Was able to move the 45 plates around without additional pain yesterday, so hit the iron.

Paused incline bench: 205 x 5, 6, 4+1 (rest paused)

185 x 6, 6 -> dropdown to 135 x 8

Super-set with wide pull-ups: 5 x 10

Axle preacher curls: 35 x 30

10 minute jog afterwards

Back is still in pain when I wake-up to use the restroom at night or in the morning, but improved enough that I can turn in bed or get up without extended agony. Switched beds in the middle of the night again and will go explore some mattress options this weekend.

I've been keeping up my lunchbreak walks all this week and yesterday was the first time I was walking with a normal gait. I'll attend boxing tomorrow while letting the coach know I have to go easy on stuff like medicine ball throws, ab work, and bobbing and weaving.

 Back is still in a painful state during and after bedrest but gets noticeably better later in the day. Switching between two different beds to see which yields the least amount of pain in the morning. I slept on the firmer one last night (memory foam unfortunately) and woke-up in the middle of the night astonished at how much pain I was still in. I have a Lumbair inflatable back rest that's a lifesaver for sitting down that I'll take home from work and experiment with while sleeping on my back.

My default posture seems to be rectifying itself. Torso was crooked and slanted to the left before. Using the Cerberus soft belt as a back brace during the day. 

Unfortunately, had to cancel mid-week boxing for the second time in a row. Last week was due to being sick with a fever.

Got in a no-iron workout yesterday:

10 dips

10 band rows

10 Hatfield squats

Done in 10 rounds, making 100 total reps of each.

I was actually able to move pretty efficiently and do some light shadowboxing last night. Going to do a bench press workout this evening after cautiously testing if I can move the 45s around. If not, I'll either do a push-up workout or go to the gym and use the machines.

Boxing yesterday was another conditioning-centric evening: dumbbell shadowboxing, medicine ball push-ups, plyo push-ups, dumbbell shoulder holds, and high-power rounds on the bag mixed with calisthenics that the coach would call out. Ended with planks.

Unfortunately, I hurt my back deadlifting today. I had 475 on the bar and was going to hit 5. The bar felt very light but I tweaked something at the start of rep 3 and had to shut the session down.

I had been sitting down relaxing for a period of time before lifting and knowing my body, that was a mistake. Staying in one position too long always does me in.

Currently weighing 195.

Did this yesterday after work:

Overhead dumbbell press (seated)

80s x 8, 7, 7

Incline dumbbell press

80s x 8

Chin-ups: 4 x 10

Single leg curls:

290 x 15

Sandbag squats:

200 x 15

From here, I packed a bag and walked to the health club. I figured I got the basics covered at home so I wouldn't be annoyed at lacking equipment or having to wait for machines on my first day there.

I hate to admit it but I had a fantastic time. Chin-ups aggravate my elbow a little by rep 7 or 8 and I haven't been able to do them weighted for that reason, so I came here with a primary mission to use a back machine. I absolutely blew up my upper-back doing high-angle rows on one (practically a lat pull-down) but without any elbow pain, which was the best part. Also got in some cable chest-flyes, leg pressing, and curls for fun, and finished with 5 minutes on the elliptical. 

From there, went to shower and then hit-up the steam room, infrared sauna, cold plunge (only got in partially to test how cold they kept it), and outdoor sauna in the pool area. Stared at the sunset through the sauna and muttered to myself "Dammit, I like this a lot." 

The outdoor sauna is by a row of bonfires and lounge chairs. The sign-up lady informed me there's group happy hour here every Friday and invited me to the one happening today. My Friday happy hour involves throwing leather at the boxing gym but I said thank you.

The infrared sauna was interesting. The room felt fairly cool but the seats and walls were hot.

Sitting in the steam room and traditional sauna made me think of my dad the whole time. Was staring at the sauna rocks and remembered touching them when I was a little kid as my dad shouted "Don't!" to me and how we'd always laugh at that story when I was older.

Even though I get a good deal of daily walking in as-is, walking to and from here also increases that. Came home feeling very refreshed and a touch nostalgic.

Walked over to the health club yesterday evening and took a tour. Love the facility and equipment, but found the crowd and emphasis on "community" annoying - pretty much what I expected. Am going to try it for 1 week to see if it's right for me. The girl giving me a tour said she just turned 20 and it was a trip to think that I'd been going to this gym since she was 3.

The club was SO nice that I even had to consider if I want to be in this environment. I love a hostile-feeling dungeon gym, and I appreciate that my boxing gym is so old-school for that reason. It fosters fierceness. However, I'm not doing my main training here and if I can just use what I want without being bothered, it's worth having in my life.

As I stepped out from this polished world of networking yuppies, I came across the devoured remains of a baby deer by the road (this town was literally named after all the mountain lions in the area). This has nothing to do with anything except that it was metal as fuck.

Came home and did a couple of sets on the reverse hyper and shadowboxed and stretched.

Been sick this week. Had a fever Sunday night, woke-up feeling better Monday morning, felt more sick by mid-day, repeat for Tuesday and so far today. Trained hard over the weekend so I’m taking the week easy so far. Went on a jog Monday and cancelled boxing class yesterday to shadowbox and hit the bag at home instead.

I have an appointment this evening to tour a health club near my house. This is actually the second facility I ever lifted at, the Los Gatos Athletic Club, but it’s been renovated and sold to new owners who turned it into a bougie wellness center now just called The Club. I’m mainly interested in the sauna and steam room.

Returned from a family trip to Las Vegas on Thursday for my niece's 21st birthday. Didn't train for  3 days, but got a lot of walking done. I had trained hard prior to leaving and the rest period feels physically restorative.

Ate a lot of great food and I'd also brought a bag of protein powder + shaker cup with me for the hotel. It helped on the first few days, but I soon accumulated a collection of leftovers that I sadly was unable to finish before the trip was over.

Started off with ATV riding on Tuesday morning, which I got sunburned badly from but otherwise had a ton of fun doing. Went to a nightclub the next night and I really wasn't feeling it at first. When my brother and niece left after an hour I almost joined, but reasoned to myself I can still leave anytime I want and to give it a chance. I'm glad I did; ended up having a lot of fun. Upon exiting at 4am, there was a large statue of Joe Louis in the casino lobby. I started telling everyone the history of Joe Louis vs Max Schmelling during the World War 2 period and how everyone made it out to be USA vs Nazi Germany when Schmelling wasn't a Nazi, despite Hitler openly rooting for him, and how they became friends afterwards. I don't think anyone paid much attention though, haha.

Spent the next day mostly taking it easy and not making it to an early pool party we had invites to, but I still lounged and swam at our small hotel pool and made it to the party at 5:30pm, not knowing they were closing it up at 6. Going to In-N-Out with my brother was worth being late, though.

Made it to boxing on Friday, which was a conditioning-heavy session. Coach reminded me to turn into my cross more while holding mitts and enthusiastically remarked on my power from making that fix. 

Broke out the SSB on Saturday:

SSB squats

400 x 3

290 x 2 x 10

Belt squats

345 x 10

Single leg curls

290 x 2 x 15

This absolutely wrecked me, and the effect is only worse 2 days later.  I feel the most sore I have in a long time. Back, traps, neck, and legs are all feeling it. Before I get ahead of myself, I also benched the next day:

2-board press

315 x 3

335 x 1

365 x 1

Paused 1-board press

275 x 7

Incline dumbbell press

80s x 12, 10

Chin-ups

10, 10, 12, 10

Swiss bar incline skullcrushers

45 x 50

Axle curls

30 x 50

Went to see my dad at his resting spot afterwards for Father's Day. Brought along his bottle of brandy and had a sip with him.

I was already absolutely wrecked with insane full-body soreness when I started to feel sick that night and came down with what felt like a fever and sore throat. Treated myself to a spa night at home with an epsom salt bath, went to bed feeling like death and fluctuating between hot and cold, and woke-up this morning feeling a lot better. Still dealing with soreness, fatigue, and a sore throat.

 Very fun Friday night boxing session. Did some partner shadowboxing and then rounds on the heavy bag mixed with conditioning drills. 

 Key combo tonight: 1-2, slip, left body hook while weaving to the right, right hook, 1-2

Finished with bear crawls, 10 burpees, and crab-walks back to the line, filling the remainder of wait time for everyone else with non-stop jumping-jacks. I was one of the few people who made an effort of non-stop jumping-jacks. Then ran around the parking lot and that was class.

