Stuffed Superdud: Bumpy road to respectable lifting

[stuffedsuperdud]

2/9/2014
Push
Press recovery:
Snatch press 50kgx5, 55x5, 59x5

Squat

Sn/CJ
Clean + CJ + jerk 2 + 1 + 1: 50kg, 60, 70, 80
1 + 1 + 1: 90kg
CJ: 100kg

Pull
Confession: I didn't do these because I had to run off to find an internet connection and watch men's curling live on the internet. The iron will be there tomorrow; grown men hustling down the ice yelling, "HAAHD!!" at each other is only around once every four years.

[stuffedsuperdud]

2/11/2014
Welp, nothing quite like working a 12 hour day at a high-stress brainpower-intensive job while going through some weird shit with my hot work-wife to make sure I will never go 180/220 in Rio, eh? Thought about not lifting at all but got myself together around 10PM to go and suck some balls.

Push
Press (no) intensity: 175x2x2
5RM? No thanks I'm just going to fail rep 3, TWICE. God I hate lifting weights. Stupid hobby.

Squat
Pause squat: 265lbx5x2, 270x5
These were easy, at least. Maybe I will get to kick off TM with 315x5x5 in a few weeks after all. Or not. I'm sure something will come up and send me back to jail, do not pass go, do not collect $200.

Sn/CJ

Pulls

[stuffedsuperdud]

2/12/2014
Push

Squat

Sn/CJ
Snatch:
40kgx3x3
50x3x3
60x3x2
65x2
70x2
75x0

Something is finally realigning: the movement felt very crisp and the feet were fast. At 75 though it was a plain old case of not strong enough. Wouldn't be surprised if my squat regressed these last 2 months while I retrained the left knee. Call me in a few weeks when I am TM'ing.

Pulls
Eccentric snatch pulls:
90kgx5
105x5
110x5
115x5

Snatch grip deadlift:
120kgx7

Hooray I am training for strength.....because I have none.

Then I ran off to go watch women's skeleton. brb flying to Sochi to put a ring on Janine Flock of Austria. This woman makes me believe in monogamy and true love and all that good stuff. Next step? I guess actually meeting her would be a good start. Also, if I get that far, and assuming her English is much better than my German, not telling her about my secret plans for our wedding and children's names or that I deliberately flew halfway around the world for her would probably be the next logical move. Plan B is to sit on my luggage outside her house crying while the gendarme or whatever they have in Austria comes to arrest me. I'll keep you guys posted. Tom Bryant out.

[stuffedsuperdud]

2/16/2014
Push
Volume Press: 152.5x5x5

Squat
Pause squat: 275x5x3
Might be the end of making 10lb jumps. Symmetry degraded a bit toward the end.

Sn/CJ
Clean:
50kgx3
60x3
70x3
80x3
90x2
100x2

Pulls

[stuffedsuperdud]

2/21/2014
lol what a terrible week. First time touching a barbell since Sunday because I am bad at work-life balance.

Push

Squat
Pause squat: Loaded up 280 for 3x5, did a rep, backed out and decided to save myself for m̶a̶r̶r̶i̶a̶g̶e̶ the long conditioning hike I am doing tomorrow. Just the tip, then, I suppose you might say.

Sn/CJ
Snatch:
40kgx3
50x3
57x3
65x3
70x2
75x1
80x1
85x0: Failed twice, and both times this threw me out the back and into the wall.

Pulls

[stuffedsuperdud]

2/22/2014
8AM hike after not sleeping at all the previous night when I hadn't hiked at all in a year? This ought to end well.

It was supposed to be 8 miles up and 8 back down in moderate heat, but I wore some holes through my trail runner a mile in and was dealing with blisters by mile 2, as the exposed plastic frame cut into me. Multiple moleskin patches later, I had to quit at mile 6 and turn back, ruining the hike for my friends because that's what I do......and so began an obnoxiously uncomfortable walk back to the car that had me cursing everyone from myself for not replacing the shoes sooner to Salomon Group for making them to other hikers on the trail for apparently having a great time. Seriously, fuck those guys.

We drove back in time for lunch, where I was barely able to walk from the car into the restaurant, and slept at the table while everyone else pigged out. It wasn't just the foot pain either; my hips and ankles were screaming at me and all I wanted was an ice bath. I also had that taste of iron in my mouth usually associated with hard anaerobic activity, even though all we did was WALK. Pretty shitty considering we only went 12 miles. Time to hate myself.

I then sanitized myself and passed out from 4PM until midnight when it was time to watch 4-man bobsled. And then I was unconscious again till dawn.

"I like how all that weightlifting did absolutely nothing for you."
-My friend the endurance athlete / hike organizer

"A bigger engine doesn't slow a car down."
-Rip, forgetting that those cars only get 12mpg, and even then, only if the non-engine parts of the car are sound and properly conditioned, which my body is not.

2/23/2014
Push
LOL bench press because I can't be on my feet at all today:
135x8 , 185x3, 145x5, 155x5, 165x5

My left shoulder tightened up during the 185s and the bar path was definitely poor, so I backed off and avoided killing myself by accident. Ramped back up to 165 and called it. Ugh that feel when your OHP might actually be higher than your BP.

Everything below the waist is dead today.

Squat

Sn/CJ

Pulls

[stuffedsuperdud]

2/11/2014
I hate my work wife. Got to the gym nice and emotionally exhausted. FUCKING AWESOME.

Push
Press intensity: 170x3
Thought about doing another volume day since the last one was easy, but then wimped out. Misloaded and sold ID short by 5+lbs whoops. Got an extra rep out of it as a result. Whatever. It's a far cry from 315 any way you cut it so who cares.

Squat
Squat: (275, 280, 285)x5
Knee was feeling good so I did regular squats and holy crap they finally looked like squats, no weird asymmetric shifting. I'll let you know how how to DOMS is tomorrow.

Sn/CJ

Pulls

[stuffedsuperdud]

Oh, also, I'd like to note that the most significant jumps in patella tracking have come after very specific events:
1. Those few times I used the Prowler.
2. Over the holiday when I had no gym access and just went running while visiting relatives.
3. 12 mile hike last Saturday

I did a lot of other stuff, namely, PT and squats and of course everything helps, but these were sort of a slow grind to recovery, while the walking/running has been damn near magical for me. No idea why.

[stuffedsuperdud]

2/27/2014
I had some unfortunate stuff come up that will probably hurt my lifting for the forseeable future. But that's just the meaningless trainwreck that is the human condition.

Push
Press volume: 155x5x5

Squat
Squat: 285x5, 290x5x2
Knee feeling good. All reps easy, but taking it conservatively.

Sn/CJ

Pulls

[stuffedsuperdud]

3/2/2014
My personal life is still mega stressful but what can you do?
Push

Squat
Squat: 295x4
Missed the last rep and quit. 10/10 couldn't be more unhappy with myself.

Sn/CJ
C+J 1+3
50kg, 60, 70, 80
C + J 1+2
90kg

This felt heavy and I was feeling weak and tired all day so when I caught the 90 awkwardly and almost tweaked a knee I quit before anything terrible happened.

Pulls

3/4/2014
Just squats today because work is killing me.
Push

Squat
Squat: 295x5x3
Well this was surprisingly easy.

Sn/CJ

Pulls