Entry #1186

Staying in California until Saturday. Despite the stress of displacement and my stomach feeling like shit from drinking Muscle Milks in lieu of food at certain times, I set an all-time PR today.

Press:
180 x 5
200 x 3
225 x 4
> At last, surpassed 225x3 from four years ago, which has long been a goal of mine.

150 x 5 x 10

Neutral-grip chin-ups:
15, 15, 15, 15, 13

Seated cable rows:
160 x 15

Pressdowns and curls

I also went out drinking last night with George but made sure to eat high-protein bar food every few hours so I didn't go hungry. Little stuff like this pays off.

Entry #1185

Trained at 24 Hour Fitness today due to the athletic club being closed for Memorial Day.

Squats:
290 x 3
320 x 3
360 x 8

300 x 10, 10, 5

Leg curls:
155 x 8, 8, 10
Burnout set with some low weight
> Made me wish my regular place had a good curl machine. These felt good.

I also tried doing some unilateral dumbbell stiff-legged deadlifts with 55 pounders. Yeah, that wasn't happening, balance-wise.

Last day of training in Oregon for this week. Going to California tomorrow for immigration stuff. 

Entry #1184

Swiss bar bench press:
215 x 3
255 x 3
285 x 6
> Failed a 7th but I was so happy about my pec tendons feeling well from the struggle that I barely even cared. Unfortunately this does mean I'm at the same place as I was 5 months ago: http://l3loodfist.xanga.com/770936614/entry-1145/

However, completely maintaining strength during an injury is nothing to scoff at.

Incline Swiss bench:
160 x 5 x 10

Dumbbell rows:
132.5 x 10/8
> Hurt my back on the second arm so I stopped. Back has been feeling iffy since deadlifts (more on that later).

Inverted rows:
Entire stack x 10, 15, 20

Dumbbell rows:
132.5 x 10, 10
> Back ended up feeling better. 

Swiss bar preacher curls:
90 x 10, 10, 7

Had a terrible deadlift day. 430 felt heavy and I ended up not even being able to break 485 off the floor.

Entry #1183

Press:
165 x 3
190 x 3
215 x 4

147.5 x 4 x 10

V-handle pull-ups:
15, 15, 15

Ended it here because I had an appointment to make. Did a playground and home workout later at night.

Neutral-grip pull-ups:
15, 15, 13

Kettle extensions and curls

I keep forgetting to...oh, forget it.

Swiss bar benched 270x6 with a terrible set-up from lying too high on the bench and having to arc super low and slow to avoid hitting the pins. No worries about this. Then, wanting to deviate from my regimen, I did a medley of presses and extensions, trying to find the best fit for my pec tendons. Close-grip Swiss bar was the worst, did 2 sets of 10 with 200 lbs before I'd had enough. Surprisingly, floor crushers didn't feel great up there, either. Something about the grind off the floor that made me feel it in the tendons. Normal-grip bench felt better, but I think I've concluded that I had it right originally with incline pressing.

Squatted 340x11, which I was stoked about. Unfortunately I got up from a lying position on one leg and it made my knee hurt a little. I SSB squatted 295x10 but decided not to do anymore, so I just did 50, 30 reps of Hindu squats instead (no lockout).

Today I went on a 35 minute run and walked the way home.

Entry #1181

I keep forgetting to record my sessions.

Thursday

Deadlifts:
350 x 5
405 x 5
455 x 3, 5
> Trying to do touch-and-go and misgrooved on the third rep, losing all tightness. Probably just a concentration thing.

SSB squats:
310 x 5, 5

SSB good morning:
180 x 10

Crush gripper #1:
5, 5, 5

Friday

HIIT for slightly less than 9 minutes.

Entry #1180

Press:
155 x 5
180 x 5
202 x 6

145 x 5 x 10

V-handle pull-ups:
15, 15, 15, 13, 13

Tricep pressdowns, curls 

Entry #1179

Two sessions.

Swiss bar bench:
155 x 5
190 x 5

Incline Swiss bar bench:
157 x 3 x 10

Pendlay rows:
225 x 3 x 5

V-handle chin-ups:
15

Swiss bar preacher curls:
105 x 5

My deload plan is increasingly to keep the weight relatively heavy but to slash volume.

---

Squats:
155 x 5
190 x 5
235 x 5

SSB squats:
290 x 2 x 5

SSB good mornings:
175 x 2 x 10

Entry #1178

Oh no I don't. Midway through my monthly deload week neglect and I'm putting a stop to it.

In order, workout 1 being pre-deload.

Squats:
370 x 6
> Don't remember the build-up sets.

SSB squats:
290 x 10, 10

Abs

---

Press:
95 x 5
115 x 5
140 x 5

Standing Arnold press:
55s x 10
60s x 3 x 10
> Made my anterior delt hurt the next day. Nix these.

Wide variety of chin-ups and rows with Fat Gripz
> Sore forearms the next day.

Swiss bar preacher curls:
105 x 5

---

Deadlifts:
225 x 5
275 x 5
325 x 5
315 x 10
> Last set was touch-and-go. I've never been able to get used to it but it just clicked today. I've decided to stop fear-mongering about deadlifts and recovery and to just fucking pull from the floor consistently. The pattern I've noticed between periods of good and bad performance have always been high rep deadlifts, so I'm going to do what works.

SSB squat:
290 x 5

Entry #1177

Failed to deadlift 510. I'd been up all night and even 315 felt heavy so I'm not too worried. Still, I did go to Home Depot to check out how much patio tiles would run me for. $100 for 14. I'll keep it in mind if things just aren't happening here.

Swiss bar bench press:
235 x 5
265 x 3
295 x 4
> Bar clanged hard on the pins going down on the third rep and made me press with a 2-second pause off the chest for the fourth. Scared the hell out of me because of my pec tendons but astonishingly there was no pain at any point today, which is a milestone. Would have gotten 5 otherwise, but oh well. I'm happy with how light this felt. 

Incline Swiss bench:
155 x 5 x 10

Pendlay rows:
230 x 3 x 10

Cable rows:
Entire stack x 20, 20

Triceps and biceps 

Entry #1176

I am insane for doing this long a session on zero hours of sleep again.

Press:
175 x 5
200 x 3
220 x 3
> Felt like I was going to fall asleep. Had no mental focus and I stumbled back on rep 2, but my strength was there and I might have been able to muster a 4th. Belt and mouthpiece helped more than usual in this condition.

142 x 5 x 10

V-handle chin-ups:
15, 15, 13, 13, 13

Decline skullcrushers:
40s x 12, 10

Swiss bar preacher curls:
92 x 10
87 x 10
35 x 12
> Long eccentric.

Rear delt flyes:
20s x 25, 20

Came home to find that my girlfriend had bought me Metal Gear Rising and a card as a random present.