Wolf's Log: From Cub to Direwolf

[Michael Wolf]

Light day today. Used it to break in a new belt, after nearly 5 years of hard use on my old one. It's still definitely usable but since I thankfully am able to do so, will likely retire it to be my secondary belt for travel and such and use the new one as my main belt.

Squat
45x5, 135x5, 185x5
Belt: 225x3, 255x3, 285x3, 305x3, 275x3x2 - all with one paused rep
Notes: Everything was easy today, but more importantly and notably, it was the first time I could do anything more than a really lame warm-up on light day Wednesday, without really feeling my back flare up. I'm on a Vitamin I bath this week, but I also think it's finally turning the corner in general.

Press
45x5, 95x5
belt - 135x5x3
Notes: Also used this opportunity to break my belt in.

Chins
BWx5x5
NGPU
BWx4x4

Bench Press
45x5, 95x5, 135x5, 165x5, 185x5, 195x5
Notes: Still some discomfort mostly on the way down, so I stopped at 195. But it definitely is improving and feels better than a few weeks ago.

Deadlift
135x5, 225x5, 275x3, 325x3x3
Notes: Still pretty light, but again was happy just to be able to pull without my back majorly protesting. All DOH, all easy though since I haven't touched a heavy weight in a while, felt a little harder than they normally would've.

[Michael Wolf]

Still lighter/deload, and back still isn't 100%, BUT it was a heavier deload day and back continues to improve so I'm happy.

Squat
45x5x2, 135x5, 225x5, 275x5
Belt: 315x5, 345x5, 375x3, 405x1, 375x3
Notes: No paused reps today. Still feel my back a little when leaning over, but much less. Everything moved fast, though didn't feel like it.

Power Clean+Push Press
135x2, 165x2, 195x2, 215x2, 235x1, 255x1, 275x1x2
Notes: Felt like doing these before presses today to see if I could get 275 this soon. I did. They weren't pretty but they went up.
2nd of the two singles on IG

Deadlift
315x3, 345x3, 365x3, hook - 385x3, 405x3
Notes: Back felt so much better here than it has, so went up to 405. Which is still light for me, but hey, progress is progress. Don't want to jinx it, but tweak is finally clearing up at least to the point where I can train less restricted again. Hopefully it goes away entirely soon.

Press
165x5, 185x5, 205x2 (b), 215x1 (b), 185x3
Notes: Easy.

Chins
BWx6x8
NGPU
BWx4x2 =56 total reps

All in all felt much better/more recovered today than Monday or Weds this week. Hopefully that takes me into a strong ramp-back-up next week, and if my back feels better, I'll be able to squat and DL more, too.

[ChasingCurls69]

What's your power clean PR?

[Michael Wolf]

What's your power clean PR?

305. I don't think I'll have trouble eclipsing that if I do the lift more regularly. It was more a PR because one random day last summer, for the first time in many years, I just kept going up till I didn't think I'd make another heavier rep. It wasn't trained towards or prepared for in anyway; I usually clean at the end of workouts, too. Cleaning after heavy squats is a different deal than before.

[ChasingCurls69]

Fuck, that's a good power clean, especially without training it. It'll go well with your new shredded status, and give you street cred with the crossfitters.

[Michael Wolf]

Fuck, that's a good power clean, especially without training it. It'll go well with your new shredded status, and give you street cred with the crossfitters.

Now I've talked a big game, I gotta deliver.

[Michael Wolf]

Frustrating today. After feeling pretty good and recovered Friday, I lapsed right back into the weak/light-headedness I had before the deload week. With no signs in any normal day-to-day activities that this would come back on. This has never happened to me before. There are a few small changes I've made (maacros and training late AM instead of early PM being the main ones), but I'm very skeptical that any of them, or even all of them together, would have this much of an effect on things.

My back also is frustrating. It's getting better in day-to-day activity stuff and sitting for a length of time isn't as bad as it was, and I can even DL a little again. But where I thought I had turned the corner on squats, I clearly haven't. Ah well. More patience is needed, but it is in short supply right here right now.

Squat - belt
[335,355,365,355,335] x5
Notes: Pre-injury, this would have been a solid, hard but not absolutely killer 5x5 workout if all the weights were 100 lbs heavier. Right now, with the weights as-is, it was a solid, hard but not killer 5x5. Dammit.

Press - belt
[175,185,195 @9.25, 195@9.5, 175] x5
Notes: Pre-injury, hell, even post-injury but pre-surgery, this would have been a fairly easy 5x5, with nothing above a 7 or so. I was doing 185x10 back-off sets after heavier 5x5s on the regular. Dammit.

Power Clean warm-up for DL
135x2x2, 165x2, 185x2, 205x2, 225x2
Deadlift
315x5, 365x3, 405x3, 425x3, 435x3
Notes: Cleans were crap so I stopped after 225 (planned to go to 245 or 255). The bright side is at least my back can tolerate a little bit of pulling, even if it's not back to normal yet and even if these light weights feel slow and heavy. So there's some positives that I'm trying to focus on here.

Chins
BWx4
BW+18x4
BW+26x4
BW+31x4x3
BW+35x3x3
BW+26x4,5
= 42 total reps, 38 weighted
Notes: These were harder today too. Didn't snap up over the bar.

HSPU
3,1,1,1
Notes: My first attempt as handstand pushups since surgery. I've done a few holds but no pushups. I lucked out with AC/DC's Thunderstruck coming on right as I was getting ready, so I got a little pumped and banged out 3 reps on my first go. Then I did a few more singles and a few more holds to round things out. They're a little uneven and a lot tentative, but getting a triple on my first go (especially after the pressing and other stuff I did), was a nice positive to end on after a frustrating session.

[Ryan Arnold]

Your back is an inigma

[kfreeman85]

Sorry to hear the back is still being difficult. Hoping it gets it's act together in short order.

And I think there should be a button in every squat rack in every black iron gym in the country that when hit plays at random from a play list of things like Rage Against the Machine, AC/DC, etc...

[Michael Wolf]

Your back is an inigma

As Joe Pesci said: