Wolf's Log: From Cub to Direwolf

[Michael Wolf]

I hope your dog is doing well!

Thanks. He's currently having a rough go of it, hoping he'll be back on the road to recovery soon.

[Michael Wolf]

Close Grip Bench + Chains
225+85 x7
225 +105 x7x2
Larsen Bench Press
225x10, 245x10
Notes: All pretty easy, probably undershot the Larsen press weights a bit but it's only the second time I've done them and the first time wasn't even that recently (~6 weeks ago).

Swiss Bar Press
Fives up to 185x5x2
Notes: I liked these a lot as a press supplemental, since there aren't too many of those. But because of the square shape of the bar, I really had to squish my neck back to clear airspace for a reasonably good bar path, and got a crick in my trap/neck for my efforts. It's more annoying than truly bad, the kind of thing that will probably work it's way out over a few days or a week, but I'm supposed to block pull heavy today and am a little worried that if it's down in the trap as it seems to be, that it might be an issue there. Guess we'll see later.

Lat Chin-downs
160x8, 190x8x3 - fighting against the weight pulling me up at the top each rep. Really miss those knee pads on the lat pulldown machines.
LTEs
87x10, 107x8, 117x8

[Michael Wolf]

I was all ready to complete my first 4 day training week in what, over a month I think, when life threw me another curveball so that didn't happen. Had to skip altogether, but should be able to do it this week. I hope. Fingers crossed.

Upper today.

Bench Press
335x5, 365x5, 335x5, 305x8
Notes: All pretty uneventful. I didn't feel like I had good 'pop' today but still had reps in the tank at 365.

Press
275x1
Strict Press
230x5 - PR, 205x5
Notes: Kind of a PRINO but 230x5 is a PR for strict presses, I'll take what I can get right now.

Chins
BW x5, 10, 6, 6 - easy

DB Curls: 55x8, 65x8x2
Tricep Rope: 70x10, 12

[Michael Wolf]

Squat: belt + sleeves
475x5 @8
405x5
Notes: 475 is the most I've done for a set of 5 in almost five years, since my PR of 500x5 in 12/2015. While I was likely capable of ~550x5 by 12/2016, I never actually did more than that 500 set. So I think I'm pretty close to a new squat PR, which would be my first in about 4 years, and first 5RM in 5 years. Cool. Barring any more major setbacks, I'd like to ride things up to actually doing a set of 5 around 550, and a single well over 600. I was there in 2016, and still regret not doing it when I could have. Little did I know I'd get the worst flu I ever got, following which my knees became unbearably painful when squatting for more than 2 years after that.

Block Pulls: 6"
615x1
545x5 - straps
Notes: Long time to break these off the blocks but easy after that. Felt good, don't think I'll be too fatigued from them. Planning on a 555 pull from the floor on Friday after reintroducing power cleans for the first time since I tweaked my back in late September. Progress is such a see-saw. I first did 555x5 in early 2014; now I'm excited about doing it for a single. Yet at that time, my best single was 615, and now I've done 701. The life of being an advanced lifter: 10 steps forward, 9.9 steps back, rinse repeat.

475x5 squat and 615 block pull on IG

Plank
35s x2

[Michael Wolf]

Close Grip Bench Press + Chains: 1ct pause on 1st rep
275 + 85 x3x5
Close Grip Larsen Press
275x8x2
Notes: All fine here, solid, putting in some work. Planning on a heavy single a week from today that if things are moving well, I'll drive up as high as I can go. But I'd like it to be at least 455. We shall see.

Dumbbell Standing Press
55x8, 75x8, 85x8x2
Notes: All good.

DB Row
115x10x2

Lat Pulldown, Neutral Grip
135x12, 150x12x2

LTEs
87x10, 117x10x2
DB Strict Curls
45x10, 12

[Michael Wolf]

FINALLY got my first full week of training in, making all 4 days, since Chops' diagnosis. There were some days when missing training was the right decision, and other days when I technically could have done it, but just wasn't mentally up for it. Which is exceptionally rare for me. But regardless, it felt great to get in my first full complete week in what is it now, 5 weeks or so?

Power Clean
45x5x2, 135x3, 185x2, 205x2, 225x2, 245x2
Notes: A little rusty here with my timing and the movement in general. Kept volume low. Felt good to do these again though, first time back at em since late Sept back tweakery.

Deadlift: 3" belt & Deadlift bar
545x1, 585x1 @7.5
Notes: Really happy with how 585 moved. I first broke this barrier in mid-2013, and ever since then, this is the longest stretch I've ever gone without hitting it again. 20 months, since I did 618x3 in March of 2019. The rest of 2019 was lost to the never-ending back tweak, and then 2020 had the rona, the lockdowns, working back up, and a few setbacks.

So while it's still over 100 lbs to go till my lifetime max, it felt real good to 585 again, and have it be pretty fast was nice too. I've technically never done it for 5, though I bet I could hit it, maybe even 600x5, before 2020 is out, assuming no tweaks or injuries.

585 DL and 245 Power Clean on IG

Barbell Row
295x5x2 - EZPZ, also hadn't done these since late Sept so kept it easy.

Ab Wheel Rollouts
3x3 - keeping volume low since haven't done these since late Sept either, and they can make you real sore if you're not adapted. Should be able to ramp up fairly quickly since I was doing sets of 7 not too long ago.

[mitchless]

The rest of 2019 was lost to the never-ending back tweak

How did you finally work through this back tweak? My just went out for the third time pulling 405lbs last night.

[Michael Wolf]

Had to push this week's workouts all back a day, but will still get them all in. I was originally going to go light Monday and go for a heavy bench on Thurs, but took the extra unexpected day's rest and did it today instead.

Low volume, high intensity today.

Bench Press: 3" belt + rogue wraps
415x1 @7.5, 455x1 @9.5
Notes: 455 was an easy 9.5, as these things go. I looped the bar path a bit or it would've been a solid @9. Not quite back up to late Jan, when I did 465x1 @8.5, but not too far off now.

Press
280x1 @8, 300x1 @10, 230x7
Notes: 280 popped, 300 was a little grindy - BUT it was the first time in 9 months I pressed 300, so there is that. Overall happy to hit singles at 95-96% on both my press and bench, on the same day, with no special taper or peak aside from one extra day's rest. Now that Chase did a 405 press, 300 is like small potatoes. But for those of us cursed with inflexible spines who are totally unable to lay back, I'm still happy with it.

455 bench and 300 press on IG

Accessories
Lat Pulldown: Neutral Grip
180x8, 195x8x3 - really pulls me up off the floor at 195.
DB Curls
55x10, 65x10
Tricep Rope
80x12x2

[Michael Wolf]

How did you finally work through this back tweak? My just went out for the third time pulling 405lbs last night.

Being honest, nothing I worked really seemed to make a difference. And I tried A LOT of different things. Ultimately it was just time.

The first time I remember tweaking my back was 7th grade, so it's not something new to me, or new to lifting. For whatever reason, I'm highly susceptible to them, and when I get them they last longer and are worse than most people's. For example, when most of my clients get a normal back tweak, they can start doing something - modified ROM, lighter weight, etc - 1-3 days later. Sometimes up to a week, but usually less. Whereas for me, even a ho-hum fairly normal, not particularly bad one, takes 4-6 weeks before I can do that. Why is that? I don't know. But it has been consistently true as long as I can remember. I've had a very small # of tweaks for which the normal rules applied, and 1-3 days later I was able to do something. So it's not that I don't know how to feel the difference, or anything like that - it's that usually, for whatever reason, the ones I get are much worse than normal.

So this one just took more time than usual. Instead of a 6 weeks or whatnot, it took over 6 months. It doesn't seem like anything I did made any difference.

[mitchless]

Being honest, nothing I worked really seemed to make a difference. And I tried A LOT of different things. Ultimately it was just time.

This is surprisingly encouraging. I've had a similar history with back tweaks -- my first was after 9th grade and resulted in the most glorious spasm where I went from sitting on the floor petting my dog to lying on the floor in the blink of an eye.

I'll keep my bench press going, and do some light RDLs (those certainly help me feel better). Sadly, I've learned I'll have to avoid squats until it is fully resolved. I need to play the press by ear. I already have to sit (6'4" with a low, low ceiling means my press will end up in the kitchen), so I'll carefully experiment.

Thanks!