Quest for Fire

[Erok]

10/10. Back in curlbro country. 208#.

Squats: 45 x 10, 135 x 5, 5, 185 x 5, 225 x 3, 280 x 5,5,5. Two Eighty; I have crushed you! The mirror right in front of the rack really screws me up. I can't tell how deep I'm going, so I go waaayy deep. Much reddening of the face, which I also don't like to see. Guy with cannonball shoulders behind me, doing barbell rows with straps at 155# for high reps, really fast. Damn mirrors.

OHP: 45 x 10, 75 x 5, 95 x 3, 120 x 5,5,5. Oh, this is fun! Back on LP - I'm riding this train all the way to the end.

I want to power clean, but, well, there's these two ladies. They always switch between the leg press and the smith machine, the leg presses working up to 3 plates on a side, but doing these odd squats in the smith, with their feet planted forward enough of the bar, so that when the thighs get to parallel, their knees are 90 degrees. I dunno. Anyway, they eventually abandon the leg press, and one brings a mat over to one side of the smith, so they can trade plank sets? Somehow, during this process, they accumulate benches, which end up placed around the smith. There is no room for anyone else's bullshit. Clever plan, ladies. I drift up to the ellipticizers, where the wife is watching Project Runway. I give an honest effort on one, but can't get the damn thing set for long strides like I want. It's like riding a bike with the tiny short pedal cranks. (found out later, it helps if you turn on & program the computer - ain't nobody got time for that!) I go to the C2 rower.

Rowing: 1.6K, 9:00. I idle for 2:00, then sprint over 300 Watts for :20, then idle for 1:40, sprint :20, idle 1:40, etc, until I can't sustain my sprints over 300 watts. that gives me 4 rounds of sprinting, at 1:5.

Chocolate stout, milk, and duck strudel with red wine sauce. Quack, quack, baby. The wife brings home some Magnesium Oil from work, and I rub it into my quads and calves after my evening rolling session. My legs are not so sore at all today. Nice.

[Lakshmi Meadows]

What type of breathing technique are you using for your press? Mine sucked ass until I found a technique that worked for me. Some people have better luck with inhaling at the top and bottom. Me - only at the top.

[Erok]

What type of breathing technique are you using for your press?

That's an excellent question. Lemme think.

I've always been a slouchy guy, trending towards kyphosis, so part of my unracking for the press involves a lot of thoracic breathing, to get the chest up. Once I'm feeling properly inflated, I squat up out of the rack, with the bar hopefully in the right place. One or two more quick inhalations with a valsalva, and I press (as per SS:BBT3/Press 2.0). I tend to keep it all in until lockout, when there's a very short, small exhale. I inhale again before the eccentric motion, and then at the end of the first rep, I don't wait at all to start the next one. I try to stay very full of air through the whole thing, and keep the spine rigid as possible (I've hyperextended my T12-L1 before from exhaling too much during the sticking point). Towards the end of these sets, though, I was taking one full breath at lockout, and two breaths at the bottom.

So I guess the short answer is, I try to breathe mostly at the top, but, really, I'll end up breathing just about anywhere.

[Erok]

10/13. to the gym. Sunday mornings before the Packer game are nice and quiet. weigh in at 210#. aww, yeah - milk gut!

The wife talks me in to trying the ellipticizer. I manage 5 minutes before I give up. All it does is make my quads sore and my hips tight.

Squats: 45 x 10, 95 x 5, 135 x 3, 185 x 3, 225 x 5,5,5. The knurling on these bars doesn't let my grip slide, which is good, but my arms are too close together, and it hurts my elbow. Somehow.

Bench: 45 x 10, 95 x 5, 135 x 5, 185 x 3. uff-da. haven't benched in a while. dropsets: 155 x 5,5,5.

Deadlifts: 135 x 5, 155(put the Hi-Temps on to get the proper bar height) x 5, 245 x 3, 295 x 5. Smooth and easy with the hook grip.

Alt DB Curls: 30 x 15
DB presses: 30 x 15 What elbow pain?

