Felt like my body was lacking a disturbing sense of discomfort so I banged out a 20-minute workout before getting ready for New Year's Eve with my lockdown pod. This is borderline-dumbass mainstream fitness crap but wanted to earn my drink intake tonight.

Axle
Clean and press
110 x 20, 10, 10

Lat pulldowns
20
Chin-ups
10, 5
Drop-down to lat pulldowns again x 10

SSB squats
10, 10, 10

Push-ups x 35

1 hill sprint

These were done as giant sets with no rest between each set of presses, lat pulldowns/chins, and squats. 1-2 minute rest times after that trifecta.

Those clean and presses kinda kicked my ass once the short rest times started adding up. I ate like a powerlifter beforehand and that was a mistake before a circuit type session like this. Basically had to cut sprinting short so I wouldn't throw up and also in anticipation of staying up late with my friends. I'm definitely going to do something like this at least once a week to compliment my heavy lifting. Anytime I find a way to make myself out of breath within a matter of minutes is a gift to focus on and I honestly feel out of my element pushing some resistance while gasping for air. I also feel emotionally better not spending 2 hours training because I'm addicted to nailing some coveted top-set.

Got a lot of food for tonight and protein supplements. After today's stressful work day I'm ready to unwind and then get back to the...ugh, "grind".

Had a good pull day doing lighter weight and more reps after lifting 585 once and just feeling dead. Hit 505x10 off 8 mats and then 405x12 from the floor. Worked up to 200 lb SSB lunges and some ab work as well. Butt and abs are especially sore now.

Went on an easy hike yesterday with a friend. Nothing strenuous but between that and walking around downtown I got a solid 5 hours of walking.

Drank a lot of sugar and I haven't done a dedicated cardio session in like a week. Just so happens the timing of New Year's coincides with my intent to get back on the frequent Muay Thai training and running again. Body composition is still looking good.

Axle press
180 x 5
205 x 1, 3
230 x 0, 1

Axle push-press
230 x 2

Axle press
155 x 8, 8, 7

Axle Incline bench press
110 x 10
160 x 5

Bench pressed 325x4 yesterday. Been two months I've been at that, time to try something new.

Christmas squats:
390 x 3
445 x 3
505 x 3
Strip sets of 405 x 5, then 315, 225, 135, 45 x 10

Band leg curls

The work-up sets felt very heavy but everything came together at the end. Might go to George's for dinner, we'll see. Feeling antisocial and crabby that I had to buy gifts at the last minute due to just last week getting a pay raise and only being able to afford them recently, then USPS fucked up the delivery and showed them as delivered yesterday when they're not here. Another thing I've been keeping to myself is that Jade has suddenly cut off contact with me since October with no explanation because she's in a relationship now, which is weird and shady. We'd been tight for 12 years. Not feeling great about humanity at the moment.

Mat pulls (8)
585 x 5 (PR)

Deadlifts
505 x 0, 1

SSB box squats
330 x 5, 5

Slow ab wheel
5 reps

Felt strong on the mat pulls but had nothing left for deadlifts. Left hamstring has been acting pissy. I notice how tight it is when I do high kicks especially. Will cautiously stretch it on a daily basis. Also had to take work calls and deal with an issue at the office so rest times were long. It's very possible cooling down in the cold evening weather made it worse. 

Sleep schedule is normalizing, got 7.5 hours of sleep last night. Feeling tired but I'm in a sleep debt. Will get at least a solid 8 tonight.

My new work schedule is mornings. On top of that, got called in to the office at 5am Monday to fix a serve issue. Meant to go to bed early and get 7 hours, didn't happen. Managed to sleep for 3 thanks to an edible but once the high wore off I could not get back to sleep after waking up to use the bathroom. Woke-up at 2 am and tried to sleep until 3 before I got up. About 3.5 hours total, but feeling alert. Had a nice breakfast with coffee while playing Hearthstone and managed to fix the issue in 20 minutes.

Yesterday:

Axle press
170 x 3
190 x 3
215 x 3
* Hard fought, got it though.
-
Last set super-set with dumbbell rows of 100 x 5

Push press
215 x 4
* Couldn't lock out the first rep attempt, otherwise I would have gotten five. Too relaxed so tensed up and knocked out four.
-
Last set super-set with dumbbell rows of 100 x 5

Incline axle bench
200 x 8, 10

Decline axle bench
220 x 10
230 x 10

All benching super-set with 115 dumbbell rows for 8-10

Taking a break from maxing on squats to put some reps in and lay some bricks. Hit some simple sets of 405 for 3 sets of 8 before work today. Will do hamstrings and abs at night. I'm thinking about doing this for two more weeks and increase the reps or decrease the rests, or both.

Meal-prepped last night and made delicious chicken thighs with pesto. Used too much sauce so the end result was soupy but damn is it good.

Went two days without any training. Body is feeling rested.

Bench press
Up to 365 x 1
375 x 1 (PR?)
255 x 11
I can't recall if I've ever successfully put up 375 but I don't think so. Definitely haven't succeeded in anything heavier though.
-
Last set super-set with chins x 10

Press (clean once from ground)
110 x 8 switch to 160 x 5
160 x 8
140 x 8
-
Super-set with chins
10
45 x 10
45 x 5 switch to bodyweight x 5

Called it here to go to work. For me, this is a good amount of work done in an hour, considering I did near-max singles.

Hosted a Mexican dinner with the two quarantine bros on Monday. Had a blast playing Smash Bros and Streets of Rage 4 after.

Pressed 225x1, surprisingly hard. Giving the extra press work I'm doing some time to show me benefits.

Had a good mat pull day. Hit 4 reps instead of the usual 3 for 585. Didn't do deadlifts afterwards, wanted to keep this day somewhat breezy so I could recover. In violation of that I did an extra fun day of high pulls, power cleans, and farmers' walks Sunday.

Feeling tired from 6 hours of sleep. Have Azzy staying over but I'll probably make time for bagwork when I get home from work, or maybe hit pads with him. I showed him Westside vs the World a few months ago, it was a fun watch but I was a bit disappointed in it.

 Woke up and did the exercise bike while fasted with a VR bike ride through a city, then some shadowkickboxing, then 25 burpees, ending with 5 more minutes on the bike. Total time of everything was 40 minutes. Wow, the time flies by in VR. When I used to do fasted jogs before breakfast it felt nothing like this. Awesome.

Had a low-carb breakfast of scrambled eggs and green tea with a chunk of ginger. Am extremely sore all over but especially my legs. Traps are pretty sore too from doing hise shrugs with SSB after I squatted the other day.

 Came back to the dungeon yesterday after work and finished up with my lower-body.

SSB good mornings
SSB x 15, 15
150 x 12, 15
200 x 10
-
Super-set with keg runs of 2 laps around the yard, 3 sets

Slow ab wheel rollouts
5, 5

Since I hit a decent squat single the other day but no follow-up sets I did a quick run with the SSB today, up to 330 for two sets of 10 with 4 minutes of rest between, ATG (only feel the need to note that because I usually go to parallel on heavier squats and I consider them both valid as different ways to get stronger). My legs were surprisingly a bit sore warming-up. Probably accumulative training via running, keg carries, hill sprints, and then squats just the day before yesterday even if the reps were low. Cut it here due to work and am currently typing this at the office. Will do good mornings and abs when I get home.

My plan was go over 380 and rep that but quads were sore enough for ATG 330 to be a decent challenge, especially with shorter rest times. I'm aiming to push the pace more and make 4 minutes NOT be a short amount of rest for me, at least on some days. Still find a lot of value emphasizing maxing out my top weight on certain sets and days, rest times be damned.

 Had a real lousy squat sesh last night. Everything felt like a ton and my knees didn't feel great. Worked up to a 505 single. Walked out with 535 and wasn't feeling it so I put it back. I don't usually sweat failing but I really don't want to drop anything on my concrete patio (I've bailed in the gym on a squat before so my own safety isn't a big deal). I could probably workout some safety apparatus with the kegs and patio pavers. After this I was about to walk out with 405 and noticed the left squat stand had shifted over the edge of the patio and was about to fall. At this point it was past 9:00 and I just didn't feel like taking everything off to fix the set-up so I called it a night. I'll have another kind of lower-body day on Wednesday (tomorrow as of this writing).

Livestreamed a bench press day today and got up to a smooth 370. That was a lot of fun.

Went really savage on the heavy bag Saturday evening. I tend to start light to warm-up but for some reason I felt like getting into it right away as soon as I put the gloves on. I've been switching between regular and southpaw more frequently as an exercise (not just switching every round like I've been doing), and also working angles a lot better, making sure to stay off the center line. Did 4 rounds lasting 2:15 each.

Went to an awesome Cuban place for lunch the next day with George. First time having a proper Cubano (Trader Joe's wraps don't count), so good. Going to have the leftovers today after squats. 

Came home and figured I'd make it a rest day but despite feeling tired I couldn't resist. Went on a run and did some shadowboxing near the high school.

 Did a fun loaded carry session after work. Loaded up the farmers' handles with 200 lbs each and would do one set constituting a lap back-and-forth in the yard followed by carrying the keg until bicep fatigue (a little wary about tears, maybe I should just ignore it though). Did this 5 times.

Went out to run hill sprints at night, 4 total. As I was jogging backwards down the hill on the 3rd somebody came up to the fence at the top and hopped it, then started jogging down it after me as I was staring back at them. They didn't bother trying to get on the other side of the path either, they just started following my path. I could barely see them but they could definitely see me with my arm light. Decided to be a little bit of a dick and pretend they weren't there, so when it was time to sprint again I basically came barreling at them from downhill and they kind of jumped aside at the last minute. This is an enclosed path in a pandemic, maybe go down the other way a few minutes further instead of hopping a fence and following someone in the dark? 

Went on a short jog after the sprints.

Axle press
165 x 3
190 x 3
210 x 3
> Whoops, this is what I did last month. Should have upped the weight.

Axle incline bench
210 x 7, 8
-
Super-set with dumbbell rows
115s x 8, 10
> Shorter rest times than normal.

Went to work after this. Going to do a push-up/chin-up workout at night when I come home.

Had a bit of a bad pull day, but it's a marked improvement from previous days in that I actually lifted some weight off the ground. Mat pulled 585 with the intention of 5 reps. Got 3 pretty handily before the bar rolled off the mats. Lifted the end up and got ready before it did it again. Shifted the mats so they were aligned better and lifted the end again, then couldn't move the bar up. Moved on to deadlifts with 505. Did one rep with a slow descension, then couldn't break the bar off the ground. Given how shitty my back has been feeling this week with only today feeling good enough to pull heavy, I called it here to make it to work in time. Will return for belt squats at night, lunges, and good mornings at night.

Took advantage of my new late work schedule today with some fasted cardio. This was really fun. Put on my Google Daydream headset and rode the exercise bike to some VR bike videos on YouTube. Got bored of this after 10 minutes so put on Baki the Grappler to watch instead. After around 20 minutes of biking I got up and shadow kickboxed for a bit to loosen myself up, then did 20 burpees. Legs felt pretty jelly-like afterwards but it went away after 5 minutes. 

Blending tech with cardio really makes me miss the PS2 Eyetoy. Why has nobody replicated that? Sure, there was a PS3 version but the games tried to be more ambitious rather than just a fun novelty of filming you on-screen punching things and shit. Haven't found anything good on PC that's an equivalent, either.

Also want to mention my back has been feeling horrible lately. Yesterday I stretched it, did some no-resistance reverse hypers off the couch, and did a janky chiro session I've found makes me feel good by flopping my body over the Swiss ball and rocking side-to-side, which very lightly cracks it. Still hurts but feels better today. I need to do daily maintenance of it.

Squatted 505x2 and bench pressed 345x2 within the last 2 days. In a bit of a holding pattern. These are good numbers for me but I'm trying some new things out to break past the plateau.

Still having leftover stuffing for carbs peri-training, god I love this stuff. I need to just make Thanksgiving food year round.

Haven't been recording all the bagwork and running I've been doing but it's been almost every night.

Thanksgiving training:

Axle press
160x5
190x3
220x0, 1

Axle incline bench
200 x 8, 8

Axle bench
220 x 10, 12

All pressing super-set with a mix of 115 dumbbell rows and chin-ups (bodyweight and weighted with 45 lbs)

Curls

Had a small friendsgiving at George's again. I made homemade stuffing and George had a smorgasbord of charcuterie meats, olives, bread, and spread along with tofu turkey (I didn't eat too much of it but it was actually really good) and mashed potatoes. Stuffed my face and watched the new Nic Cage movie Jiu Jitsu. I just tried to type out the premise and I'm having trouble finding the right combination of words. The best I can do is it involves an ancient kung-fu alien that demands humans engage in honorable combat with it. Some how Tony Jaa from Ong Bak is involved too. I don't know.

Work schedule is changing to late afternoon and evenings except Mondays. This means I'll have the mornings to myself, which bodes well for fasted cardio when I want to do it. I'm also off Friday now so I'll be avoiding the one day out of the week that there's a bizarre surge of traffic coming home. 

 Did a push-up and chin-up non-stop blitz workout the other night after a late work. Just went non-stop with the aim of 100 reps total across 10 sets of 10. I underestimated my push-up ability which has always sucked and went up to 12 sets when I realized how easy this was for the push-ups. Had to switch to doing lat pull-downs at some point instead of chins (I had already done weighted chins earlier in the day). Was able to achieve failure at the end of the 12th set. Lats and chest were sore the following days.

Last night:

Squats
385 x 5
425 x 5
475 x 5

Strip-sets
405 x 5
315 x 10
225 x 10
135 x 10
45 x 10 (front squats)

Walking back the 475 was brutal for some reason. My quads were just worn out and I had to take tiny baby steps to make it back to my stands. Very happy though. I'm liking the variety between SSB and barbell squat days in a short period.

That was a cheat day, I basically kept eating the entire day including at the office. Literally brought a quart of milk with me and was chugging out of it while eating cinnamon rolls, it was a gross sight to behold. Dinner was ramen, veggies, a burrito, milk, and more cinnamon rolls. Woke up with my stomach pissed at me, which means it should be a good bench press day. My chest is still sore from the push-ups so I'll keep my expectations in check.

Axle press
160 x 3
190 x 3
210 x 3
Figuring out where my strength is at on this. It's definitely trending up again. Smooth reps. Thought I might have a 4th in me but then realized I probably didn't.

Incline axle bench
210 x 8, 8, 9
Super-set with pull-ups and chin-ups
10-12 for 2 sets
45 lbs x 10 reps

Called it here to make it to work. Going to do some more at night.

Weight seems stagnant. Weighing 206. Going to reduce the dextrose in my workout shake and carbs pre-training. I lift best when feeling full but I bet if I let myself adapt it'll be fine, and it's not going to be a drastic cut anyway. There's no pressure now to make a deadline but I'd like to gain weight up into a class when I have a meet date so plan is to continue dropping into the 190s. Speaking of which, I don't have the money right now to sign up for a different one (the eternally delayed one was paid for almost a year ago now) but when I do I'm going to shop around. 

Mat pulls (9)
Work-up to 625x1

Deadlifts
500 x 5

Belt squats
5 plates x 10
8 plates x 12
9 plates x 15

Done in the rain. Really liking this combination of high mat pulls and pulling from the floor.

With my competition delayed again I feel liberated to experiment more and not be so constrained to barbell lifting as much. Did a full-body session on Saturday.

SSB squats
380 x 8, 8, 9

Dumbbell press
115s x 8, 9, 10
-
Super-set with dumbbell rows of same weight and reps

Axle clean and push press
135 x 15

Axle clean once and strict press
135 x 10

This was so much fun. Just the thought of doing my usual squat workout and blowing my eyeballs out with over 500 lbs filled me with dread. Of course that's not a reason in itself to not do something (if anything it's a case for the opposite), but I really needed this change. I'm still going to barbell squat heavy to maintain and grow that lift, just not as frequently. 

Mat pulled 585x4 earlier in the week. 1-rep over the previous week. This was a shockingly low-energy day. I felt tired just walking and subsequent attempts to hit a higher-rep top-set resulted in not even being able to move the bar.

Had a big cheat day Tuesday. Ice cream, pizza, wine, the works. Woke up with a pissed-off stomach and stronger shoulders than last week. Pressed 195x5 smoothly, couldn't get a 6th as a bonus. Last week I eked out 4 reps. Even though this is very low to me it's good to feel such an improvement within a week just from food. 

Been jogging almost every night and mixing bag-work and shadowboxing in.

 Failed a 385 lb bench press the other night, really annoyed at that. Now I look like a jackass being overconfident about having 405 in me, haha. 

I was randomly inspired to put Moonlight Sonata over it and it's my new favorite fail music.

Oh well, I came back the next day to get some working volume in. Because I clipped a chunk of my thumb out somehow during this I used the axle so I could more easily grip with my palms instead of my digits. Benched 250x10, 230x10, and 230x12 super-set with T-bar rows, ending with tricep extensions, band presses, and curls.

Went on a 30 minute jog in the evening.

Did bag-work Wednesday and Thursday. Focused on in-fighting and getting into the pocket, but being mobile and not sticking around after attacking. Gleamed a YouTube drill once to try getting in, attacking, defending, attacking, then backing off as necessary. Finding a lot of growth from slowing things down and then accelerating after starting that way.

Also went on a 30 minute jog after bag-work on Wednesday. Enjoying it getting dark earlier for my runs.

Last night:

Squats
415 x 5
470 x 3
530 x 1

Drop-down to 405x5, 315x10, 225x10, 135x10, 45x10

SSB good mornings

60 x 15
150 x 14, 12

So my powerlifting meet next week has been delayed for the third time due to COVID and restrictions on mass gatherings indoors. Move it outside, guys!!! The small relief I have from my weight doing weird things (it's either crazy glycogen bloat or my scale is shifty because my weight jumped from 203 to 207 in a few days) is miniscule compared to my hunger for competition, so this feels really disappointing.

Went to a second-part job interview today at a sports medicine office. Excited for this and to leave my current position.

Yesterday I did a strict press workout but took a break from the 5/3/1 protocol since that lift has been sliding so badly. Worked up to working sets of 195x4, couldn't even get 5. Wearing elbow sleeves because my left elbow has been pissy lately. Didn't really seem to help my performance, though I suppose they must have; on the other hand, getting a pump so easily felt like it was harder to lift. I also switched to the barbell from the axle just because I need to retape the latter. So lots of changes that night. Will switch back to the axle next time.

The good thing is my squat continues to improve and my bench press has been holding. I'm also down in bodyweight more than I expected, 203.8. This is a relatively "normal" rate of weightloss from my observations but it's much faster than I personally like for myself. Without a competition looming, half a pound to 1 pound a week is what I usually get. This has been closer to 2 and a little above.

Worked up to a 605 deadlift on Monday. Had someone express amazement that I'd uploaded this on the basis that I partied pretty hard on Halloween. That doesn't make any difference for me. 

It took repping 500 for a couple of weeks to realize how little I'd been using leg drive before when I kept failing those mat pulls. I've been through a similar pattern of this years before, too, having to relearn the deadlift.

Tweaked my hip for the first time since I can remember. I didn't feel it on the pull, but afterwards when I was setting up to do SSB lunges it hit me. Getting up from sitting down would make it tender too. Two days later and it seems back to normal. No stretching my hips for a bit just to be safe.

Squatted 500x3 and bench pressed 345x2 the other day. Not bad. Lifts seem to be in a holding pattern as I drop weight except for strict press.

Splurged a little on groceries yesterday to prepare for a cheat day sometime early next week. Let's give a boost to these numbers.

 Took yesterday off to have a friend day but had a big cheat meal at an Italian restaurant. Huge appetizer of melted brie and bread, two pasta dishes that we split, and tiramisu for dessert. Was riding on an edible so appetite was voracious and this food was amazing. I'm planning on bringing full cheat days back, always had great success in maintaining my strength with them while still losing fat.

Squatted 500x3 today before work. Planning on squatting with the SSB when I get back soon.

 Couple of lifting sessions to report. Mat pulled 585x3 off of 9 mats followed by deadlifting 500x5 with a controlled eccentric. At first I couldn't budge the 585 but I tried again.

Strict pressed 210x3 and got a great pump doing banded strict presses giant-set with band chest presses and chin-ups. My press number has diminished by a factor of about 15 lbs from the weight loss, but my bench press is mostly holding and that's the important lift right now. Still going to fight the good fight and get this back up though.

Been doing more bag-work. Yesterday I went on a fasted 30-min run after waking up, had a modest-carb breakfast with green tea, then did 5 rounds lasting 2:17 each on the heavy bag. 

Weighing in at 207 mid-day with a meal in me and clothes on. Still on creatine.

Bench press
250x5
285x5
325x4
Right shoulder has been hurting for a week-and-a-half now when doing any benching. Wonder if farmers' walks caused it but it seemed to happen after my last heavy strict press workout. 1-rep short but I can't be too unhappy about 325x4.

Dumbbell press
125s x 5, 4
Giant-set with dips x 15, 10 and dumbbell rows of 125 x 10 (last set only, forgot to do the rows after the first)

Called it here to make it to work on-time. Will do more in the evening.

Running on 5 hours of sleep. I did take a 2.5 hour nap yesterday until 7pm because I was exhausted from the weekend but I woke up today and just couldn't go back to sleep.

Squats
365x5
415x5
470x5
Holy shit, on the last rep of 415 my head twitched in a weird way and pain radiated through my lower skull down my neck. Reracked in a daze (glad I hit all 5 first) and staggered over to a tree to regain composure. Thought I'd have to shut the entire session down but slowly the pain melted completely away. Anyway, glad I felt strong at my new and lower bodyweight but I'm definitely feeling less stable with a trimmer midsection. Going to hit abs hard tomorrow after strict pressing. SSB walkouts would also be cool to bring back, I can do Hise shrugs too.

Strip-sets:
405x3
315x8
225x10
135x10
45x10

I'm covering for a co-worker's shift at 7am and I forgot how much I love mornings. With my hours cut I've been waking up at 10:30 to go to work, which used to be extremely late for me. Thing is I also like nights.

Did a deload deadlift workout Friday, up to 500x3. Very nice how 500 from the floor feels like an appropriate deload weight for me now. Felt good actually hitting the goal on this day for once, even if it was an easy one. Finished off the deload cycle with a strict press session Saturday.

Finally replaced my scale batteries, I weigh on the low side of 208. Also found out that I lose 3 lbs just from taking a hot bath. I'm also still on creatine so deloading will drop me another few.

Weekend was very fun. Lots of carbs, including a 1am trip to Denny's Saturday night where I inhaled my staple Sriracha burger, but also lots of walking and very consistent protein intake throughout. Friend commented that they noticed I'm eating way less than before and my waist looks smaller.

Got to visit a farm on Sunday and pet a lone sheep who walked over and hungout until well after sunset.

 Went on a fasted run for 30 minutes after waking up yesterday, then did about an 8-minute heavy bag round followed by some shadowkickboxing in the evening. Today I woke up early 1.5 hours before my alarm and did 20 minutes of shadowkickboxing circuited with the exercise bike before breakfast.

Tried to weigh myself in the morning but my scale is wack. On a given day it'll alternate between showing me around 208 or 215. Today it was the latter before it died and refused to turn back on. Definitely needs new batteries.

Actually had a dream that my meet was today and I had no idea how I was going to lose so much weight within a day. I should be able to make it with exactly one month to go but this is definitely the most pressured I've ever felt to make weight for something. I'm thinking now a better tactic is to start undersized and gain weight into a meet. 

Unracked 530 to squat last night and knew I didn't have it in me so I set it back. I need to deload, feeling rundown. Immediately went to 405x8 (before 530 I'd hit 465x3 at least).

Did a deload bench workout today up to 275x5, then decline pressed 205 for 4 sets of 10-12 super-set with T-bar rows. Finished off with 150 lb farmers' walks followed immediately by 160 lb keg carries. Going to do that combo a lot more, I loved it. I've also noticed that shrugging back on farmers' is a great way to make the rear-delts sore.

Failed to mat pull 570 a buncha times off 3 mats, then did 495x8. Time for a long overdue change for this day. I think this is one case where the Golgi tendon organ is relevant and I'm training my body to fail week after week. I remember this being an issue way back in Portland years ago even. At least 500 is the new 405, which I remarked on back then as being the new 315.

Normally I'd be excited to try new things out but nearly a month away from competition this really sucks. Still, I know the strength is there so I just need to rack up some wins before gameday.

Plan right now is to reset the mats up to 7-9 and rep 600. After that, roll the bar to the floor and pull 500 for reps. Every 3 weeks will be a heavy single day from the floor. No failing a single rep.

Anyway, glad to have gotten the 500x8 at least. Will return to do belt squats and lunges tomorrow.

Bench pressed 375 yesterday. After searching through my log it seems that's a lifetime PR (I know I've done 370 once before). Was conserving time to meet a friend by early afternoon so I ate less carbs than usual, just a modest bowl of oatmeal and a handful of frozen berries on top. Definitely felt hungry during training. 375 was a little harder than I expected but it wasn't a grind. On a full stomach I'm very confident I have 405 in me, these recent singles are NOT feeling very heavy even when I don't feel 100%.

Sacrilege incoming but been really enjoying decline benching lately. Just an easy way to bench decent weight while giving my shoulders a little bit of a break compared to dips or flat benching, or at least that's the way it feels.

Went to the beach the rest of the day with a friend. Slept for 12 hours at night. That is absolutely ridiculous for me but I feel really good after it. Entire lower-body and abs have been very sore the past few days. 

Squatted 500x3 on Saturday night, felt a lot easier than I was expecting but my foot slipped at the end of the second rep and it threw me off for the 3rd. Did drop-down sets of 405x5, 315x10, 225x10, 135x10, 45x10. 

Did some farmers' walks yesterday with 240 in each hand, then keg carries. Felt my left bicep start to twitch so I called it out of safety. 

50 minute jog later at night.

Lifted in my respirator in 95 degrees after roasting in my car driving home. I count that as training.

Strict press
170 x 3
200 x 3
227.5 x 1, 1
245 x 0, 0.5
Really wanted a win but just didn't have it again. Might be time for a deload. Felt drained. Lifted in a respirator.

Did some incline pressing and a lot of chin-ups. No isolation work today.

Canceled some hang-out plans to rest and go to bed earlyish tonight.

Did some shadowkickboxing last night and went on a 40 minute run. Really wanted to pig-out afterwards but forced myself to be reasonable while also not skimping on calories TOO much. Made a bomb recipe of cilantro lime chicken with quinoa. Between the quinoa and black beans (I used half of what the recipe called for) this was carbier than I would have liked for nighttime. Next time I go grocery shopping I'll buy ingredients with that goal in mind. Recipes will be low-carb, pre-made food like pizzas and packaged pasta dinners will be for peri-workout.

 Had a pretty enlightening day yesterday. Did my mat pull work-up sets and everything felt light until I jumped from 500 to 575 (off 2 mats) and just had nothing in me to move it. Tried twice to no avail, then moved back down to 500 and repped an easy 6 with a controlled eccentric (not intentional, I don't know why but my hamstrings are sore from it so cool). Moved back up to 575 and did a single rep without much issue. On those last two successful sets I felt like I had little pop and just had to human crane the weight up. I'm wondering if eating closer to a deadlift workout will make a big difference in my performance consistency. 

Did belt squats after and then headed to work. 

20 minute jog in the evening. Also been using my new Thai bag on my elevated punching bag stand. This bag is huge, I love it. So novel to be able to low kick like this at home.

Easily benched 345x3, which is a lifetime PR. Glad to get that after a poor training week. Afterwards did some banded decline pressing super-set with T-bar rows up to 6 plates and a whole cornocupia of impulsive isolation exercises.

Been exploring some Middle-Eastern black metal and ended up listening to this same album on repeat over 2 hours of lifting. So kickass and heavy.

Barely strict presses 227.5. Tried 4 times, completely failed two of those. Then it dawned on me that my triceps are still hurting from those skullcrushers. Makes sense, this somehow felt different from when I usually fall short of my press. Sticking point was at a weird spot and the decline is way too drastic to be anything else.

 Well shit, I'm experiencing my first bad sessions in months now that I'm further into my diet. To be expected I guess. Felt extremely bad on squats last night, just felt like my form was not clicking and I was coming into each set half-asleep and getting awoken by the weight. Got up to 440 and my left knee hurt coming up from the first rep. Thought it over a second and then called it a night there. Live to fight another day.

Gonna make an admission and note that I was extremely distracted perusing job opportunities and personal training outreach to make some side income the whole time. Just been on a really productive tear the last few weeks but I need to focus.

Another thing, I weighed 216 this morning, which would be crazy because it's the heaviest I've been this year despite reducing my calories. However, my scale needs new batteries and it's giving me an error message after stepping on it, so I'll take care of that and reevaluate.

Crazy fun weekend in the East Bay, got to go to another beach yesterday with calm shallow water so we could wade really far out with drinks in hand and only be stomach-deep. Also saw two fish jump next to us. Thought I slept alright but when I came home I was exhausted and slept for 9.5 hours before work today.

Money situation is very bad right now, can't wait to leave this job after they slashed my hours when I've been here so long. I'm budgeting well when it comes to food and not spending any leisure money outside when with friends.

 Went on a 45 minute jog last night. Started feeling my blood sugar levels crash mid-run (feeling shaky and sweating profusely). This will happen if I drink a sugary PWO shake and then don't eat anything shortly thereafter, but this was after I'd had oatmeal and berries. Guess it wasn't enough. Came back and pigged out on ramen, salami, a salad, and a protein shake. Not proud of eating the ramen so late at night but oh well.

Weighing 212 in the morning now, so I've lost 3 lbs in a month. The first month is the slowest, too, as I ease into things. Cutting it a little close but I should be good by meet time. 

Back randomly started hurting for some reason on pull day. Might have been from bench pressing. Got up to mat pulling 500 but couldn't budge 575 once. Going to table it until next week and come back today after work to do belt squats, good mornings, and abs. 

After not getting anything from that session I went on a 30 minute jog last night. Am now at the point where I have cut out carbs at night besides minimal ones in vegetables.

Bench press
265 x 5
302.5 x 5
322.5 x 5
-
Last set super-set with dumbbell rows
100s x 8

Dips
Bw x 30
45 x 12
90 x 10, 10
-
Super-set with dumbbell rows
115s x 4 x 10

Skullcrushers, chest-flyes, curls, Band pull-aparts

 Squatted an easy 465x5 on Saturday. Not feeling any diminishment in performance from the reduced calories yet. I'm basically leaving peri-workout nutrition exactly the same as before and I intend to keep it that way as long as I lose weight. I pig-out before and after lifting.

Quads have a familiar knife-stab sensation when I squat ATG even without weight. It goes away when I give them a break for awhile. Left hamstring also has been feeling tender when I deadlift or squat. For these reasons I opted not to do my drop-down sets and instead did SSB box squats up to 330x8, followed by good mornings.

Did 15 minutes of a fasted cardio circuit Sunday morning before meeting up with George to go to the shooting range. Diet was fast food and ramen all day. As long as I get protein and don't lose strength that's fine. 

Axle strict press
160 x 5
190 x 5
215 x 4
So damn close! Couldn't break past the middle. First time falling short on strict press in a long time. This was a 5 lb jump from last month and I don't consider it a bad performance at all.
-
Sw with band lat pulldowns and last set super-set with pull-ups x 9

EDIT
Well that was wrong! Rested a long time after writing that and then CRUSHED 215x5.
-
super-set with pull-ups x 10

Axle strict press against bands
145 x 10 + 3 overhead shrugs at top of final rep
Super-set with pull-ups x 10

Incline bench press
220 x 2 x 8
x 7
- super-set with pull-ups x 10

Curls, band press downs, chest flyes

Well, I take that back. Came back yesterday evening and hit the mat pulls. Didn't quite get what I wanted but it was better than 0. Pulled 570x2 fairly easily, then just didn't have a third. Finished with belt squats and lunges with 115 dumbbells.

 Bailed out of a 570 mat pull off 2 mats. Just lost tightness and felt my form breakdown. Going to strip back down to 500 and then go for 570 again after work but that rarely pans out, my brain has failure too fresh in its mind typically. Golgi tendon organ might have some relevance there. In any case, I'll see what happens with that and whatever the case go to belt squats, good mornings, and ab work.

Went on a short 10 min jog last night.

I'm back at work right now after 4 days off. Can't wait to find a new gig.

Back from a crazy fun birthday weekend extending into Monday. Time to get down to business again.

Bench press
285 x 5
320 x 3
370 x 1
* Smooth. Have been feeling depleted after the weekend but I think I did a pretty good job eating. Didn't have any protein late at night Sunday because we were staying a day later than I expected but my inconsistencies for outweighed by the rest of my efforts.

Dips
18
45 x 10
90 x 10, 10

All presses super-set with T-bar rows

 Squatted 520 yesterday. Felt nauseous all day and came into training a little hungry but it was stupidly easy. I'm finding the walkout at this weight harder than the squat.

Going to be gone this weekend for Azzy's birthday in Santa Cruz. Just me, him, and George. Meal-prepping after work to take good food to the hotel along with whatever I eat outside.

Haven't mentioned this yet but an anonymous reader of my blog, one of many thousands, gifted me a 90 lb Thai bag, which is amazing. Problem (and I consider it a good problem) is it's too tall for my punching bag stand. Tried hanging it from a tree and it broke the branch. I have a solution though, going to hang it from the balcony next week.

Yikes, that last entry was near incomprehensible. Did the entire thing with text-to-speech.

Been feeling really nauseous the past few months but it's been worse lately. Just been ignoring it and powering through since my strength kept going up, but I'm hoping now that I'm cutting weight the elimination diet will fix it. Really hard to eat today and I slept like crap last night. 

Strict pressed 240 yesterday and going to force myself to squat today.

Startee the day by making half of my weightgainer, as an example of gradually ramping the calories down. Only other difference right now is not being as junk food like ice cream, especially late at night. Did eat a free Whopper offered to me by one of the plumbers at work though.

Did three hills sprints on Heart Attack Hill and then went on a jog. Haven't done that in a while, mostly been going on jogs. Definitely felt the increased difficulty at this weight.

One thing I should note is that my weight standards are different from before. I'm weighing myself first thing in the morning without clothes currently whereas before in this log it'd be midday at the gym. If I was doing that I'd be around 220 now, so I'm not as light compared to the past as it may seem. (Usually ended bulks at 230)

Ending weight gain phase. Wasn't too epic at just under 4 months of it but I've gotta get going with making weight for November if I don't want to feel rushed.

Start weight: 192
Press: 220x2
Bench press: 350
Squat: 500
Deadlift: ?

End weight: 215
Press: 225x3
Bench press: 370
Squat: 520
Deadlift: ?

These are just confirmed lifts but I can definitely do more than that on bench and squat. Deadlift is too much of an unknown for me to accurately quantify it, since I've been mat pulling and the performance for that has been allll over the place. As of late it's improved a ton, that I know.

Man, despite the extra chest work I think my chest still doesn't look great.

Bench pressed 340x3, which is a lifetime PR. 

Haven't been writing logs during workouts lately so I've only been recapping the powerlifts and strict pressing. Gonna change that. Honestly didn't even realize I'd stopped until I thought about it just now.

Squats
375x3
435x3
485x3

Drop-down to 405x5
315x10
225x10
135x10
45x10

Good mornings
150x13, 13

As of today I am ramping down my caloric intake slowly. Weighed in at 215. To be honest, this is more than I should be for my November 15th meet (198 class). I got addicted to the gains as douchey as that sounds and held off until now. 

Had a long friend weekend extending into the beginning of the week. Had a really good week though. Mat pulled 470x4 off 3 mats, bench pressed 320x5, and strict pressed 225x3. The press was when I hosted my friend and I had to force myself to pull away and go do my thing. Was feeling tired and didn't want to, which was all the more reason to do it. Also drank both coffee and a Red Bull, plus was munching non-stop while we hung-out so that was a lot of good fuel to let go to waste. Didn't have the usual pep that makes for a strong press attempt; usually if the bar rests on my chest for longer than a second I'm going to fail the next rep but this time I was able to keep it going. Ended up being a good session when everything felt heavy.

 Came home last night and just did a bunch of good mornings, starting from 150 and going up to 200x10 before dropping back down to 150. Did 5 or 6 sets overall.

I've developed a minor dry cough and scratchy throat. 90% sure it's from inhaling dry air through my respirator. Feel nothing in my chest, which would point more toward COVID signs. I'll keep monitoring and see when it goes away now that air quality is a little better.

Did some Muay Thai practice yesterday afternoon and went on a jog at night. Haven't been logging this but I've been jogging almost every night with my respirator mask. Also did some stretching. It felt like a lazy day because I was mostly taking advantage of my day off building my PC but I actually got some good training done.

Squats
350x5
405x5
460x5

Drop-down to 405x3, 315x8, 225x10, 135x10

Took my mask off at 460. Air quality isn't good but it's gotten better, no longer "hazardous" and I can see the mountains again.

 Axle strict pressed 210x5 while wearing a respirator mask. Next day (yesterday) did some farmers' walks with 200s in my yard, then followed-up with triceps and biceps, plus a set of exercise ball planks. Pretty used to the mask now. Actually it's just the tightness on my nose bridge and slippage from sweat that's annoying, the actual breathing is a piece of cake even under heavy exercise. I'm not in great cardiovascular shape right now, either, at least not compared to when I was going to Muay Thai (sorta by design, I'm gaining weight), but I still remember the misery of training with a breath restriction mask last year. A lot of people shit on those and they don't do any voodoo with blood cell count but the point for me is they train you to suffer.

We were due for another lightning dry crazy storm last night and early this morning but it didn't really materialize. Still standing ready in case we have to evacuate. Air is peat soup, can't see the mountains past my house.

 Had a good pull day. Hit 570x5 with no grind off of 4 mats. Next time I'll do a rest-pause but I was very pleased with this. Woke up with a painful back but did some stretching out throughout work. Lifted with a mask on, we're surrounded by wildfires and one of the big ones is about 30 minutes away near Santa Cruz.

 Forgot to log something really important for yesterday but I went out and picked up a large pizza from Mountain Mike's for $17. Tuesday special.

Got to go shooting at a range on Sunday, was a lot of fun. Thanks to George for showing me the ropes.

Squatted an easy 515 on Monday night. We're talking around 10:30pm here, felt pretty tired and also nauseous (probably from my diet) but despite feeling like shit consistently I also feel strong and that's more important for right now. If I still feel terrible after I start losing weight then I'll have to get my stomach issues checked out.

Bench pressed 365 pretty easily yesterday. Wouldn't say the weight rocketed up or anything but there was no grind, it locked out smoothly. Did Kroc rows again but only for 1 set each arm, then moved on to T-bar rows with 5 plates. Really focusing on retracting the scapulae when I train lats lately.

A few hours later before bedtime I noticed a smoke smell in my house. Checked the kitchen to see if anything was left on, then realized it's from the wildfires. Air quality had changed that fast. Closed all the windows, ran my air purifier on high, moved all my plants to my bedroom, and ran the AC as I slept. Throat still feels a little scratchy. Then again, I constantly have bizarre ailments from living a hyper and gravitationally-challenged life so I can never be sure what is causing what. Could have strained my throat from growling during Kroc rows.

Have a good mask that filters out particulates so I'll be using that anytime I train for now. Running, lifting, bag-work, etc. 

Strict pressed 240x1 last Thursday on a day where everything felt heavy. Even feeling weak I'm always good for a 1-rep max, it's the ensuing reps that I feel crapped out on.

Friday was 108 degrees. Really wanted to train at the hottest part of the day but by the time I was ready it was evening. Still hovering around 105 at 7pm though. Took my farmer handles and did carries with 200 lbs in each hand in front of the house. Much better than the limited space in my backyard.

Saturday I just did triceps and biceps for 25 minutes and got a good pump.

PM workout after work yesterday:

Hip belt squats
Work up to 6 plates x 10
7 plates x 12
8 plates x 12
9 plates x 12 
* After 9 plates there's no more room on the Ironmind bar for more weight. Shame because this was shockingly easy after my weight gain. I should do more reps. Having some fluff also makes it much more comfortable for the harness to hang off my hips. Previously I'd use a sweatshirt wrapped around my waist for cushioning.

SSB lunges
150 x 16
200 x 16

SSB good mornings
150 x 8

Have been wrecked the past two days from overzealous bodybuilding workouts for my upper-body and those Kroc rows. Took a lazy day off yesterday, just went for a walk at night.

Did mat pulls today, got up to 570x4 off 5 mats. 1 less than I wanted but 1 better than last week. Going to do some more things after work. 

Been drinking more caffeine before lower-body workouts in particular in an attempt to really up my headspace level for breaking the bar off the ground. Seems to be helping. Too much coffee makes me feel jittery, though. Especially problematic on squats. Thinking about switching to sugar-free Red Bull on deadlift days with a little coffee (I love the taste too much, especially with breakfast).

Also have to remember that these rest days can really make my back decline if I go for long periods of sitting or lying. More active-recovery on rest days.

Feeling numb and calloused about personal problems that have popped-up lately. I'm indestructible. 

Bench pressed 335x3 and then murdered my body doing Kroc rows with 200 lbs on the farmers' walk handles. I felt a sensation like the vertebrae between my shoulder blades being pulled apart and that feeling persisted the rest of the evening and night, but now that it's the next day it's gone. Sternum was also hurting, similar to when I overdo heavy weighted dips. If I didn't just do this I would have been speculating about COVID doing something in my chest. Got 16 ugly reps on the last set with my left arm. Could only manage 10-12 on my right, which is the surgery side, and even then it was FAR harder. Might just be a leverage thing and being more comfortable on the other. Did 3 sets total for each arm, partly because it took a bit for me 

Only did 3 sets of decline bench with 225, didn't want to drag this session out long after brutalizing my body and then not getting enough sleep by training into the night. Going to do some isolation lifts to hit the extras after work.

The rows are on video, will upload later. Definitely notice bigger arms from the weight gain. Also got two comments recently about that, one from the cashier asking me if I've "been working out" and the other from my friend who asked if I get remarks from people in public about my physique. 

My back has been feeling pretty good lately. Hoping that translates to a win on mat pulls this week.

Just squatted 480x3 and dropped down to 405x5, then 315, 225, etc x 10. Felt great afterwards, no dying or collapsing.

Had trouble getting to position with 480. Had to rerack the bar because it was slipping and the weight just felt so heavy. Watch some DBZ and made myself pissed before getting back under the bar and chalking up.

Strict pressed 220x3 and followed that up with banded strict press and incline bench, all super-set with pull-ups. Came back in the evening to do a bodybuilding-style workout with skullcrushers, tricep extensions, all kinds of curls (including preachers done on the exercise ball), overhead shrugs, and push-ups. Totally wrecked myself and I have to say I look more toned two days from the insane pump I had (what a douchey sentence). Just trying to have some fun while I'm on a caloric surplus since I can't always train like this.

As far as cardio goes I've been going on easy 30-minute jogs at night about 3 times a week. Need to practice more Muay Thai. Was doing good keeping up my stretches and fell off it this week.

Helped a friend move yesterday, intentionally trained biceps the day before a little easy to prep but it was actually the easiest move I've ever done. Nothing was very heavy. I think I'm used to moving either by myself or with only one other person so I overestimated the job. Still a decent workout and with it being near 100 and wearing a mask there was some misery involved, although it felt like just another day for me with how used to lifting in my backyard I am.

Had a couple of good lifting days on Friday and Saturday. Squatted 455x5 and benched 317.5x5. Squats were feeling pretty heavy by 405 but benching felt breezy. 

End of last week my back was hurting since last Monday. Feels like an aggravation of my prior injury. Really came out of nowhere too, it happened on the day I felt mega nauseous and sat or lay around most of the day. Feeling better today and I was able to squat on Friday despite it feeling terrible.

One other thing that's been on my mind: gauging by how easy I benched 360 a couple of weeks ago and how fast I'm progressing, I think I may be strong enough to bench 405. I'm contemplating testing this in a safe way sometime in the near future.

Axle strict press
160 x 5
182 x 5
207 x 3, 4
-
Last 3 sets super-set with Iron Woody band pulldowns
* Felt like a ton of bricks today, glad I got 4 at least because grinding out 3 on the first attempt made me feel pissed off. 

Some quick backstory. For the past few months I've been having temporary but near-daily nausea issues, most severe in the morning, coupled with a more-frequent-than-usual need to piss. Monday it was REALLY bad. Might have been compounded from a seafood restaurant I ate at on Sunday while at the beach (we social distanced). It was a struggle Monday to eat anything, although I made a weightgainer and got an OK amount of calories and protein in. Definitely not enough to grow off of but no less an amount than when I maintain or cut weight. Anyway, it might have been too optimistic to expect a heroic press attempt after feeling like crap, so I'm happy I did what I did here.

Absolutely killed it on the accessory work though. After my usual incline bench and decline dumbbell press I just attacked what I had in my living room. I was going to stop like normal, thought I looked too small in the mirror, and then kept adding "1 more set" of randomness: push-ups, partial push-ups, kettlebell preacher curls, overhead tricep extensions, band pullaparts. Had a crazy pump afterwards and I ended the workout at 10:30PM.

Had a good mat pull session Tuesday, took long enough. My back has been feeling really good lately and I was able to pull with reckless abandon. That's 100% the issue. Hit 570x6 fairly easily.

On Wednesday I did a deload press workout. Shoulders are feeling fried lately. Straight-bar squatting twice in one week after my injury made them feel worse.

Strict pressed 225x2 yesterday. Getting close to my old numbers now. 225x3 was a milestone way back in the day (2009) and then 225x5 was the next accomplishment that had me going hell yeah. Both were at much heavier bodyweights. I don't want to exceed 220 because I have to make 198 again by November for my meet.

Been feeling nauseous in the morning for several months now. Can't remember if it coincides with the caloric increase. Maybe it's the creatine? Batch I have is a few years old. 

Mat pulls (5)
565 x 0, 2
* VERY gun-shy, couldn't break the bar at first but on a second attempt it was pretty easy. Shut it down based on how my back felt on the second rep. This cycle was kind of screwy because I decided to switch to TNG, which I'd never really done before, in the middle of it which was a mistake. I'm going to add matts back until I have a good day and then go back down. All things considered though it did feel good to do a heavy pull again.

TNG deadlifts
405 x 5
* Didn't happen as extremely as last time but lately when I do these my left hand and arm clenches up and I can't undo the claw shape for several seconds to a minute. This is with straps mind you. Doesn't happen on the mat pulls. The veins in my forearm also look different and then the normal ones return when my hand goes back to normal. Since the reps were only 5 it happened for about two or three seconds this time.

SSB lunges
150 x 14
170 x 16, 16
Super-set with SSB good mornings
150 x 7
170 x 8

Whoa, weighed 210 this morning. More than I thought.

Benched 335x3 on Saturday. Decline bench press and light incline dumbbell press were the follow-up exercises. Really pounding my chest during this period of growth. I have OCD over the inner area looking less developed to me than the outer chest, although it's not a big deal. 

Lifts are all going up except my deadlift. That's a matter of keeping my back feeling good outside the gym and mental hang-ups. Plenty of time before November meet to sort it out. The strength is there. =

Did 3 hill sprints yesterday followed by a 10 minute jog. Definitely noticing running is harder with the weight gain.

Took a break from drinking this week and just stayed in all weekend, was nice.

Squats
370x3
425x3
475x3
Drop-down to 405x5, 315x1
* Back is good again obviously, was able to crush this. Did shut-down the planned drop-down sets unfortunately, hopefully I can get them next week.

SSB squats (drop-down sets)
330x8
240 x 10
150x10
65x10
* Was a little leery about SSB but I kept my back up and it was fine.

Band leg curls

Did some stretching last night and practiced some shadowkickboxing. Went on a walk afterwards for about 30 minutes.

Been maintaining my flexibility for Muay Thai during this downtime but I want to do more. Keep up stretching everyday.

Noticed the extra weight gain when doing rapid kicks. Currently hovering at around 205. Going to have to pick it up if I want to get past this. Already getting bored with eating as much as I am. I'm thinking I'll start cutting in late August to make weight for my November comp (assuming it doesn't get canceled, which it very well might).

Was able to squat 425x2 yesterday, shut it down there out of safety. Back still hurts but is getting better. 

Axle strict pressed 215x3 today. New favorite chest exercise: decline dumbbell press. Paired this with incline benching.

Work is really rough right now. Looking to jump ship soon, applying to lots of places.

Wasn't sure if I'd be able to bench effectively but I was able to crush 315x5. Back hurts a little getting into position on the bench but it was mostly fine. Extremely happy with this. Did decline bench with 225 afterwards.

Was able to do kettlebell squats yesterday. Held the 50 and did sets of 50, 40, and 30. Really long rest times between sets mind you, I was doing other things around the house at night. Went on a short jog afterwards.

Back pain more or less feels the same but I'm more mobile today. Don't know if it's physical or mental. Can't really load anything with my back so I did a calisthenics workout. Push ups and chin-ups or pull-ups as a superset. try to do it without any rest times but that wasn't happening. Left number is push-ups and right number is chin-ups or pull-ups.

50 20
10 10
Here I had to take a rest. Just glad I got 50 push-ups there, which I wanted no matter what.
10 8
10 5
10 7
10 5

finish off with 10 wide grip pull-ups on their own since push-ups were so much higher a number.

Came up with a goal midway through to get 100 push-ups. I know that ain't exactly championship training but I have always been horrible at push-ups. My triceps just feel like collapsing after rep 30. Always just considered it a fast twitch handicap but that's all the more reason to train something. Thanks injury. Also I'm pretty sure I can gut out 50 push-ups anytime now whereas in my teens and early twenties it was considered a remarkable day to hit that amount.

Thought about calling off of work but I'm going to go anyways.

Was doing mat pulls with 500 lbs when something in my lower back snapped on the 4th or 5th rep. Damn, I guess my winning streak had to end somewhere. Haven't had a back injury in a long time. Hurts really bad but oh well, I know the drill. Should take about a week or so I'm guessing.

Currently (the only one) wide awake at 1:09pm after partying at George's. Don't know how I'm doing this, I had no more than 1 Red Bull overnight. Am home now. Gonna make a weightgainer since eating is hard on a lack of sleep and try to make it to evening to crash early for work.

Axle strict press
155x5
180x5
205x5
Crushed this. Was probably good for one more.
All sets super-set with band pulldowns x 10-15

Axle strict press against bands
140x10
Super-set with band pulldowns x 15

Decline bench press
180x10
200x10
220x10
Super-set with band pulldowns x 15

Squats

350x5
395x5
450x5

Drop-down immediately to 405x4, 315x10, 225x10, 135x10, 45x10

Banded leg curls

Really happy with this, I'm usually not able to muster repping 405 after doing 5 reps at my top-set. Feeling rejuvenated after the deload. Also trained only 30 minutes after eating, definitely going to make this a habit for lower-body day at least. Feeling bloated made me feel strong.

Looking forward to cutting weight for my meet in November. I'll probably start in mid-August. Getting sick of weightgainers already.

About 30 minutes of fasted cardio on the exercise bike this morning while watching Tiger King. I tried to watch actual good content like Demon Slayer previously but I find myself unable to get fully immersed and appreciate anything that deserves full attention.

Been doing a lot of stretching. I've found myself feeling a lot stiffer without Muay Thai so I'm stepping it up at home.

Weighed 206 the other morning.

Finished the deload week with bench pressing 225x5 today. Have been doing decline benching for my assist work this deload cycle, am quite liking it.

Been having a much-needed deload. Already finished squat and press days. Did TNG mat pulls up to 500x5 off 5 mats. Just before that I was able to double overhand 405 * 3 before grip gave out. No chalk. Used the direct sun and sweaty palms as an autoregulator as well as a grip training tool.

Did narrow stance atg squats with the SSB bar for 240x10, 290x8, and 290x7.

Found this in my log but I never hit upload. Final day before my deload week. Incomplete but I don't remember the rest.

Bench press
275 x 5
310 x 3
355 x 1
-
Last 2 sets super-set with dumbbell rows
50s x 10
100 x 10

Dumbbell press
115s x 10, 9
-
Super-set with dumbbell rows
115s

Did 3.5 hill sprints today, followed by a 12-minute jog afterwards. 

Progress pic from 2017 to 2020. Getting a bigger chest was a goal of mine.

Yesterday

Mat pulls (4)
565x1
Had no power today. Feel like I could use a deload. 

SSB lunges
Various sets up to 170 x 15

Came back in the evening to work on traps with SSB hise shrugs (up to 380x20), neck bridges, rear-delts, and abs.

Axle strict-pressed 210x3 yesterday on a basically-empty stomach. When I'm in that state and hopped up on caffeine I'm explosive for 1 or 2 reps and then just run out of gas. Thankfully my training has been effective up to now and I was able to grind out the third, which definitely wouldn't have happened a month ago.

Just found out my powerlifting meet has been delayed a second time due to COVID-19, this time from August to November. I picked a helluva comp to return to, damn. I'm so hungry.

Somehow I fucked up a week somewhere and my squat cycle got ahead of everything else, so while I hit my squat single last week I'm still on triples for everything else. Gives me an opportunity to do something different for squat day.

Squats
Up to 405 x 7, 9, 8
First set was weird because my belt was too tight. I'd like to reach 3 sets of 10 next time.

Good mornings
155 x 15
185 x 12, 15

Bench press
255 x 3
290 x 3
330 x 3
-
Super-set with bent-over dumbbell rows of 50s x 15

Dumbbell press
50s x 12
115s x 8, 10, 10
-
Super-set with dumbbell rows with same weight for 10

Curls

After 3 sweaty hours of starting my PC building process yesterday I called it a day out of frustration (everything has been easy until dealing with my case) and hit the heavy bag for around 10 minutes, then went on a 20 minute night jog. 

Woke up today and did 15 minutes of fasted indoor biking, then went on a 15 minute walk. Amazon Fresh delivery came just in time to make an omelette. Was getting tired of scrambled eggs for breakfast protein. Also took a break from weightgainers for a few days there but I made one today for work.

Weighed 199.3 today, weird. Means I lost 4 lbs.

Mat pulls (5)
565 x 5
I'm pleased but man, I've lost the ability to rest pause. after I set the weight down I just don't have it in me to move it again.

Belt squats
Up to 8 plates x 12
8 plates + 25 x 12, 14

Dumbbell lunges
50s x 16, 25

Abs

Partied ridiculously hard Saturday night/Sunday morning at George's place for his birthday. Still feeling funny from it but I'm looking forward to getting back to training today after work. Slept for 9 hours last night and still feel like I could have used more. Also feeling a little blue/depressed for some reason, feels like every little thing I'm doing is a chore that requires extra effort.

25 minutes of fasted cardio in the morning. Majority was on the exercise bike while watching Demon Slayer, the rest was some light shadowkickboxing.

After breakfast went and trained traps and neck. Hise shrugs of 330 x 20, 30, 20, neck crunches with the Iron Woody band, and finishing off with neck bridges.

Also, yesterday evening after work I fit in a 30 minute workout for chest and biceps. 

Wow, weighed 203 this morning. Total gain of 10 lbs in a little over a month.

Axle strict press
152 x 5
175 x 5
200 x 5
Blitzing through barriers. I would never reveal my industry secret but if I did it would be from eating a lot.

All three sets supersetted with band pulldowns and last set saw in addition of eight close grip pull-ups right after the pulldowns. Sad to say I am warming up to chins and pull ups lately, left tricep has felt a little pain for about a year now at the start of vertical pulls.

Axle strict press against bands
140 x 8
Super-set with pull-ups x 12

Incline axle bench press
200 x 8, 10
Super-set with pull-ups x 15, 17

Went to work after this, will probably do isolation work in the evening. Weather was nearing 100 again today.

Squatted up to 505x1.

Dropped down to 405x5 and 315x7 before I had to call it, unfortunately. Heat was really getting to me. It was only 92 but I felt dehydrated. Took a break and did 315x10, then RDL'd the 50 lb kettlebell 80 times.

Currently up about 5 lb, hovering around 198 in the morning with no clothes.

Bench press
235 x 5
275 x 5
310 x 5
Joints and tendons hurt but feeling strong as hell. Benched with some pain in my pec tendon and brachialis (both left arm but ignored it and did this easily after being stuck for two cycles.

Did some band pressing with the iron woody thick bands and t-bar rows. And did with skull crushers and heavy band curls.

Tng mat pulls (6)
565 x 5
Best TNG performance yet. Still a new element for me to control weight this heavy going down but I think it will do a lot of good for a 1rm.

Belt squats
360 x 10, 12, 14

Dumbbell lunges
50 x 14, 30

Kettlebell rdls
50 x 80

Abs

Axle strict press
170 x 5
190 x 3
215 x 2
220 x 2
Realized I miscounted and only hit 215. I really wanted that 220 and luckily got it. This was a good cycle for strict press.

I'm doing a lot more volume lately. Tons of super sets and isolation work almost like a bodybuilder, sometimes two times a day. The workload has been making me lazy with updating this log. Going to strive to record the important stuff at least.

I'm eating to gain weight. Nothing crazy but I definitely want to get to at least 210. Last time I weighed myself I was 192 but that was several weeks ago before I started making homemade weight gainers again and making a concerted effort to do this even though it was in the back of my mind. Friend already commented that my love handles are coming in.

Squatted 470x3 day before yesterday. Really brutal drop-down sets, managed to gut out 405x5 right after but could only must let 5 reps on 315. Something to work on as the top set continues to increase.

My heel is much better, probably 95%. I should be good on running now but the exercise bike I ordered a while ago finally arrived and I'm really happy with it. Good way to do zoneout cardio when I don't want to go outside. Will be good for fasted sessions in the morning while I watch TV.

Axle strict press
150 x 5
172 x 5
195 x 5
* Nailed it finally.

Spent the rest of the time switching between axle bench, weighted chins and pull-ups, and training my friend, who started out with mat pulls. He got up to 185x1. Capable of more but he's recovering from wrist injuries that flare up, but this was more than he's ever done so it was a good pr. What I found super impressive were the farmers' walks he did a few sessions ago: 100 lbs in each hand down the length of my yard. I also had him doing pull-ups using a band under his feet for assistance, he did a bunch of sets for 5. Bet he's gonna be sore from those because there was a lot of grinding.

We finished off with mitts, reviewing the basics and then taking turns throwing 1-2-3s, and then did a couple of light sparring rounds. Boxing only, didn't want to kick up dirt at each other by kicking. Another time I may set up the patio pavers under us so we can kick or take our gear to the park.

Will probably do some isolation work on my own for biceps, chest, traps, neck, and rear-delts. Not sorry, the bodybuilding sessions have been making a difference and my traps and chest are growing.

Put in an order for a compact foldable exercise bike and a mini 45 lb Muay Thai bag which I hope is heavy enough to not go flying everywhere. The bike was intended for my heel which is thankfully getting better finally.

Squatted 500 a few days ago and benched 350 yesterday. Trained my friend on the squat day. Haven't done boxing in a while with him.

Felt pretty weak yesterday. That 350 was a bit of a grinder. Maybe something to do with all the extra volume I'm doing lately via two a day workouts.

Mat pulled 565x1 off of 5. Everything felt light until the 565 which I couldn't even move on the first attempt. Caused a headache every time I tried to break it off the mat. That single was actually pretty smooth but as I lowered it I felt my body just shut down.

Removed the 35s off each end and did 500 for eight easy touch and go reps. I think with some recovery I'm going to crush this soon.

plus this was a victory because my heel has been getting better and I wasn't sure if I could handle this and especially the 500 squat. Glad to know this won't set me back after all.

I'm going to go in for some lunch and to let my heel recover before I go back in the evening to do some squat accessory work.

Had a pretty good leg workout yesterday, all things considered. Squatted with the SSB up to 200 lbs on the balls of my feet. Felt tendon strain in the problem leg while doing this but I was able to knock out 3 sets of 10. I immediately super-set each of these with banded leg extensions, and triple-set those with banded leg curls. Then I did kettlebell goblet squats with 50 lbs for 40, then 30 reps. I'm pretty sore today. 

May try to squat heavy next workout, we'll see.

Badly bruised my right heel on Saturday while messing around with the only 2 friends I see now in quarantine. Doing some stupid parkour shit and landed wrong on it. Can't put too much weight on it, walking on the ball of that foot. I think it's getting slightly better but can't be sure. Definitely can't squat on it so I'll be doing sissy squats tomorrow.

After George left I bench pressed with the remaining friend, up to 330x2. Had a third in me but was having trouble getting leg drive. Haven't done boxing in awhile with him, something we talked about doing next time. After I hit that I did 245x10. Gotta say I was surprised at how light that felt, I could have told you I was benching 215. Didn't get to do much else due to training him and time constraints with him having to leave by 4:15 so I'll do some more today.

TNG mat pulls (5)
565x5

Belt squats
5 plates x 10
7 plates x 10
8 plates + 25 x 8, 8

Dumbbell lunges
50s x 22

Abs, Swiss ball leg curls

Benched 310x4 with my friend spotting me. Also dumbbell pressed 125x6 afterwards. Felt sorest I've been in months. I'm working him up to repping 95 on the bench. Something super impressive is that he farmer walked with 200 lbs.

