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)