Wolf's Log: From Cub to Direwolf

[Michael Wolf]

Chops had his first round of chemo today, so had to train at night.

High Bar Squat: 3" belt + knee sleeves
375x5, 415x5 - PR, 365x5
Notes: 415 is another PRINO, but I'll take it. I did 465x3 high bar in either 2015 or 2016, and that wasn't a max either, so I'm not yet near true max territory. But I'll still take it. Plan is 495x5 low bar next week.

Sumo DL:
375x5
425x5 - 3" belt+straps
Notes: 375 sucked, my narrow stance combined with big legs + torso just gets too much in the way of my grip. I've been hesitant to move back out to the (narrowish, but slightly) wider stance since I strained my adductor a few months ago, but I had to do it after the horrible 375 set. And it was much better at 425.

415x5 high bar squat and 425x5 sumo DL on Insta

Plank: 40s x2 sets

[Michael Wolf]

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!

It's equal parts frustrating and encouraging to know that there isn't all that much we can do with it, and that it just takes time. But I would definitely encourage you to play around with different approaches, and see if anything helps - like if the light RDLs help, then do em.

[Michael Wolf]

Swiss Bar Bench
275x5, 315x5 - PR, 275x5
Notes: A PRino and on a supplemental lift at that, but still not something I'd done before. Definitely felt the fatigue from heavy bench and press singles 2 days prior, but all good here.

DB Standing Press
75x8, 95x8, 105x8 - PR, 85x8
Notes: Happy about this PR, too. 105x8, standing DB press, after swiss bench and just a couple days after heavy bench and press singles - I'll take it. The long length of my loadable DBs also makes these a bit harder than the fixed hex DBs I was using at Ignite before it closed.

105x8 DB Press and 315x5 swiss bench on IG


Accessories
DB Row: 105x10, 125x10x2
Chins: BWx5x3
LTEs: 107x8, 127x8x2
DB Strict Curls: 45x12x2 - these DBs are just too long to do real strict curls with like I used to, so I'm doing bilateral curls with active supination but no swinging. They're a little easier at the same weight than the true strict curls I was doing before, but still a lot harder than the alternating curls with a little english I do on the other days.

[Michael Wolf]

Power Clean
135x3, 185x3, 225x3, 245x2, 265x2
Notes: A little sluggish, and also only my second time back with these after what, 6 weeks off, so also rusty. Feels like I'm definitely carrying some fatigue now, as it often manifests in lack of PC snappiness sooner or more easily detectable than in does in affecting the slow lifts. I still plan on squatting heavy on Tuesday, but will then take it easy on squat and pulls for a week or so to get rid of some fatigue. Then want to charge into a strong run of really pushing for the end of the year, and set some non PRino PRs or die tryin as they say.

We will see if I have any new 1RMs in me before I need to cool off and take an off season approach, but I am pretty confident I have some real PRs in me, whether any are new 1RMs, we will see.

Some that seem ripe for the pickin are a 505x5 squat, a 285x2 press, a 415x5 bench. A 585x5 or maybe even 600x5 deadlift seems doable too, slightly less certain than the others but in 3-4 weeks might pop up easy. None of those are new 1RMs of course being ses of 2-5 reps, but all are legit PRs I'd be happy with to finish out the year after missing so much time due to life and lockdown, and setting up for a very good run of new all time 1RMs in mid-2021.

Block Pull: 6", 3" belt
595x1, 635x1
Notes: Slow off the blocks but moved fine after that.

635 block pull and 265 power clean on IG

Ab Wheel
5,5,4 - ramping up on these, no issue. I have to go back and look but think I was at 3 sets of 7 before back tweak, so will probably take 1 or 2 more intermediate workouts and then try to be back to that in 2-3 weeks.

[Michael Wolf]

Seems like I've inadvertently moved my split to Tues/Weds - Fri/Sat. OK.

Light work yesterday. Going for a heavy fahve at end of the week.

Bench Press
To a 1 board, 1ct pause on 1st rep: 275x4, 295x4
To a 2 board, 1ct pause on 1st rep: 295x4, 275x4

Press: Strict
170x5, 185x5, 200x5
- both bench and press EZPZ, no issues.

Accessories
Lat Pulldown: Neutral Grip, Tempo 1-0-1
3x12 @150
DB Curls
55x8, 70x10 - PR, 70x8
Tricep Rope
80x12x2
Notes: 70x10 is technically a curl PR. The loadable DBs I have are so long that I can't quite supinate as much as I'd like with these, but given that they're curls and movement standards here just can't be as objective, they still count. I'll take it.

[Michael Wolf]

Great workout today but a little worrisome post workout. We shall wait and see.

Squat: sleeves + belt
495x5 @7.5-8
425x5 backoff
Notes: Warmups were a little mixed, but the plan was 495 unless there was an awfully damn good reason why not to, so I sacked up and did it, and the work-set felt as good or better than the 405 and 460 warmups did. I have to say, even though I do use RPE to some extent and have for over 5 years, Rip is a very perceptive, smart man and his comments about RPE are very incisive, even though I use it as an advanced lifter. 425x5 backoff went fine, I was fatigued but they moved fine.

This is 99% of my all time 5RM, and moved WAY faster than when I did 500, almost exactly 5 years ago on 12/11/2015:
- see comparison on the second slide of my IG post: 495x5 Squat on IG.
While I was not at my strongest when I did that 500x5, and it looked like I could've done 545x5 about a year later in 12/2016, I never did it, so 500 is my current PR. After years of not being able to squat, coming back to this milestone and doing it so much better was really fun and encouraging.

That said, the downside: a couple hours after the workout, I noticed - and continue to have now 5 hours later - pain in my left knee that I haven't had in a long time, the kind of pain which eventually caused me to have to stop squatting at all for a few years. It's not that bad yet, but it's noticeable, and is of the same type, and I haven't felt even a hint of it for a long time. But there isn't much I can do about it, so hoping it will just go away. I didn't feel it at all during the squats or the rest of the workout, so not sure if it's related, random, a bit of both. When it was at it's worst and I couldn't squat, I very much felt it any time I would squat, during the movement itself.

Sumo DL - straps
405x5, 455x3 - no prob.

[Michael Wolf]

Bench Press: 3" belt + wraps
415x5 - PR @9.5
Notes: This was a little ahead of schedule, 395 was the official plan for the day. But I know I'll be taking 1-2 lighter weeks after this, and I may fold that into a lower stress / off season month or two anyway, not sure yet. On the chance I do that, I didn't want to wait till spring to hit a new real bench PR, and warmups felt good, so moved this one up and nabbed my first real bench PR in almost 2 years, since doing 475x1 and 410x5 for new PRs in Dec 2018/Jan 2019. The new 10RM I did a few weeks ago was a PRino; and while this 415x5 set kind of was, too - I did 410x5 with no belt or wraps @7.5ish in Jan, 2019 - it is a lot more of a real PR, so I'll take it. If I feel good after a light week or two, I may taper down to triples, doubles, and singles and see what I can hit at the end of the year, but I'm leaning more towards a month or two of lighter training, then picking back up hard again and trying to hit some real big PRs in springtime.

415x5 Bench Press on IG

Dumbbell Press: 3" belt + wraps
110x8 - PR, 90x12 backoff
Notes: This is a PR too, to the extent that matters. The long DB handles caused me to lose the groove, so had to do a full stop reset between rep 6 and 7; otherwise I may have gotten a set of 10. Womp.

110x8 press on IG

And that was it. Skipped all other accessories, just a high intensity, low volume pressing day.

[Michael Wolf]

Beginning of at least one full light week, maybe more.

Power Clean
135x3, 185x3, 225x2, 245x2 - wasn't feeling snappy at all so stopped here.

Deadlift - no belt
505x1, 405x5 - EZPZ

Left knee feels better than it did Tuesday and Weds, but still some noticeable discomfort there. I'll probably skip heavy squats altogether this week and just do some goblets before pulling, or maybe skip squatting altogether.

[Michael Wolf]

Well, this was an unexpectedly awesome day. Woke up at 4:30am, traveled all day, and expected to do a light day just to 'get back into it' and re-establish a starting point after a week off. I had also only packed my 3 inch belt, and forgot shoes - so only had my squishy regular sneakers. I ended up with a new 20 lb PR on my 10 rep bench press, and a 17 lb PR on my 3RM deadlift - my first deadlift PR of any rep range in nearly 2 years!!

Bench
415x1 @6
350x10 @8.5 - PR
Notes: Original loose plan here was 405x1 and then 345x5 or something in that range - when coming back from a week off, after hitting heavy 1 reps and a new DB OHP PR, I was going to start a 2-3 month off season cycle, so it didn't matter much exactly where I started. I ended up hitting 415 for the single because of how the bar had already been loaded, and it flew up so I was like hmmm, let me do 335x10, I think that's a PR. But I couldn't find my log to check for sure if what I'd done a few weeks ago was 330 or 335, so I was like, damn, better do 340. Then I was talked into just doing 350, if I was gonna be so close anyway at 340. And the damn thing still flew up. My triceps were getting toasted, so even though it was still moving fast, I probably only had 1-2 more reps in me, but very pleased with this. No belt, no wrist wraps, squishy sneakers, no problem.

I remember hitting 350x7 @8 in the tank in March, 2017 - so it's likely I could've done this sooner, but 350x10 is a legit real PR, not just a PRINO, unlike my recent 10RMs. So I was already pretty stoked.

Deadlift: 3" belt
600x1 @6, 635x3 @8 -PR
Notes: Holy toledo, Batman, I have *no idea* where I pulled this one out of, but I sure am happy about it!! I had actually just realized last week that this has been the first year I didn't pull a single rep off the floor at 600+ since I first did it in 2013. Made me a bit sad, but I was ready to accept it and re-tool for a new 1RM next year, in the 725-750 range depending if I use a stiff or DL bar.

But I started pulling and DAMN it was moving. It reminded me exactly what happened 2.5 years ago in Colorado: I had woken up early, traveled all day, planned on a moderately heavy top single and then a backoff set, but it was flying up so I ended up pulling 675/7 plates for the first time that day, from 1.5 inch mats but still.

Here, too: I woke up at 4 or 4:30am, traveled all day, expected to hit 545x1 then 455x5, but when I did my lats planned warmup at 495, I squeezed the bar off the floor with just my squeeze, and it flew up. I was like, OK, maybe I'll go up to 600 today and not go a full calendar year without a 600 pull, that'll be nice. Then 600 STILL moved like an easy warmup. I thought about maybe 700, but felt that was possible but risky considering my lack of heavy pulling for so long. So I went with the plate milestone at 635 and decided I'd do a double - which would already be a PR - or even a triple if it was moving well.

And move well it did. If I had been in better training shape, I might've gone for a set of 5 here, but considering all the circumstances, stopping at 3 reps made sense. Absolute weight absolutely matters, so 635x3 @8 is very different than 365x3 @8. Considering how stiff I was Saturday and to some extent Sunday, this was definitely the right call. But no back tweaks and a new big DL PR. I am a happy Wolf.

635x3 Deadlift PR on IG

Chins
2x5

DB Curls
60x8x2

[Barry Charles]

It’s hard for the unenlightened to understand but those surprise PR days are what makes this all worthwhile!