Quest for Fire

[Erok]

9/04. Technically a rest day, but I sneak into the basement before dinner for 50 kettlebell swings.

[Erok]

9/05. Ain't got time for nothing. Bullshit, you MAKE time. It's gonna be a little busy until November, I reckon. Gotta do stuff when I can.

OHP: 70 x 10, 80 x 7, get interrupted. 80 x 3, 90 x 10, 100 x 5. That's it.

9/06. Squats: 70 x 10, then I get the bright idea for pausing at the bottom for a second. I do 120 x 5, 170 x 5, 220 x 5. I feel it. download to 170 for 10 reps without pauses.
Bench: 70 x 10, then the 1 second pauses for 120 x 5, 5, 5. That's it. I'm cooked.

The weekend is spent doing lots of stuff - I did order my cow for the winter.

Oh, and the garage door opener? The aliens fixed it for me. I had to replace the springs anyway, so while I was at it, I figured I'd give the opener one last try. Works like a ten year old door now, instead of the 23 year old door it is. Huh.

[Erok]

9/09. Enough screwing around already, I need some kind of program. I decide on Smolov Jr. for the bench press; the next 3 weeks are taken care of. I take my 5RM of 165 and calculate a 1RM of 186. That's just crazy. I conservatize it to 175. Not as scary, and I can always add more.

It's friggin' hot today. 101 with the heat index. I've been pounding water all day, and working in an air-conditioned office. 80 degrees and 60% humidity in the basement. I'll be fine.

Squats: 150 x 5, 205 x 5, 250 x 5,5,5. just another day under the bar.
OHP: 75 x 5, 90 x 5, 115 x 5. really wanted to do these, but also wanted to save myself.
Bench: 122 x 6,6,6,6,6,6. Hey, that wasn't so bad! I'm sure I'll regret this decision soon enough, but for now, I'm off to a good start.
Deadlift: 120 x 5, 170 x 5, 220 x 5, 270 x 5. Former PR is now a maintenance set. I like that feeling.
Curls: 50 x 10, 10, 10. I'm unstoppable!
LTEs: 50 x 10, 10, 10. I'm stopping now.

Beef arm roast with mushrooms & tomatoes for supper, without heating up the whole kitchen. Pressure cookers rock.

[Erok]

9/10. Rest day, but the wife wants to go to the gym. I always tag along, to help motivate, write down sets/reps, suggest things to do/not do. Kinda like a coach, but not really. It's pretty busy there, and I get to see it in person for the first time: back squats, on a bosu ball, in the squat rack. It's so hard to look away, yet hard to watch. The same lady was also doing multiple reps of what appeared to be stiff-legged DLs, bouncing the hi-temps off the floor and really popping her hips forward at the top. We were wondering if she was trying to self-induce whiplash. Anyway, her arms were bigger than mine, so I said nothing and we used the Hammer Strength thingy for squats. It had the better bar on it, anyway.

So, I did a few pause squats: 45 x 10, 95 x 10. Curlbros were roaming everywhere, with sleeveless shirts and trucker caps, so I ventured into the other half of the gym, and found a decent rowing machine, with a nice view of the ellipticals. I can't tell the difference between the 1 setting and the 10 setting, so I leave it on 10. I do some :20 intervals with a 1:30 or 2:00 cool off, and end up rowing 2km in 10:50, with average watts of 83. During my intervals, I could peak at 325 watts. That's like a decent club PA system or a really nice bass amp.

Not too sore today at all, just a little tightness between the shoulders. I should be okay for more benching tonight. What's that commercial jingle? I. feel. like. chic-ken tonight, like chic-ken tonight... I. feel. like. bench-ing tonight...

[Erok]

9/11. 'Pressed' for time.

Squats: 55 x 10, 70 x 10, 120 x 5, 170 x 5,5,5. a light day.

Bench: 20 x 15, 70 x 5. 131 x 5,5,5,5,5,5,5. seven fives. I must be insane. I put a pair of spinning collars I never use on some zip ties to make 1/2# weights. don't know why I didn't think of that before.

Curls: 50 x 10, 65 x 10: during this set, my left arm felt really weak. I manned up and pushed through it, only to find that I'd left a 5 on that side of the bar! I decide against switching the 5 to the other side, and do 60 x 10 like a civilized curlbro.

LTEs: 50 x 10, 60 x 10, 10. That vein on my bicep sticks out. It hasn't done that since I weighed 135, so many, many years ago. After my shower, though, the vein retreats back into its cozy little fat blanket.

oh, yeah, I forgot: on 9/10 at the gym, I weighed in at 203.75. Odd, but I'm attributing it to water weight for now.

Beer & pizza for dinner - woohoo! I sleep the sleep of the dead.

[Erok]

9/13.

Squats: 70 x 10, 120 x 5, 155 x 5, 210 x 5, 260 x 5,5,5. real grind on those last five.

Bench: 20 x 10, 70 x 8, 120 x 2, 140 x 4,4,4,5(I am still programmed for fives),4,4,4,4.

Pullups: 3, 1.
Chinups: 4, 3.

[Erok]

9/14. What? I have to Bench on a Saturday? Well, ok.

Bench: 20 x 20, 70 x 9, 120 x 3, 150 x 3,3,3,3,3,3,3,3,3,3. jeez.

Rows: 60 x 20, 20. just to feel like I'm balancing things out.

fried chicken and pancakes!

[Erok]

9/16. Second week of Smolov Jr. Bench. I'm going the conservative route, and just adding 10 pounds. Soundtrack: QOTSA: Songs for the Deaf.

Squats: 70 x 10, 120 x 5, 160 x 5, 210 x 5, 265 x 5, 5(GM'd last rep), 5(last rep was a total grind)

Bench: 20 x 15, 70 x 6, 132 x 6,6,6,6,6,6.

Somehow, I talk myself out of deadlifts. Instead, I decide on Power Cleans. I should not have allowed this to happen.

I start with some hang cleans at 70 lbs. These go alright, so I start the next set from the floor. BAM! right into my chin. At least I didn't bite my tongue off. I get 5 reps anyway, and decide to put some weight on. As I'm rolling one of my 50 lb plates into position, it wobbles to one side, and I reach out to grab it, timing it just right so that the middle joint of the right-hand pinky comes between that plate and another 25 lb plate. Much swearing ensues. I funnel my anger into the lifts: 120 x 3,3,3,3,3. At some point during this melee, I manage to bruise my left shin. Whatever. Some of the lifts are perfect. Some are not so perfect. One lift even jams the bar into my throat. I neglect to pass out. http://startingstrength.com/resource...378#post745378

Over the course of the day, I consume roughly an entire chicken, a bowl of beef stew, three pancakes, a quart of milk, and some other snackage.

[Erok]

aw, jeez, I've been slacking with the updates. Here goes:

Thurs 9/19. At the gym. I weigh in at 206.0#.

Squat: 45 x 15, 135 x 10, 185 x 5, 225 x 5,5,5.
I happen to meet the Gym's 'Fitness Manager', and strike up a conversation. He's actually pretty nice, and compliments me on my squat depth. He offers to spot me, and asks if I want to do some forced reps. I tell him my philosophy is, you either make the rep, or you don't. He's cool with that. He's doing deadlifts - 225 for hi reps, bouncing off the floor just a bit, and really thrusting the hips at lockout. Interesting. I'm not going to worry about making too much noise with my deadlifts from now on.

Bench: 50 x 10, 65 x 10, 95 x 10, 145 x 5,5,5,5,5,4 - dammit!, 5.
OHP: 45 x 20, just to do it.

Sat, 9/21. The gym, again. 204.25#.

Squat: 45 x 10, 135 x 5, 225 x 5, 270 x 5,5,5.
Bench: 45 x 8, 2, 75 x 4, 105 x 4, 150 x 4,4,4,4,4,4,5 - c'mon, really?, 4.
Deadlift: 135 x 5, 205 x 5, 245 x 3, 295 x 1, 335 x 1. whew.

To the fast food! I wolf down two double quarter pounders with cheese (so that's what 1520 calories tastes like!), then go on with my day like a normal hungry person.

Mon, 9/23. was supposed to bench Sunday, but life happened. oh, well. I found a nice hole in the wall Mexican grocery/kitchen that makes pupusas fresh to order. I love them. I also buy some strange herbs & spices I'd never heard of, and one of these:

Squat: 120 x 10, 10. It's just not a workout if I don't squat something.
Bench: 20 x 11, 70 x 9, 120 x 3, 140 x 3, 160 x 3,3,3,3,3,3,3,3,3,3. damn.
Chinups: 1. just to demonstrate to myself how out of shape I am.

slam the Beerchelada with a celery stalk, half a lime, and four eggs. salty, spicy, not that bad.
Steak with mushroom gravy and roasted potatoes for dinner, and a tray of seven cheeses for dessert. How lucky I am.

[Erok]

Tues, 9/24. I got a 1 week free pass to a REAL gym, just blocks from my house. The wife is interested enough to tag along. Oh, wow. I walk in the door, and the sweet smell of sweat hangs in the air, shimmering atop the ring of clanging iron. There's THREE squat racks, FIVE flat bench press stations, two incline benches, a power rack, York bars everywhere, a seemingly limitless supply of 45s (and 2.5s), a half-size olympic platform with (literally)a ton of bumper plates, a BOWL OF CHALK! a row of atlas stones (up to 345), boxing ring, climbing rope, punching bags, battle ropes, tractor tires, a MUTHAFLIPPIN' PROWLER, milk cans full of cement, a unicycle(!?), two dumbell stations, with no fewer than three complete sets from 3# to 100#, foam rollers, PVC roller, and a vast array of weird, bare iron lever machines - a neck machine! there's a neck machine! So much cool stuff; I'm like a fat kid in a bakery. Oh, and one Smith machine, and a room of nautilus stuff. The wife is okay with it, but the elliptical machines don't have cable, and it's a bit grimy/dusty/smelly for her taste, and the radio is tuned to a metal station (no Madonna!), but she's game, and we trade squat & bench sets.

Squats: 45 x 10, 5 90 x 5, 135 x 5, 185 x 5, 225 x 3, 275 x 3 (whew! warm in here), 5, 5. the last set is pretty ugly, but I grind out that last one without folding up too bad.

Bench: 45 x 12, 75 x 6, 110 x 3, 135 x 6,6,6,6,6,6. I already have a favorite bench.

Quick visit to the prowler/battle rope room, then off to dinner at our fav Jamaican place. Jerk pork & chicken, mango rundown shrimp, washed down with a big-ass Red Stripe.

Oh, and everybody we met there is really nice(both at the gym and the restaurant). I should have no trouble asking for a spotter(at the gym, not the restaurant).