Wolf's Log: From Cub to Direwolf

[Michael Wolf]

Did a lighter heavy day today to allow for some recovery. I'll ease up a bit on the volume work early next week too, if I'm right, that should be enough to allow for a couple post-op PRs next Friday, a week from today. Maybe Thursday too, on the press, if I'm lucky.

Squat - SBDs+belt
435x3 @6.5, 455x3x2 @7.5,7.5
Notes: These felt heavy and hard but moved pretty fast. Feels good to have finally recovered from surgery enough to have trained hard enough to build up some fatigue. I don't think it's much, so anticipate that I'll be able to hit a heavy squat and DL next Friday.

435x3, 455x3 Squats on IG

Close Grip Bench
255x5, 280x5, 300x5 @7 , 275x5
Notes: Dropped a set in prep for a heavy press next Thursday, but added 5 lbs to the top set, and it was still an @7. Felt good here today.

Deadlift
185x5, 275x5, 365x5 - DOH
415x5, 465x5 @6, 495x3 @7 - belt + straps
Notes: Kept these lighter for some recovery as well. Used straps at 415 and above because my hands are really chewed up from all the increased olympic lifting and the seasonal cold change and dry air being constantly spit out by the stupid NYC heating in the buildings. Everything was pretty easy and moved well. Back wasn't 100% but was a lot less tweaky than yesterday.

415,465,495 pulls on IG

HSPU
1,1,2,3 - tripod
3 - regular

C2 Erg: 20/1:20 x8
Paces: 1:36.1, 1:30.9, 1:26.9, 1:33.4, 1:30.9, 1:25.4, 1:40, 1:32.5
Notes: Hadn't rowed in two weeks, didn't have my best stuff. But wasn't tooooo much slower than I was at before I inadvertently took two weeks off of rowing. Not sure if/how I'm going to consistently fit this in in addition to the added olympic lifting, so might be less on it in favor of the olympic lift practice. We'll see.

[Michael Wolf]

Felt like complete and total ass today. Which I didn't expect, considering I already went pretty light on Friday and felt fine that day. Might just be an aberration of a weird day. Knees hurt like hell, elbows hurt, weight felt crushingly heavy on my back and in my hands. Weird.

Squat - belt
345x5, 365x5, 385x5, 405x5x2
Notes: Planned to start at 365 for first work-set but my knees hurt so much I lowered that to 345. They actually got a little better as I got heavier, but warm-up sets, 345, and 365, felt like someone was stabbing 6 inch knives into my knees halfway down each rep. Bad times. About a 20% reduction in working volume from last week's volume day and about 15% less than the week before. Should be enough, along with a not-too-challenging Thursday squat, to allow for just a little fatigue dissipation and a heavy squat attempt or two Friday. But it sure felt craptastic today.

Press - belt, wraps for 195,200
175x5 (beltless), 185x5, 195x5, 200x5, 185x5
Notes: Similar to squat except slightly better since knee pain not an issue here.

Power Snatch
45,65 - some pull-unders and snatch balances just to see if I was gonna full snatch today. Knees and wrist achy so just did powers the rest of the way, working on not jumping early/getting the bar up to my hips before jumping.
85x2, 95x2x2, 105x2x2, 115x2x5

Ring Rows
BWx8x3

[Adam Skillin]

Felt like complete and total ass today. Which I didn't expect, considering I already went pretty light on Friday and felt fine that day. Might just be an aberration of a weird day. Knees hurt like hell, elbows hurt, weight felt crushingly heavy on my back and in my hands. Weird.

Squat - belt
345x5, 365x5, 385x5, 405x5x2
Notes: Planned to start at 365 for first work-set but my knees hurt so much I lowered that to 345. They actually got a little better as I got heavier, but warm-up sets, 345, and 365, felt like someone was stabbing 6 inch knives into my knees halfway down each rep. Bad times. About a 20% reduction in working volume from last week's volume day and about 15% less than the week before. Should be enough, along with a not-too-challenging Thursday squat, to allow for just a little fatigue dissipation and a heavy squat attempt or two Friday. But it sure felt craptastic today.

Press - belt, wraps for 195,200
175x5 (beltless), 185x5, 195x5, 200x5, 185x5
Notes: Similar to squat except slightly better since knee pain not an issue here.

Power Snatch
45,65 - some pull-unders and snatch balances just to see if I was gonna full snatch today. Knees and wrist achy so just did powers the rest of the way, working on not jumping early/getting the bar up to my hips before jumping.
85x2, 95x2x2, 105x2x2, 115x2x5

Ring Rows
BWx8x3

Probably got sore knees from holding up all the red/white "lights" at the meet. It looked very strenuous.

[Michael Wolf]

Probably got sore knees from holding up all the red/white "lights" at the meet. It looked very strenuous.

It was. Strenuously strenuous.

[Michael Wolf]

Knees didn't hurt as much today but still a low-energy and general malaise type feeling. Ah well.

Squat Warmup
45x5,95x5,135x5,185x5

Snatch Grip DL
185x5, 275x3, 325x3 - doh
365x3, 405x3 - straps
435x3 @7 - belt+straps
Notes: Knees and left lumbar erector still giving me some trouble but these were all do-able without any trouble.

Bench Press
305x3, 325x2@7, 335x2 @8, 315x2
Notes: Elbow-itis was a little bothersome here, but only really at 335. Otherwise pretty easy.

Ring Rows
BWx6 - too low
BWx8x4
Notes: Giving elbows a break from weighted chins, which seem to bother them some.

[Adam Skillin]

It was. Strenuously strenuous.

Yet you handled it adroitly.

[Satch12879]

Yet you handled it adroitly.

And tres functionally if I may add.

[Michael Wolf]

Yet you handled it adroitly.

As can be seen, I learned by observing the MOST adroit.

[Michael Wolf]

I haven't trained yet today, but did want to note that I weighed in at 258.8 today (259.4 after I put on my underwear and got my phone to take a pic of it). Other than a very brief period in late 2014, I haven't been in the 250s since the first half of 2013.

I remember looking at the scale 3 weeks after my surgery and it said 280.6. I knew I had let myself gain some fat after my injury, when I was eating as if I was still training hard except wasn't actually training hard. But seeing 280.6 on the scale hit me like "I've really got to do something about this." That was the same time - 3 weeks post-op - that I was physically capable of doing some cooking for myself again, so I did. In the 6 months since then, almost to the day, I've had ups and downs. Days where I didn't comply with my plan at all and days where I complied to the letter and gram. I think the most important thing is that I didn't let the days I went off the rails affect the next day. I didn't say "Well, I done fucked up. I'll just eat whatever I want now." I went back the next day and tried to comply again.

I'm still not especially lean, and want to drop another 10 lbs or so, maybe 15, but being in the 250s is a solid milestone. Though I fell off the BBM wagon a few weeks ago, I do want to thank Dr. Gainz for guidance and keeping me accountable after I'd had a rough period back in the summer. Even though I still suspect he was trying to kill me with only 6 macros per day.

[Adam Skillin]

I haven't trained yet today, but did want to note that I weighed in at 258.8 today (259.4 after I put on my underwear and got my phone to take a pic of it). Other than a very brief period in late 2014, I haven't been in the 250s since the first half of 2013.

I remember looking at the scale 3 weeks after my surgery and it said 280.6. I knew I had let myself gain some fat after my injury, when I was eating as if I was still training hard except wasn't actually training hard. But seeing 280.6 on the scale hit me like "I've really got to do something about this." That was the same time - 3 weeks post-op - that I was physically capable of doing some cooking for myself again, so I did. In the 6 months since then, almost to the day, I've had ups and downs. Days where I didn't comply with my plan at all and days where I complied to the letter and gram. I think the most important thing is that I didn't let the days I went off the rails affect the next day. I didn't say "Well, I done fucked up. I'll just eat whatever I want now." I went back the next day and tried to comply again.

I'm still not especially lean, and want to drop another 10 lbs or so, maybe 15, but being in the 250s is a solid milestone. Though I fell off the BBM wagon a few weeks ago, I do want to thank Dr. Gainz for guidance and keeping me accountable after I'd had a rough period back in the summer. Even though I still suspect he was trying to kill me with only 6 macros per day.

Dude, you're one of us skinny kids that Rip yells at now. I will buy you a burrito or gallon of milk.