barooo attempts to progress in a linear fashion

[barooo]

7/10

Squat 170 5-5-5
Press 90 5-5-5
DL 245 5

Reasonable. Press sucks. The 5th rep of the first two sets slowed down a lot here. I remember last time around 100# was where I started struggling, which is just sad.

Squat was pretty easy although I think that this was my last big jump. My left hip is bothering me a little. It's on the outside or slightly behind, and it's worst when sitting, although leaning forward helps, or pulling up my knee and putting some tension on it. Walking or standing I can feel it but it's not sore. It doesn't feel quite like muscle pain, more like the hip is trying to pop out of joint or something. Warming up helped, and it didn't hurt during lifts at all. I've been trying to foam roll and stretch and whatnot, we'll see if it gets better. It feels like that sort of thing.

DL was pretty standard, although I don't know how much more I could pull with double overhand grip.

[barooo]

3/12

Squat 175 5-5-5
BP 125 5-5-5
back extensions 0# 12-12
chins -80# 5 5

I need to find an alternative to the gravitron for chins.

Squat was fine but I lost tension on #5 in set 2 and it felt funny. Other than that, standard. Hip still bugging me when sitting but warming up and squatting felt fine. Good, even. I'm thinking of breaking out the belt, but that seems lame at 175. Then again, I have it so may as well use it. Probably going to wait for 200.

BP was completely standard except I did it in the power rack since a bro took over the bench just before I got to it. Unrelated, he was fun to watch. Bros love them some bench. He was using a painful looking grip (way wide, but at least it wasn't suicide grip), and started his warmups at 135, which he could almost do strict. He then ramped up to 275, and by the time he got there is was something I think you'd have to call a kipping bench press. Bar bouncing off the ribcage, massive bridging with a big hip kick and a really goofy looking bar path. He did a couple doubles at that weight, then switched to dumbell press with 75s, but alternating one at a time in a weird way.

The guy with the trainer was also back, he was doing everything for 20 reps; cable crossovers, dumbell flyes, then dumbell sumo deadlift high pulls (I think?) and smith machine romanian deadlifts, or maybe they were stiff legged rack pulls. Not sure which.

Maybe I should move my training log over into ends & pieces.

[barooo]

3/14

epic fail

first, I forgot to set my alarm and woke up 45 minutes late. Second, I got a bad spring roll last week and have been not feeling it lower-GI wise since, and this morning was not feeling right. By the time I got to the gym, stretched and mobbed, started warmups, and took care of bathroom business, it was already after the time I usually leave and I hadn't even taken my first warmup set of squats, so I said fuck it and went home. Even if all I'd done was squat I would have been late for work.

I hope to be in on Friday or Saturday.

[barooo]

3/16

Squat 180 5-5-5*
Press 95 5-5-5
PC 140 3-3-3

My first squat set was actually 177.5, I had neglected to add a 2.5# plate to the right side, and didn't even notice. I have a new cue that seems to help, I actively

Press sucks, the last rep was a little slow but I got them. Seems like rotation of shoulders/elbows might be an important key for the last half of the movement, and I need to be even more aggressive about pushing my head through.

PC was pretty standard except #3 on set 2 landed on my carotid and I had to dump it a little quicker than usual after standing up with it... I started to get a little woozy. I didn't drop it, but it was kind of a controlled fall and I stumbled around a little to keep from falling. Good times. People look me funny when I clean anyway...

The same bro from previously with the kipping bench press was in today, and he was... curling in the squat rack. Kipping of course. He moved on to heavy hammer curls by the time I needed the rack so I didn't have to ask him to not do that.

[barooo]

3/19

Squat 190 5-5-5
BP 135 5-5-5
back extension 0# 12-12
gravitron pullups -80# 5 -60# 4.

Turns out those were both 10 pound jumps.

I decided to break out the belt because a, I have it, b., it takes a few sessions to get used to it, and c. I prefer using it. Felt good. I also tried squatting facing the mirror. I warmed up that way to double check my depth and decided I didn't feel like unloading the bar and moving it around after 135, so I went with it. Do not want. I hate watching the sweaty fat guy squat. But it doesn't mess with me really, so I may or may not continue. The floor is better in that part of the rack than the part you use front facing... Hard but doable. #5 was better than #4 in the last set, I think with the belt I need to remember speed. Actually I feel like my lower body is in enough of a groove and has good enough habits I should think cues like bounce and speed and focus on upper body. My cue I mentioned on friday is actively pushing back against the bar and pulling on it. Helps with gm'ing out of the hole.

Bench was also standard. #5 on set three was a little slow, but not too bad. I think I slowed down.

We are installing a pullup bar at work so I am going to try and "grease the groove" so to speak and do a couple negatives every time I walk by it until I can do a chin or two.

I'm on vacation this weekend and we have a launch at work so wednesday might get skipped and I won't be back in the gym until next monday.