Day of leisure today. Going to a work pool party. Well, mostly leisure. Poundstone curls have been making a notable difference on my elbow so I'm about to hit 50 tricep pressdowns and 100 curls with elbow sleeves on (they're harder and provide a better pump that way).

Weighed 198 today.

Spontaneously responded to a Facebook Marketplace ad for two 80 lb dumbbells and drove after work to pick them up. 

A little back-story: seated dumbbell presses were my jam back in the day. By eventually working up to pressing the 80s and 90s overhead, I was able to first press 225 lbs for 3 with a barbell in 2009. I've done them standing with one arm using a loadable dumbbell handle but being seated so the shoulders can just fucking piston a couple of heavy dumbbells up really gets me results.

My dumbbells jump from a pair of 50s to a single 100, then 115s and 125s, so having something fill that gap is nice. I've made do with my dumbbell handles before but they can be a pain to rest on your lap and more than once I've had the collars slide off and everything fall apart. Can't drop them after a hard set, either, since they break.

Came home and celebrated:

Seated dumbbell overhead press

80s x 3 x 8

Incline dumbbell press

80s x 10, 10, 11

Chin-ups

12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 15

Sandbag squats

200 x 10

Poundstone curls

30 x 110

The last time I remember sitting down and pressing overhead was 2010 and I was about 25 lbs heavier so it was awesome to find I'm about at the same level as back then.

Tuesday boxing focused on parries and throwing multiple strikes from the same side, a simple concept that I've seen perplex a high-level MMA fighter before (guy was training on The Ultimate Fighter under Frankie Edgar and had trouble throwing two right straights in a row). Left elbow hurt when throwing hard jabs at the mitts at first but it subsided. 

While watching TV at night, I twisted the Flexbar for my elbow and the massage gun around my body. Am also being consistent about taking Flameout twice a day.

Woke-up well before my alarm this morning and had just enough time for 4 rounds of 10 burpees and 10 kettlebell swings (25 lbs which is what happened to be in the house that I could quickly grab), followed by an untimed circuit of shadowboxing, jumping-jacks, and high knees. 

 Right knee has been in a little pain lately so did some tibialis raises on Sunday night.

Began yesterday morning with 3 minutes of shadow kickboxing and 20 burpees.

After work:

3-minute round on the heavy bag comprised of 2 minutes of straight 1-2s and 1 minute of freestyle

1 set of 290x10 on the reverse hyper

1 backwards jog for knee rehab and then 3 sprints up Heart Attack Hill followed by a 15 min jog to the high school and back. The way back had another hill which I ran up. 

Also got some leg stretches done at night. Knee does not hurt when jogging or squatting, and is in fact feeling a lot better after just a few days of rehab exercises. Feels like the discomfort stems from standing long at work and then going to boxing afterwards. Easy to make the necessary habit change.

Was short on time this morning but still squeezed in 20 high-speed burpees.

With how good 100 rep curls made my elbow feel and the awesome pump that went with it, I'm fixin' to add in high rep axle skullcrushers to match. Don't want this to backfire so I'll start with 50 as the front end of a super-set. 

Back double bi taken yesterday:

Friday night boxing: shadowboxing and fairly basic mitt-work with a partner, ending on the heavy bags and abs. Visited Dad at his resting site on the way home, looking from past the gate.

Saturday:

Squats
430 x 3
Drop-down to 320x8, 230x8, 140x8, 50x8

Single-leg curls
290 x 15

Notes: still squatting narrow and deep. Going to use the SSB next time if my back health permits (it's been feeling good lately). The weight I can move is probably the same when squatting this style, and I'm still feeling a little bit of strain on my elbow despite best efforts to not bear any bar weight on it when squatting.

Sunday:

Paused 1-board press
350 x 1

285 x 3 x 6

Lying dumbbell rows
125s x 3 x 8

Weighted push-ups
100 x 10, 7

Super-set with chin-ups: 10, 10

Poundstone curls
30 x 100

Went out later for a Home Depot trip to replace the shattered glass mirror and pick-up some parts to fix my friend's ignition switch, but along the way I spontaneously decided to stop at the Cambrian public library just a few blocks past, which I hadn't been to since I was a kid. It looked completely different inside, but very nice to experience. Didn't have any of the Michael Crichton books I wanted.

Went to see Dad on the way home and placed a stone dove I got for him on his resting site.