Quest for Fire

[Lakshmi Meadows]

Yummy Viking! Wait, I meant yummy ribs!

Sounds like you have a great gym environment that will surely motivate you to make HUGE gains

[Erok]

Tues. 1/28. 217#. This is acceptable.

Squats/Presses: These get supersetted, just to try it again. Goes like this:
Sq: 45 x whatever - stretching, belching, etc.
OHP: 45 x10
Sq: 100 x 8
OHP: 95 x 5, 115 x 3
Sq: 155 x 5, 205 x 5
OHP: 125 x 3, 140 x 4, no lift.
Sq: 235 x 5, 265 x 5
OHP: 140 x 2
Sq: 265 x 5,5
OHP: 140 x 1, 115 x 8,5,5.

The front of my shoulders are incredibly tight; where the clavicular and sternal head of the pectoralis major meet anterior to the AC joint (?) due, I think, to the massive amount of benching on Sunday.

Bench: 45 x 15, 95 x 8, 135 x 5,5. Keepin it light, while I watch The Man Who Is Like A Mountain do incline benches at 245 for reps. I know in my mind he's only a human, and he seems very nice and down to earth, but when he's lifting, he scares the living shit out of me.

Good Mornings: 45 x 10, 65 x 10, 95 x 10. That's enough for now. I'm tired. Wah, wahh, waahhh.

Finish up with some kettlebell halos & 2-handed swinging. Hard, Heavy, and Fun.

Steak, Sweet potatoes, Mushrooms, and Milk! Feeling good today.



I may need to re-think my Press programming. Other lifts are still more or less linear, so the squeaky lift gets the grease.
Gonna do some thinking out loud now. feel free to ignore.

OHP 140 x 4 ~ 153 1RM
140 = 91.5%

50% 1 RM = 77
55% 1 RM = 84
60% 1 RM = 92
65% 1 RM = 99
70% 1 RM = 107
75% 1 RM = 115
80% 1 RM = 122
85% 1 RM = 130
90% 1 RM = 138
95% 1 RM = 145
100% 1 RM = 153
105% 1RM = 160.7

Possible 6-week Russian type program:

(weight x xrepsxsets)
Day1 Day2 Day3
Wk1: 122 x 2x6 122 x 3x6 122 x 2x6
Wk2: 122 x 4x6 122 x 2x6 122 x 5x6
Wk3: 122 x 2x6 122 x 6x6 122 x 2x6
Wk4: 130 x 5x5 122 x 2x6 138 x 4x4
Wk5: 122 x 2x6 145 x 3x3 122 x 2x6
Wk6: 153 x 2x2 122 x 2x6 New 1RM, 160+ etc.

[Erok]

Oh, and: Chinups! Chinups, you lazy ass!

[Erok]

Wed., 1/29. I attempt chinups. I get almost 3.

[Lakshmi Meadows]

Oh' the shame ;-)

One Chin Up at a Time!

[Erok]

Fri., 1/31. Heavy Day, Part 1.

Scheduling forces me to get the whole workout done in one hour. I therefore postulate a two-day split. Just as well; heavy squats and deadlifts are crowding each other out of the same day, anyway.

217#. The gym is gangbusters tonight, all the squat racks & platforms are filled. I claim the only power cage, left to sit in the middle of the floor, surrounded by all manner of welded c-channel contraptions. It's beat to hell and back, was painted blue at one point, wobbles only slightly, and the bar is beautifully curved about an inch or so from true. The bar is also clearly marked, "POWER RACK ONLY". nice. Let's do this.

Squats: 135 x 5, 205 x 5, 235 x 5, 265 x 5, 295 x 5,5,5. Work sets are a grind. First set is okay, second set I notice my vision start to blur coming out of the hole. Third set, vision blurs and turns slightly red, and the music drops about a half-step in pitch. Now, THAT was a squat workout. Thanks to Mr. Best for the belt.

OHP: Week 1 Day 1 of volumizing: 120 x 2,2,2,2,2,2, with about 90 - 120 seconds between sets. it's harder than it looks.

Finish up with some DB curls and KB grippers - feels really good in the elbows.

Dinner is at my favorite Mexican buffet. Caldo de Reys, Menudo, Shrimp Diablo, chicken fajita & mole, Puerco y Chili Verde. Home-cooked-no-bullshit style, as much as you can stuff down the gullet. Menudo is ssssssooooo goooooooooooood.... The restaurant shows signs of trouble, however, as wife is quick to point out. They've switched to styrofoam plates & plastic bowls, cut back on waitstaff & kitchen staff (and probably lost a dishwasher or two), and food (including my beloved pico de gallo) is not being replenished. At 7:30 pm, on a Friday. I order a Horchata, and slurp down another bowl of Menudo. If this is my last go here, I want to go down Menudo-ing. A softshell pork taco appears, and I kill it in three bites. The bill for two comes to $23.16. I tip generously. At a buffet. I don't want it to go away. It's the only buffet I've ever been to where I leave in better condition than when I walked in. I have a sad.



Sat., 2.01. Heavy Day, Part 2. Wake up, feeling fine. a big omlette latte, quart of water, and I'm good to go. Wait, hold on: we got 4 inches of snow last night. Warmups are shoveling the driveway & walks, doing my neighbor's driveway and walk, and another neighbor's walk. Then, we walk the dog. Ok, NOW I'm good to go.

217.25# Oh, Menudo, don't fail me now! (Yes, I also remember Menudo as the name of a pop-latin-esque boy band from the 80's. I'm all grown up now, however, and times have changed.)

Close Grip Bench: 65 x 11, 95 x 5, 135 x 5, 155 x 5,5,5.

Deadlifts: I'm sick of warming up with 135. 225 x 3, 315 x 1, 365 x 1 (hook grip), belt up: 395 x 1. Wooo! Vaso-Vagal Syncope! You are the highest high! It only lasts for a second, though. 315 x 1 (overhand), 1 (Left supine), 1 (hook)

Rows: 135 x 5,5,5

SLDL: 135 x 8,8,8

barbell curls, LTEs, lat pulldowns. Feels like I did some stuff.
Dinner is homemade corned beef. Aww, yeah.

[Erok]

Mon., 2/03. Still recovering from the back work on Saturday. Didn't sleep enough last night. 216.25#.

Squat: 100 x 5, 150x 5, 200 x 5, 235 x 5,5. I blow through these no problem.

OHP: 120 x 3,3,3,3,3,3. kinda heavy, but okay.

Bench: 65 x 8, 135 x 5, 155 x 5, 170 x 3, 190 x 3,1,1. that last one was a doooozy. It settled on my chest, and started rolling up toward my neck ever so slowly. A very long time to lock out, but steady once I got it moving.

Power Cleans: 50Kg x 2,2 55 x 2 59 x 2,2 64 x 2,2. 64 Kilos is a bit heavy, 59 seemed like a sweet spot.

curls, KB swings & grips.

Panchetta 01-30-14.jpg Panchetta turned out pretty good. six pounds of fatty, peppery goodness.

[Erok]

Wed., 2/05. 215.7#. Something appears to be working. That's about 3 pounds lost in 4 weeks.

Bench: just something to pass time while I'm waiting for the squat racks to open up. 95 x 8, 135 x 8.

Squat: 150 x 5, 210 x 5, 240 x 5, 270 x 5,5,5. Not a cakewalk, but the belt helps.

OHP: 120 x 2,2,2 belt on: 2,2,2. Just going through the motions.

Chinups: Ok, here's the deal: let the number 1 indicate a full chinup. Let the number 0 indicate a dead hang. Round the percieved elevation of each chin to the nearest hundredth and let the sum equal the number completed in a set, keeping in mind that the chinup bar is in the exact center of the gym, so EVERYONE can see, if they bother to look (have to remind myself that no one cares). x 2, 1.5, .8, .75. Yech. Small beginnings.

I'm pretty wiped, but have some time before my ride shows up. Incline DB Bench for 3x10, Incline DB Curlz 3x10, DB Flys 1x10, DB Rows 3x5, and done.

Homemade sweet potato gnocchi with eggs & sour cream, topped with crispy beef pops. Ohhh, the starches. Gooey, sticky starches.

[Lakshmi Meadows]

Chinups: Ok, here's the deal: let the number 1 indicate a full chinup. Let the number 0 indicate a dead hang. Round the percieved elevation of each chin to the nearest hundredth and let the sum equal the number completed in a set, keeping in mind that the chinup bar is in the exact center of the gym, so EVERYONE can see, if they bother to look (have to remind myself that no one cares). x 2, 1.5, .8, .75. Yech. Small beginnings.
This makes me LOL...I can totally relate.

[Erok]

Fri, 2/07. 215.75#

Chins: 3. yay!

Squat racks are full again. To the power rack!

Squats: 155 x 6, 225 x 5, 275 x 5, 300 x 5,5,5. Been getting some pain in the R elbow where I broke the tip of the ulna many years ago. Gotta play with the grip width, I guess. Make sure I'm not supporting the weight. Squats must continue.

OHP: 120 x 4,4,4,4,4,4. Oh, jeezuz. what did I get myself into?

Close Grip Bench: nah. fuck benching. elbow hurts. But I'll try chins again.

Chins: 1, 0.6

KB halos, grips, curls, rows. elbow feels better.