[barooo]

3/21

Squat 185 5-5-5* (goddammit)
press 100 5-5-4
DL 265 5

Misloaded squat, should have been 195, but was actually 185. This means I get to do 195 again. It wasn't bad, but the second set felt funny. I think My feet were too wide or too narrow or something.

Press, the second set might have ended with a push press. The third set I just couldn't get #5. I may have to look for 1# plates if I want to continue to progress.

DL was pretty standard, but it's starting to get hard. #5 was a little bit forward but not bad.

[barooo]

3/26

Squat 195 5-5-5
BP 140 5-5-5
Tabata intervals on stationary bike, 4 minutes

Squat I felt like a few reps were high, but it wasn't too bad. I feel like I'm all self aware about foot position for some reason, and I'm either too narrow or too wide, not sure which. Leading to less hip drive, whichever it is.

BP was a little slow on rep #5 but never in doubt. I may order some 1# plates or go to home despot or something. I don't know if I can do more 5# jumps. I could probably do 145 next time, but I'm skeptical I could do 150 after that.

I've also decided that I have personal reasons to lose a little fat now instead of trying to lose it all later and not worrying for now, so I'm adding a conditioning workout and trying to watch carbs for a few weeks. Every other non-pulling workout I'll do something simple like tabata intervals or burpees + kettlebell swings or barbell complexes, basically just 5-10 minutes or something hard. Plus I will probably start riding my bicycle to work a few days a week which also sort of counts as conditioning. The stationary bike sucks, it's uncomfortable and it goes to sleep as soon as you stop peddling so you can't do 10 seconds of absolute rest on it, I had to do 20 seconds of sprinting and 10 seconds of pedaling as slow as possible.

We are installing a pullup bar at work so I can stop doing those during my workout and just do a few a day here and there.

Other notes: was on vacation for 4 days and clearly didn't get enough protein or enough rest.

Whatever.

[barooo]

3/28

Squat 200 5-5-5
Press 100 5-5-5
PC 145 3-3-2

Squat was pretty easy actually, although one rep I relaxed and sank really low and my lower back is bothering me a bit now).

Press was hard but I got it, and I think it was clean.

PC kind of sucked. Second set some dude walked right in front of me, like stepped over the end of my bar close as I was going for #3. What the fuck? Third set not sure what happened. I feel like I'm not pulling as high as I should and I'm not stomping my feet authoritatively. A couple felt like I caught them on my toes.

[barooo]

3/31

squat 205 5-5-5
BP 145 5-5-5*

Squat was pretty easy. I had a massage on Thursday... I work with a dude that played a few years in the NFL and he still has some contacts, as a reward for a launch at work we brought in the massage therapist for the Bears on thursday. I asked her to work on my hips and lower back, and boy she did. She left a bruise, but I didn't have to use my safe word. I felt like I was walking differently, I'm seriously considering having her come to the house at some point if she's willing. I was curious to see how it would affect squatting. Seems like an improvement, my knees didn't cave in at all and they have a tendency to do so a bit without a major effort. I was able to focus on other things.

BP was a slow grind on #5, and I'm not counting it becuase the dude that spotted me got a little too eager to help on set 3 and assisted me on rep #5, I probably had it but I guess I'LL NEVER FUCKING KNOW.

Also, I think that's techincally a PR since my upper body is so pathetic. I never went for more than 143 previously. I will count 150 as a pr.

At any rate, not a huge deal to repeat, because I think I'd probably miss 150 for 5-5-5. I probably need to order some 1# plates, I'm basically stalled on press too.

We'll see how the next week goes. I'm feeling pretty good, hoping to keep going 3x a week for a while longer.

[barooo]

4/4

Squat 210 5-5-5
Press 105 5-5-3
DL 285 5

Squat was actually hard. My back is feeling kind of tight today for some reason, but it loosened up when I squatted. Set two #4 I lost hamstring tension and sank way down in the hole and had a little trouble getting out (it's much harder without your hamstrings). Set 3 I had to take a few breaths before #5. But Nothing was ever in doubt. I also noticed the last time a tendency to put the bar off-center on my back so it's about 3" to the left. Dunno if that's a shoulder flexibility thing or what, putting it in the center visibly makes it feel a little wobbly when I unrack but it's not too bad.

Press sucks. Although I think I've not been getting under sufficiently; it almost felt like I was pushing backwards today but I was aggressively getting under. I just fucked up the 4th rep and wound up way laid back and bailed on it so I didn't tweak my back. I was expecting to fail at 105 given that I had to take to attempts at 100...

DL was pretty easy. I'm starting to feel like people are looking at me. I'm that weird guy that does that crazy thing with all the weights on the floor and that weird thing in the curl rack where I put the bar on my back and do something like a squat but way too deep so it'll mess up my knees.

Seems like last time around 225 was where I started to slow way down. I also feel like I need to eat more, or at least get more protein; I'm getting about 150g a day consistently, but rarely break 200. I should probably be shooting for 250. I did start taking 5g of creatine on the "it can't hurt" theory. I do feel like I recover better between sets.

Still waiting on the pullup bar to be installed at "work".