[Erok]

10/17. four days between workouts. Been busy, but feeling pretty good.
Pull up to the gym, and as I cross the parking lot, I see the cardio machines up front are nearly all taken; lots of skinny people, a few overweight people. I remark, "man, look at all that prey, learning to run away." The wife did not get my meaning (and I've learned better than to try and explain myself). She gets the last ellipticiser, and I mosey on back to the squat rack, which is empty. In fact, that entire corner of the gym is unpopulated. Ahhh, room to breathe.

weigh in at 209.75#

Squats: 45 x 10, 95 x 5, 145 x 5, 200 x 5, 230 x 5 (only four days? feel like I haven't squatted in a month!), 260 x 5, 285 x 5. rawr. dropset: 230 x 10. meow.

OHP: 45 x 10, 65 x 5, 90 x 5, 100 x 5, 110 x 5, 125 x 4, 1. grr. 95 x 5, 3. ugh.

I drag myself out to the car, and immediately drink a pint of pickle juice. Damn, that's good stuff. Later, there is salt pork with cabbage & collard greens, homemade pizza, and side salad, with peanut butter & bananas on graham crackers for dessert. Forget paleo for now. I need ALL THE FOODZ.

[Erok]

Sat. 10/19. 210#

Squats: 45 x 15, 95 x 5, 145 x 5, 205 x 5, 235 x 5, 265 x 5, 290 x 5, then back to 230 for 10.

Bench: 45 x 10, 95 x 5, 135 x 5, 185 x 3, 1. damn. Close grip 135 for 10, 10.

Deadlift: 135 x 5, 245 x 5, 305 x 5. didn't waste any time there.

[Erok]

Tues. 10.22. No time for nothing this week. It's Rocktober, and musicians all over the city are busy, busy. I get six hours of sleep, instead of the normal eight. Doesn't matter, I tell myself. I'm squatting 300 today. Nothing to eat all day but milk and some roasted pumpkin. Doesn't matter, I'm squatting 300 today. Get home, and the wife is too exhausted to go to the gym. Doesn't matter. I've got my trusty rusty set in the basement, and I'm squatting 300 today. Look in my log, and, oh no, I only did 290 last time, and I've only been doing five pound jumps lately. DOESN'T MATTER. I'm squatting 300 today.

70 x 5,5 120 x 5, 180 x 5, 210 x 5, 240 x 5, 270 x 5, 300 x 5. a total grind, panic in the hole on reps 4 and 5, but it doesn't matter. I squatted 300 today.
victory squats: 240 x 10. these bring me to my knees, almost destroying me.

chicken with pumpkin, peppers, onions, pan sauce, liver pate on the side, more milk. In bed early - finally.

[Lakshmi Meadows]

Hell Yes! Love to see your determination to get it done!

[Erok]

Mon, 10/28. Finally get back to the gym. 211.25#.

I got my belt from Best Belts this week - it's beautiful workmanship, with flawless construction. Heavy and stiff, too. Wow. Now I want 4-inch belt loops on all my pants.

Let's see if I can actually use it.

OHP: 45 x 15, 65 x 5, 85 x 5, 105 x 5. now, get that belt on, cinch it tight. 115 x 5, cinch it one more tighter. 125 x 5. I think I'm getting it. 100 x 4. yeah, that was supposed to be a dropset. gimme a break; I haven't pressed in a while.

Squats: 45 x 15, 95 x 5, 135 x 5, 185 x 5, belt on: 225 x 5, 275 x 5. belt off: 185 x 10. I end up hiking the belt way up, almost above the navel, to prevent my 'muffin bottom' from getting pinched off between the belt and my hipbones. man, that hurts.

Deadlifts: 135 x 5, 245 x 5. belt on: 315 x OUCH, OUCH. I can't set these up at all. I gotta spend some time getting used to this thing. belt off, alt grip: 315 x 1,1.

That night, after beef stew & poached eggs, the wife notices my bruised love luggage. still a little tender there today. Maybe getting rid of the muffin bottom will help that? This is a new phase I'm entering: the geared lifter. Hopefully, this is the only gear I need.

[Eiji]

Muffin bottom?

I've been thinking about getting a belt because people keep saying you are stronger with a belt. But I don't want to deal with pinching. What causes the pinching?