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Thread: Wolf's Log: From Cub to Direwolf

  1. #1771
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    Quote Originally Posted by medwards View Post
    Regarding your Tumblr post about all the best lifters pull without shoes, this story about motorcycle racers and their techniques is relevant.

    http://motomatters.com/opinion/2009/..._leg_wave.html
    This is very interesting and relevant. Thanks for sharing.

    Quote Originally Posted by Niki Sims View Post
    Wolf, you are a gentleman and a scholar. Wandering about the (globo gym) world doling out gems of wisdom; planting and nourishing the seeds of change.

    I'm glad I can read this log again without worrying about spoilers.
    Indeed I try to do my part. Though I got a voicemail yesterday from a regional director saying my grandfathered special rate is no longer going to be honored. Which means I'll have to start paying literally double - from about $90 to $180 per month, to travel 20 minutes each way to a gym that's not at all set up for but tolerates what I do. He didn't give details but apparently he meant "immediately" because my membership today was already cancelled. I know the desk people and also get massages there all the time, so they let me in. I'll go tomorrow too but will probably be looking for a new option next week. $180 to travel 20-25 minutes each way for a gym in which I always have to worry about getting a rack (even though I always do), and where the new building manager comes and gives people grief about putting down 250lb deadlifts. I know I have complained about the lack of Manhattan options, but there's gotta be something better.

    So I may not be there for much longer to help the kids out. It's really a shame. I literally give their trainers a free $900 education, am friendly with almost all the staff, and get a massage there almost every week so am a pretty good revenue stream, despite the slightly lower membership cost. You'd think they'd just let it go, considering all that.
    Last edited by Michael Wolf; 06-12-2014 at 05:51 PM.

  2. #1772
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    Missed my intensity press today, but still a decent day overall.

    Press
    230x4 (failed 5th), then 245x1
    Notes
    : Just didn't have it today. Couldn't get in the zone. I've done 230x4 before, so was really hoping to get 5 after last week's 226x5 with more in the tank. Just didn't have it today though.

    One thing I've learned about myself the past few months is no to worry too much about a missed rep in the press. The press, for me, is such a whiny little sensitive fucker. Minor fluctuations in recovery, focus during the set, or the slightest bit of getting out of the groove away from me on a rep, and that's it. This would have really bothered me even a couple months ago, but I'm ok with it now. I know my press is stronger than it's ever been, it'll show through.

    Bench Press
    333x5x5
    Notes
    : Getting hard on rep 5 the last couple sets, but pushed through. PR for volume, almost matching my best ever 3x5, which is 335.

    Chins
    15,15,15
    Notes
    : PR here too, finally got 15 on that third set.

    Bis for the Guys
    Alt DB Curlzzzz
    60x10

    Cable External Rotations
    7.5+adder x 15 x 3

    Then got an emergency massage. All week but especially since Tuesday, my back has been absolutely on fire. Erectors actually spasms Tuesday night while I was lying on my stomach reading. It wasn't an uncontrollable spasm, but still. That's never happened before. I've been rolling on the rumble roller, double lacrosse balls, and single lacrosse ball aggressively, and icing, all of which has helped quite a bit, but it was still pretty blasted despite all that. I need hands and friction on it. So got a 50-minute, ~40 of which was work on my back. Feels a lot better. I'm hoping I'm good for heavy squats and pulls tomorrow, got a big day on the agenda.

  3. #1773
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    I hear that G1981C has a thought or two about gyms in the New York metropolitan area. And Long Island. And Staten Island. And greater New Jersey.

  4. #1774
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    Quote Originally Posted by mkgillman View Post
    I hear that G1981C has a thought or two about gyms in the New York metropolitan area. And Long Island. And Staten Island. And greater New Jersey.
    LOL

    If he spent 1/10 the amount of time just dealing with the situation, sub-optimal though it may be, and training anyway - which is what I do - as he does looking around and writing about it, he might also be honing in on a 700 pull by now.

  5. #1775
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    Quote Originally Posted by Michael Wolf View Post
    One thing I've learned about myself the past few months is no to worry too much about a missed rep in the press. The press, for me, is such a whiny little sensitive fucker. Minor fluctuations in recovery, focus during the set, or the slightest bit of getting out of the groove away from me on a rep, and that's it. This would have really bothered me even a couple months ago, but I'm ok with it now. I know my press is stronger than it's ever been, it'll show through.
    Excellent. Perspective. Wisdom.

    PR for volume, almost matching my best ever 3x5, which is 335.
    Sweet.

    Chins
    15,15,15
    Notes
    : PR here too, finally got 15 on that third set.
    Time to add some weight!

    Bis for the Guys
    Alt DB Curlzzzz
    60x10
    Wish I had time for this...

    Then got an emergency massage.
    I need this badly.

  6. #1776
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    Quote Originally Posted by Rob Israel View Post
    Excellent. Perspective. Wisdom.
    I've heard this all comes with age, Rob. Any thoughts on that?

    Quote Originally Posted by Rob Israel View Post
    Time to add some weight!
    I'm doing weighted chins every Monday already, geez! I wonder if it might make sense to do heavy weighted chins for 4-6 on Mondays, and lighter weighted chins for 8-10 on Thursdays, now that I've got 15 reps for 3 sets across. Maybe.

    Quote Originally Posted by Rob Israel View Post
    Wish I had time for this...
    When a man has no time to curl, he must reexamine his priorities in life.
    Quote Originally Posted by Rob Israel View Post
    I need this badly.
    It was FFIFN status. I am getting another Saturday. I'm a bit apprehensive about today's lifting, truth be told, because though improved, the back is still kind of jacked up. It's just muscular, so it's more a concern about not being able to complete my planned weights and reps than worrying about anything happening.

  7. #1777
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    Quote Originally Posted by hsilman View Post
    equinox locations are the only gyms I've seen in manhattan with multiple places to squat(even if they aren't all full cages).

    I don't mind synergy on 14th, and right now there's a groupon you can get where a 12 month membership is only $175(regular price is $40/month or so). But it only has the one cage and shitty platform, and is already loaded up with too many people using the equipment. I mean, I've never had to wait more than 5-10 minutes, but still.

    Shit sucks.
    Shit does suck. $175 is practically nothing for 12 months, but I'm concerned about the travel time. Google maps says it's only about 15 mins, but I suspect in real life it'll be closer to 30. I think I'm gonna try training at Titan, the place where I coach some of my clients. I haven't done so already for various reasons but it's close, they now have 3 B&R bars, and they do have good plates, albeit all in kilos. The plates are a bit thick so I don't think I could load enough of them on for my DL work, but I recently brought a few iron 45s there from a give-away at Gold's Gym in Brooklyn, so maybe that will help a bit with that.

    The benches are problematic, but I'd be OK ordering a Rogue bench and having it delivered there so I can use it. Sometimes the owner doesn't like stuff like that though, so I've texted him to start a convo about it. Sometimes he also doesn't respond to texts for several days, though, so we'll see what happens. It would be nice if it worked out (pun intended) since it's convenient.

  8. #1778
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    Despite the many distractions, my spazzy back, and having a very unsettled stomach all morning (skipped breakfast), today's training went very well.

    Squat
    505x2, 515x2 - PR double
    Notes:
    I really wasn't sure what was going to happen here. Warm-ups went great but I was still concerned about my back and how my stomach felt all morning. 470 was the last warm-up and was good, so I went to a double at 505. It popped, so took a 5# PR at 515 and called it there for the day. More wisdom, not forcing a 3rd double, methinks.

    Anyway, 515 is an all time PR for any reps, so of course feels good to double it. Enjoy the guttural scream as I lock out the 2nd rep:


    Deadlift
    600x3 - PR
    Halting DL
    455x5
    Notes:
    HELL YES! Probably could have done a bone-on-bone limit grind for a 4th rep, but after the way my back felt this week, no need for those shenanigans.

    This is a pretty big, milestone PR. My first ever 600+ DL was almost exactly a year ago with Jordan at WFAC, so getting to a triple a year later is great progress. Especially since over 1/2 that time I've either been injured and unable to train the deadlift or ramping back up after an injury or deload. So I'm very pleased with this. On a 29mm B&R bar, too, so no messing around. I'm more and more confident that 700 will fall on the deadlift bar at the meet in 4 weeks.

    First two hook grip, mixed grip for the third.



    C2 Erg Intervals
    20/1:40 x 9
    Paces: 1:40, 1:30.9, 1:26.2, 1:24.7, 1:23.3, 1:24.0, 1:25.4, 1:24.7, 1:25.4
    Notes: Didn't have a lot left mentally so these were not the best, but not too terribly slow, either.
    Last edited by Michael Wolf; 06-13-2014 at 03:51 PM.

  9. #1779
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    Great job Wolf.

    Is your back in extension in the deadlift?

  10. #1780
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    Quote Originally Posted by quad View Post
    Is your back in extension in the deadlift?
    No, but it's not as much in flexion as it looks. Due to a combo of a slight scoliosis and spinal erector muscle bellies that have finally grown up big and strong, from some angles my back looks like it's in flexion when it's extended. For it to appear to be in extension, I'd actually have to have it in over-extension.

    That said, this weight did break my squoze a bit and I do round some and not keep perfect extension. Not through lack of trying. But the stronger I get and the more I can pull, the heavier weight I am able to keep perfectly squoze in extension for.

    OK, now you can all have a good laugh at this. Here is a similar angle shot of me 26 months ago at the SS Seminar I took, weighing 235 and pulling 445x5. Isn't it crazy how skinny I look considering I weighed 235?!


    Though it looks like I have a much better extension, if you look closely you can see that even then, my erectors were big enough that even after the biggest squeeze I could muster, there still appears to be some rounding up around the thoracic.

    Now I am ~30lbs heavier and am deadlifting 130lbs more for a set of 5. Erectors have grown. If you slo-mo through my 600x3 set, you can see the point at which I am as squoze as I can get, my back looks more rounded than it did for the 445 set, but that's because the muscle bellies have filled in. Then you can see as I start to pull, my back round a bit more as the 600 lbs pulls me slightly into flexion.

    And my scoliosis creates uneven erector development, the ones on the right side are over-developed compared to the ones on the left. So shots filmed from that side display the more hypertrophied erectors, thus magnifying that effect.

    So the answer is no, it's not perfect maintenance of extension but it's also not as much flexion as it appears.
    Last edited by Michael Wolf; 06-14-2014 at 07:28 AM.

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