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.