my dad, but I miss my girlfriend too.

Entry #1135

The unbelievably cool people at Fat Gripz are sending me a free replacement pair with mesh bag. Not going to be a dolt and lose these.

Been up all night. Couldn't sleep in anticipation of an important early morning appointment (Green Card stuff). Dead tired right now, but have been eating well. For breakfast, green tea to keep testosterone levels up, a coconut milk-kale-ginger-garlic-pineapple smoothie for energy, and beef stew for protein. Chowing on chicken meatballs now and then hoping to nap before the 3:00 immunization part.

Gave my brother some workout advice and steered him away from the usual muscle-split crap toward 5/3/1. It felt really good to connect with family in California.

Yesterday was a deload on squats and deadlifts.

Entry #1134

Lost my Fat Gripz at the gym again. This is the second pair I've let go, dammit.

Deload:

Bench press:
120 x 5
145 x 5
175 x 5

Incline bench:
135 x 10, 10, 10, 10, 15

Cable rows:
200 x 3 x 10
160 x 2 x 10

Pulldowns and curls

Have also done two hill sprint sessions that I didn't record.

Entry #1133

Deload (yes, I'm actually bothering to record 'em)

Press:
85 x 5
105 x 5
125 x 5
> Some aches. Can't wait to get back to my Swiss bar. Might want to do TGUs for any warm-up in the future.

Dumbbell military press:
50s x 4 x 10
> Go either Fat Gripz or dumbbells, but not both. Too unstable otherwise.

NG chins:
12 x 3

Pulldowns

Curls, tricep pulldowns, dumbbell external rotators

Entry #1132

Went to the gym yesterday and did a combined lower body day. Tried doing barbell squats for the first time in over a year.

Squats:
135 x 5
225 x 5
405 x 1
> Terminated the set. I can unrack the bar okay but I can't keep tight enough to squat properly. Pitched forward, was wobbily as hell, etc. despite the weight being light. I think the way to go forward is to keep on the SSB and do straight bar as assistance.

Deadlifts:
390 x 5
445 x 3
490 x 1
> Wasn't feeling good on this so I just hit the required single and stopped. Not worried, once I get back to Portland I'll hit some bigger numbers with a dedicated deadlift day.

Bulgarian split-squats:
70 x 5
85 x 5
90 x 5
> These feel great on my quad when restricted to a low range and heavy weight. Bringing these back in.

Hanging leg raises

Made a kickass smoothie after with coconut milk, raw egg yolks, whey protein (chocolate though, ugh), and frozen berries.

Visiting family in California for a week, possibly two (hopefully the former). Continuing 5/3/1 but on regular equipment. Shouldn't mess with the progression I have going too much since I'm deloading next week anyways. Lifting at my old gym.

Bench press:
220 x 3
250 x 3
280 x 8
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bPUmN1hUQRg

Cool PR. First time benching with a barbell in almost a year. Great carryover from the unwieldy Swiss bar. I almost felt like I was using a machine. I can definitely tell how much better the Swiss is for shoulder health, though.

I was stoked about this.

Pause bench + Fat Gripz:
195 x 4 x 10
185 x 9
> Conversely, this seemed harder with the FG than a Swiss bar. Wrists just felt more wobbly. Really weird.

Seated cable rows:
200 x 5 x 10
> Since I'm in a fancier facility I can actually use cable machines that aren't garbage. Still doesn't make up for lacking my SSB, though.

Cable pressdowns and dumbbell curls

No powders here, so post-workout I ate steak, pizza, orange juice, V8, and milk. Need to go shopping.

Entry #1130

Back from a 2-day beach getaway. Diet was okay. I didn't eat huge but I made sure to get protein in me consistently, and I brought a big block of aged cheddar with me as pre-bed snack. Stomach hurt at times from eating greasy outside food so much and crappy protein shakes laden with chemicals, but it all got the job done. Didn't do any training except for a 1-hour walk on the beach.

Swiss bar press:
155 x 5
175 x 3
195 x 5
> Might have had a 6 but I chose not to risk failure. Felt really strong and in hindsight I probably should have gone for it, but oh well. It's probably smart not to push myself when I'm traveling so much.

Swiss bar pause press + Fat Gripz:
117.5 x 5 x 10

V-handle chin-ups:
12, 11, 11, 11, 11

Tricep pressdown:
2 Monster minis x 12, 1
> A band snapped. Dammit, that makes two now.

Curls

Dumbbell rotations 

Entry #1129

SSB box squat:
420 x 2, 2, 1
> Still no progress on my squat. Going to go back to doing the assistance work that seemed to help before. Split-squats are too damaging to my injured quad.

Squat hold:
580 x 20 seconds

SSB box squat:
310 x 8

Partial leg press with no lockout:
4 plates x 15, 15

Calf raises

Reverse squats and planks

If I see no improvement then I'm going to a ROM progression scheme.

Entry #1128

Feasted at Red Lobster last night for my anniversary and will be away from home from Sunday to Tuesday to complete the occasion.

Swiss bar bench press:
205 x 5
235 x 3
265 x 9
> PRs with the Swiss bar every session with no end in sight. Accidentally did 5 instead of 3. 

Swiss bar pause bench + Fat Gripz:
190 x 3 x 10

Dumbbell rows:
185 x 2 x 5

Had to stop there because the front desk guy on Fridays is a hyperdouche and closed 20 minutes early today. I really dislike this old man. Went to the park after.

Dips:
12, 12, 12

Monster mini rows

Chin-up holds for biceps

Monster mini curls

Left shoulder feels tender from either the dips or the rows. New rule: no prolonged time under tension for dips. Stop short of any rep grinding.

It might be the rows, though. I dunno, everytime I use bands to row my shoulders ache. I think there might just be too much resistance at the extreme end of the ROM.

Entry #1127

Deadlifts:
365 x 3
420 x 3
470 x 6
> Had gas for 1 or 2 more. There goes my deadlift troubles. I'm sure it helps that I didn't squat beforehand but I've hit a PR on both lifts in the same session so that can't be a major factor. Some things today that helped, though:

> Not zoning out between sets. This is a death trap for the big lifts because form goes to shit and I misgroove like mad. Also, my mental laxing means the weight comes as a shock to me and I'm unprepared to manhandle it like I should. Stay focused and keep the death metal playing instead of the podcast between sets.

> Really getting low and keeping Daniel Gallagher's advice in mind to start with the quads and begin the hip hinge by the time the bar is passing my shins. Contrary to Dave Tate's advice, I find it really does help to think of it as squatting the weight up, at least to break off the floor.

> Staying on my heels and not going forward. Keeping the shoulders back.

In summation, pay the fuck attention!

By the way, a side-effect of my belt I didn't expect? Straining in the later reps doesn't leave my back hurting. I read a report from Dr. Stuart McGill that in order to use a belt to its max potential one must by biomechanical definition use bad form. Well, I'm in no authority to challenge that, but I do know it leaves me feeling better than I did sans the belt.

Romanian deadlifts (double overhand):
315 x 8, 8
> Just busting out some quick exercise before closing. Haven't done these in a long time and 315 is a lot lighter than it used to be. My grip was the obstacle from getting 10.

Ab wheel:
5, 5, 10 

Entry #1126

Got sick on Saturday and still have the sniffles.

Swiss bar press:
145 x 3
165 x 3
185 x 7
> A month ago I did this for 5 and noted that I would stay the course and just be patient. I'm glad I got to see the results of my stoicness tonight.

Swiss bar pause press:
115 x 5 x 10
> Rushing a little and had to rest-pause a little bit on the very last three reps. 

V-handle chin-ups:
12, 11, 11, 11, 11

Dips:
12, 10
> At the park. I noticed improvements when adding some extra tricep work, both with band pressdowns or dips.

Ring holds for biceps and kettlebell curls

External dumbbell rotations 

Entry #1125

My lower body is currently sucking so my upper can prosper.

Swiss bar bench:
190 x 5
220 x 5
250 x 11
> Let out a yell on the final rep. Didn't really eat to satiety and felt a little glyco empty. I felt kind of weak and shaky by rep 5, but that stabilized so I didn't get any worse and was able to just zombie on until 11. Felt great.

Swiss bar pause bench with Fat Gripz:
187.5 x 4 x 10
> Didn't have time to do the full 5. This is starting to get tough.

Bench pulldowns:
Full stack x 10, 10, 10, 20

Did some gymnast stuff for biceps at the park, and a set of dips. 

Entry #1124

W00t, first bad day in a while, as if to herald my first session with the belt. Everything sucked.

SSB box squats:
420 x 1, 2, 2, 1
> So I found out that the belt completely fucks up my balance. Part of my warm-up is a squat walkout with 50-70 lbs more than my max set, and I was wavery doing it this time. During the actual squats I repeatedly pitched forward, which made my knees feel sore afterward. Went for a total rep PR and did an extra 6th rep at the end there.

Deadlifts:
340 x 5
380 x 5
445 x 2, 1
> Back must have been weakened after the squats. I'm going to do 4 days again and see what improves. Funny thing is that all the lower body assistance work I've been doing seems to be helping little. I literally don't notice a difference in my squat doing Bulgarian split-squats.

Entry #1123

Belt came today. It's a work of art.

Deloaded and had a hectic work weekend, but kept my diet consistent throughout. I'm drinking lots of Muscle Milk at work.

Swiss bar press:
135 x 5
155 x 5
175 x 9
> Really easy, probably could have gotten another. I was planning on switcing the assist work this cycle but since my press is getting better I'll keep sticking with what works.

Swiss bar pause press:
112.5 x 5 x 10
> Hate using uneven plates. I really need to get a pair of 1 pounders.

V-handle chin-ups:
11, 11, 11, 11, 11

Various things in the park: a set of diamond push-ups, a set of dips, and some gymnastics. Incredible bicep workout by doing static holds in chin-up position (using rings in the playground). 

Entry #1122

Missed recording a lot.

Sunday: SSB squats of 420 x 4, 1

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQHBXWtRqMs

My back was hurting from those dumbbell rows the session before and I was actually planning on just doing Bulgarian split-squats, but instead I decided I could handle bar squats. Just not deadlifts. I ended up stopping when I felt my back weakening and doing an extra rep in its own set rather than 1 set of 5. Did the split-squats as assistance work with GHRs and I've been sore as hell since.

Did a deload on Monday, went on a 5 mile run yesterday, and took a walk today after waking up.

Entry #1121

Insanely hectic week, what with work and a family emergency. Skipped a few meals, but my cramming of 1000-calorie frozen pizzas seemed to keep me from getting weaker.

Swiss bar bench press:
215 x 5
245 x 3
275 x 7
> I've been noting lately that I had another rep in me on the final set. Well, today I took myself up on that. Butt almost came off the bench but contact wasn't lost. Gotta watch out for that. A fantastic PR with the Swiss bar. I would have been content with 275 x 5.

Swiss bar pause bench + Fat Gripz:
185 x 5 x 10
> Lost count of sets. Might have done 6.

Dumbbell rows:
180 x 5 x 5

Dumbbell preacher curl:
40 x 8, 6
25 x 13
> Getting an extreme stretch at the bottom, which makes this a million times harder. Usually I use the 50s. 

Shoulder external rotations:
8 x 2 x 20, 15 

Entry #1120

Supposed to lift yesterday but after a long day of work without enough sleep (7 hours, but I seriously need at least 9 to feel well-rested) and barely any time after getting home I took the night off. Watched Metalocalypse instead.

Swiss bar press:
150 x 5
170 x 3
190 x 5
> Still unsure how to gauge this. It was what I aimed to do and I felt great about it, but when taking everything into account it's hard to tell if I should accept this or change something. Will keep up the pause pressing and if I get anything less than 195 x 5 next cycle then I'll switch to direct tricep work with less shoulder involvement (I'm thinking about Pavel saying that two of the three tricep heads are only activated under very heavy loads and am concerned if the high volume on both bench AND press days is counterproductive for that). 

Swiss bar pause press + Fat Gripz:
110 x 5 x 10
> Pause at the bottom and the top. Good thing about this is it should replace the point of doing Turkish get-ups for my shoulder to some degree.

V-handle chin-ups:
11, 11, 11, 11, 10

Monster mini-band pressdowns:
12, 12

EZ bar curls:
105 x 8, 7, 6 

Entry #1119

Swiss bar bench:
200 x 3
230 x 3
260 x 8
> Probably had one more in me if I really worked for it. Very pleased with how I'm improving. 

Swiss bar pause bench with Fat Gripz:
180 x 5 x 10

Dumbbell Pendlay rows:
175 x 5 x 5

Dumbbell external rotations:
8 lbs x 20, 15

Various curls

I ordered a belt! A red Inzer lever. It was expensive but since I'm working now I didn't feel guilty about it.

Entry #1118

SSB box squat:
415 x 5
> Continuing at the new depth. This was ridiculously easy.

Deadlifts:
365 x 5
415 x 3
465 x 5
> Just taking it easy and really conserving myself for week 3. Need to stay lower to recruit quads more.

SSB good mornings:
150 x 10

Bulgarian split-squats:
50s x 10, 10

Squat holds:
570 x 13, 12
> Left lat was straining under the weight, for some reason.

Another squat and dead session. I'm liking these a lot. I see a viable way to lift three days instead of four this way. 

Entry #1117

Swiss bar press:
140 x 3
160 x 3
180 x 7
> On the one hand, my strength has returned after a bad session last week. On the other, this is exactly where I was almost two months ago, only I had a harder time on the last rep (almost failed, let out a yell and got it). I'm not losing weight or eating poorly, either. Will wait and see if this choice of paused assistance work is doing me favors or not before I change things. At least it's worth noting that I feel stronger at the bottom now and it might have saved that last rep there, as well as last week when I stumbled in the middle of the set and lost momentum.

Swiss bar pause press with FG:
107.5 x 5 x 10
> Switched the 2.5 lb plate from side to side each set. I felt the difference but it wasn't a big deal.

V-handle chin-ups:
11, 11, 11, 10, 10
> My chins have improved so much, and it's showing in my lat development.

Kettlebell curls at home 

Entry #1116

SSB box squat:
150 x 5
240 x 5
330 x 5

Timed hold:
480 x 10 seconds

SSB box squat:
415 x 2, 1, 2
> Had to find my groove as I took the plate off the stool and tried to squat the new depth. That last set of 2 was by far the strongest. I'm going by Staley's escalating density principle and trying to get 5 in one set before moving on. 

Timed hold:
570 x 20 seconds

Bulgarian split-squats:
45s x 10
> Knee suddenly hurt on the leg being propped up on the bench, so did the second leg as a set of pistol squats while holding on to something for support.

Interesting night. It's fun having one day out of the week where I can really experiment with different things. 

Entry #1115

Swiss bar bench:
190 x 5
215 x 5
245 x 10
> Bar clanged on the safety bars on rep 4 or 5, but thanks to all the pause pressing I've been doing I recovered at the bottom and pressed on to make a decent effort. Slowing down definitely hurt me, though, and I would have been good for 11 or 12 otherwise.

Swiss bar pause bench with Fat Gripz:
175 x 5 x 10
> Fat Gripz are starting to be a real bitch as the weight gets heavier. Had to rest the bar on my chest a few times and adjust my grip mid-set.

Dumbbell Pendlay rows:
170 x 5 x 5
> Taking a break from normal dumbbell rows to pull some real heavy weight.

Dumbbell external rotations
5 lbs x 20, 20

Various curls

Entry #1014

Yesterday I lifted through what I can honestly say is the crappiest I've ever felt while making myself train. Goes to show how pragmatic I am now and will stay consistent regardless of how inoptimal a busy day might be. Ended up deadlifting a slow 440 x 5, doing a set of Bulgarian split-squats, and calling it a night. I was sleep-deprived, nauseous, and full, but sometimes you just have to get in and punch the clock. Slept for 12 straight hours after.

Ran hills in the rain tonight. Feeling a lot better, and am ready for tomorrow.

Entry #1113

Had a good deload.

Swiss bar press:
130 x 5
150 x 5
170 x 8
> Major suckage, but I'm sleep-deprived and was working during the day, so I'm not worried. I actually lost balance on rep 4 and had to catch myself. My press has been bad lately, but I'm going to be patient with BBB for this cycle and if nothing changes, I'll make a single alteration like Dan John suggests to experiment.

Swiss bar pause press with Fat Gripz:
105 x 5 x 10
> No more resets from here on out. Gonna settle on this and keep ascending.

 V-handle pull-ups:
11, 11, 10, 10, 10
> New goal is 12 x 5.

Alternating hammer curls:
60s x 10 

Dumbbell external rotations

I'm learning to have fun even on my bad days, a major change in maturation as a lifter.

Thursday

Swiss bar bench:
210 x 5
240 x 3
270 x 6
> Decent. Not what I was vying for, but still enough to be a 5 lb gain over last cycle, which is what it comes down to.

Swiss bar pause bench:
170 x 5 x 10
> Ditched the Fat Gripz this time, but I'm going to bring them back. I feel like they hit the triceps uniquely.

Dumbbell rows:
120 x 5 x 10
> Doing these between sets of pause bench and I was hauling ass to finish before closing time. Barely got everything done and had no time for curls.

 

Friday

Tonight was a helluva session. Again, pressed for time, I somehow did max effort squats and deadlifts back to back.

SSB box squat:
420 x 5

Deadlift:
380 x 5
430 x 3
480 x 4
> Had another in me, but the shock of pulling this heavy for the first time got to me. I'm also not rest-pausing at all. It was pretty badass to get this with such short timing between sets and having to pee. 490 x 5 next time!

Have also discovered that my sporadic deadlift performance is partly because of not squatting low enough to pull. I surmise that this is a result of not squatting deep for so long. Consequently, I'm starting too high and pulling too much with my back, like a Romanian deadlift. It's not QUITE that exaggerated but the drift to that is there. I felt stronger today by consciously keeping a lower posterior and using my quads more.

Partial leg press super-set with GHR

One of the douchy owners comes in and interrupts my GHR set.

"Time ta go."
"I thought you close at 9."
"What does the clock say?"
"I don't have my glasses. Probably 8:55."
"Two minutes to 9."

Dude, bring it down. I know you have to make the rounds and close up but there's no need to be that silly. I was doing my last set and would have been out by 9. This is the problem when people who don't care about training run gyms.

Entry #1111

Swiss bar press:
145 x 5
165 x 3
185 x 5
> Strength is down on this. Felt tight and explosive and by all indications what I would feel on a PR day - just didn't have what it took for more.

Swiss bar press with Fat Gripz:
120 x 5 x 10
> Huge reset, but with pauses and shorter rests this felt just as hard as 135. I think what I want to do next cycle is reset down to maybe 115, ape Emevas with the pauses, and get some 1-1.5 lb plates to microload. I feel like I started at a good weight with this but the 5 lb increases just had me plateauing too fast.

V-handle chin-ups:
5 x 10

Curls 

Entry #1110

SSB box squats:
420 x 5

Squat holds:
560 x 20 seconds, 20

Partial squats:
290 x 10, 15, 15

Barbell hip thrusts:
155 x 10
185 x 12, 15

Planks

Legs hurt right now, not from muscle soreness but more of a Charley horse feeling.

Entry #1109

Missed recording a poor deadlift day of 455 x 4. My body just did NOT want to pull that night; even the warm-ups felt majorly heavy. If I can get 480 x 5 next week I'll feel redeemed.

Tonight? Great bench press session.

Swiss bar bench:
200 x 3
225 x 3
255 x 9
> Blew this away, had gas for another rep. It's kickass how fast I'm improving at wielding the Swiss bar. Last cycle at this time I gutted out 250 x 7. 

Three I've adopted that seem to be helping:
1. External rotation exercises.
2. A warm-up that has variation over repetition (i.e. not doing the same primer movement for multiple sets but moving on to cover more ground).
3. A set or two of plyos before the main sets, like clapping push-ups. These did make my elbows click, though. 

As a result my shoulder feels fantastic. I'm actually tempted to go back to straight bar pressing.

Swiss bar pause bench with Fat Gripz:
165 x 5 x 10 

Dumbbell rows:
117.5 x 5 x 10
> With straps, no thumb, between sets of presses. 

Swiss bar curls with band:
10, 6

External rotations:
10 x 12, 15 

Entry #1108

Swiss bar press:
135 x 3
155 x 3
175 x 6
175 x 8
> Had trouble concentrating. Felt sleepy and foggy, and my form was loose. Took a breather and tried again with better results. Still not the 9 I was shooting for, but a comeback is always badass and at least I equaled what I did before.

Swiss bar press with Fat Gripz:
135 x 10, 8, 7

Reg Park press:
55s x 6
25s x 4
> Shoulders felt dead by this point. I was short on time due to the gym closing. 

NG pull-ups:
11, 10, 10, 10, 10
> At the park.

So I'm employed...sort of. It's a contracting job so I work whenever I want at the store. Worked on Saturday and the lack of sleep definitely hit me today, despite crashing and getting 12 hours before the gym. People make PRs on no sleep, so I'm definitely hopeless, haha. 

Entry #1107

SSB box squats:
420 x 3, 1, 1
> Took video on the last rep to see how the depth was:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tOILcO3468Y

Not fantastic, but I'm intentionally not sinking my full weight into the stool for the sake of my back, and I still have a plate to remove.

Squat holds:
560 x 20, 10 seconds

Barbell hip thrusts:
135 x 15, 15, 12
> Yeah, I went there. Wanna fight about it?

Partial squats with no lockout:
240 x 15, 15

Planks

Entry #1106

Swiss bar bench press:
185 x 5
210 x 5
240 x 11
> Last cycle I got 235 x 10...on floor press. So this felt good. Had another rep in me, but as always, I reserve myself for the third week.

Fat Gripz Swiss bar bench press:
160 x 5 x 10
> Pauses.

Dumbbell rows:
115 x 5 x 10
> Done between sets of benching, and with straps. Goddamn, straps bring in a whole 'nother degree of lat activation, thanks partly to the thumbless grip that's now possible. Never gotten a better lat stretch before.

Swiss bar curls with band:
55 x 10, 7, 6

Drinking a shake post-workout again, and have been on creatine for four days. 

Entry #1105

Deadlifts:
330 x 5
380 x 5
430 x 11
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qh01xV4uKDo
Using my crappy weightlifting belt. Helps a little. My back was arched the most consistently it's ever been. Not feeling much more ab activation than normal, but that's expected because of the taper. 

GHR:
25 x 8, 6
> Mystery solved as to why I was suddenly able to bust out sets of 25 last week: I didn't do them after max deadlifts.

Ab wheel rolling:
4 x 5 

Entry #1104

Missed recording two deloads. Nothing eventful.

Swiss bar press:
125 x 5
145 x 5
165 x 10
> Felt weak and shaky. I was going for 11 but last rep was hard.

Swiss bar press with Fat Gripz:
130 x 5 x 10
> Phew, also hard. Had to rest pause a little, but I don't care.

Neutral-grip pull-ups:
5 x 10
> Finally hit my rep goal.

External dumbbell rotations:
5 lbs x 20, 20

Need to eat when I wake up and not wait an hour and a half before breakfast. All this reading about carb backloading and intermittent fasting is making me feel more comfortable about going hungry. It would seem that a picture-perfect breakfast (steak, two slices wheat toast, milk, broccoli) isn't quite enough to completely negate glyco depletion pre-meal, at least in the immediate aftermath with a training session. I'm also off creatine.

Still, this is progress compared to the first week of last cycle. It's important to not expect too much too frequently.

Entry #1103

Back is actually feeling better a few hours later. Crazy. Deadlifts always seem to help with back pain.

The pool closed today. I'm glad I got in one last great session yesterday evening. 5 laps with more to spare. I'm going to miss swimming. 

Entry #1102

Deload

Deadlifts:
200 x 5 (FG)
250 x 5 (FG)
300 x 5 (overhand but no Fat Gripz) 

GHR:
25 x 20, 15, 15

Weighted crunches:
50 x 20, 15

Back is still hurting. 

Entry #1101

Deload

Swiss bar military:
75 x 5
95 x 5
115 x 5 

Javelin press:
45 x 5 x 10
Super-set with:
Lat pulldowns:
180 x 12, 10, 10, 10, 15

Swiss bar overhead extensions:
40 x 20, 15
Super-set with various curls

External rotations with bands

Done in about 50 minutes. Got a good pump.

I've been neglecting to record my swimming progress. I'm up to doing 5 laps now, which is big for me. 

Entry #1100

SSB box squats:

330 x 5

380 x 3

420 x 3
> Back twinged on the last rep. Might have had my belt too tight. I definitely would have gotten 5. 

 

GHR super-set with leg press:
25, 15, 10
15, 15, 15 

 

Planks

 

No squat holds today because I didn't want to risk my back, even though it mostly felt fine after racking. Shame, I can tell they've been doing a LOT of good. Core felt rock-solid on squats. I almost felt like I was using a Smith machine.

Entry #1099

Swiss bar bench:
210 x 5
235 x 3
265 x 6 
> I have to come to terms with the Swiss bar bench press being harder and that it should be seen as a separate movement. This felt good. Accomplished what I wanted to do, and according to my 1RM calculator it's a 7 lb improvement over last week. 

Swiss bar bench with Fat Gripz:
145 x 3 x 10
155 x 3 x 10
> Made a mistake and forgot to account for the bar being 10 lbs lighter than a normal one, so only started with 145. Added an extra 155 to make up for it. Lots of pause reps. This might actually be too light, but whatever, I'll just keep ascending until I hit a roadblock.

Dumbbell rows:
112.5 x 4 x 10

Pull-ups:
5, 10
> First was done at the gym before they closed, and second at the park after driving over.

Band curls with dumbbell handle:
15, 12

Short run thereafter to stimulate growth hormone. Currently taking no supplements except spoons of dry whey dissolving in my mouth when I'm hungry from waking up but want to go back to sleep.

Entry #1098

Swiss bar military press:

140 x 5
160 x 3
180 x 7
> Underwhelming. I was shooting for 8. Back was unstable. I found out today that it really pays off to tuck back the scapulae ala a bench press. It helps keep the bar close. Remember to do that.

Swiss bar military with Fat Gripz:
125 x 5 x 10
> This was actually hard. Took my time between sets. 

 

Neutral-grip pull-ups:
10, 10, 10, 10, 5, 5
> Done at a park. 

 

Kettlebell curls with band 

Entry #1097

SSB box squats:
330 x 5
380 x 3
415 x 5

Squat holds:
545 x 20 seconds, 10 seconds

Leg press super-set with calf raises

Planks

Bad night again. Thanks for being there, iron. 

Entry #1096

Gonna stop editing the time of entry from now on, just to keep things accurate for future viewings. Sometimes I do that if I log early in the morning and I want to indicate the day prior.

Finally got to bench press for the first time since the last incident. A little bit of a weak sensation in my left pec, but no actual pain. 

Swiss bar bench press:
195 x 3
220 x 3
250 x 7
> Again, halting before the bar speed starts to really slow down. I have no interest in straining right now.

Swiss bar bench press + Fat Gripz:
150 x 5 x 10

Dumbbell rows:
110 x 5 x 10

Assorted curls 

Pretty rough night, on personal fronts. Gonna go out to a park right now and practice some martial arts in the dark. Training keeps me sane.

Entry #1095

Deadlifts:
350 x 3
400 x 3
450 x 8
> Had another one or two in me, but I remember how my back hurt last time I rep-grinded. I think it's probably smart to keep the bar speed fast when doing high reps, out of safety. I've never hurt anything doing a 1 rep max, but I have getting fatigued from multiple reps. Using my belt, too.

Good mornings:
170 x 10, 4
> Tweaked my back. The sensation lasted scarily long, like 2 seconds (basically as long as it took to dip under the bar and squat it back up), but the severity didn't feel too terrible. I think I'm not conditioned enough to be adding good morning in to ME deadlift day after doing no assist work for so long. Rest longer next time. I was feeling rushed because the gym was closing soon and I wanted to get 5 x 10 in.

Entry #1093

Today was boring. Boring...but big. Yeah, gonna stop doing that now. It's getting out of hand.

I'm off creatine as of yesterday.

Swiss bar military press:
130 x 5
150 x 3
170 x 9
> Awesome, I'm as strong as I was before when using a regular barbell. Had another rep in me, but I'm not truly going to push it until the third week. I was worried that doing dumbbells for so long meant that I'd detrain from pressing weight heavier than 160, but nope. This was a morale-booster. Make sure to keep the bar close to my body at all times. A couple of instances there was outward drift and it made my shoulder feel it. I'm also holding up the last rep of every overhead set to build structural integrity.

Swiss bar press + Fat Gripz:
120 x 5 x 10

V-handle pull-ups:
10, 10, 8, 8, 7, 7

Swiss bar curls + bands:
> Messed around with a couple of set-ups here to get maximum tension from the band and less from the bar. Think I found a good one by standing on a bench with the band anchored to the floor.

External band rotations:
12, 15

Rests were a little longer this time. Ended up a 90 minute session.

Entry #1092

After just a day of strict dieting my body composition looks completely different. Guess it was just glycogen bloat.

Today sucked, though I had fun. Not only was I hungry but my abs are still sore from ab wheel rolling on Sunday. 

SSB box squats:
155 x 5
245 x 5
415 x 2, 3
> Shaky under the bar, but legs felt strong. Need to either eat more or train sooner post-meal.

Squat walkout:
515 x 20 seconds

Leg press + calf raises

Planks 

Entry #1091

Swam four laps, then floundered around in the water and practiced swimming form for awhile. Four used to be a peak, but now I can hit it everytime pretty easily. It's all about the form and learning to not just muscle through the water.

Entry #1092

Yesterday: swam laps and then went on an hour walk right after.

Today I used the Swiss bar to bench. Actually not as bad as I thought it would be. The key is to keep the bar completely flat (it feels good to let it angle a little, like you might allow with dumbbells, but this must be resisted) and to unrack swiftly. Unfortunately, I didn't feel good about my chesticular ability by 190. No pain, but that distant sensation in a problem area that separates the wise from the weak. Decided to slash my training max and make floor presses my new best friend until I'm healed 100%.

Swiss bar floor press:
215 x 5
235 x 10
> Whew, what is with light floor presses tiring my triceps out like this lately? I surmise it's from the arms sinking into the floor each rep. Seems like it's blocking the shoulders and pectorals from helping out like they would in a bench press, especially with the Swiss bar. Felt like all triceps.

Pause floor press:
155 x 5 x 10
> Boring. Boring...but big.

Dumbbell rows:
100 x 5 x 10
> Absurdly strict. Just gonna drive myself crazy here for a cycle before switching to Kroc rows.

Curls:
Whatever.

Belly's looking fatter and arms seem massive, but last time I weighed myself I was only 211. Weird, but as long as I'm strong.

Entry #1091

Deloaded on deadlifts today since I've already been doing 5/3/1 for them all along and I did the first day for them last week.

Deadlifts:
195 x 5 (Fat Gripz)
245 x 5 (Fat Gripz)
295 x 5

SSB good mornings:
170 x 5 x 10

Standing ab wheel rollouts:
5 x 5

Entry #1090

I've procured a Swiss bar. Felt good to go a session without tricep extensions.

I'm doing 5/3/1, four days a week. I'm not going to miss max effort dumbbell work.

Swiss bar press:
125 x 5
140 x 5
160 x 10
> Had a few more in me, but not looking to exhaust myself right now. I actually wasn't sure by the end of it whether I'd done 9 or 10, so I did an extra rep just to be sure. It might have been 11 but I'm counting it as 10.

Fat Gripz Swiss bar press:
125 x 10
115 x 10 x 4
> Underestimated this. 115 is the weight to proceed from.

Chin-ups:
10, 10
> Switched to v-handle because it feels better on my shoulder. 

V-handle chin-ups:
8, 7, 6, 5, 4
> Aiming for 50 total reps in as few sets as possible. Trying to work toward 5 x 10. 

External band rotations
> 15, 15 

Fun day. Was in and out of the gym fast. I bet my recovery is going to be kick-ass now that I don't have to deadlift the weight up every press set.

Entry #1089

Swam laps today. Really makes my shoulders feel good.

Yesterday:

SSB box squat:
410 x 5 
> Used the belt. Despite a painful back everything went great. 

Squat walkout:
515, 20 seconds
> Taking a cue from Emevas to use these super heavy for squat training post-squats instead of as a pre-squat primer. I find it doesn't really make a huge difference for box squats, for some reason. I'll take anything I can for squat training since I still can't squat without a box.

Pause floor press:
225 x 7, 8, 8 
> Staying light because I'm still cautious about pressing horizontally, but so far so good. No pain. Suprisingly good resistance from this when taking it slow. 

Incline skullcrushers with Fat Gripz:
40s x 8
30s x 10, 8 

Went home, pigged out on an Indian recipe I'd made the night before, then went to the park.

Neutral-grip chin-ups:
18, 6, 6, 6, 6, 6, 6, 5, 6, 5
> Good quality reps - a dead hang on every one and zero cheating. 

Entry #1088

Swam today, as I have been pretty consistently for the last two months.

Back is sore as hell but it was worth the deadlift PR. The swim helped, and now I'm foam rolling before bed.

Entry #1087

Deadlifts:
315 x 5
375 x 3
425 x 12
> Head wasn't in the game; hungry and a little perturbed from having lost my headphones. I was supposed to do 325 instead of 315 on the first set, and 5 reps instead of 3 on the second. Still, owned this. Couldn't believe how light the weight felt. I've found it really helps to start counting down backward (thanks, Poliquin).

Push-ups super-set with mini + monster mini band rows:
25, 13, 12, 10, 10         25, 20, 20, 16, 20
> Sticking with calisthenics for horizontal pressing and making OHP my main movement until I feel comfortable maxing out using my chest again.

Mini band expansion:
12

Back is hurting. 12th deadlift rep was a little bit of a grind, but that usually doesn't do anything. More sure, I need to not sit in a slouched position before I head to the gym. Basic stuff I was stupid about.

Entry #1086

SSB box squats:
410 x 4

Overhead press:
185 x 5
> Keeping things easy today for CNS recovery.

NG chin-ups:
17, 15, 12, 6, 5

Body feeling great.

Entry #1085

Haven't been keeping up with updates. My last non-deload:

SSB box squats:
405 x 5, 5, 5

Unilateral dumbbell press:
142.5 x 4/2
> Felt something snap in left arm pit on that second rep. And with that, I'm officially retiring this exercise, at least as a main movement. Going this heavy with this much mechanical instability isn't a good idea. If I had the means of using two dumbbells at a time then I could keep going.

Did some light dumbbell rows (100s x 12 - felt too burned out for anything more) and called it a day.

No pain persisted, but a couple days later I was doing deloaded floor press and my armpit pained up, so I reracked. It only hurts under pressure. Handled overhead pressing fine the next session.

Quads are still sore but for the first time in four weeks they're actually notably better and I'll probably be able to full squat next week.

Entry #1086

Decided mid-workout today to be wise and not put much pressure on my chest for awhile. I can just focus on overhead pressing as my main movement until I feel safe going back to horizontal pressing.

Deload

SSB box squats:
290 x 5, 5, 5

Leg press:
90 x 15

Dumbbell military press:
60s x 5, 5, 5

Facepulls:
15, 12

Slow push-ups:
15, 12

Slow dumbbell rows:
100 x 15, 12, 10, 10, 10

Entry #1084

Lifting with an injured back, so I donned my dad's old weightlifting belt for the first time ever.

Deadlift:
370 x 5
415 x 3
465 x 5
> Felt so strong, but stopped early as back pain set in. Still a PR. Can't wait to see what I can do next cycle after I'm healed.

One-arm overhead press:
80 x 5, 5, 5/8
> 8 reps on right arm for the last set. Right arm is much stronger here, but on dumbbell bench press my prior-injured left is usually the easier side. Weird.

Face-pulls between press sets

Neutral-grip chins:
15, 8, 8, 6, 6

SSB box squats + monster mini bands:
240 x 5, 1
> Back twinged, so terminated the exercise.

Incline dumbbell skullcrushers:
50s x 4
40s x 10, 8

Missed logging last session.

SSB box squat:
400 x 5, 5

Leg press + lying calf raises

Floor press:
300 x 5, 5, 4
> 1-second pause.

Weighted chin-ups:
90 x 5, 5, 5

Skullcrushers + hammer curls

Back sored up again from the squats and quad is still as painful as ever, making it two weeks now. I'm going to stick with box squats with a belt for the rest of this cycle (only two days, anyways). No more quad isolation work for now.

Entry #1082

Loaded squat walkout:
440 x 10 seconds
> I dig these a lot. Instant squat performance improvement + ab work.

Safety bar squat:
385 x 5
> Quad is STILL sore, making it well over a week. Should I count it as an injury? Still squatted strong.

GHR:
17, 12

Calf raises

One-arm dumbbell press:
140 x 5, 5, 5

Dumbbell row:
185 x 5/1
> 5 in left arm. When doing the other I felt a twinge in my back so I stopped.

Weighted chin-ups:
45 x 10, 10, 6

Dumbbell pec squeezes:
40s x 5, 5, 4

Back pain is persisting. Nothing serious, it should go away in a day or two. Between squatting, the GHR (which always stiffens my back), barbell calf raises, and finally, 3 sets of having to manhandle a 140 lb dumbbell off of the floor and into my lap, my back is getting stupidly pumped by the end. I might need to look into belting up.

While I'm at it, I should use straps for things like rows, too. The way this routine is peppered with unilateral things I'm taxing my grip a ton, to the point where I barely even use my Fat Gripz anymore. It's time to go full-on puss mode with belts and straps, I'd say.

So in a strange turn of events, my CNS is healthy and I still feel fresh, but my body is a little beat up. Lots of healing for the next two days, and maybe just box squatting next week if my quad isn't back to normal.

Entry #1081

Goofy session yesterday.

Deadlift:
340 x 3
390 x 3
440 x 5
500 x 0
> Equipment failure. Basically, the barbell fell apart, and it took me until the middle of putting the plates back to realize what had happened. I was doing 440 for 9 but felt the weight start to shift to the left, and by the 5th rep it was completely lopsided. I thought my grip was just uneven but I didn't want to go for high reps again, so I loaded up 500, pulled it off the floor and again felt the barbell tilt on its end. Eventually I found out that the screw had fallen out and the plates were gradually pushing against the collars, migrating to the end of the bar.

Unilateral overhead press:
75 x 12/5, 10/5, 10/5
> Right and left arm, respectively. Looks like one-handed is definitely the way to go for isolating problem areas. Doing two hands with the 80s meant I was forcing reps on my left when it couldn't extend all the way and underworking my right. I'll keep doing this until both sides are even. Oh, and there was less (read: none) pain than usual this way, thanks to being able to devote 100% focus to each side at a time. Guess I'm no longer in any hurry to get a Swiss bar.

NG pull-ups:
12, 12, 10

SSB squat:
255 x 5, 5, 5

Fasted walk today. Weighed in at 216.

Entry #1080

Been taking it easy for two days, doing nothing but fasted walks and foam rolling. Took an extra day off to really get prepped for deadlifts tomorrow. Today's training consisted of massive Canyon Grill burgers, gyro feasts at Grapevine with the girlfriend and her sister, and Vietnamese beef pho with steak.

I'm starting to really hone in on some key details for cutting weight. Saturated fat and sodium can actually spike insulin levels quite a bit even in the absence of carbs, so I'm not eating immediately before bed anymore in order to allow a growth hormone spurt during sleep. I'm also looking to bring back cottage cheese more instead of saltier cheddar.

Shoulder has been a little achy. Weighted dips last week were extremely disagreeable. It's less of a painful sensation and more a feeling of it just being stiff. I can press fine, though, as evident by the 140 lb dumbbell press day before yesterday.

Entry #1079

SSB squat:
380 x 5, 5, 5
> Almost did box squats today because my leg is still sore. Rather than DOMS I think I pulled the quad stretching a week ago. Still, crushed this. Very happy.

GHR:
10 x 12, 10

SSB calf raises:
135 x 12

One-arm dumbbell press:
80 x 5
110 x 5
140 x 5

Dumbbell row:
180 x 5, 5, 5
> Chalk helps. Pull to the side, not in front.

Band pressdowns super-set with hammer curls:
20, 12, 12          60s x 14, 14
                         40s x 16

Great day.

Entry #1078

Had a case of DOMS in my quads during warm-up Hindu squats, so I decided to change things up today and avoid squatting deep.

SSB box squat:
400 lbs x 3, 4, 3
> Could have hit 4 on all sets but kind of wanted to hold back today. Never squatted 400 for reps before. Clearly I'm proficient with the stretch-reflex from squatting ATG so much because I had terrible pop coming off the stool. It felt like I was trying to rip my legs out of being super-glued. Once I actually moved off the rest of the rep was easy.

GHR:
10 lb plate x 15, 12

Floor press:
295 lbs x 5, 5
> No struggle, had a couple more reps in me.

With 2-second pauses:
275 lbs x 5

Dumbbell row:
180 lb dumbbell x 5, 5, 5
> Done standing with the power rack for support.

Dips:
25 lbs x 10, 10
> Taking it easy for my shoulder.

Alternating hammer curls with Fat Gripz:
60s x 14, 12

I didn't even want to train today but it ended up being fun as hell. Hit some solid numbers while still cruising on easy. I'll be ready to get back to business on Saturday.

Entry #1077

Haven't been updating lately.

Deadlift:
330 x 5
370 x 5
415 x 12

Dumbbell military press:
80s x 6, 6, 6
> Last set was sans Fat Gripz. I hate to admit it, but for my situation, this movement seems better without. The dumbbells + the overhead balancing + the Fat Gripz makes it too unstable to get great mileage out of it. As a result, my troublesome shoulder has difficulty locking out unless I take them off.

