Box squatted up to 330x5 for 2 sets and then 350x5. Moved on to benching 265x3x5. Whole body was sore so the bench press was tough and after the first set I intended to move down, but decided to try and tackle the same weight and the next two sets came easier.

Whew, my body hurts, but in a good way. Feel like I've paid my dues to merit the next days off. Will do cardio tonight.

Squatted 425x5 on Thursday. Failed to strict press 182x5; only got 3. Going to do more push pressing.

Have been doing Muay Thai practice on my own as well as plenty of running. I have also lifted for 4 days straight because I'm going to be up late on New year's Eve and have to work early the next day. Want an earned day of rest with plenty of work behind me.

Stayed in on Saturday to watch UFC.

Had an awesome Christmas at my friend Azzy's place. Dinner and Death Guild that night. He's interested in having me train him but right now is still recovering from some injuries and wants to go at his own pace.

On Monday I wrenched my neck in my sleep somehow. Tried to squat and I just couldn't move right. Got up to 385 for a single. Slightly tweaked my back from being all misaligned so I stopped after 330x5 afterwards. Went straight from my gym to Heart Attack Hill and did 4 sprints before going to a Christmas Eve and birthday dinner for my aunt.

Going to return to squats today after work.

Went to Muay Thai Wednesday on Wednesday. Did some 50% sparring. Gym has since been closed until the day after Christmas.

Did my deload week. Trained twice on Saturday in order to do a buddy workout with George and friends. Got a good pump.

Barely overhead pressed 200 on Saturday, but I got it. Did dips for assistance work. Felt pressure in my sternum so didn't go over 50 lbs. Went to a work party that night and had lots of Korean food.

Sunday was just a rest day after all the drinking. When I drink it's usually organic juice I supply from Trader Joe's and vodka, which leaves me feeling 100% the next day and able to train at full capacity. This time all I had access to was beer and soju, which left me with a very rare hangover. Stayed in bed and played Zelda on Switch for a lot of it.

Monday I did a deload squat workout of up to 300x5.

Came home from work and did some yoga in the afternoon.

Got paired with a tall guy at Muay Thai. He asked if my name was Persian and said he was Turkish. Nice guy but a little annoying to work with. Kept peppering me with corrections on how he likes the pads to be held that I haven't heard from anyone else ever before. Also kept gassing and telling me to switch sides even though he fell well short of the 25 kicks on each side. Work through it! Come my turn he held the pads high. I actually SHOULD be able to comfortably kick at the height he held at, but my hips just felt tight. Might be losing flexibility from squats and neglecting stretches. Misfired and jammed my toes. Felt like amateur hour, ugh.

Ended by throwing light combos ending with a leg kick, rotating between various partners. Kept everything extremely light, which miraculously everyone abided by. Was able to focus on technique. I hope for more drills like this.

Busy Friday. Worked up a 535 deadlift attempt and couldn't break it off the ground. Tweaked my back warming up with the safety squat bar and might have had a mental hang-up about pulling the trigger. Dropped back down to 455 and did 5 touch-and-go reps, the likes of which I've been getting a hang of. I also did 405 x 3 double overhand touch and go during my workout sets. Finished with SSB box squats for 330x3x5 before heading to work.

 At about 5 I left the office and headed straight to Muay Thai. Open gym day with about two other people training there. Put my headphones on and did rounds on the bag for the entire 45 minutes. Came home and after a quick meal I did some office work in my room, then some Captains of Crush grip work and leg curls on the Swiss ball before going out on a 30-minute jog.

Squatted a fairly easy 470 on Monday.

On Tuesday I did 2 bouts of hill sprints and a 25 minute jog afterwards.

Yesterday I lifted and went to Muay Thai. Axle benched up to 280x4 and did a first set last run with 220x14. Because of this and due to wanting to get a deeper ROM, I went 10 lbs lighter on dumbbell presses and still only managed 3 sets of 7 with 115 lbs in my left hand (usual 100 in my right).

I was the only one who showed up to class! Coach Anthony worked 1-on-1 with me holding the mitts. Formally learned the overhand right for the first time although I've tried to throw it on my own before. Not coming nearly high enough with the trajectory. Legs started cramping up very badly. Coach told me I'm done and that we worked hard enough in 30 minutes to constitute an entire usual class. I told him I could still drill some boxing on the heavy bag without using kicks, which I did.

Had an awesome weekend going to the Dickens Fair with friends on Saturday (no training) and then finally doing the group workout yesterday. Like I already knew, dumbbells only went up to 50 lbs so I just did an easy session to get a pump. Would have actually loved to challenge myself with some crazy rep schemes but bizarrely enough I strained my tricep pretty bad deadlifting on Friday. In 15ish years of lifting that has never happened to me. Was able to press dumbbells with no pain but rows and pull-ups hurt. Kept it light, got an OK pump, and helped train George.

SSB box squats
Up to 290 x 5

Deadlifts
Up to 500 x 3
Intended to do only 1, but felt too easy to leave it at that.

SSB box squats
330 x 3 x 5

Co-worker requested a schedule switch today so I got to train in the morning before work at 12:30. Kept this session fairly breezy because the buddy workout is on for this Saturday, the day after tomorrow, and I will be hitting upper-body again.

Overhead press
150, 170 x 3
190 x 1, 2
Delts were a little sore coming in. Couldn't eke out a third. Improved bad day strength from a few weeks ago.

Tate press
35s x 10
50/35 x 10

Incline skullcrushers
50/35 x 7

Chin-ups super-set with last set of OHP and tricep work
8, 9, 8, 8, 8
First time doing these singe before surgery. No issues. Will gradually weight.

Band chest flyes, band curls

Muay Thai yesterday involved striking the Thai pads. Mostly punches, with the occasional kick on command. While the other trainees continuously switched striker and pad-holder, I worked with coach Tyler and hit the entire hour. Started to get tired but kept on like a machine. Am making significant strides in recruiting my upper-back when striking. Also less flat-footed when throwing, which automatically cues my hips more. All of that comes together to help with stamina. Still getting mixed up when combos get too long. 

Switched to southpaw eventually. I actually learned to strike southpaw but switched many years ago. Awkward but competent. 

Switch kicks felt ugly, but can probably chalk that up to fatigue. Only kicked at the end of class.

Yesterday evening after work:

Axle bench press
205, 235 x 3
265 x 6
Last set super-set with T-bar rows x 4 plates

Dumbbell press
125/100 x 7, 8, 6 -> drop-set to 50s x 12
Super-set with dumbbell rows of 125/100 x 8

Dumbbell skullcrushers
50/35 x 6 -> drop-set to 35s both hands x 4

Dumbbell curls
50/35 x 8, 8

Facepulls

Friend workout on Sunday fell through, so I went on a run by myself in the evening for about 45 minutes and did some Muay Thai form practice.

30 minute jog last night.

Morning workout:

SSB box squats
Up to 290 x 5

Deadlifts
315, 415 x 3 (overhand)
485 x 0, 3
Belted up after not being able to rip up 485. Not necessary but I should start using my belt more.

SSB box squats
330 x 3 x 5
Hise shrugs x 18 after last set

Captains of Crush grippers
Trainer x 10
#1 x 10 left hand, 8 right
10 left, 8 right
#2 x 0.9 left, 0 right

After hanging out tonight in SF, friends are going to workout with me tomorrow. Didn't do abs or hamstrings for that reason and to save time for today's plans.

Overhead press
140, 160, 180 x 5
140 x 10
As I suspected, the 175x3 last cycle was just a bad day, an anomaly.
Last two sets super-set with pull-ups x 8, 9

Axle incline bench
130 x 10
165 x 8, 8
Super-set with pull-ups x 10-12

Band chest-flyes, curls, band pull-aparts

Bicep somehow got bruised during Muay Thai yesterday. I distinctly felt it starting to hurt. This is despite not getting struck a single time in that class. I can bend and flex it just fine, just hurts a little. I may have hurt it by contracting too hard during a punch...? Can that even happen?

Used the Vyper vibrating foam roller after lifting and it felt really damn good, like a massage.

Squatted an easy 420x5 on Tuesday. I am crushing my squat workouts lately.

Went to Muay Thai last night. Heavy on form practice, which I loved. Did some footwork drills that involved traversing over a jump rope layed out on the floor. Added strikes to the mix. Bag drills were next, again emphasizing footwork with specific strikes. Kept it simple, just 1-2s followed by teeps. Got told to throw right hooks, which still feels weird on my arm, but not in a bad way. Tells me I need to do them MORE.

Got corrected on how loose my toes are when I kick. Keep them pointed.

Last night.

Axle bench
190, 225 x 5
250 x 8

Dumbbell press
125/100 x 6, 7, 7
115/100 x 8
100/80 x 10
Super-set with bent-over dumbbell rows of same weight

Curls, rear-delts

Finished my deload week with box squats of 330x3x5 on Saturday. Went to a metal show that night and got a decent workout in the mosh pit. Wrist is a little hurt and fell on my knees at one point so those hurt too. Usual minor scuffs.

Sparred last night in Muay Thai. Tuesdays are turning into sparring nights, which is always welcome to me. We don't have many experience practitioners coming in anymore so I'm often separated from the beginners and paired with the assistant coach to spar with. 

We did far too many rounds for the whole hour for me to distinguish between them in review, but in general I'm doing a better job of picking my shots and stringing combos together. He asked me if I want to work on anything in particular and I told him I have issues landing hooks. I stay too far out and rarely land. For the rest of the session I focused on ending combos with a hook. 

My kicks were pretty bad today. I landed some clean ones but others were sloppy and not making contact with the shin. Jammed my right toes at one point.

Took some really hard shots. My right arm in particular is in pain, although this next morning the surgery point no longer hurts and I'm just feeling the bruises.

Wow, I'm actually updating on the same night as my workout. Just did a deload squat session up to 290, with 240x3x10 for accessory sets. Finished with 225x10 RDLs. Did a light aerobics workout in my room after dinner.

Deload bench press workout on Saturday, up to 170x5. Sternum has still been hurting.

Went on a short jog of around 20 minutes last night with my respirator.

Did a few indoor rounds of shadowboxing last night and some hardstyle dance set to industrial music. Aerobics for edgelords, basically. Doing what I can to stay indoors.

Deadlifted in the haze today while wearing my respirator. Did up to 465x5, then 330x3x5 on box squats, ending the last set with 20 Hise shrugs. Finished with some Swiss ball leg curls in the living room.

Air is absolutely nastay here. Northern Cali overall has worst air quality in the world at the moment according to the BBC, although the Bay Area isn't at a "Hazardous" rating like further up (just "Very Unhealthy").

Did two 3-minute rounds of shadowboxing last night, then went on a 30 minute jog wearing the mask. Harder to breathe but didn't give me any trouble.

Overhead press
155, 175, 195 x 2
155 x 7 + 2 push-press reps
Well this shot up in the last few weeks. Makes me think I was working through some soreness the first week when I failed to get 175x5.

Incline bench press
135 x 8
155 x 8
175 x 8
Super-set with pull-ups of 8-12

Rear-delts, curls

SSB squatted 460 for an easy single. Probably had more in me. Everything felt light. After some hard-fought cycles these past 3 weeks have seen sublime squat performance despite being under personal stress (mental management on that front has been going well).

Was worried my shin would hurt but it's fine. It mostly hurts in the morning. I will return to Muay Thai tomorrow and only kick very lightly with my right leg.

Finished up with squat drop-down sets and RDLs for 315x7, overhand grip (2 sets).

Bench pressed 270x5 on Saturday. Sternum has been hurting. Going to retire dips for awhile.

Haven't done much cardio. Air is still unhealthy according to the EPA's website. Also, my shin is still hurting almost a week after sparring.

Did do some shadowboxing. I don't normally shadowbox this fast but it's hard to resist when filming so I can see myself.

Wednesday I did a press workout where I hit 185 for an easy 3. Yesterday I didn't do much of anything besides stretch and do some light shadowboxing. Was nursing my shin.

Today I woke up to a world of haze. Fires have affected us all the way in the Bay Area. EPA website had the air quality index at 96, which later rose to a crazy 186. Closed all the windows in the house and did a deadlift workout wearing this:

Got up to 465x3 and did box squats of 330x3x5. Felt a little light-headed from the decrease in oxygen but it made a huge difference; I couldn't smell a thing.

Muay Thai yesterday was all sparring. Rotated between Aaron and coach Tyler. Doing a better job of stringing combos together as opposed to single strikes. Front kicks and teeps are new game changers for me, too. Warded off a lot of advances from Aaron using them. The dude NEVER backs away. Not knocking him of course, but I need to hit him a little harder because I throw combos at him and he blocks or eats everything in his face before I back off. Kicking his stomach finally changed that. Even though it's sparring, have a bit more of a killer instinct and punish any openings.

When sparring Tyler our shins clashed at the same time and pain shot up my leg. I was able to ignore it but I was limping after class and this morning.

SSB squats
340, 390, 440 x 3
Work-up sets felt heavy and the final set felt easy. I have had to adjust my belt to the tightest it has ever been due to my waist size.

330 x 9, 8
Last set super-set with drop-down sets of 240, 150 x 10-12

Good mornings
150 x 5, 10
First set super-set with last squat set.

Swiss ball leg curls, kettlebell crunches, reverse crunches

Yesterday afternoon after work:

Axle bench press
190, 225 x 3
255 x 8
Dumbbell rows at the end

Dumbbell press
125 (L)/100 (R) x 7, 7
Super-set with dumbbell rows
Dumbbell pressing 100 with the right was pretty sweet.

Skullcrushers, curls

Had fun clubbing in style last night in Oakland. My smaller arm is looking pretty decent in pictures lately. I didn't even realize this was my surgery-arm at first.

At work in the morning here due to a co-worker being sick. Went on a 30 minute jog last night at about 8. Did some light shadowboxing and kicking before that.

SSB box squats
Work up to 290 x 2

Deadlifts
305, 395 x 2 (overhand)
445 x 5

SSB box squats
330 x 3 x 5

Swiss ball single-leg curls, abs

Last night it was just me and one other person for Muay Thai.

Me: "Where is everyone?"
Coach Jose: "Niners game. But you're right, where is everyone?"

As I skipped rope coach and I chatted about our apathy toward football, along with the sports we like and how long I've been doing Muay Thai. Something I haven't mentioned before: I only recently learned how to do the boxer skip when jumping rope. After looking up YouTube videos of it the movement patterned just clicked for me one day.

I held the Thai pads for a girl I've never seen before. Gradually built up from a basic 1-2 combo to add an elbows, knees, and kicks. Got my form for holding the pads cleaned up such as not properly angling in for elbows. Also, when catching an elbow you want to intercept their trajectory pretty early on. The biggest thing was keeping everything in the center line and not being too wide.

When it was my turn the coach really work me over. She kept logging my power and speed as well as lauding how strong I am but that he sees things to clean up. Got instructed not to step out so wide when throwing a kick which is seemingly the opposite of what coach Payam showed me, who demonstrated how much power you get when you step out and let your leg follow you. It may just be that I need to find the sweet middle, though.

Got some video taken of me but anytime a iPhone user texts over a movie file the compression is horrible. Here's what I have anyways. This was the end of the session and I was tired but strikes still seemed snappy.

Muay Thai yesterday. Pretty standard mitt-work session with various combos.

Overhead press
135 x 5
155 x 5
175 x 3, 4
135 x 10 + 2 push-press reps
Couldn't get the 5, oh well. Will just repeat the cycle next time. Overhead strength is taking the longest to rebound coming back from surgery.

Dips
45 x 9
70 x 9, 10
Super-set with pull-ups of same weight (10 bodyweight, 5 weighted)

Skullcrushers, curls

Not doing anything for Halloween this year really. Took a small edible piece earlier for a little bit of a buzz and having some Haagen-Dazs as a treat after dinner.

SSB squats
315, 360, 415 x 5

330 x 2 x 8
Strip-set down to 240, 150 x 10

Hise shrugs
330 x 20

Good mornings
150 x 2 x 10

Kettlebell crunches


Really strong session. Weight felt light. Knees are no longer a bother.

Axle Bench press
180, 200, x 5
240 x 10

Dumbbell press
125 (L)/90 (R) x 4 x 8
Super-set with dumbbell rows of the same weight and reps

Wide push-ups x 30

Dumbbell curls
50 (L)/35 (R) x 8, 8

Supinated bar curls x 8

Bunch of facepulls near the end. Tried a new technique out where I externally rotate so it looks like I'm doing a front double-bi at the end of the pull. I want to call these Hulk pulls because it looks like you're primally hulking out with your arms that way but that makes them sound like some crazy heavy deadlift-type move.

Enjoying the day off. Have a birthday party to attend in the evening and, if that ends early, a possible Halloween party at Josh's after that.

Friday I started work late so I went on a fasted walk in the morning, jogging for maybe 10 minutes in the final stretch of the 40 total. After work at about 8:45 pm I did 2 hill sprints and went on a 20 minute jog. Hate to say it (actually no I don't) but being single leaves me more time for extra cardio. I actually want to get a bike for this reason.

Did a deload press workout up to 135x5 yesterday and went on a 30-minute jog in the evening.

Went on a run a few hours after lunch on Monday, by the same spot we ate at (just happens to be on my trail).

Made it to Muay Thai yesterday. Practiced the axe kick. First we kicked over noodles held by our partners, then each other. We would kick down through our opponent's guard. Added bag work near the end where we started on the outside, kicked, and made our way in. Ended with ab work.

Not feeling as blue as I normally do in situations like this. I'll feel sad in the immediate aftermath of texting my ex (like this afternoon over tickets for a Halloween event tomorrow) and then feel (mostly) over it. Gotta keep the focus on myself and my goals.

Had a great Friday with friends and a shit Saturday. I'm proud of how I conduct myself through drama though.

Did deload bench press up to 160 yesterday and went on a 35 minute run in the evening.

Had lunch with my friend Sam after lifting at a cafe next to my high school. Pizza and Greek soup.

Went on a 45-minute run Wednesday.

Attended Muay Thai yesterday and had a great session. Took turns holding the pads and stringing together combos mixed with both catching and parrying the opponent's push-kick. Worked with an experienced competitor, Jose. After many rounds of him holding he commented, "You're a powerlifter, right? I can tell since you never get tired." To his immense, I was wearing a red EliteFTS shirt that said "POWERLIFTING". "I've been with guys lately who just get tired from holding pads!" Really cool compliment from someone who competes. Of course with how hard I was throwing things were no picnic but at a certain point of conditioning level you can sustain performance while feeling the strain. (for me my shoulders were getting tired).


Today I deadlifted up to 445x3 and did box squats up to 330x3x5 before work.

Overhead pressed 190 for an easy single and dumbbell push pressed 100x2, 125x0, and 100x3 in my left arm. Moved on to dips, working up to 70x8 by the end of the sets. Finished off with dumbbell flyes, curls, and overhead band pull-aparts.

Took two days off and went to the beach on Sunday. Another turkey leg down the hatch.

Yesterday evening I squatted 460x1 after work.

Went bowling on Tuesday and used my right arm. Shoulder got sore by the end of it. Didn't power-throw the ball or anything but was able to bowl normally.

Muay Thai yesterday focused on the clinch. Practiced controlling the opponent and then adding a 1-2 upper-cut elbow followed by the clinch. Eventually added a knee, and then a right elbow. New coach is teaching us a lot of actual Muay Thai and less kickboxing than before (I only recently learned elbows a couple weeks ago on his first day teaching). Class size was huge. Lots of people I haven't seen before. Unfortunately with so many new trainees I haven't sparred in several weeks, but part of that is my fault for not going to class enough.

Today I axle bench pressed 260x7. Was cautious about doing assistance work because I felt pain at the surgery site but it went well. Dumbbell pressed the 125 in my left and the 90 in my right for 2 sets of 8. Rowed the same amount of weight. The nervous parts for me are hoisting the dumbbells up into my lap and then the rows afterward. Also did weighted dips up to 70 lbs.

Deadlifted up to 435x3 yesterday. Bar was much heavier on my left side and all 3 reps were pulled that way. Upon inspection I found that the plates were sliding down. Oh well, good strongman training.

Box squats up to 330x5. Went on a run in the evening. 3 hard hill sprints and a run afterwards that was at a pretty fast pace.

Overhead press
140 x 3
160 x 3
180 x 3
Easier than I expected.

Dumbbell push press (left arm)
100 x 1, 3
Harder than I expected.

Overhead press
140 x 8, 8

Incline axle bench press
160 x 8
170 x 8
160 x 9

Curls, overhead band pull-aparts

Currently curling an 85 lb barbell with a neutral grip using straps. Feels hard on my right bicep but that's the point. Moving on to just the bar with a supinated grip, and that feels weird too. I've discovered some minor immobility when supinating compared to my left arm so this will be a focus.

SSB squats
340 x 3
385 x 3
435 x 3

330 x 8, 9
Strip-set down to 150x12 and super-set with good mornings of 150x5

Good mornings
150 x 5, 8, 8
First set super-set with the squat set.

Muay Thai last night focused on elbows. Uppercut and right cross. Traded off holding mitts with partner.

Axle Bench press
190 x 3
220 x 3
250 x 8

Dumbbell press
125 left, 85-90 right: 8, 8, 8
Super-set with dumbbell rows of same weight
Last 2 sets were with the 90 for my right arm.

Dips
10
45 x 8, 12
Super-set with dumbbell rows again

Facepulls, curls

Curled the 35 for 2 sets in the right arm, and then a set of 20 with bilateral curls using the 50 lb kettlebell. Feeling that worrying strain as the reps ascend but I don't think I'm in danger this far out from surgery. More likely it's just a weird sensation from going into uncharted waters, like every twinge that has ensued as a result of this sensation before. No such twinge this time which I consider progress.

New work schedule now that we have a third office worker. Two days off finally after...what, more than a year of only one day? And I work from 12-5 on Fridays. My hours have been slashed...but that's alongside getting off hourly pay and going on a salary. To balance that out, my rent has increased and I'm paying my dad's car insurance bills. 

Deadlifted up to 425x5 yesterday and did box squats up to 330x5. Also did neck crunches, hise shrugs, external rotations with a band, and Captains of Crush gripping.

In the evening I did two 3 minute MT shadowboxing and kicking rounds, then did 3 hill sprints, then a 10 minute run (faster than a mere jog).

Strict pressed 170x5 on Sunday.

Made myself go to Muay Thai yesterday after an 11-hour workday. New coach, introduced as Jose. Old coach, Anthony, participated in the class as a student. Class was largely about teeps, which I discovered today I'm not good at. I haven't been extending my hips enough so they lack force. Practiced on the wall first, where I felt kind of stiff when extending my leg. We shielded up and my partner was coach Anthony. Rather than move him with the teep I was moving myself backwards and my footwork was getting all messed up. Will work on the hip extension in my own time.

Learned elbow upper-cut for the first time.

Deload

Bench press
110, 135, 160 x 5

One-arm dumbbell press (left)
125 x 3, 9

Dips
10
50 x 10
70 x 8, 7+7 bodyweight,

Bent-over barbell rows
215 x 6, 8, 8, 7
Wide-grip with axle: 110 x 10

Did a deload box squat workout on Tuesday and had a good sparring session later although my legs began to cramp. Got told not to stand so upright and be more assertive when checking kicks. My partner didn't even know I was checking them because they weren't very solid. Should slow the pace down so they're not half-hearted.

Bench pressed 230x8 yesterday and moved up to dumbbell pressing 125 in my left and 85 in my right. Only did that one set. Other times was 115 and 80, respectively. Lots of rear delt work, as well.

Another food-filled weekend. For my friend Sam's birthday we went to Hamburger Mary's in San Francisco. Fried pickles might just be the greatest appetizer I've ever had. Also went to Oktoberfest the next day. At the end of the night the girl at one of the food stands dumped a ton of sausages they still had on our plate, way more than what our tokens were worth.

Did a deload strict press workout, up to 160x5 and doing that same weight for axle incline benching. Yesterday went on a 20 minute run after my overtime workday.

Running yesterday. 4 hill sprints and a jog afterwards. Legs felt heavy. Deload week should do me well. Knees have been hurting, both of them.

Tuesday: deadlifted up to 415x5. Also RDL'd after box squats with 315, double-overhand. Went to Muay Thai in the evening. Sparred, rotating with this big guy Aaron and coach Tyler. 

Yesterday did a deload. Bench pressed up to 160x5 and did dips as my assist work. Also threw in a 125x9 dumbbell press for my left arm. Muay Thai again in the evening. Helped a new guy out with the Thai pads. No sparring. Stayed a little late after class to help coach Anthony clean up.

Strict pressed 185x1 on Friday. Assistance work consisted of incline benching and dips. Went out to dinner at a Persian restaurant and ate a lot of food.

Went to the beach for my friend Azzy's birthday on Saturday. No training on this day, but here's a group picture as well as the massive turkey leg I wolfed down along with garlic fries that had me feeling sick after I went on a bunch of spinny rides right after.

Didn't train Sunday; was running on 3 hours of sleep and went to bed early after work. Yesterday I came home from my overtime day and set out to go on a run but got asked by my sister to move a bin full of dirt out on the driveway. Took me about 30 minutes to finally get it over the curb. Was happy about the exercise, though. Went on a 10 minute jog afterwards.

Only went to Muay Thai once so far this week. Have been busy but I could have made it if I tried harder. Will do better.

Sparred yesterday. Total of three partners. A tall, lanky guy who seemed to have some decent experience, a girl, and the assistant coach. Need to time my meal before training better. I was feeling full. Kick accuracy is coming along. I can actually throw inside leg kicks with some force and not worry about hitting the groin. Kicking speed is much better as well. Need to keep the hands and elbow up when throwing the spinning back kick. Didn't land it once this time, need to gauge distance better.

Yesterday:

SSB squats
350 x 5
400 x 3
455 x 1
Left knee, which is not the one that usually hurts, was hurting pretty bad today up to 250 during my work-related sets. Got better the heavier I went.

330 x 9, 9, 8

Swiss ball leg curl-ups

4 hill sprints in the evening.

Yesterday:

Axle Bench press
200 x 5
230 x 3
255 x 7

Dumbbell press (115 left, 80 right)
9, 8, 10, 8
Super-set with dumbbell rows x 8-10 (115-125 left, 80-100 right)

Rear-delts, curls

Muay Thai practice in my living room at night for 20 minutes total. 2 minute rounds, 1 minute restaurant.

40-ish minute jog yesterday evening.

Right arm has been hurting at the surgery site ever since bench press day on Tuesday after I did a set of 35 lb curls. It hurt worse at the end of Muay Thai on Thursday and hurt again today after strict pressing. May have all originated from last Saturday when I did an unprecedented amount of lifting with it during the move.

Strict press
135, 155 x 3
175, 1, 3
Super-set with pull-ups x 6
Really didn't want to fail a second cycle of this so I belted up and used my mouthguard. Easy enough that I attempted a 4th, but didn't have it.

Landmine press (left arm)
3 plates x 8
3 plates + a 10 x 8

Incline Bench press
160 x 3 x 8
160 x 7
130 x 8

All pressing sets were super-set with various rep ranges of NG pull-ups and T-bar rows, with some unilateral heavy ass dumbbell and Meadows rows with the left arm. Going easy on the bicep.

Overhead band pull-aparts, some light curls

May skip deadlifting tomorrow and just do box squats.

Sparred yesterday. Lots of improvements, so I'll focus on what I need to work on the most at the moment: range. Need to more confidently establish offense and defense zones as explained in the Bazooka Joe training video I watched. Kicks and punches are still falling short because I'm too far. Also hitting my toes, though it's on my lead leg this time. Inside leg kicks, and pretty much anything with my right leg, were accurate.

Sparred with the assistant coach, Coach Tyler, at one point. We mostly went at an easy pace but occasionally he would explode on me. I defended well. None of his hard punches landed if I'm recalling correctly. Two hard body kicks did. The first one I tanked. The second one was stronger and came with 10 seconds in the round left. Knocked the wind out of me bad. The sound of his connection was very audible. I stumbled and my inner bitch told me to take a break. Ignored it and tried to fake being fine by coming forward. He went easy on me in the remaining seconds.

Had a last spar with my friend Daniel, who is moving gyms. Fun as hell. Fast but not too hard. My legs were flexible and I landed with my first head kicks ever. He blocked but the fact I got my foot up there was new for me. He commented on that. Also landed a spinning back kick.

At the end, coach Anthony asked us the usual "One thing you did well, one thing you need to improve upon, and one thing you learned." Daniel used me as his answer for the thing he learned: I have heart and am a pressure fighter who continuously comes forward.

Yesterday:

SSB squats
330, 380, 430 x 3
Ate like a fat kid before training, seemed to work well for energy levels.

330 x 8, 8

SSB lunges
180 x 18
Super-set with good mornings x 8

Later in the evening, some Muay Thai practice at home and then 4 hill sprints right after.

Good mornings
180 x 9

Axle bench press
190, 215 x 3
245 x 8
Dumbbell rows at the end with 100 x 10 left arm and 80 x 8 right

One-arm dumbbell press
Right: 80 x 8
Left: 125 x 7

Dumbbell press (80 right side, 100 left)
9, 10

Rear-delts, curls

Deadlifted up to 395x5 on Friday, this time using straps. Did hill sprints a few hours later 4 times up the hill and back.

Helped a friend of a friend move for most of the day on Saturday.

Overhead press
125, 145, 165 x 5

Incline bench press
135 x 8
155 x 8
185 x 8, 6
Super-set with pull-ups up to 35 x 8

Rear-delts, curls

Muay Thai in the evening. Substitute coach. Did a lot of conditioning but it all involved striking instead of calisthenics so I was cool with it. tells us afterwards that as a fighter he's not the most technical guy so he was playing to his strength in training us.

So I missed Muay Thai on Monday because the shorts I brought with me to change into after work were too big. No way I could train in them without keeping them up. I actually got to class and realized this. I reasoned that not having had a day off training in awhile and wanting to succeed at squat day tomorrow I could afford skipping.

SSB squatted 405x5 yesterday and only did 2 sets of 330 for 7 to keep the volume low. Ate a lot beforehand: eggs, oatmeal with berries, pizza, half a donut, milk, and coffee. Going to make this a habit before heavy squats.

Made it to class yesterday after squats. Felt really fresh and hyper after the squats.

Went out for an after-dinner walk last night and felt my blood sugar levels crash. Ended up wolfing down a slice of wheat toast, some hummus, and lots of cottage cheese. Tells me I had too many high GI carbs post-workout.

Progress picture on the arm. June 2017 to yesterday.

Let's see what I missed...didn't record my deload squat day but I did that, and did Muay Thai on Friday which consisted of bag work for 45 minutes on my own. Got called into work suddenly on Saturday so did that (mostly watched movies and chilled with a friend who visited and had lunch with me), then did deadlifts after work up to 375 for 5 reps. Gripping it double overhand was hard but I managed.

Worked again today and did this in the evening again.

Axle Bench press
175 x 5
200 x 5
230 x 8

One-arm dumbbell press
Left arm: up to 125 x 8, 7, 8
Right arm: 100 x 0; 80 x 10, 10, 10
Super-set with dumbbell rows (125x8-10 left arm, 100 x 8 and 80 x 8, 8 right arm)
Notes: probably could have done the hundred but felt very gun-shy when I had the weight in my hand.

Dumbbell skullcrushers
50 and 35 (left and right arm) x 10, 8
35 both arms x 10
Super-set with with curls using same dumbbells

Dumbbell chest flyes with 35s

Rear-delt raises, facepulls

Good workout. Finished in just a little over an hour. Really happy to be dumbbell pressing heavy again in the right arm.

Muay Thai yesterday was super fun. Practiced the spinning back kick for most of the class.

Deload

Overhead press
Up to 135 x 5

Incline bench press
135 x 8, 10, 10, 10, 10
Super-set with pull-ups x 8-10

Landmine press
3 plates x 8
Super-set with pull-ups x 10

Facepulls, curls

Sparring yesterday evening. Rotated between 3 different partners, one being coach Anthony. Finding my kicks falling short when fighting Anthony. Need to stay on the balls of my feet under fatigue so I can spring forward and find my range rather than plodding forward. Exhibited good head movement this time and only got tagged a few times. Guard needs to stay up by the temple when punching. Lots of stuff I know but I let slip when tired. Tried a couple spinning back-kicks that missed but I didn't pay for, at least. Need to practice checking more, my reaction time isn't the best but I improved by the end of the session and was catching most things.

Left leg and thigh are extremely sore today.

Was the only person to show up for sparring Friday again. Was told they are changing the class to an open gym session for that reason and we will do sparring throughout the week. Hit the bag for the 45 minutes instead.

Yesterday:

Deload

Axle bench press
110, 130, 160 x 5

Dips
10
10 x 10
50 x 10, 12
Super-set with T-bar rows of 165 x 10

Skullcrushers, curls, rear-delt flyes

Deadlifts
315 x 3
375 x 3, 4
Goal was 5. Couldn't double-overhand past 3. Went upstairs and dug out my chalk before returning for an easy 4.

SSB box squats
290, 310 x 5
330 x 3

Muay Thai on Wednesday. Sparred with two people, my buddy Daniel and a real heavy-set guy who punched too hard after we agreed on 50% but was so slow that it didn't matter. With how much I let him breathe and held back on strikes that connected though I kept thinking if I was going anywhere close to as hard as he was swinging at me he'd be flatlined. Daniel was fun to spar with as always. I'm focusing on finding my range so punches don't fall short anymore. Afterwards he commended my body mobility but that my head wasn't following suit. More head movement.

Did a press workout yesterday. Got 185 for a single and then incline benched with the axle for 165x7-9 reps for several sets. Then I FINISHED up with a max effort landmine press with 3 plates for 8 reps. I haven't been doing as much unilateral pressing the last 2 weeks but I've decided it's important to keep it up until I'm using my other arm for truly heavy weight that matches where I used to be.

Did some yoga and some non-static stretches (dynamic kicks and PNF hamstring stretches with a band). Do this everyday, even for just 5 minutes. No static stretches unless it's after a training session and I'm very warm.

SSB squatted 400x2 today. Everything felt like a ton of bricks again. No way was I going to hit 450.

Been a rough cycle. I think I need a serious reset of my training maxes. My current number for my squat is over 500 and I'm pretty sure I can't hit that right now...and that's just a training max.

Still, that doesn't explain why I'm failing under numbers I succeeded at recently. Obviously I'm losing weight and doing Muay Thai. Another thing, though, is my low carb diet. I'm eating carbs peri-workout, but still going into sessions feeling kinda empty. I couldn't even muster more than one set of 330x8 today (just did one set of 8 and then a drop-set all the way down to the bar, after initially just grinding out 1 rep). I've been eating oatmeal with water and frozen berries as my carb source before lifting, after a morning of just lean meat and veggies. For a grueling lower body session I should try eating more.

Post-workout meal was a big-ass veggie lasagna that I've wolfed down easily. 1200 calories and 60 grams of protein. Yeah, this tells me to eat more before squats.

Muay Thai yesterday after the usual 11-hour Monday. Way bigger class size than I was expecting for a Monday. Usually it's just me and 1 other person. Mostly new people, so we did some casual stuff like a fitness circuit for the first third of the class. Went from the bike, ab wheel, jump-rope, and dips, all in succession, for several rounds. Took the dips to failure.

Worked several combos after. Am staying more on the balls of the feet than I have been before, but need to pivot more when I throw a left hook.

Deadlifted heavy for the first time since surgery. 355x5. Arm hurt the next day when making a twisting motion but was better the day after that.

Yesterday bench pressed 255x4. 1 was the minimum but it felt light.

Went to Muay Thai 4 days last week. Nobody to spar with on Friday. Hit the bag and coach held mitts for me.

Overhead press
135 x 3
155 x 3
175 x 2
Clear to me now that my estimated training max is just too high.

Attempted dumbbell push press and couldn't even get the 115 up once. Guess I really needed to recover this week after feeling rundown last week.

135 x 7, 7, 8
Super-set with pull-ups x 8-12

Incline dumbbell press
50s x 10, 12
Super-set with pull-ups x 8

SSB squats
335 x 3
380 x 3
430 x 1
Almost failed that rep. Everything felt ultra heavy. Also felt like my back was about to crumple under the weight. Worked abs to failure in Muay Thai the day before which could be to blame.

Strip set of 330x8, 240x9, 150x10, 60x12.

RDL
215 x 8, 10

Right knee is really hurting now. It wasn't bad during the session but it's worse at night. Did extensive static stretching in the evening and I'm suspecting that's causing it.

Did a bench press workout on Saturday. Up to 240x3 and repping 215x7-8 for assist work. Rows were up to 215x8.

Ate horribly on Sunday. Had frozen yogurt in the afternoon and then a huge noodle bowl at the mall followed by Cinnabon for dessert. Probably good weight gain for arm growth, though.

Made sure to make it to Muay Thai yesterday after working overtime. Only me and one other guy. Classes are shrinking drastically. It's the cardio and kids classes that are big. This really sucks, but it does get me more 1-on-1 training. Coach Anthony told me I'm still not swiveling on the ball of my foot enough when I kick, especially with left leg kicks. I need to work on my footwork in general. Will keep watching Bazooka Joe's tutorial videos and practice out of class. It will be a big focus for me going forward.

We worked a combo on our partner's mitts: 1-2, block left hook, 2-3. Add on outside right leg kick. Next, add on 3-2, then inside leg kick.

Finished with 3 rounds on the bag. 1 round boxing, 2nd round kickboxing, 3rd Muay Thai.

Used the 12 oz gloves on the bag:

Damn, what a week. Did a strict press session on Tuesday that my phone ate up. Started the 5/3/1 protocol for that lift. Attempted 165x5 but could only muster 3. Definitely overestimated my training max.

Went to Muay Thai on Wednesday but came an hour early because I mixed up the class schedules. Found myself in the cardio kickboxing class. Said fuck it and joined in. It was a good workout. We did some things that had my body aching because of soreness from weightlifting - in particular, anything with squats and some TRX rows that I REALLY dug. Also did partner sit-ups and plenty of actual striking, albeit much more simply than in Muay Thai.

Right after was Muay Thai. Just me and one other girl, so I led the warm-ups. Two more people joined after warm-ups. We drilled a really long combo on the bag the whole class. Was tired but felt fresher as the session went on.

Yesterday, I went on a 40 minute jog. Whole body was still sore from Monday.

Muay Thai in the evening. With our partner we would throw a punch and a kick, switching off. My partner was coach Anthony which is always fun. I was chasing him around and getting tagged, but my jab found its target several times while he was showboating. My sense of distance is something I'm really going to focus on.

Other partners were either more inexperienced than me or, in the case of one guy, more out of shape, so I significantly held back and took the opportunity to lightly work on inside leg kicks and higher body kicks against moving opponents.

Told coach I'd been watching Bazooka Joe tutorial videos on YouTube at his behest and he invited me to stay after hours and work on things as I wanted to. Ended up staying until 9 pm. Took some bagwork video.

Ate a lot over the weekend. Went to the Gilroy Garlic Festival Saturday afternoon and ended the evening at an Italian restaurant for my niece's birthday. So much pasta. Alcohol intake was a single tequila drink with dinner and when I recoiled at how much sugar it had I cut myself off there.

SSB squats
310 x 5
360 x 5
405 x 5
Been having right knee pain the past few weeks. Warmed up extensively today and I didn't feel it today.

Neck crunches between squat sets. Forward, backwards, and each side with the thick Iron Woody band.

310 x 8, 8, 8

Hise shrugs
310 x 20

Romanian deadlifts
215 x 2 x 8
First time deadlifting anything since last year, or picking up something that weighs this much for that matter.

Did 4 hill sprints on Thursday. Just wanted a short, 10-minute burst of activity to counter the hour-long Muay Thai sessions.

Yesterday was sparring. For the third time now only I showed up for the class. My buddy Daniel was already there for some earlier open gym training and was surprised someone showed so he decided to stay and spar. Coach Anthony remarked how he's probably going to nix the class because nobody ever attends, but that he'll incorporate sparring throughout the week so I'll still get the training in. His other idea was to maybe invite other gyms to spar on this day. People are wimps.

My defense is really bad. It's okay for the first round or two but it quickly deteriorates if I'm working up a sweat. My chin comes up too much and I leave myself open when I throw if I'm a little tired. I also need to move more laterally when under fire instead of backing up.

My jab continues to give everyone trouble and they remark on that, which is cool. I'm throwing more kicks now and trying to stand more laterally at behest of the coach, although I just watched a YouTube video where the instructor says that in Muay Thai you want to stand square unlike in boxing. 

At one point I checked a kick and he was limping so he took a break. 

Near the end of the session I got caught in a combo that ended with a head kick that caught me right under my eye. I saw stars and had to stop because I couldn't see out of it for several minutes, so coach called it a day. There was a lot of blood.

Just rested up for the remainder of the night because I work today. Went out to Rite-Aid and bought some butterfly band-aids. Already had Neosporin.

Wednesday I started the 5/3/1 protocol for the bench press. Think I may go back to axle pressing, as it just feels better and I have no meet coming up.

Bench press
170 x 5
200 x 5
225 x 8

Dips
12
45 x 10, 10, 10
Super-set with pull-ups up to 45 x 8

Rear delts, curls

Muay Thai at night.

Yesterday I box squatted up to 330x5 for 3 sets, did walkouts with 470, and good mornings with 150. Tweaked my right lat muscle just by working up with 290. Nothing too bad, just some discomfort.

Sparred in Muay Thai. First guy was a smaller guy I've went at it with before and am friendly with. This time he was really wailing on me despite the coach saying he wanted very light contact. Nothing I couldn't handle but was annoying. My shins and left glute are very sore today from his kicks. He also kicked me in the dick right as the round ended. I mostly kept it light but clocked him a few times when I felt he was benefitting too much from the fact that he didn't have to worry about my strikes hurting as badly.

Other two partners were good. Noticed that my chin starts sticking out a little when I'm tiring. I don't gas anymore, though.

Went to sparring on Friday and was the only one who showed up. Worked the heavy bag for a bunch of rounds until coach Payam, who was skipping rope nearby, approached me and said he'll spar. Boxing only. We went several rounds at an intensity I wish everyone here could adopt. He hit just hard enough to punish but that's it. He complimented my jab that snuck through several times. In return, his body shots started to find their way in by the later rounds, including one that mildly knocked the wind out of me. I would say we did 6 or 7 rounds and my cardio held up well. After we were finished I used the exercise bike for 5 minutes to cool down.

On Saturday I did a deload overhead press workout. Push pressed the 100 lb dumbbell for 4 reps and strict pressed 130 x 8 for several sets, all super-set with bodyweight pull-ups. Went to a pool party and barbecue that afternoon at George's.

Deload squat workout yesterday, up to 280x5 and repping 250x8 for 3 sets. Did rear-delt and external rotation work between sets. Also, neck crunches.

Was 9 minutes late for Muay Thai due to an accident on the freeway but the substitute coach was cool about it. I walked in and 4 people were already partnered up and doing kicks down the length of the gym against the shield. Coach held one for me and we went way faster than everyone else. Left kicks going down the gym, rights coming back, and then repeat for push kicks. I finished before everyone else so I skipped rope and stretched.

Worked on several combos against the Thai pads next. Too many to remember but one involved a 1-2, right elbow, left uppercut, right elbow again. Elbow in a downward fashion, like it's divebombing. Much more powerful. Coach greatly mixed things up by calling random shots out for me to throw between combos.

Finished up with a minute of speed kicks on the heavy bag each side, then planks.

Yesterday:

Deload

Landmine press up to two 45s + 25 x 8, 8
Super-set with dumbbell rows x 100, 115 x 8

Dips
Up to 25, 45, 45, 45 x 10
Super-set with weighted pull-ups of 45 x 8
Decided to just plunge right in and go for it with the pull-ups. Couldn't resist with a 45 hanging off of me once again. Used a little leg drive here and there and could feel my arm being strained but still just terrific to be able to do.

Dumbbell press with 50s
20, 17

Facepulls, curls

Went to Muay Thai later. Got taught by my partner some good defensive moves, which I desperately need more work on. Slip the jab, jab the body and throw an overhand right. Now this made my arm feel it, but I was able to proceed and is something I'm going to keep working on. Really glad to have a good partner like this.

Had a fun and restful weekend, then did a deload leg workout yesterday after my overtime shift. Worked up to 170 lb lunges for 14 reps over 4 sets. Added super-sets with good mornings x 8. Really like the suckiness and am going to keep doing this.

Ordered 2 new sets of wraps for Muay Thai so I can rotate them out when others need to be washed. The $330 headgear I want is available in black on Rakuten. Can't pull the trigger on it this week but hopefully next.

Strict press
Up to 180 x 1, 3
200 x 0
Super-set with pull-ups x 8-10

One-arm dumbbell push press
115 x 2, 3

Bench press
215 x 6, 8, 8, 8
Super-set with pullups x 10

Lots of sets of dumbbell presses, facepulls, lat raises, and curls

Heavy session. I would like to run a full 5/3/1 program for all the lifts after this deload. I should be able to start deadlifting again, I believe.

Muay Thai yesterday consisted of a lot of defensive work. Partner attacked with just a jab and middle kick and I had to either block or parry and check. Added on longer and longer combos. Payed special awareness to not moving in the direction of the incoming strike. Block the hook while swaying away from it, move away from incoming kick. One of my most productive sessions in awhile because I got to focus on defense so much. Will come in handy for sparring.

Three consecutive days and no mishaps from landing my feet wrong on kicks. Toes are thanking me.

Weight loss pictures from January to yesterday. Flexing in both pics.

Muay Thai yesterday. First we went down the length of the gym throwing two speed kicks on each side at the Thai pads, alternating each time. Even before I did anything the substitute coach knew me well enough to preemptively tell me to keep high on my toes when kicking. Followed up with push kicks, again going down the length of the gym. Next was one minute each side of non-stop speed-kicks. Calves started to hurt at this point. Good.

Drilled various combos next. At one point we had to slip the jab and throw a right upper-cut. I got told to not exaggerate the slip. Just make it a quick and sharp movement. I've been watching too much Ippo, I think.

Finished up with ab work.

Yesterday:

SSB squats
350 x 5
400 x 3
445 x 1

330 x 7, 8, 8

External rotation and rear delt work, neck crunches

Swiss ball leg curls

Right knee is hurting. Did hill sprints few hours later.

Went to Muay Thai yesterday after the usual 11-hour Monday workday. Just two other people and the substitute coach. We warmed up and donned shields. 30 seconds of speed kicks each side, then 30 seconds of low kicks, also each side. Switched partners and used Thai pads. I held for a girl named Jazz whose two brothers also go here (one of them is the big dude who I've heard has been MIA due to wrestling). Combo we worked on was 1-2-1, right elbow, switch knee. Not too much to report here. We did this for most of the class and then switched to a non-stop 1-2 pyramid on the heavy bag of 20 seconds, 40, 60, 40, 20. Then same with knees. Finished with abs.

Some areas I'm really focusing on after my last sparring session are staying less square in my stance and having a tighter guard. We all had problems with hands dropping when first learning how to throw punches, but another bad habit, even after that's been eradicated, is keeping the hands too low by the chin and not protecting the face.

Have been stretching periodically and felt more limber in class. Nothing too crazy, just doing hamstring and split stretches when I have a few free minutes at home or work.

Picked up a dip stand for $25 today from a Craigslist seller.

Workout consisted of warming up on the bench press, doing landmine presses with three plates x 8 for 3 sets, and working up to sets of 10 dips with a 25 lb plate. Felt easy. Should be good for 45 next time. Very happy about that.

Also, visible in the picture above is the 195 lb barbell I'm rowing. Feels heavy on the repaired bicep but so far so good. Finished up with a bunch of curls. 

Had an eventful weekend. Ate a lot. Hooters feast last night watching UFC 226. My boxing coach, TJ Johnson, actually helped Cormier train for Stipe. He hasn't been coming to the gym in awhile, though.

I also didn't log a feast on the 4th of July. Have probably gained weight this week, but the good thing is it just means my arm will grow. 

Went to sparring on Wednesday. Going to just write some notes as a stream of consciousness kind of deal. Here's a short clip that coach Anthony Instagramed of me and my partner at the time, Aaron.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/KBBnHmxib1w836k17

Need to stop standing square, keep my shoulders up, and check more kicks in general. The most important thing, though: hit hard if we're sparring hard! Unlike previous times, sections were the mat was divided into hard and soft sparring areas. Only three people chose the hard sparring, including me. When fighting either of my partners, I realize now only after the fact that I never made them pay for rushing in on me and I was greatly holding back while they were not. I just can't wait to go back and do it again.

Worked the overtime shift yesterday and hit up Muay Thai at the end of the day. Pretty technical day. Drilled the basics in front of the mirror and followed commands on moving in the direction that was called out. Went through punches 1-6 and then strung them together in succession after moving each time. Got asked to help teach a new guy how to throw a hook. Bag work was next. One punch and one kick, then two punches and one kick the next round. For some reason I wasn't landing square on the shins today and coach told me to watch out for that. Was nailing my foot more.

Ended with ab work. Pretty simple evening.

Did this on my work break Sunday, which was only doable because Sundays are very slow and low key.

SSB squats
Up to 422 x 3

330 x 7, 8, 8

Banded neck crunches and external rotation work between a few of the sets

Unilateral Swiss ball leg curls
20, 15

Abs

Butt was still sore from lunges several days ago but it didn't seem to matter. I also did some light shadowboxing and kicking practice in the morning and my legs are feeling so tight. Need to stretch the hamstrings out for Muay Thai. More stretching in general.

Later in the evening I did hill sprints.

Did a bench press workout of up to 210 x 8 on Friday and went on a jog Saturday evening. Haven't been to Muay Thai since Tuesday due to helping my friend out with some things during the week, so will make sure I get there tomorrow after working overtime.

Yesterday:

Alternating SSB lunges
150 x 10
180 x 10
190 x 10, 10

SSB squats (narrow)
240 x 8

Hise shrugs
240 x 25, 30

Good mornings
190 x 8, 8

Rare rest day yesterday. Went to see Hereditary in theaters and it was amazing. Between Annihilation, A Quiet Place, and Hereditary, it's been a good year for creepy movies. Had a sugary Starbucks drink but that was the only off-diet choice I made. In the theater I smuggled in a charcuterie bowl of salami, olives, and cheese.

I have gotten so much better at skipping rope. I can actually do it comfortably for 5 minutes now thanks to improving my footwork. Class size was big again last night. After the jump-rope warm-up we got in three groups and warmed-up with one group freestyling on the bag, another shadowboxing, and the other doing medicine ball slams. Rotated and did 3 rounds before we partnered up with Thai pads, shin guards, and gloves.

Drill 1: pad holder kicks, striker checks, switch-kicks, 2-3, inside leg kick.
Partner was south paw and this threw me off a little when remembering what side is what in the heat of the moment when holding, but I got it down soon. Partner kept kicking my knee on the inside leg kick. Corrected him to kick higher but by then my knee was already hurting. Come my turn I used my 12 oz gloves instead of the 16s. Trying to remember to drop my legs more when throwing the cross. Pivoted pretty well into the hook.

Drill 2: add in a left push-kick and right head kick
Struggled with going as high as my partner was holding for the head kick and badly stubbed my big toe because of it. Asked him to hold it lower and I kicked slower.

Drill 3: add left spinning back kick
Fun addition. I am actually better at this kick than I thought I would be, having practiced it a little before from Joe Rogan's inspiration. At first I fell well short of even touching my partner with my foot but then I got the range down and hit his pad nigh perfectly. The first time this happened after I kept missing coach Anthony happened to see and went "Nice."

Ended with ab work. Coach said that intense circuit warm-up at the beginning was because a lot of people in class need to better their cardio and that's why he's been adding things like that in. I don't blame him, I blame people who are not new to class and still gas hard.

Limped after class a little from the toe and the side of my knee hurts from the kicks.

Axle strict press
Work up to 180 x 2

140 x 8, 8, 8
Super-set with neutral grip pull-ups x 8

Dumbbell bench press
50s x 15, 15
Super-set with neutral grip pull-ups x 8-12

Curls, rear-delts

Surgery site has been sore the past few days. Was holding a 35 lb dumbbell while doing rear delt raises and felt a twinge of pain so I stopped work in that arm. No lingering pain though.

Must Thai yesterday right after work. Two usual coaches are still on vacation. Filling in was the assistant coach who I've worked with a few times before within normal classes. Class size today was just 3 others. Worked various drills on the shield. 1-2, switch kick. Very simple. Kicking the shield at its various angles is a little bit of a challenge for me, but I'm not sure if that's my fault for not correcting how my partner held it. Didn't hurt my toes once and aimed well, though. Eventually added a 2-3-2 after the kick and ended with a kick on the other side. Class ended with ab work.

Talked to the coach after and it turns out he used to go to the AKA on Hillsdale, the same one that was my first school ever back in 2006. It's since closed down but he told me about how Arlovski, Velasquez, Phil Davis, and tons of other guys used to go there. Very cool.

Felt tired yesterday after work but went on a chill 25 minute jog in the evening. Just went around the high school and back. Working almost 12 hours today and choosing to spend the short time I have after work to go to Muay Thai instead of lift.

Cool thing at the party on Saturday: someone asked me how my arm was doing and couldn't tell which side it was on.

Did squats up to 400 x 5 and then back down to sets of 6, 8, 7 with 330. Glad I hit the rep goal on the same day I did Muay Thai. Will be going to a house party and BBQ soon. Bringing a protein shake with me that came in a package today.

Made it to Muay Thai this morning. New coach I've never seen before and 2 new people in class with only the remaining person being someone I recognized as an assistant coach. Coach introduced himself to me and said between the 3 other guys he's taught them for a combined 30 years, making me the newbie.

First drill was a simple right low kick to the shield. My partner went first, then me. As usual, my first few kicks were terrible, but by the third attempt I found the right motion. Got corrected on how far I was rolling my ankle. I overcorrected and landed the next attempt with the side of my shin. Need to find a happy medium. Bizarrely, my left kick was far better and stronger. Coach remarked on this. Told him it's usually the opposite.

Another thing to keep in mind is to land on the ball of the foot when push-kicking, not the heel.

Next drill was 2 for 2 combinations with our gloves as mitts. 1-1, duck, 2-3-2. Got told to loosen up. Also to not lean forward so far into my punches and to not stand so low because it's not utilizing my superior height over my partner's. Several years ago in Portland my boxing coach corrected my stance and made me go really low when throwing punches, telling me this is how power is generated. Muay Thai is a different animal, though, and maybe the coaching styles are different as well, but in any case I stood up a little more and dipped straighter down when throwing the right hand instead of lunging way forward.

We finished with several different combos on the heavy bag that the coach would call out, mixed with some easy ab work (10 sit-ups, 10 crunches, repeat until the end of the timer). Again, got told to loosen my shoulders up and not be so tense on the bag.

Loved this class. Really dug the emphasis on technique over burn-out conditioning. Hope I see this coach again.

30 minute jog a couple of hours after lifting. Felt my blood sugar levels drop and I got a little shaky out there. Walked part of the way home and had a small spinach and fruit smoothie and some low carb portabella pizzas. Still feeling a little hungry, but that's what dieting is supposed to be like sometimes. Will have a casein shake before bed like usual and evaluate my weight tomorrow morning before deciding on whether I will have a cheat day or not.

Axle bench press
Up to 160 x 5
Super-set with barbell rows up to 185 x 7

One-arm dumbbell press
50 x 7
80 x 5
100 x 3
125 x 3
140 x 0, 0
125 x 7
Couldn't get 140 off my chest. Worth noting that anything over 125 is with my dumbbell handle and plates so the set-up and grip are harder. Did the 125 on little rest to make it feel heavier.
Super-set with dumbbell rows up to 125 x 9

Axle bench press
205 x 7, 8, 7
Super-set with barbell rows up to 185 x 9

Dumbbell bench press
50s x 15, 12

Rear-delt raises
35s x 18, 18

Alternating dumbbell curls
35s x 2 x 8-10
Partial reps on right arm.

Facepulls

Was driving to Muay Thai when I got pulled over and issued a citation for making an illegal left turn. He said lots of people do it at that area. It really does look like a turn lane, but oh well. Ticket was $25 but apparently I have to go to court and court fees add up so it's more? Weird. More importantly, I missed class so I came home and ran sprints up Heart Attack Hill.

Did a lot of grocery shopping today. Went to Grocery Outlet instead of the local market for my main haul and saved a ton of money on meat and other things. I'm saving up to get a Winning FG 5000 headpiece. Comes out to $340 on Rakuten. They canceled sparring tomorrow so hopefully I will have it in time for next Friday. Wish I had known about nose guards and how little protection open-face gear provides before I bought my Venum one.

Two good days of training to report. On Tuesday I worked up to the usual box squatting workout with 330x5.

Went to Muay Thai on both Tuesday and Wednesday. Tuesday was a tough conditioning day but it wasn't too bad. Everyone else was dying and had to keep taking breaks. When class started and we just started burning out on the exercise bikes and slamming medicine balls I was thinking that I would rather be working on technique but luckily we quickly incorporated bag and mitt work into the class which alleviated my concerns.

Yesterday was just me and one other girl in the class. Actually worked out pretty nicely for myself because I got more intimate coaching. Did a drill where one person jabbed with a left low kick following it and the other person parried. Very simple. Got told not to jab so fast so she can react. Added in 2-3, then switched the kicking sides. Eventually got up to 1, kick, 2-3, kick, 3-2, kick. Ended with working the same thing on the heavy bag with power behind it. Coach Payam really steps out wide when kicking. He said we need to really push with the leg and step way out so the kicking leg swings over hard. Felt a lot of power by stepping out more. Same thing we went over before on a Saturday.

Yesterday:

Axle strict press
Work up to 170 x 3
Good weight to put up. Not too hard on the right arm.

140 x 7, 8, 8, 8

Dumbbell bench press
50s x 12, 13

Dumbbell curl, left arm
50 x 8, 8

Plate curls
45 x 20

Facepulls
12, 10

Working overtime on Mondays now. No time for both lifting and Muay Thai.

Did some shadowboxing and kicking for about 12 minutes this morning on an empty stomach except for a little bit of protein. Some progress pictures, with the last one being relaxed:

Weighed in at 197.6 this morning. Exactly what I told myself I wanted to be before I stepped on the scale. Losing 2 lbs a week is good.

Got ready to go to Muay Thai at 9:15 until I realized at 8:55 that it's at 9:00, not 15 after like during the week. Damn. Opted to do the workout I had planned later in the day instead. Some benefits to this happening because my toes still hurt and I have minor pain in my right hamstring if I lift the leg from stretching too hard again in the split position.

Deload

SSB squats
185 x 5
230 x 5
280 x 5

240 x 9, 10, 10

Swiss ball leg curls and reverse crunches

8 minute jog after

Gonna make the rest of the day a cheat day.

Went on a 50 minute jog from 8-9 tonight. Going to bed early to wake up for Muay Thai. Less partying and more training lately on Fridays.

From yesterday

Deload

Axle bench press
130 x 5
150 x 5
180 x 5
200 x 5

160 x 10, 10, 10, 10

All Super-set with barbell rows up to 135x10

Curls

Went to Muay Thai on Tuesday and Wednesday. We actually did some limited sparring where each person takes turns throwing a punch and a kick, making sure not to do the same combo twice in proximity. One dude just starts full-on sparring me, ignoring the drill. Barely got hit because his punches were pretty wild and I blocked and parried well.

I've noticed that some of my bad habits that I've worked to rectify are cropping up in the very beginning of class and it's taking me a while to warm-up. Yesterday on my very first kick I totally missed the shield and went over it, smashing my toes on my partner's shoulder and keeping me in pain the rest of the session. Paying attention to where my kicks land is something I've worked on recently.

Deload

Axel strict press
110 x 5
130 x 5
150 x 5
Super-set with pull-ups x 8

90 x 9
95 x 9, 9
Super-set with pull-ups x 8-9

Dumbbell bench press
50s x 20, 20
First dumbbell exercise with both arms. Used both arms to get the right dumbbell into position. Still don't feel ready to curl a 50. I tried to a few weeks ago for partial reps and felt something twinge. Probably scar tissue, but eh, I'll work up to it.

Curls with 50x7 on left arm

No Muay Thai. Worked overtime today.

Did Muay Thai in the morning just about two hours ago. First drill was one partner throwing a 1 or a 1-2 at the holder's cue and the holder throwing a right low kick so the puncher checks. We just used our boxing gloves instead of mitts and my glove kept getting loose. Eventually added a hook so it's 1, 1-2, or 1-2-3, depending on the call-out. Also switched the leg kick side. Got told not to move into the direction of my partner's back leg so I don't walk into a kick. I suppose if I moved fast enough that would actually work to my advantage in stuffing his kick, though. Also jammed my same thumb. It's a new bad habit from overcompensating in trying to loosen up. Keep fists closed.

Second drill was on the bag. Coach Payam would call out a combo that we could execute, checking at the end each time. Got corrected on how little I'm stepping to the right when throwing that left kick. Actually, got told the same thing last time but on the opposite leg. In short, step more to the side and follow with the kick. Power increased exponentially from this.

Finished up with ab work. Reverse crunches super-set with sit-ups. Three rounds of this. Just what I wanted. I didn't have time to do abs after squats yesterday and figured we'd do something in class anyway.

Eating clean this morning and afternoon, then making it a liberal evening at a Tiki bar and restaurant in Oakland for the birthday.

Yesterday:

SSB squats
350 x 5
395 x 3
440 x 1

330 x 7, 8, 8

Three hill sprints a couple of hours later, after dinner.

Sunk in pretty deep for that 440. Had to fight a little bit.

Axle bench press
Work up to 160 x 5

One-arm dumbbell press
Work up to 140 x 3
Super-set with bent-over dumbbell rows up to 125 x 10

Axle bench press
200 x 5, 7, 8, 8
Super-set with barbell rows of 185 x 5, 8, 8, 8, 10

Curls, rear-delts

Getting heavy on the bilateral stuff. Good milestones. Surgery site is feeling a little tender but no pain. Feeling kinda bloated. Ate horrible pizza, fried chicken, and a cinnamon roll at this game place last night with my nieces and sister.

Picture from last night: