Axle clean once and press

110 x 10

130 x 10

150 x 7

Giant sets:

Behind-the-neck press: 110 x 2 x 10

Facepulls: 2 x 10

Dumbbell skullcrushers with Fat Gripz: 35s x 2 x 9

Dumbbell hammer curls with Fat Gripz: 50s x 12, 15

Sandbag squats: 200 x 10

15-min jog

Was feeling rundown and initially was going to just do cardio, but decided it'd fare my body well to move some weight. Actually, it was more like "I'll just go outside and set-up for another day while doing some reverse-hypers for my back" and, as usual, lying to myself to get me out the door snowballed into weightlifting once I saw all the iron in front of me.

On the set of pressing I stopped before my shoulders began to struggle. Taking care to keep them feeling healthy with all the work they get at the boxing gym. 

Stretched before bed by lying on my back and widening my legs up against a wall.

It saddens me to say this due to Dad passing, but since the garage is no longer a smoke den, it would make sense to create an indoor gym for the preservation of equipment. I'll be doing that gradually. The corner and desk where he sat at will remain untouched as a tribute and memorial. 

Hard to believe it's been a week since we laid Dad to rest. I'll never forget how surreal it was to have his old friend Mo come over. Just a couple weeks prior, Dad was laying on the same couch Mo sat on.
I've still been saying "Hi Dad" and "Bye Dad" or "Goodnight Dad" per routine. I left his bedroom light on the other night and forgot to turn it off, so I did after waking up to use the bathroom.

Then at 3am, the bathroom mirror fell and shattered everywhere. Huge mess. I cleaned it up yesterday evening. Sometime around that occurring, I had a dream that his bedroom light had turned back on by itself. The night before this, I saw him in a dream, but my alarm woke me up, which I was pissed about.

Unfortunately, the memorial park closes at 7 so I can't visit inside after boxing like I planned, but he's close enough to the entrance that I was able to be close to him Wednesday evening after class

Focused on the clinch yesterday at boxing. Took turns throwing 1-2s, clinching, and repeat, eventually adding a 1-2-3 upon release. Also drilled the side clinch and controlling the opponent with a push of the shoulder upon release (remember to keep other hand up in guard during this). Ended with various bagwork rounds and then stretches.

Wednesday is the most fun class. Tuesdays are a small group and the atmosphere is incredibly quiet with little training banter happening. I focus on what's important, but I do like working with an energetic group instead of a room that sounds like a library. Fridays are always very conditioning-heavy, which is good for me but there isn't quite as much technique breakdown.

Stopped by the resting site on my way home to see Dad for a little bit. The memorial park closes at 7, unfortunately, so I can't actually enter when I get out from boxing, but he's close to the front so I parked by the sidewalk and stood outside the gate by him. He would usually be sitting in his den at this time when I get home, and would ask if I was at boxing and how work went.

Sleep that night wasn't the best. Woke-up at 3am to the bathroom mirror falling off the wall and shattering on the floor. It's a mess, but luckily nothing else was damaged. Opted to close the door so the cat can't go in and went back to salvage my sleep, so I have that waiting for me to clean when I get home from work.

2-board press

315 x 3

345 x 1

355 x 1

Notes: Surprised at how easy this went up.

Bench press 

275 x 6, 6, 5

Lying dumbbell rows

125s x 8, 8, 8

Giant set

Behind-the-neck axle press: 110 x 2 x 10

Dumbbell flye press: 50s x 2 x 10

Dumbbell curls: 50s x 2 x 12

Went out with my sister afterwards to get sandwiches at Dad's favorite spot, Erik's Deli, and ordered his signature Raging Bull, then took them to his resting site and ate next to him for 45 minutes. Afterwards, I took my sister to a Korean spa. This was the result of me having been hunting for a gym with a sauna and steam room for some time now, which Dad always took me to when I was a kid going to the local gym with him. Before he passed, I asked him if he'd go to the gym again if I found a steam room and he said yes, which was encouraging to hear since he almost never ventured out anymore.

Unfortunately, around here these amenities are now either found in severe disrepair at chains like 24 Hour Fitness or in expensive, high-end spas - no in-between if you want a membership. The spa was $40 for a day pass. Got to enjoy a massage chair (where I actually dozed off in a few times), themed heat rooms like a salt room, a wonderfully hot 210 degree sauna, steam room, and hot tub. I was wishing for a cold plunge only to find out afterwards that one of the mini pools that I assumed was a second hot tub was in fact a cold plunge. All in all, it was a nice treat after a couple hard weeks and it made me think of Dad.

Quote of the day: 

"Forget safety. Live where you fear to live. Destroy your reputation. Be notorious." -Rumi

Had the service for my dad on Friday. I miss him, but whenever I feel at my lowest, I simply remember how stoic and ironclad he was, and his simple words of "Be strong" to me. 

Did some deep squats on Saturday:
410 x 5
Drop-set to 320 x 8, 225 x 8, 135 x 8, 50 lb kettlebell goblet squat x 8

Dips:
Bw x 10
50 x 10
100 x 13
115 x 10

Chin-ups: 8, 12, 12, 12

Behind-the-neck axle press:
110 x 10, 10, 8

These were mostly done as giant sets back-to-back with little to no rest except the last set of 115 lb dips, when I got lost in thought over my dad.

Ended with a 48-second chin-up. Previously noticed I was stalling for time by pausing at various points during the chin-up rest, which is fine, but it's harder if I don't stop and instead ascend and descend very slowly throughout the whole rep.

I called and had a good conversation with my aunt and uncle afterwards, who were (and still are) in Iran when last week happened. Farah was composed but my poor Eghbal was crying and torn-up. Now I have to decide if or when I let my mom know, whom I haven't spoken to since 2010.

After dropping off our chosen resting clothes for Dad at the funeral home yesterday, I came home and unpacked a new laptop that had arrived and then hustled off to boxing. I ended up being the odd man out with no partner, which I became really disappointed with once I heard we would be doing light sparring, but the coach grabbed me to do mitt work and 1-on-1 coach time which is also invaluable. One of the guys there commented between rounds that my right hand sounded like a gunshot. Ended with bag work and then abs.

Unfortunately, I woke-up with both back and elbow pain. I made a point to try and not strain my back during the ab circuit, but it seems like the effort wasn't enough. Nothing major, just feels like a few steps backward after making some progress on both fronts. It would be worth using the reverse-hyper after working abs and seeing if that makes a difference, just as I've been pairing it with squats and deadlifts. For the elbow, I should use the Flexbar rehab tool I have more and make sure I sleep with my elbow sleeve (not my powerlifting one, this is a Venum cloth sleeve) without exception.

Got the idea to end my log entries with a quote during these hard times. 

Quote of the day: "You have been baptized in fire and blood and have come out steel.” -General Scott at Chapultepec [taken from General Patton's diary War As I Knew It]

Past week was a blur of emotional toilings and appointments. We picked out my dad's headstone on Friday: black with subtle gold sparkles under the sunlight. Going to place an Air Force picture of him on display in it.

I managed to drag myself into boxing afterwards. Part of me felt like skipping, but classes are pre-registered every weekend and there’s a cancellation fee, plus another side knew that toughing it out and going would be good for me. It was a new coach and some hard conditioning. Instead of merely skipping rope for 3 rounds of 3 minutes as the warm-up, we replaced the 30 second rest with 10 burpees before jumping back into rope skipping. That didn’t feel hard, but It escalated from there with rotating medicine ball throws, kettlebell thrusters, and battle ropes. I felt like my gas tank was truly tested for the first time at this place. It was also the first time I’ve ever used battle ropes. They were the easiest among the exercise trio.

We then did a drill of jabbing at our defending partners for 2 minutes straight, then 1-2s for 2 minutes, then switching.

Played around with a different squat form last night after work: high bar and ATG, with hamstrings touching my heels. Lately I really like the idea of cycling in different grips and stances, instead of primarily thinking about changing the bar or exercise. I used to exclusively squat high bar until 2019, when the top of my vertebrae started to seriously hurt. The positioning didn’t come back naturally to me and it felt awkward.

Worked up to a single of 405, then 315x8. Predictably, the weight felt very light except for a split-second at the very bottom.

Have also started supplementing with Biotest Superfood instead of buying my usual Costco multivitamins.

It felt weird yesterday coming home to a house without him. I'm glad Mirza was there to greet me. It became ritualistic for Dad to note that the cat had been asleep and waiting for me all day until he springs awake and comes to the stairs when I enter.

My dad passed away last Wednesday. I can’t say it was unexpected with how his health was, but it was nonetheless an emotional shock. I had spoken to him at midnight the night before to check on him and tell him I was staying home from work the next day, to which his last words to me were “Ok” while he was laying in bed. I found him unresponsive the next morning.

I had been his caretaker for certain things like driving him to the store and doing chores around the house for the last 10 years and opted to stay with him after everyone else had moved away so he wouldn’t be alone. He was a real hard man, an old-school badass, but incredibly loving to his children at the same time. Also, just my best friend, which I’ve mentioned in my log numerous times. We had a lot of great inside jokes, often taken from movie lines via Commando, Rocky 3, Braveheart, and others.

One badass exchange we had recently (imperfect English intentional):

Dad looking at my black cat: “In Iran, they scare of black cat. They think they’re the devil.”
Me: “Hah, are you scared of him?”
Dad: “No. I am devil myself.”

The past week has been a mix of grieving, taking care of appointments, and of course, training. I did this yesterday:

2-board press
315 x 3
345 x 2

Close-grip bench press
245 x 8, 8
225 x 10

Super-set with reverse hyper rows: 290 x 3 x 12

Dumbbell flye press
50s x 12, 12

Seated curls with Fat Gripz
35s x 12, 10, 10

Today is the first day back at work and I’m tackling tasks bit by bit, but I’m looking forward to the day being over.

My dad passed away last night. Been spending all day with him and family before he was taken away. I'll have more thoughts to jot down tomorrow.

First back squat session in over 2 weeks. Had belt squats in mind as a back-up, but I'm glad to report I felt healthy enough to load the bar on my back.

Squats

320 x 15

Dumbbell RDLs + shrug at top

125s x 10

Reverse-hyper

290 x 2 x 10

Felt great to squat something again. What's more, I didn't feel any extra pain in the middle of the night or waking up the next day. 

Been getting comments at work: "Rambo, you're so skinny now." That always gets thrown my way when I approach this weight. 6'0" and 200 lbs is not skinny people, I'm just not fat anymore.

Woke up at 8:30 on Saturday and went for a 40-minute fasted jog with a little bit of dry whey scooped in my mouth (for those curious, it clumps and forms a small protein candy ball). Started by jogging uphill for 3 rounds before continuing on flat ground. Very nice start to the morning.

No training the rest of the day, as I went to the San Francisco to see a friend, but there was plenty of walking all day, starting with a beach hike at a WW2-era coastal artillery site. Reading up on the history, it also became a missile launch zone during the Cold War. Went to Chinatown afterwards and, per tradition, chatted with a store owner about Bruce Lee and bought a Bruce Lee shirt before dinner. 

Sunday:

Bench press 

315 x 1

335 x 1

345 x 1

Paused: 315 x 2

Notes: 345 went up easier than I was expecting. 

Swiss bar bench press

225 x 8, 9, 8, 8, 8

Super-set with dumbbell rows 

125s x 8, 9, 8, 8, 8

Dumbbell flye press

50s x 12

Notes: Saw a Christian Thibaudeau article about these and tried for fun. It's basically a dumbbell press on the concentric and a chest flye on the eccentric. I enjoyed the movement, got a pump from just the one set. 

Dumbbell curls with Fat Gripz

50s x 3 x 12

Afterwards, went on a 3-hour walk around town, starting with a hike (gotta love the proximity of the mountains and downtown to each other). Great end to a great weekend.

 Felt seriously run down yesterday after work and thought about not training. Slept poorly the night before, allergies were flaring up throughout the day, and despite an evening cup of coffee I just wanted to go to sleep. Once I got downstairs and got moving, everything started to feel better. Almost no rest times; despite the written order, leg exercises were done between sets of upper-body work.

Dips

Bodyweight x 10

50 x 10

80 x 10

100 x 10, 10

Banded lat pulldowns

4 x 10

Single leg extensions

290 x 3 x 20

Single leg curls

290 x 15

Single leg Romanian deadlifts

50 x 10

Behind-the-neck press

50 x 23

Seated dumbbell curls

35s x 12

Super-set with kettlebell preacher curls

15s x 12

50-second chin-up

As I type this the next morning, I'm running on far better and deeper sleep. Felt like I went in a coma, waking up only once to use the restroom, and woke-up feeling rested 30 minutes before my alarm. 

Back continues to get a little better every day. Looking forward to Friday evening boxing.

Participated in what I would call my first real sparring session at this boxing gym yesterday. Officially I need a doctor's sign-off to engage in their dedicated sparring hours so I'm grateful that this coach had us spar during class regardless of that. First 2 rounds were with jabs only and then 1-2s only, but the third round was everything. Different partners each round.

As soon as the coach finished explaining, the tallest guy in class and I immediately turned to each other partnered up. Haven't seen him before but he looks to be around 6'4". I'm no giant at 6' but I'm taller than 80% of class and I have a long reach, so I genuinely got excited at the opportunity of being the smaller man for once. Pity I couldn't trade with him during the full round and we could only jab. We both landed good shots, and I had such an easy time tagging his body when I got low that I made a point to challenge myself and focus on connecting with his head more. Expectedly, I found my jab falling short a few times so I would adjust and see better success by not going into autopilot but actually calculating the distance better. 

Second partner was someone I've worked mitts with before. He throws hard but gasses out. His aggression allowed him to connect to my forehead and temple a few times but I blocked or parried everything coming to my chin. One right cross that hit my temple was particularly hard and he stopped to apologize, but I had rolled with the punch pretty well and told him I'm good. 

Third guy was a young dude about as tall as me. He was very cautious and I found myself adjusting my pace just a little so I wasn't the only one throwing for stretches of time. I was surprised at his lack of aggression because he's high-energy during drills and looks good while shadowboxing.

Did all this with an injured back, which has been slowly getting better. Movement is far better for it than laying or sitting around, and I actually forgot about it in the hour session. Legs also started to cramp from charging in and back, but I hid the pain from my partners and outlasted it.

We finished off with just the right amount of ab work to work the muscles but nothing crazy that strained my back. Got through the 1-minute plank with no issue.

Feels great to spar again. I'll be getting that doctor signature soon.

 My back had been feeling beat-up since deadlifts until yesterday, when it felt better. Was driving home from work looking forward to a killer squat session when all of a sudden my back injured itself just from shifting slightly in the driver seat. Nixed my barbell squat plan and did:

Single leg extensions

290 x 15, 15

Super-set with single leg curls

290 x 15, 25

Belt squats

380 x 8, 10, 10

Belt squats are lifesavers. So glad I set-up a way to do them.

Also, get a load of this. When I was training Muay Thai 5 years ago, I wrote in my training log "I'm saving up to get a Winning FG 5000 headpiece. Comes out to $340 on Rakuten". I'm going to start sparring in boxing and that headgear is now over $650. Should have pulled the trigger back then! 

2-board press 

335 x 2

Pause bench 

315 x 2

Super-set with dumbbell rows 

125s x 10

Bench press 

225 x 3 x 10

Super-set with dumbbell rows 

125s x 3 x 10

Crazy bells

190 x 2 x 8

Super-set with alt Fat Gripz dumbbell curls 

50s x 2 x 16

Tricep pressdowns 

30

Super-set with alt Fat Gripz dumbbell curls 

50s x 16

Preacher Hammer curls

15 lb kettlebells x 2 x 15

Collarbone pain is feeling better and seems to have migrated closer to the center of my clavicle. Back is also on the mend. 

Having a really restorative weekend.

Giant sets:

Incline axle bench: 160 x 8, 10, 15

Dips: 3 x 10

Chin-ups: 3 x 10

Tricep pressdowns: 25, 20

Hammer curls: 50s x 10, 10, 12

Single leg reverse-hyper leg extensions: 290 x 2 x 25

Single leg leg curls: 290 x 15

1 round of the wrist-roller for elbow rehab

Was feeling beat-up from deadlifts and dips were putting a lot of pressure on the sore collarbone. Nixed my plans to do them weighted and brought in light incline benching with no rest times except before the last set. 

I've been having a week of good, deep sleep until last night, when I kept waking up to use the restroom for some reason. I always use that as an opportunity to drink some protein or pop a ZMA capsule. My cat, who usually sleeps at the foot of the bed or on his perch, has been coming up to sleep on my pillow or in my arm lately, but he's quiet and usually doesn't wake me.

Collarbone still hurts but is less tender and I feel like I'll be fine throwing hard right hands in boxing tonight. 

 Went to the beach after bench pressing on Sunday (what a classic combination) and extended the bicep phase of the workout even more by opting to carry our cooler across the sand instead of pulling it from the handle. My biceps were actually sore until Tuesday, which rarely happens.

Good technical boxing sesh after work on Tuesday. I didn't get corrected on form, but after watching the coach demonstrate, I have a suspicion I'm not angling my upper-body enough when getting in low for a body hook. Something I want to practice and film.

Found time after waking up before my alarm to get in 30 burpees and 20 band pull-aparts before work Wednesday morning, and then moved some weight that evening:

Sumo deadlifts

570 x 1.5, 2

Fell forward just before lockout on the 2nd rep of the 1st set, so tried again and handily got it. Once again, I'm experiencing thigh chaffing from my thumbs, and they're digging into my legs enough that it's actually slowing me down at the top. Not mere friction, although my thighs are red from that too, but actually getting blocked by flesh. Never experienced this pulling conventional but the baby powder method makes sense now. For next time, I'll remember to wear some slick tights I originally bought for Muay Thai and see if that helps.

My right collarbone hurt a little afterwards from fighting to not fall forward and it's sore today. Doesn't feel too bad, but hopefully it's not something that lingers as it feels tender if I throw right punches. The last time I hurt this collarbone, I was 5 and broke it by falling off a playground jungle gym I was climbing to retrieve a Ninja Turtle sai (Raphael's weapons); I had the other sai in one hand and a beefstick in the other.

Beach shot from Sunday: