EOF's log

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6/16/2009

Squat: 90kg 5,5,5 - this was surprisingly easy
Press: 37.5kg 5,5,3 - would have expected 4 reps in last set, but I was too optimistic
Power clean: tried to learn the technique.

So I dabbled with the power clean for the first time and my traps are really sore today. My technique probably sucks, because I tend to overextend my back when I catch the bar. I need to work on lifting it straight up instead of a bit back. I ended up doing sets with 40kg which was very easy and got the bar to almost fly over my head by being too enthusiastic on the jump.

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6/18/2009

Squat: 92.5kg 5,5,5 - getting really heavy
Bench: 55kg 5,5,4 - no damn progress, exactly the same as last time.
DL: 90kg 5 - reset easy

I don't know what the problem is with my bench, but it seems to have gone backwards, as I was able to bench this same weight a few weeks ago. I have been on metrodinazole (an antibiotic for my intestine which has some postoperative inflammation) for the past 3 weeks and google shows that it lowers serum testosterone, so that might be a reason. I would have assumed that my weakest link is still my nervous system, so I would assume that I don't need to gain muscle mass to progress at this level - I might be wrong though.

I got microplates yesterday, so I might try to reset to 53.5kg or should I try one more time with 55kg?

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6/20/2009

Squat: 95kg 5,5,5 - borderline failure on last rep, bar speed was reeaaally slow
Press: 37.5kg 5,5,4 - better than last time, resetting to 35kg
Power clean: had to skip.

My rotator cuff seems to have a problem. I seemed to have injured it during squatting, because my back wasn't tight enough causing the bar to slip down slightly. The end result was that it turned my shoulders back more than they could handle. This made it very painful to power clean, though I think it's a technique problem, as I am probably holding on to the bar for too long which is bad for the shoulders.

Now I have this nerve pain that starts at the shoulder and goes down my biceps... Hopefully it's OK before Monday.

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OK, another update. So I started to run again, as I noticed that my aerobic fitness is starting to be a problem. However, I've been unable to do anything that would put weight on my lower back as I managed to injure it doing deadlifts.

What happened was that during my 5th rep I lost concentration and let my back round a little. Immediately after the rep, I felt that something was wrong and my lower back was in such a pain that I was unable to get the plates of the bar. I don't have any numbness or tingling in my leg and I can actually run without pain in my back. If I keep my lower back curved and my muscles tight, it won't hurt, but if I relax it and let my back round, then it feels like someone would stab me on the right side of my spine just slightly above my ass. This is like a really sharp pain and it's been pretty much the same for a week now.

So I went to NHS to show my back. The doctor there told me it was a muscular injury and prescribed me some physical therapy i.e. no X-ray or MRI (I suppose you have to be almost dead to get an MRI at NHS). It'll be interesting to see what they say at the PT as I'm not entirely confident that my problem is muscular, but I can't really afford paying for an MRI at the moment as I'm not currently covered by my schools insurance after having been back at my home country on sick leave during spring and opted to not pay for it...