Overhead band shrugs (x 12) + external rotation machine (100 lbs x 12)

NG pull-ups:
15, 10, 8

SSB squat:
255 x 5, 5, 5

Been suffering from "weightlifters' headaches" ever since the start of my deload. It began with a set of 25-rep good mornings, and persisted the next time I tried those. Always at rep 20. Today, it reared its head again on deadlifts, although not nearly as severe.

Last night I managed to finally get good sleep (10 hours) after probably a week and a half of only 5-6 hours a night. Need to keep that up or else I'll be forced to take time off so I can recover.

Entry #1076

Ran 5 miles yesterday in 50 minutes. Wasn't even out of breath by the end of it, but stopped for my joints. This is, hands down, the best my cardio has ever been at. A combination of HIIT and swimming can be attributed to this.

Deload

SSB squat:
260 x 5, 5, 5

Good morning:
150 x 20

One-arm dumbbell press:
85 x 5, 5, 5

Hang clean:
135 x 5, 5, 5

Push-ups super-set with dumbbell rows:
25, 15                           100 x 25, 12, 10

Curls

Finished in 45 minutes, Good time.

Went jogging with le girlfriend at night. Probably netted some good growth hormone release from it.

Entry #1075

Deadlifted 455 x 5 in a weak showing on Saturday. Haven't had a great week...until now.

SSB loaded walkout:
440 x 10 seconds
> A trick I learned from Pavel to fire up the proprioceptors before a big effort.

SSB squat:
380 x 5
> Blew this out of the water.

One-arm dumbbell press:
137.5 x 3/5, 5, 5
> Only got 3 on my right arm for the first set. Guess I need to warm-up better.

Dumbbell row:
137.5 x 15, 12, 10

Dips super-set with dumbbell curls:
16             40s x 10

Entry #1074

SSB squat:
250 x 5
325 x 5
380 x 3, 3

Dumbbell press:
137.5
Right arm: 3
Left arm: 0

Holy shit, I felt burned out. Definitely time to switch exercises on at least squats. One of my worst days this year. I did film the squats in anticipation of getting my usual 5 and my form is fantastic, at least. Back is upright, my knees don't go past my toes, and depth is well below parallel. The first two reps on each of the heavy sets were breezy and the third was just killer.

It's funny to think that I at least set a PR for bad days, haha. Last time I felt burned-out I grinded 360 x 3.

Finished up with some push-ups mixed with chin-ups.

Entry #1073

SSB squats:
375 x 5, 5, 4
> First time in 11 years of lifting that I failed on squats. Only got 4 reps on the last set before failing a fifth. Dumped the load overhead without a problem. Reminds me of Emevas scoffing at people worrying about failing and not having spotters.

One-arm dumbbell press:
80 x 5
110 x 5
137.5 x 5

Dumbbell row:
137.5 x 12, 10, 10, 8
> No floor loading, just constant tension.

Isometric dumbbell pec squeezes:
40s x 4, 4, 4
> 5 second hold. Done between sets of rows.

Dips:
12, 8, 8
> Shoulder fatigue from earlier movements.

Curls

Might try adding GHR after squats.

Entry #1072

Didn't get to train today because of waking up from a nap at 6 and the gym closes at 8 on weekends. I'd rather just wait another day and have a night of tissue work and myofascial release than rush and train with no nutrition.

This entire week, in fact, I've had two days of rest after each session (the first time being from wanting to rest after a late night of drinking, which actually seemed to refresh me and help set a deadlift PR the next day). That's why I love this program. Doing a full-body day means no one region is ever going too long untrained if life happens and I need to take a day off.

Did 5 minutes of HIIT yesterday and swam laps in the pool tonight. I've been eating a lot of vegetables lately and less fruit.

Entry #1071

Deadlift:
365 x 3
405 x 3
430 x 10
> Had another one or two in me but was mentally held back a little bit from my thumb. No blood, thankfully. Nice PR.

Dumbbell military press:
80s x 5, 6, 6

NG pull-ups:
12, 10, 6, 6, 6

SSB squat:
255 x 5, 5, 5

Entry #1070

SSB squat:
245 x 5
320 x 5
375 x 5
> Oof, getting heavy. Last rep was probably the hardest-fought squat I've ever done.

One-arm dumbbell press:
135 x 5, 5, 5

Dumbbell row:
135 x 10, 10

Horizontal band row:
20

Sliced my thumb wide open with a razor blade and it impacted how tightly I can grip. Had to cut rows short because blood was seeping everywhere.

Entry #1069

Deadlift video: 410 x 12

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xm0HGGYNbTk

Today:

SSB squat:
370 x 5, 5, 5

One-arm dumbbell press:
80 x 5
110 x 5
135 x 5

Dumbbell rows (no dead pauses):
135 x 8, 8, 8

Dips:
15, 8

Curls

Entry #1068

Taking a cue from MadCow this cycle and progressing on presses and squats with at least one day of work-up sets per week before conquering that weight for 3 sets next time, rather than 3 sets of 5 and doing a linear increase in poundage next session. This way I'm increasing at half the rate as before (5 lbs on squats per week instead of 10, 2.5 lbs on presses per week instead of 5), a necessary tapering down as I get stronger.

This time I didn't see any benefits in workout length, though, because I found out I can no longer progress on dumbbell rows with 25 lb plates - there is simply no room on the dumbbell. I had to take some time to experiment with 35 lb plates and increasing the height of the bench, which worked out fine.

SSB squat:
290 x 5
315 x 5
370 x 5

One-arm dumbbell press:
132.5 x 5, 5, 5

Facepulls:
10, 10, 10

One-arm dumbbell row:
180 x 5, 5, 5
> Less leg drive now that I'm higher up. Also, holy crap is my left arm stronger than my right, despite being the side that was injured three times. The weight shot up in my left arm yet I had to really grind it out in my right. 

FatGripz skullcrushers super-set with alternating dumbbell curls:
45s x 8, 8 50s x 16, 16

Entry #1067

Haven't been updating as much because of technological reasons. Luckily, this has been a deload week so there's not a ton to report. I did have a badass swim session in the middle of a thunderstorm, and cardio has been consistent all around.

Despite all this I weighed 212 yesterday. It's either from creatine, muscle gain, or both. Despite the increase I look as lean as ever.

Tuesday~

SSB squat:
255 x 5, 5, 5

Unilateral dumbbell press:
85 x 5, 5, 5

Hang clean:
135 x 5, 5, 5

Unilateral dumbbell rows:
100 x 25, 12

Today~

Fat Gripz deadlifts:
190 x 5
230 x 5
280 x 2, finished the last 3 holding onto the bar

GHR:
20

Dumbbell military press super-set with chin-ups:
65s x 5, 5, 5               15, 10, 8, 8, 8

SSB squats:
205 x 5, 5, 5

Neck machine

Entry #1066

SSB squats:
365 x 5, 5, 4
> Whew, I'm starting to feel burnt out. Back was extremely stiff.

Unilateral dumbbell press:
130 x 5, 5, 5 

Power cleans:
205 x 3, 3, 3

Unilateral dumbbell rows:
130 x 10, 10
> No floor contact. Felt incredibly light after rowing 170. 

EZ bar curls + mini bands:
25 x 12, 7
> One of my bands snapped so I couldn't finish the set. R.I.P.

And with that, I've gotten back up to my old numbers before I left this routine for 5/3/1 - except at a lighter body weight, the same dumbbell weight in both arms, and a better deadlift. All in three weeks. My shoulder has been pain-free ever since I switched and I'm able to throw hooks and uppercuts again. Lots of good things happened when I did what I knew would work for me as an individual.

I'm gonna take the next week off for a much-deserved deload and then come back to push through new barriers. 

Entry #1065

Deadlifts:
355 x 5
400 x 3
450 x 1
450 x 6
> Between safety bar squats, picking heavy dumbbells up from the floor, and power cleans, my back is feeling overworked. First try was a fucking grind. Went for a walk to the bathroom, came back, and busted out 6 reps, this time taking a longer and more focused start before picking the weight up. It might be worth trying out an extra day of rest before deadlift day.

Dumbbell military press:
75s x 6, 6, 6

Chin-ups:
16, 10, 10

SSB squats:
245 x 5, 5

Machine neck extensions:
80 x 10, 8

Entry #1064

6:45 minutes of HIIT yesterday, plus a walk to the store and back.

SSB squats:
360 x 5, 5, 5
> Felt myself pitch forward a little on some reps. If I can't fix this on my own I might bring back the bands, but it felt like just an attention thing.

Unilateral dumbbell press:
127.5
Right arm: 3, 5, 6
Left arm: 5, 5, 5
> Seems like I didn't warm-up adequately. I'm doing a lot of slow, blood-pumping stuff for my shoulder and elbows, but nothing explosive to prime my muscles for performing. Added an easy extra rep on the last set to show myself it was just that and nothing more. It's hard being patient sticking to the progression plan but a 2.5 lb increase every time is plenty fast.

Power cleans:
200 x 3, 3, 3, 3, 3
> For some reason I just can't front squat dynamically for a full clean. Part of the issue might be not leaning back enough. When I tried to keep that in mind I sacrificed height and failed to shelve the first rep of one of the sets, so I need to combine the two principles now. Shrug up while pulling back. I'm really enjoying cleans. They're a fun change and I'm eager to break my 300 lb nemesis from the competition.

Unilateral dumbbell rows:
100 x 15

Entry #1063

Sprinted a hill three reps last night.

Slept poorly and felt tired today, but had a very good session.

SSB squat:
355 x 5, 5, 5

Unilateral dumbbell press:
127.5 x 5
100 x 12, 12, 12
> Dropped my dumbbell handle and it broke.

My fault, but this wouldn't have happened if my dumbbell hooks didn't fail so miserably and I was able to rack and rerack like a bench press. Went with the heaviest gym dumbbell, 100.

Power clean:
195 x 3, 3, 3, 3, 3
> First set sucked. The rest were the best cleans I've ever done. Need more of a warm-up.

EZ bar curls:
20 + mini bands x 15, 8, 7

Entry #1062

Deadlift:
330 x 5
380 x 3
425 x 9
> Could have gotten another one if I really tried. I did things backwards today to bring my deadlift performance up and I think I'm going to keep it this way.

Dumbbell military press with Fat Gripz:
75 x 5, 5, 5
> The last set was the best I've ever overhead pressed since dislocating my shoulder. Everything got way easier the further I went, probably as I inadvertently recovered from deadlifting.

Chin-ups:
15, 12, 8
> Did these between sets of pressing. 

SSB squat:
240 x 5, 5, 5
> I didn't think about how I can't front squat with a clean grip when my arms are pumped. I'm not sure if I even want to practice for cleans anymore, or if I can get by without front squatting for practice. I don't have any Olympic meets on the horizon. 

Neck machine:
80 x 7, 6 
> Between sets of squats.

Did some martial art practice last night. I can throw hooks and uppercuts with no pain. This routine is fantastic. As soon as I stopped barbell pressing my shoulder got better. 

Doing 5/3/1 three times a week saw my deadlift go up, my squat stall before going down, and my pressing sharply decline. I've managed to keep up my deadlift progress by maintaining Wendler's scheme for it while getting my squat and presses to hike up with my own touches, all while hovering at 207 and losing about a pound or two every two weeks.

Entry #1061

SSB squats:
350 x 5, 5, 5
> This was the breeziest it's been in months. As the weight goes up the effort just becomes easier. I'm convinced that there's no better method for getting my squat up than simply doing it frequently. 

Unilateral dumbbell press:
125 x 5, 5, 5
> Doing face pulls between sets. 

Unilateral dumbbell rows:
170 x 5, 5, 5

Incline skullcrushers with Fat Gripz:
45s x 4
35s x 10, 6 
> Underestimated how killer dumbbell pressing is on my arms. 

Entry #1060

Weighed 207.4 lbs.
 

SSB squats:

345 x 5, 5, 5

 

One-arm dumbbell press:

120 x 5, 5, 5

 

Dumbbell rows:
165s x 5, 5, 5 

 

EZ bar mini-band curls:

16, 10, 7 

Entry #1059

Yesterday:

Front squats (clean grip):
225 x 5, 5, 5

Dumbbell military press with Fat Gripz:
75s x 5, 5, 5 

Deadlifts:
405 x 8

Back was sore from sitting at the computer too long doing work right before I trained. Sucked up my deads. 

Entry #1058

The deload payed off exponentially and I felt stronger in pretty much everything I did today. I've been sick for almost two weeks now and I'm just getting over it, but it was what sapped my strength in the weeks prior.

I'm also done loading back on creatine.

SSB squats:
340 x 5, 5, 5

One-arm dumbbell press:
115 x 5, 5, 5
> Could have gone higher on squats and these, but kept it low for progression momentum. 

Power cleans:
190 x 3, 3, 3, 3, 3

EZ bar mini-band curls:
15, 10, 8 

Entry #1057

Deload

SSB squat:
250 x 3 x 5

One-arm dumbbell press:
80 x 3 x 5

Power cleans:
135 x 5 x 3 

Mini band EZ bar curls:
12, 10, 8 

Finally getting over my week and a half sickness and I'm in the middle of creatine loading. I'm expecting good things next week.

Went on a fasted BCAA walk for an hour this afternoon after waking up.

 

Entry #1056

Deload

SSB squat:
200 x 3 x 5

Dumbbell military press:
60s x 3 x 5

Fat Gripz deadlift:
185, 225, 275 x 5
> Only got 2 reps on the 275 before I had to grip the bar.

Chin-ups:
20, 10, 8 

Entry #1055

Deload

SSB squat:
250 x 3 x 5

One-arm dumbbell press:
80 x 3 x 5

Power cleans:
135 x 5 x 3 

Mini band EZ bar curls:
12, 10, 8 

Entry #1054

8 minutes of HIIT in the grass. It was...sprinty. Goddamn, cardio is boring to write about.

Entry #1053

For the sake of my shoulder and the fact that I seem to respond better to it while on a constant caloric deficit, I'm back on my own routine that I adopted in the immediate aftermath of shoulder injury, with the exception now of being able to use the same pressing weight for both arms.

I can't tell if I've gotten this much weaker doing 5/3/1 three days a week while cutting or if being sick is just affecting me that much, but today was very sobering. Spirits are high, though.

SSB squats:
340 x 5, 3, 3
> I left this program months ago doing 365 x 5 for 3 sets.

One-armed dumbbell press, neutral grip:
110 x 5, 5, 5
> Tried to do 130 and it was shockingly heavy. Wtf.

Power cleans:
185 x 5, 5, 5
> Form is getting better. Feet aren't all over the place when I thump down. Still don't have the coordination to squat into a full clean. I pulled up 300 at my meet but of course I'm reigning in my form for training.

Chin-ups:
20

Cheat day today. Feasted on what had to be a 2,000 calorie burger at Shari's Restaurant.  

Entry #1053

Deadlifted 440 x 5. Running on 4 hours of sleep and feeling a little sick. I felt like I had no pop whatsoever.

Some things to mention: I haven't been using whey for the past week and a half and I'm off of creatine right now.

Entry #1051

Things have been sucking. To recap:

Deadlift has been good. 420 x 10
Boxing has been good. No pain, jabs are harder than ever.
Squat sucked. 360 x 3 
Bench press today sucked. 285 x 5, shoulder pain.

Sometimes I feel great benching, other days I don't. The warm-up doesn't seem to have any bearing.

Entry #1050

Press:
130 x 3
150 x 3
165 x 8
> Disappointing, but I've been really cutting the carbs this week, so not exactly unpredictable. I also think just doing pump-monkey exercises for assist work has been a factor. Luckily I found out this week that dumbbells don't hurt my shoulder so I can get back to pressing. Shoulder shockers just weren't doing enough.

Dumbbell military press with Fat Gripz (neutral grip):
60s x 10, 10, 10, 8, 6

Pull-ups:
55 x 8, 8, 5, 5, 5

Miniband EZ bar curls:
11, 9, 7 

Entry #1049

Deadlifts:
330 x 5
375 x 5
420 x 10
> Easy PR with chalk. It really makes me wonder how held back I've been. Was supposed to only do 3 reps for the first two sets, but forgot.

SSB good mornings:
170 x 3 x 10

Ab wheel:
5, 5, 5 

Entry #1048

Weighed 208 lbs this morning.

Bench press:
210 x 3
240 x 3
270 x 7
> I was so upset about this that I actually packed up my things to leave. Then I decided to wait a while and try again. Eventually cooler heads prevailed and I manned up to finish the rest of the workout. I ended up having a blast with some creative assistance work.

One-armed neutral-grip dumbbell press:
100 x 10, 8, 10
>  I fucking love these, they've never done wrong. Amazingly, I can contract my shoulder as hard as I can and it still feels fine using dumbbells, after some slight pain on the bench press. Goodbye, extensions. I'm going to make these a staple.

Kroc rows:
135 x 20, 15, 12

Dumbbell pec squeezes:
3 reps, 10 second holds, 3 sets
> Between sets of rows.

EZ bar mini band curls:
8, 8 

Entry #1047

Boxing gym was closed tonight for no apparent reason. I hate this place, haha. When I was about to head over to the gym in the adjacent room (everything is in a community center) the counter lady stopped me and explained how they only lease out to the boxing gym owners and that I have to pay to use their gym, but she'll let me in for free this time. I was thinking "Fat chance" as she explained how much it would be to get a membership.

Cycled between skipping rope for two minutes and shadowboxing for two minutes for several rounds, then did 15 minutes on the ellipitical, then 5 minutes walking the treadmill. 

I filmed my shadowboxing and I'm pleased with my form when I think to fully extend my shoulder. Often I'd have a short strike, though. Will work on that more. My shoulder felt superb and I let loose some very strong jabs. I've been taking glucosamine and it seems to be doing the trick - either that, or just my months of rehab.

My butt is so sore from split-squats that I can't sit down in a controlled ascent. I'm glad to do more single-leg exercises instead of doing front squats again.

Recent pic of me at 210 lbs, and for fun, 175 lbs eight years ago:

 

Entry #1046

SSB squats:
265 x 5
300 x 3
340 x 5
> My squat isn't doing so well. Now that I'm only doing them once a week I really need to make up for it with assistance work. Core felt unstable and I kept pitching forward.

Bulgarian split-squats:
45s x 8, 8, 8, 10, 10
> Never done these before. A little awkward at first but it became easier as I got used to it. 

Neck extensions super-set with ab wheel
> Making use of a great neck machine at the gym. 

Entry #1045

Overhead press:
120 x 5
140 x 5
155 x 11

Shoulder shockers
Front raises: 45 plate x 8, 8, 8
Lat raises: 25s x 8, 8, 8
Seated C&P: 25s x 8, 8, 4

Pull-ups:
30 lbs x 10, 9, 8, 8, 6

Entry #1044

Deadlifted 400 x 12 while sick. Nothing but chalk (for the first time), which I'm wishing I'd had long, long ago. Though my recovery between even just the warm-up sets was terrible just from feeling ill, I'm astonished at how easy the actual set itself was, and I could have kept going if I really wanted to start grinding reps out.

Afterwards I tried to military press 85 lb dumbbells and just had nothing left in me. Came home, ate and rested, then went to the park to do decline push-ups (4 sets) super-set with neutral-grip pull-ups (7 sets).

On Thursday I was sick as well and only felt capable of squatting 325 for 5. Gotta listen to the body sometimes.

Skipped boxing entirely this week.

Entry #1043

Felt shaky and glycogen-low again today. Here's the thing: when I walked in the gym, I was full and lethargic. That's how long my warming-up is, though my metabolism is also pretty fast if I go from bloated to starving in 25 minutes. Crazier still is I had almost entirely low GI carbs before training: wheat bread, milk, some almonds.

Still had a good session, but I felt shaky and depleted when benching. It was a weird sensation. The warm-up had my muscles feeling ready to lift a truck, but my blood sugar felt like an empty tank. Consequently I was explosive but wild and unsteady. I bet a 1RM attempt would have been through the roof.

Bench press:
195 x 5
225 x 5
255 x 11

Barbell skullcrushers:
135 x 8, 8, 5

Kroc rows:
130 dumbbell x 20, 12, 11, 10

1 20 second chin-up rep

Entry #1042

Went on a 40 minute run this evening. According to my phone I covered 3.78 miles at a 5.6 mph pace. I would have gone longer but I started getting ravenously hungry and feeling glycogen-depleted. My VO2 felt incredible and I wasn't having any trouble keeping my breath. I think I'm going to institute these longer sessions once a month because I do like to run.

I've been eating lackadaisically lately, but hell, if this is what my new version of being dietarily lazy is, I'm doing pretty damn alright for myself. Lamb kabob, tons of fruit, rice, organic dark chocolate, local town hamburgers, steak, dolma, red wine - when I lived with my parents eating sloppy meant losing the motivation to eat and simply forcing down a crappy frozen dinner here and there throughout the day. I'm not feasting "dirty" so much as I am just taking in more carbs than I intend to for a cut. If I gain any pounds by accident, at least it'll make me stronger. 

My pant size is now a 32.

Entry #1041

Deload

Weighed in at 210.4 lbs. Groovy.

Also a got kickass 5/3/1 app for Android that makes calculations less annoying.

Press:
70, 90, 110 x 5

Shoulder shockers

Chin-ups:
17, 8, 5, 6, 5

Band pressdowns super-set with hammer curls 

The definition of "punching the clock" today. Pretty boring.

Entry #1040

Deload

Power clean practice (up to 135)

Deadlifts:
185 x 5 (Fat Gripz)
225 x 5 (Fat Gripz)
275 x 5

SSB box squats:
300 x 8, 8

Abs

Gripping the 225 with Gripz was the easiest it's ever been. Didn't have to readjust my hold or anything. 

Entry #1039

Deload

Bench press:
120 x 5
150 x 5
180 x 5

Skullcrushers:
50s x 8, 7, 3
40s x 10, 8
> First two sets were an improvement over last time, which seemed to cause my triceps to just completely die on the third set. Way back in my Westside days I used to use the 65s, but I'm going deeper now, to the point where my forearm is basically touching my bicep.

Dumbbell rows:
160s x 5 x 6
> Super-set with cable flyes. More for my shoulders feeling good than anything, though I could always use more inner pec development too.

Bilateral curls:
50s x 8, 8
40s x 10 

Entry #1038

Relaxing recovery day. The only thing I did was some mobility and shoulder exercises, and some minor ab and grip work. Also did neck bridges.

Deload is next week. I don't hate this phase as much as I used to.

Entry #1037

Overhead press:
135 x 5
155 x 3
170 x 8

Facepulls with band:
15, 15 ,15
> Between sets of pressing.

Shoulder shockers

Weighted chin-ups:
75 lbs x 6, 6, 6, 5, 5

Band pressdowns super-set with 55 lb dumbbell hammer curl

Some great mobility drills for the shoulder in this article that I'm using: http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_article/most_recent/long_live_the_overhead_press 

Entry #1036

Came into boxing later than usual because I had to stop at the laundromat on the way over (thanks for the pee, my feline friend). Only got a 35 minute session in.

Speed bag
2 rounds of double-end bag
5 rounds of heavy bag

I like the speed bag warm-up. I also did TGUs before leaving the house so the combination of the two really had my shoulder feeling fantastic. 

At one point during slamming the heavy bag I just instinctively let slip a left hook. A LEFT hook. Crap, I reaaally could have been paying the price for that, but it felt fine. It wasn't a very hard one or anything, but it certainly felt good.

Footwork was a little sloppy during combinations. I'll focus on keeping centered next time. Need to hammer it home to keep my feet at an equidistant apart.

Entry #1035

SSB squats:
260 x 5
300 x 3
335 x 9

Romanian deadlifts:
325 x 8, 8, 8, 10

Ab wheel, neck bridges, CoC trainer (40)

GPP was better today. Didn't rest more than two minutes between deadlifts.

Entry #1034

I managed to go to boxing today despite six hours of sleep and arms that felt like lead. Goddamn skullcrushers always give me ridiculous DOMS.

2 rounds of shadowboxing
2 rounds of double-end bag
5 rounds of heavy bag
3 rounds speed bag
2 rounds of double-end bag

2 minutes, 1 minute rests, except on the speed bag when I'd just take about a 20 second break everytime I screwed up

The sesson was...slower-paced. I didn't destroy myself. I picked my shots, and didn't use full-power on everything. Today was a focus on accuracy and quality over speed.

On the double-end I'm no longer just worrying about the bag moving around and establishing a rhythm. Now, any shot that isn't a solid connection I deem unacceptable and is cause to slow down and try that hit again.

Working on finding my distance on the heavy bag and extending fully. Kind of tricky with my shoulder, but it keeps getting better. 

There were a few kinks felt in it at the start. Really gotta stop skipping Turkish get-ups beforehand. They're freaking miraculous.

I'm beat. Lamb dinner, foam roller, and an epsom salt bath are gonna be nice tonight. Nice is for weaklings, though.

Entry #1033

Bench press:
220 x 5
250 x 3
280 x 7
> Very long warm-up, and it paid off, even though I was going for 8.

Skullcrushers:
50s x 7, 6, 5, 4, 3
> No tendonitis feeling thanks to warming up with band pressdowns and using Fat Gripz. My elbows thanked me. 

Dumbbell rows:
160s x 5, 6, 6, 6, 6
> Left arm is way stronger than my right, even though that's the side I injured my shoulder on. 

Bilateral curls:
50s x 7
35s x 10
25s x 10 

Done in an hour.

I think I might be noticing a pattern of being really strong whenever I don't go to boxing. Then again, it might just be a coincidence and I was weak last week just because. 

Entry #1032

Haven't gotten around to updating the entire week. My lifting has sucked. Can't tell if all the boxing has been inhibiting my performance or it's just cyclical. 

Tuesday bench: 260 x 5
> Didn't get a good warm-up, and shoulders felt incredibly weak. I reracked early because everything felt like a grind.

Thursday deadlift: 390 x 5
> Have no idea what's up with this. I pulled 455 x 5 several weeks ago.

Saturday OHP: 160 x 9
> Only thing that didn't regress. Felt good with no shoulder pain. 

sup...

sup

Entry #1031

Overhead press:
115 x 5
135 x 5
152.5 x 10
> I'm not locking out on every rep, but that's okay. Gotta stay pain-free. It's not like I'm doing cheat reps at the end; I'll randomly feel good enough within a set to fully extend on a rep here and there.

Facepulls with band between sets

Shoulder shockers:
45 lb plate, 10-20 lb dumbbells with Fat Gripz; 6-10 reps

Chin-ups:
25 lb plate x 12, 9, 6, 6
Bodyweight: 10

Mini band pressdowns super-set with curls 

Entry #1030

Felt no motivation to train today, but I did anyway. I'm having psychological trouble adjusting to such reduced training frequency now (I feel like my legs are going to wither away from squatting three times a week to one now). Moreover, I'm doing 5/3/1 three days a week so I'm alternating between squats and deads. The solution to that is to always have one variation of the other as accessory work. I'm not going to be my dumb teenage self. I got my ass in the gym and had a good time.

SSB squats:
242.5 x 5
282.5 x 5
317.5 x 11
> Whether I do 315 or 340, I always get 9-11 on high rep squats, haha.  

Romanian deadlifts:
315 x 10, 10, 8
> I always do these overhand, and never touch-and-go. 

Ab work + Captains of Crush trainer: 20, 15

Whew, my GPP kinda sucked, even after being light and doing boxing. Gonna work on that. 

Entry #1029

Beginning 5/3/1 again.

Bench press:
192.5 x 5
222.5 x 5
252.5 x 11
> Had another rep or two in me.

Face-pulls between bench sets

Crazy plates:
155 x 10, 10
> Made my shoulder hurt after 7 reps.

Dumbbell rows:
130s x 12, 9
110s x 10, 9, 9
> Felt something in my shoulder snap as I was bracing myself up and rowing with my good arm. No pain, just felt alarming.

Skullcrushers super-set with hammer curls

New rule: no pressing for accessory work. I came back to 5/3/1 to slash my pressing frequency and volume, so there's no point in defeating that by doing a bench variation after bench pressing. Only extensions and pulls for now. 

Before I took a shower I was flexing in the bathroom (it increases vasodilation and makes the muscles feel good - believe me, I'm way past the age where I think my body mass is novel and interesting to look at) when my shoulder jolted in pain for a split-second. Fuck. Nothing lingered, though, and it feels fine now. Just nix the extra pressing and I see good things going forward.

I feel good enough to go to boxing tomorrow. Just need to remember to do Turkish get-ups beforehand.

Entry #1028

Took a week off from boxing to let my shoulder heal, and coincidentally this was my deload so I went easy on the weights, as well, while keeping on top of my pre- and rehab exercises. It all paid off and I'm feeling terrific. 

Today I did 4 sets of TGU singles before going to boxing. 5 2-minute rounds on the heavy bag (1 minute rest), then 3 1-minute rounds on the speed bag, and then back to 2 rounds for 2 minutes on the heavy bag. 

Entry #1027

That last set of 290 fucked my shoulder up again. Stupid me for not terminating the instant I felt pain.

Luckily, it's not serious, but any sudden motion causes a jolt of pain, just enough to let me know I need to change things.

Straight sets of 5 are too much. I have two options:

1. 5/3/1

2. My current program, which kicks ass, but going back to unilateral training.

Taking an indefinite break from boxing until I feel prime again.

Entry #1026

SSB squats:
290, 330, 370 x 5

Bench press:
290 x 3 x 5

Dumbbell rows:
160s x 3 x 5

Skullcrushers super-set with curls 

Entry #1025

SSB squats:
365 x 3 x 5

Bench press:
225, 260, 290 x 5

Dumbbell rows:
100s x 16, 13, 10

Done in an hour and 10 minutes. Pretty good, but my recovery always takes a hit on straight sets of squats.

Went to boxing last night. 

Entry #1024

SSB squats:
290, 330, 365 x 5

Bench press:
285 x 3 x 5

Dumbbell rows:
100s x 15, 12, 8

Done in an hour. The way it should be. 

Entry #1023

I got some great punch refinement tonight from Victor, one of the two coaches. I'm trying to lean into my jab so much that it's taking too much weight away from the back. The solution? Stand lower. I already thought I was low, but holy crap, my power output was instantly heightened. I can get a lot more force with less weight. I still want to throw my weight behind the jab as much as possible, but not to the point where I'm off-balance. 

Victor held the mitts for me while I jabbed and threw 1-2s. He said his hands were really beginning to feel it. At one point I didn't even shift my weight satisfactorily and he quipped, "Damn, you didn't even do it that time and I still felt it." 

My shoulder is holding up swell. No pain, and my jab is stronger and longer than ever. I'm going to keep reading Dempsey's book and become a mutant.

Entry #122

SSB squats:
360 x 3 x 5

Dumbbell press:
130s x 3 x 5

Clean practice super-set with 100 lb dumbbell rows

Goddamn, the Power Hooks take up so much time. They never stay still on the dumbbell so I can't rerack with the hooks not facing up. After every set I try, fail, and end up dropping everything and then having to deconstruct and reconstruct the bells to put them back up. I've got to figure out a solution to this.

Yesterday the boxing gym was closed because of Presidents' Day. More blood on Bush's hands. Instead I went to a hill and did 3 sprints up it.

I was supposed to deadlift heavy today but I felt so fresh warming-up for band squats that I made them the max effort lift instead.

SSB squats:
360 x 2 x 5
> Only 2 sets because my rest days this week are halved from reorienting my lifting schedule around my boxing. 

Dumbbell military press:
80s x 3 x 5
> My left shoulder doesn't lock-out all the way on random reps. I think part of the reason it would hurt with barbell pressing was the fixed nature of the bar forcing it up all the way in sync with my right. With dumbbells it can do what it's able to. Oh, and the neutral grip feels fantastic, as always. I really want a Swiss bar.

Romanian deadlifts:
315 x 3 x 10
> All overhand. 

Band pressdowns super-set with curls 

Did lots of face pulls between sets, and some external rotator work on a machine as well.

No shoulder pain. I'm loving the dumbbell-oriented routine.

Entry #1020

SSB squats with bands:
240 x 3 x 5
> Game my mid-back an atrocious pump. I think I'm missing out from going this deep with bands doing box squats, and in general I feel like I'm switching back-and-forth too much in general, so I'm going to stick with one or the other for weeks at a time from now on.

Dumbbell press:
125s x 3 x 5
> Finally got my dumbbell hooks in. Starting modestly but my shoulder felt great.

 

Left early to make it in time for boxing. Had my best session yet. Really strong jabs with no shoulder pain, my stance just "clicked", and I'm leaning into my punches more. I'm ready to spar.

Entry #1019

Horrible day at the gym. Despite getting plenty of sleep I felt ridiculous foggy-headed and tired, probably from readjusting my sleeping schedule to early rises (I usually lift at 4-5 pm, but was in today at 11:30). I felt like I was falling asleep on squats, and I nearly killed myself on the bench press by forgetting a 45 on one side. To make matters worse, my shoulder was hurting.

SSB squats:
355 x 5, 5, 4

Bench press:
285 x 4

That's all I got done. Some things to do next time about my shoulder:

> Under the SSB when I'm struggling I tend to push up on the handles. My shoulder hurt from this. I've gotta stop doing that.

> Warm-up more. Do light arm stuff between squat sets. Bring back dumbbell scarecrows, in particular. 

> Don't fall behind on prehab and rehab like face pulls and Turkish get-ups.

> Either get a Swiss bar or switch to dumbbells. I'm already preparing for this; my dumbbell Power Hooks are on their way in the mail so that I can press as heavy as I want without the plates falling off when hoisting the bells to my lap.

> On Iron Radio they mentioned an old-time lifter (maybe Paul Anderson?) who cycled with medium, light, and heavy days thrice a week. Might try that out.

> Have a fourth day of dedicated prehab exercises using my kettlebell.

Entry #1018

Some boxing overview from this week:

I actually got some advice from one of the coaches (not the stoic dude who signed me up). I hit like a monster and know how to throw a punch but, as I've always known, due to a lack of formal teaching my footwork is wack. I was instructed to take a wider stance and to align my shoulders up with my feet more. I haven't been so clueless all this time so as to not employ decent weight disbursement but now I can actually do this more effectively. When facing the bag, opponent, animal, battle tank, etc. the opponent should be kept between my stance. I can think about it as targeting the enemy with my crotch, which would undoubtedly be spitting rapid-fire bullets in this allegory. 

I'm officially signed up as of yesterday. Sparring can happen now. I am ready.

SSB box squats:
375 x 3 x 5
> No end in sight. Can't wait until I'm repping 4 plates a side. 

Bench press:
280 x 3 x 5
> No touch-and-go here. Plenty of pauses. Last rep was a 2-second stop. 

Clean practice:
135 lbs, varying reps
> Actually trying to squat down with the weight now, which is just fucking my whole form up. Something to get used to. Power cleans are swell but if I want to take first in my next meet I've got to master the full clean. 

Decline heavy band push-ups:
15, 12, 10

Dumbbell rows:
100s x 3 x 10
> Did these between sets of push-ups. I went up to 20 reps with the 100s on Tuesday, but my body just seemed to feel the pull heavier today so I listened to what felt right. Form was excellent as a result, with the ROM going back toward my belly instead of simply up. I think it's this little alteration that makes it much more fatiguing.

SSB curls:
80 x 10, 8, 8

Lots and lots of training every day. Slipping behind in updates.

Yesterday:

SSB box squats with mini bands:
240 x 3 x 5

OHP:
177.5 x 5

Shoulder hurt doing that so:

NG OH dumbbell press with Fat Gripz:
80 x 4
75 x 5
> Muuuch better.

Deadlifts:
365, 405, 455 x 5
> Couldn't even get 455 x 1 last week. Changed my form to much success.

So much boxing. Went three days a week for 2 hours each. I'm exhausted right now and it's late. 

Entry #1016

SSB box squats:
370 x 5, 4, 5

Bench press:
277.5 x 3 x 5

Dumbbell rows:
100s x 20, 12, 10

Overhead skullcrushers super-set with curls (Fat Gripz) 

Session took way too long because I wasted so much time trying to get a way to do heavy dumbbell press with my custom dumbbell handles. I can do it one-handed, but with two I have to carry both and hoist them on my lap. This doesn't work without me holding the plates in place because the pins aren't strong enough to keep everything from coming apart. Got frustrated and just went over to barbell benching.

I really want to switch to dumbbells for a while. Might look into suspended dumbbell hooks, or just get really strong clamps.

Entry #1015

I canceled lifting today to go to boxing. Since it's M W and F I'm going to lift T T and S. 

I'm warming up to the place, kind of. It's still the bottom of the barrel but the price can't be beat. There were actually some guys there who looked my age today, too. I bounced around between the heavy bag, speed bag, double-end bag, and shadowboxing. I also attempted to skip rope but I'm too tall with arms too long and the rope wasn't going anywhere with the ceiling overhead. I'm trying to pay a lot more attention to my footwork by slowing down handspeed and just syncing every strike up with steps and hip swivels. I think I throw too many punches in an attempt to "pad out" a round and many are coming out sloppy. Less is more, for now.

I'm not risking throwing any full-power left hooks, unfortunately, and right hooks are just schwangwangwang with how far they have to travel across the body. I might switch up my stance on the fly in sparring to address this.

Entry #1014

SSB box squats with Monster minis:
260 x 2 x 5
135 x 5
> The bands with that weight were making this closer to a heavy effort. These are strong bands, so I don't think I'll venture over two plates a side next time.

Overhead press:
175 x 3 x 5

Deadlifts:
365, 405 x 5
455 x 0
> My deadlift is severely regressing. It's time to change the programming for it. I'm thinking that my PC might be getting overworked because of the use of the SSB three times a week instead of regular squats, or maybe this linear progression is just getting stale. I might apply the 5/3/1 protocol here. I should also make more of an effort to do assist work like good mornings, but time is always so difficult to cram in one hour.

Entry #1013

http://conditioningresearch.blogspot.com/2012/02/massage-post-exercise-reduces.html

I should definitely be more proactive in breaking out the foam roller after training.

Late night for me tonight. 3:32 AM. Things have been better today. Gonna hit the sack after this cottage cheese.

Entry #1012

I've had an extremely tumultuous week, with the prospect of being single again and planning on my 800-mile move back to California to getting back together again to once again having circumstances be shaky. Normally I'd be too stressed to train, but I'm no longer normal.

I finished my deload last week and felt great. I also went to boxing yesterday for the first time and it was awful. Kids were mixed in with teens and I felt like the oldest one there despite the range being ages "8-34". The one coach there was a grumpy young guy who seemed like he didn't want to be there. I didn't even get offered any tutelage, it was just go in and wait around for a bag. You certainly get what you pay for.

Returned to lifting today and had a great session despite stress and inconsistent eating for three days.

SSB squats:
350 x 3 x 5

Bench press:
275 x 3 x 5
> Good pauses. Shoulder felt excellent.

Power clean practice:
135 x 5

Dumbbell rows:
160 lber x 3 x 5

Overhead skullcrushers super-setted with curls (Fat Gripz) 

Entry #1011

Friday:

SSB box squats:
240 x 3 x 5

Overhead press:
135 x 3 x 5

Deadlifts:
135, 225, 315 x 5

SSB good mornings:
150 x 3 x 10

---

Sunday:

SSB squats:
295 x 3 x 5

Bench press:
210 x 3 x 5

Dumbbell rows:
100s x 3 x 20
> Did these in between bench press sets. 

Entry #1010

Oh man, found a great-looking boxing gym only 1.5 miles away from my apartment. Better than that, it's only $15 a month! I'd miss BJJ so much, though. I was really getting into my groove with it, I love the coaches and people there, and rolling on the mat has an inextricable quality that's distinctly unique from sparring. The feeling of sinking my first sub last week was nothing short of euphoric. Unfortunately, reality is cold. $100 a month for 2 classes a week vs $15 for 3 - the choice for the unemployed student is clear.

Did some shoulder rehab today. Kettlebell stretches and Turkish get-ups.

Entry #1009

Trained miserably on Sunday. Anything lower-body felt like an absolute grind. Deadlifted 450 and it must have been the laziest rep in my entire life. I just somehow found myself with the weight up. Didn't even attempt the 5, I just dropped it and left. The week prior I ripped up 445 for 5 reps very handily. I'm way overtrained and it's time to deload.

SSB squats:
290 x 3 x 5

Bench press:
205 x 3 x 5

Machine lateral raise:
20 reps
> A nifty device for external rotator work.

Sternum chin-ups:
12, 8, 8
> Did in between bench press sets.

Power clean practice:
135 x 3, 2
> Stopped whenever my form got sloppy. On the last rep I actually missed my chest and the bar just rolled down my front. Warmed up with high pulls.

Incline skullcrushers super-set with dumbbell curls:
45s x 10 (skulls), 10 (curls)
> Took it easy because I didn't have my Fat Gripz, which I think would be healthier for the elbows doing any extension stuff.

I finished in 50 minutes. Post-workout I drank some white grape juice and ate a can of chili, an orange, some almonds, some olives, and a big glass of milk at the end before going to BJJ at 7.

We learned effective side-control defense as well review over the double-leg takedown. I really need to hammer it in to bring my front knee down, not rear. Getting out of side-control involves a strong bridge while the knifed hand goes across the opponent's neck, shrimping away, and crossing the leg over to net a butterfly guard. Sparring involved doing this repeatedly for two minutes before alternating positions. Very tiring, but I did well. Not as fun as free-rolling where I could go for all kinds of submissions, but it was probably more productive.

I don't know what I'm gonna do from here on out. It's $100 a month for two classes a week, or $130 for something like 5. This would be affordable if there wasn't a 12-month contract. Fuck. I REALLY like this place. Everyone is super friendly and I've learned more in the last two weeks than in my entire life. I like it better than AKA, even. I'm having trouble with jobs due to immigration paper problems and not having a work-eligible SS number.