Quest for Fire

[Erok]

Saturday - the house and yard are my gym. Ladders, shutters & gutters, rocks, rocks, rocks, stump.

Mon., 6/30. 218#. I did my best.

Power Cleans: 55kg x 3,1, FSqtsx3, 59 x 3, Fsqtsx3, 64 x 3 - damn, it happened again! opened that scab right up, blood streaming down my leg. short break to clean up & put a sock on. 70kg x 1,1,1. These are so-so. One rep cracks both my wrists - feels kinda good.

Deadlifts: 225 x 4, 315 x 1, 350 x 8. holy schneikies! my beautiful, precious thumbs! Damn you, hook grip - why do you have to work so well? Also, there is a definite 'cardio component' which begins after rep 4.

SLDL: 230 x 8,8. pumpalicious.

Rows: 135 x 10,10,10,10. I'm toast. Dry, crusty, falling apart white bread toast, with black around the edges that you have to scrape off - aww, it's all just crumbs now!

Curls: 45 x 10, 65 x 10,10. Fuck the rest. I'm gonna go outside and stand in the rain for a bit.

[Lakshmi Meadows]

you're on FIRE!!!!!!

[Erok]

Yes, I am on fire - in the Teres Minor, Major, & Infraspinatus, to be precise.

[Erok]

Thurs., 7/03. 217#.

Chins: 5, 5, squats, 5. Ha!

Squats: 45..., 135 x 5, 225 x 5, 280 x 5, 315 x 5, 3, 3. Very close. Belt was nice & snug (on 4), & the chest was pretty solid - no goodmornings, so all the fight was in the hams & glutes - I could actually feel the hams wanting to quit. 8 min rests.

OHP: 45..., 95 x 5, 125 x 3, 150 x 1,1,1. that last one was a doozy - stuck above the forehead, but i didn't give up, and got it locked out. had to put it back in the rack reeeeal quick, though. 100 x 8, 8, 8.

DB Bent Press: 30, 35, 40, 45 x 3 a side.

[Erok]

Sat., 7/05. 217.25#

Squats: 45x..., 95x...., then I witness something get invented. There's this Big Burly Guy on the platform next to my squat rack - well, half-on, half-off the platform. he's got a bench set on the edge, and has his back on it perpendicular. He's doing honest-to-goodness hip thrusts with bumper plates. Pretty funny. But then, the cool instructor/coach - let's call him Sam - decides he's hogging the platform (which he really is, plus the whole thing is a traffic violation).

Sam: You know, there's a much better setup for those, if you really want to do them.

BBG: Oh, yeah? What's that?

Sam: That leg curl machine, right there.

BBG: Huh. (goes over to it) How would that work?

Sam: Just get your back on the pad...

BBG: Oh, like this? (has his upper back resting on the seat)

Sam: Yeah, and just sit on the floor...

BBG: (using his hips to thrust the padded curling bar, that you normally would use your shins for) Ooohh, this is AwesomE! I'm gonna do these all the time now! (he's totally repping out, entertaining the entire lifting area) Whoah!

Random Guy: Hey, BBG; can I use that when you're done? That looks really good.

BBG: No Way! Huh-Uh! This is MY machine now! No one else touches the Hump-O-Matic!


well, there it is.

Pullups: 5, 1. - bah, should really warm up for these. This is what's been bugging my left forearm. back to squats.

Squats: 135 x 5, 185 x 5, 225 x 5,5. that's all the juice i got.

Bench: 45x..., 95 x 10, 135 x 5, 155 x 2, 165 x 1, 185 x 4,2,3.
Close Grip Bench: 135 x 5, 5, 8.

10 solid minutes on the wrist roller, 10#, 15#, 25#. woooo!

Curls: 50 x 10, 60 x 10, 65 x 10, 70 x 10.

LTEs: 40 x 10, 60 x 10, 10, 70 x 12.

[Erok]

Tues., 7/08. 216.75#. Uh, Oh. This is very light for Deadlift Day. Must have been all the paddleboarding.

Wrist Roller: love this thing - 2 min, to warm up my grabby parts.

Power Cleans: 50kg x 3, 1, FSqts x 5, PC 59kg x 3, 70 kg x 1,1,1,1. I'm not bleeding! Success!

Deadlifts: 225 x 5, 315 x 2 - thought I could DOH grip these, but no. 370 x 5. These eight and five-rep sets feel like nothing I've ever experienced.

Rack pulls: 225 x 3, 315 x 3,3,3,3,3. I notice that all three squat racks are set up for rack pulls - Rawr! My first pair of lifting straps is currently on order from Iron Mind. Then we'll see some shit get lifted!

Rows: 135 x 10, 10, 10, 10, 10. No mercy.

Wrist Roller: 3 more minutes.

Triple bacon deluxe cheezburger tides me over till the chicken's done.

[Erok]

poke the chicken skin multiple times with something sharp, pat chicken dry.

get some Potato Starch & Wondra Flour - mix it up in a bowl, add spices (Lowrey's, black pepper, garlic powder, salt, cayenne powder)

lightly dredge the chicken in the powder, and arrange on a rack setup.

Put in a COLD oven, and turn it to 350.

after 40 minutes or so, flip chicken. bake for about a hour total(I used leg quarters - wings would of course take less time).

[Lakshmi Meadows]

poke the chicken skin multiple times with something sharp, pat chicken dry.

get some Potato Starch & Wondra Flour - mix it up in a bowl, add spices (Lowrey's, black pepper, garlic powder, salt, cayenne powder)

lightly dredge the chicken in the powder, and arrange on a rack setup.

Put in a COLD oven, and turn it to 350.

after 40 minutes or so, flip chicken. bake for about a hour total(I used leg quarters - wings would of course take less time).

Seriously? You need to start a cooking for strength gainz recipe thread

[Erok]

Ha, ha - the wife keeps telling me I should write things down. This could be the start of something.

[Erok]

Thurs., 7/10. 218.5#. What I should have weighed on Tuesday.

Wrist Roller - I'm getting addicted to this thing. 15# for 2 min.

Squats: 45 x 15, 135 x 7, 225 x 3, 275 x 2, 315 x 5,5,5. Woo! Let's see, how did I do this: Bfast was normal protein shake. Lunch was leftover prime rib with a pile of dirty, dirty hashbrowns. Big cup of black coffee 1 hr pre-worksets. Belt on 3, to accommodate my puffiness. 1st set is alright, definitely felt some twang in the hammies. about 8min rest, until I feel the coffee come back. 2nd set is LIGHT WEIGHT - I didn't know 315 could feel like this! Until rep 5, that is, which GMs quite noticeably. Another 8 min rest; the caffeine floods back in waves. 3rd set is rough, but I fall back on the old ways: If you can get one rep, you can get two. If you can get two, you can fight for three. If you can get three, you're over halfway there, four,fi-gripthefuckingbarandpullitdownintotheback-ve,done. Last rep was uuuugly, with a nice GM, but at least I didn't cave my knees.

I have attained. Now, to sustain.

OHP: 45..., 95 x 5, 125 x 3, 150 x 2,2,2.5. I'm gonna count that half-rep as an isometric working of the sticking point.

Roller: 25#, 3 min. That's all for now. Thursdays are short & sweetJesusIlovecaffiene!

Speaking of Short & Sweet, my straps came in the mail today. Beautiful craftsmanship, great attention to detail, and in a lovely shade of blue. I try them out on the dining room chairs. Awesome!