Squats
315 x 5
335 x 2
385 x 5
440 x 5
Drop-down to 315, 225 x 10, 135 x 12, 45 x 20
* Made a mistake on the first set, supposed to do 335 instead of 315. Attempted to drop down to 405 but it's just not happening

Good mornings

Deload

Bench press
155, 195, 225 x 5
-
Super-set with axle barbell rows
110 x 10
160 x 8, 10

posted from Bloggeroid

Deload

Squats
225, 275, 315 x 5

SSB squats
240 x 3 x 10

SSB good mornings
150 x 8, 10

Abs

Welp, my (free) laptop isn't holding a charge anymore so computer time has been down. Building a new PC though which will free up my main bedroom-stationed laptop that's hooked up to a mointor for portable use so I can use it for work in the living room.

Currently taking a deload. I started feeling really run-down recently. Already did a squat and strict press workout, and today I did an extra workout for traps, rear-delts, and neck. I'm going to be doing shorter but more frequent workouts in general since I have so much time at home, rather than one mega 2+-hour session.

Lifted yesterday with my quarantine friend. I'm teaching him boxing as well. Went over a 1-2-3 and we took turns holding the pads, then did some light free sparring. Letting him get the hang of it a little before I get stricter with enforcing hands staying up. Watched Rocky 4 to pre-game. We watched a bunch of strongman last time. 

Bench press
270 x 5
305 x 5
340 x 1
355 x 1
-
Super-set with dumbbell rows
50s x 3 x 10
100 x 8

Band-resisted bench press
135, 155 x 10
185 x 10
-
Super-set with dumbbell rows
115s x 3 x 10

Band pressdowns + overhead pressdowns + chest flyes + band lat pulldowns
2 sets of 10-12

Curls

Did a friend workout in the rain with one of the only two people I'm seeing during this lockdown (same goes for them). Helped him train and did some fun things on end like a 15-rep 405 deadlift and some farmers' walks and keg carries. Got a good chest pump from some banded chest flyes, too. Beer, which is not usually my drink of choice, is also incredibly refreshing mid-workout.

Did some hill sprints this morning, followed by a short jog and some light shadow kickboxing.

Strict pressed 215x2 on Friday. Looking back to a year ago I was at 195x1.

Been reading entries this morning from one year ago when everything was normal and not a disease-ridden death trap. I've made some really good progress, especially on my press, which has gone from 195x1 to 195x5.

Gonna practice this a bit: "Learned a combo-string: low right kick, 3-2-3, right body kick, 3-2, left switch kick, overhand right and left hook to the body, circle out with double-jab. Started with just the first portion of that and added on."

Squats
Up to 485 x 1
Drop-down to 405 x 5, 315 x 10,225 x 10, 135 x 10, 45 x 10
* This no longer kills me, I'm happy to report.

Banded good mornings
Up to 150 x 10 (4 sets total working up)

Did an at-home Muay Thai workout in the evening, just about 15 minutes.

Logging should be more consistent from now on. Got a new laptop charger so I can compute from anywhere in the house.

Bench press
250 x 3
290 x 3
325 x 2, 3
-
Super-set with dumbbell rows & axle row
50s x 8, 10
110 x 15
* Didn't feel confident on my first attempt at 325. Feet were in a bad position too so I couldn't get good drive. Took a short break to input some work data (did this workout while working at home), ate a banana, came back, and eased through it.

Dips
15
45 x 12
70
Super-set with axle rows
200 x 8

Axle strict press
160, 180, 205 x 3

Axle strict press against bands
130 x 2 x 8

Incline bench press against bands
180 x 2 x 8

Incline dumbbell press with Fat Gripz against bands
50s x 16

Every set super-set with band pulldowns or pull-ups with a 50 lb dumbbell for 8 dropped down to bodyweight for 4 (making 12 pull-up reps total)

Spider curls with Fat Gripz
50s x 2 x 8

Rear-delt dumbbell lateral raises drop-down to facepulls

Axle strict press
145 x 5
170 x 5
192 x 5
-
Super-set with pull-ups
10

Strict press against bands
130 x 8
-
Super-set with pull-ups
12

Deadlifts
Up to 550 x 0, 0
500 x 8 (touch-and-go) (PR)
* Body kept shutting it down because of a twinge in my left side. Assuming my competition doesn't get canceled, man, I need to GO. Am going to start from the top and increase the weight next week as I've been spinning my wheels trying and failing this for too long. Taking a break from the floor may help, too. I'm still confident that I have 600 in me; problem is it has to be a "good day" but the comp conditions (flat ground, rolling the bar, meet magic effect) may help, though I'm not going to count on that.
* Repping 500 was a decent victory.

Belt squats
Up to 8 plates x 3 x 10
-
Last set super-set with dumbbell lunges
50s x 14

SSB good mornings
170 x 8, 8

Squats
Up to 475x1
Strip-set of 405 x 5
315 x 10
225 x 10
135 x 10
45 x 10
* Didn't feel nearly as miserable as last time. 475 was also very easy.

Pause deadlifts
315 x 4
Immediately switch to RDLs of 315 x 5, 8

From a few days ago that I neglected to upload.

Axle strict press
165 x 5
190 x 3
210 x 2
-
Super-set with chin-ups and pull-ups (half and half)
12
* Beyond what I was expecting, kickass. The band training is going great.

Worked up to a 310x4 bench press on Wednesday. Not a bad showing. Might have had a 5th in me but didn't feel like dealing with a failed press after how hard I've been training.

Stunningly sore from those squats on Tuesday, the most I've been in years. Nostalgic feeling.

Did a squat strip-set by starting with 425 and dropping down to 315, 225, 135, and 45 x 10. Had to lie down and struggle not to puke afterwards. Also resisted some mental weakness of wanting to give up merely because of leg discomfort starting in the middle of 315 and continuing on down the line.

Went back at night to do good mornings and ab wheel rolling.

Came home from work yesterday evening and did a bunch of band sets for rear-delts. It's an exercise where I drape the band across the top curve of my punching bag stand so it's at an angle above my head and pull my arms apart. Mixed that up with leg raises and the ab wheel.

Followed that up with some easy shadow kickboxing rounds, lowering the speed to focus on form. Nothing too structured, just listened to music and had some fun moving around.

Been getting good sleep this week, 8-9 hours on average.

Quick video of the 475 squat and 315 pause deads from yesterday.

2365

Did a 10-min shadow kickboxing round yesterday after work followed by 3 hill sprints and a 10 minute jog.

Bench press
270 x 5
305 x 3
340 x 1
* Everything felt pretty heavy today. Nothing out of the ordinary though.

-
Super-set with Iron Woody band rows
10

Dips
30
50 x 12
90 x 6 -> bodyweight x 6
50 x 6 -> bodyweight x 6
-
Super-set with Iron Woody band rows and bent-over dumbbell rows
20, 20
125 lb dumbbell x 8

Decline push-ups
30
-
Super-set with keg curls
160 x 8 + 35 lb dumbbell curls with Fat Gripz x 8

Dumbbell curls
50s x 8

2364

Squats
365 x 5
420 x 3
465 x 1
* Can't believe how light the weights felt on my legs. Conversely, though, I was pretty wobbly under the bar. Didn't have enough food in me, which makes a difference on that.

SSB squats
310 x 2 x 8

Pause deadlifts
315 x 5, 4
* No straps this time.

2363

Came home from yesterday evening and did about 8 minutes of shadow kickboxing followed by a 15 minute jog afterwards.

Deadlifted 550x2 today. Had to shut it down due to prior back pain that became aggravated by the third rep. At least I got 2 reps on my first try this time. A good marker for my bad day strength.

As for my back, I dunno what's going on with it. It's been real bad lately, even after taking measures like sleeping on my back, doing stretches at work, etc. It just hasn't been enough. Wish I had a proper reverse-hyper. I'll do a lot more imitation movements on the Swiss ball. Laying stomach-down over the ball to round my back for an extended period of time also makes it feel good. I can read or play my Switch doing that. Will make a real concerted effort to do all this continuously in preparation for next week. The strength is definitely there for 5 or more with 550.

2362

Bench press
250 x 3
290 x 3
325 x 3
* Felt real light.
-
Last set super-set with bent-over rows (unilateral)
50 with Fat Gripz x 10 followed immediately by 115 x 5

Bench press
245 x 10, 9, 9
-
Super-set with dumbbell rows (bilateral)
8, 9, 10

Iron Woody band press
15
-
Super-set with dumbbell rows (bi)
10

Purple band chest flyes

Real pleased with this program cycle thus far. Broke through some poundages that I was stalling on previously. Gonna do some bicep curls and rear-delt work at the office this evening (there's a basic weight set there).

Also, so I'm not seeing "Untitled" for every post in my post list, I'm adding entry numbers again which I used to manually keep track of.

Been dealing with some work-related stress (no day off last week, bickering with my boss) and lack of sleep over the weekend but my strength has been on the upswing.

The rundown for Saturday was squatting an easy 440x3 and then staying over in Santa Cruz. Went to the beach at night and the next morning, it was a blast. It was like Silent Hill at midnight.