Quest for Fire

[Erok]

Wed., 3/23. 223#. Fueled entirely by almond butter, celery, whey and coffee.

Squat: 115 x 10, 225 x 5, 275 x 3, 320 x 5,5,5. Ahhh. First rep of the second set was a doozy. Somehow, I started falling forward - wayy forward. Fortunately, I've discovered that there are these tiny, tiny muscles in the posterior lower leg which exist for the sole purpose of pulling the entire Center of Mass upright from a forward position. Rip never seems to mention these, but we've seen them in use before:





Will have to look them up in my copy of Grey's Anatomy.


Farmer's walks, sort of - it's raining/sleeting/whatever outside, so I grab a pair of 100# DBs and kind of wander around the floor with them till my grip gets tired.


Wife has a light squat day (running HLM with her for now), and Deadlifts 165 x 3 like a sexy, sexy beast.

Chicken curry with eggs & rice, braunschweiger on crackers.

[Erok]

If you want to bulk up, you've gotta fill that cup: protein.
If you want to slim down, spit that bread on the ground: protein.

She's your queen, she's your queen, she's your queen: protein.

If you can't afford steak, you want to buy some eggs: protein.
When your bulk is done, and you want to cut: protein.

She's your queen, she's your queen, she's your queen: protein.

If your schwing is gone, and you want to ride on: protein.
Your digestive tract will never toss it back: protein.

She's your queen, she's your queen, she's your queen: protein.
She's your queen, she's your queen, she's your queen: protein.


Set to the tune of 'Cocaine' by JJ Cale, as recorded by Eric Clapton.

[Erok]

Sat., 3/26. slightly hungover, and the gym, like my head, is like the inside of a freshly boiled egg. Had a ton of BBQ last night, though, so it was worth it.

OHP: 115 x 8,8,8. military style. making the plates rattle at the top.

DL: 135 x 10, 225 x 5, 315 x 5. so humid in here. should've gone outside.

SLDL: 100# DBs x 8,8,8. wanted something awkward to do. this is it.

Small dinner party = 2 pounds of pork loin cutlets, dusted in flour(with garlic powder), dipped in egg wash(with salt), then coated in panko crumbs(with crushed black pepper, cumin & coriander) and fried in a mix of bacon grease and coconut oil. Asparagus in lemon cream sauce on the side, and a friend made some kickass bernaise sauce, which upon cooling becomes the best cracker spread ever.

[Erok]

Mon., 3/28. 221.6#. The struggle is real.

Log Clean & Press: 90 x 5, 110 x 3, 130 x 3, 140 x 3, 150 x 3,3,3. I can feel eyes on me. But then, there's no such thing as a quiet log press - these plates clang like Marley's ghost, and the log rings like a bell.

LTEs: 60 x 15, 70 x 15, 15.
BB Curlz: 65 x 15, 15.
Tricep Pushdowns: 100 x 15, 15, 15.
KB Curlz: 16 x amrap.


Working with wife to correct excessive forward knee slide in the squat - she blames her ballet training. I blame the squishy shoes. I'm sure we're both right.

Bratwurst, eggs, potato latkes, & sauerkraut. Sour cream goes with EVERYTHING.

[Erok]

Wed., 3/30. 224#. Mmmmeatloaf.

Front Squat: 95 x 10, 185 x 5, 215 x 3, 245 x 3,3,3. These kill the wrists (even if I just have a couple fingertips under the bar), but about a few minutes later, I'm always fine. Hm. Nothing to complain about, then.

Pullups: 3, 3, 3, 3, 1.8.

I dig around in the corner, and find a length of PVC perfectly suited for a TUBOW. I work with wife to get the knees right, and she's got it. She's a bit demoralized from not upping the weight, but I tell her "this is not a deload. this is not a setback. this is just a form check." (she went on to bench 90 for sets across, so she's LP'ing just fine.)

Squat: 315 x 8,8. oof.

In the next rack is Gym Daddy, who has been training his teenage son to get big & strong for football. Son Of Gym Daddy is already as tall as an average adult male, and is growing like a weed. Gym Daddy is one of those broken-down ex-powerlifter types, with bad shoulders, bad knees, and Westside t-shirts, so he's got the kid on hi-bar squats, benches, DLs (conventional), prowler, etc. It's fucking working - this kid is becoming a monster before our very eyes.
Son Of Gym Daddy is attacking his squats with that borderline reckless passion you only see in young people. Making the plates rattle, breathing like a steam engine, just going for it, putting everything he's got into these squats. It's painfully beautiful to watch, like a baby bird learning to fly; flapping and flapping, falling down, still flapping, and finally rising. After he failed a second rep @245, he sat on the bench for several minutes, head in his hands, silently cursing himself. Gym Daddy had to talk him down out of it, and then convince him to do back off sets instead of going for another PR. I've been there, in both headspaces, sometimes in the same workout.
TL;DR: You will have good days, and you will have bad days. Let neither of these get to you.

Sled drag: 385 x 0.9, 0.9 holy hell! what the ever-loving - oh, I see: the chain is twice as long as it normally is. Well, there go my calves.


Tacoooos! and burritos, and enchiladas, and beans & rice, and queso, and chile meat sauce. Finished season two of The Americans. Life is awesome.

[Erok]

[ithryn]

Your songwriting skills are admirable.

[Erok]

Your songwriting skills are admirable.

Thanks, man. Maybe someday I'll get back to writing real songs.

[Erok]

Fri., 4/01. tshirt & shorts= 1#. chuckies= 1.6#. BW pre-poop=225.4# BW post-poop=223.8#. Hey, if you got a digital scale, use it.

OHP: 45x..., 95 x 9, 115 x 9, 125 x 6, 135 x 6,6,10.

DL: 215 x 5, 315 x 5,5,5. ahhhh, I needed that.


Rotisserie chicken over egg fettuccine & butter. It's a wonderful feeling you get from eating an entire animal in one sitting.

[Erok]

Mon., 4/04. 222#.

Log Cleaned Presses: 90x 5,5, 110 x 5, 130 x 5, 150 x 5,5,5,5,5. That was fun. Thought I might have to push press a couple of these, but didn't. Tried the belt for one set; didn't make much of a difference. Tight enough to pull with, but too loose to press with.

Pullups: 3,3,3,3.

So, the Ladies of Lifting are there, as usual, but it's just the core group of 3 serious bodybuilders. They're doing arms/posing - cable curls while lying on the floor, hit some poses, DB alt curls, poses, etc. I've gotten to the point where I'm able to focus them out (or at least not get caught staring), but when I see some bro on the preacher curl bench with his arms slack, gazing off to the side, with a bit of drool on his cheek, I know exactly what he's looking at.

I catch the wife with that same stare. "Wow, look at her shoulders! Oh, my! They all have those teeny waists, and big, bubbly butts!"
"Yes, quite bubbly."
"Hm. What do you mean?"
"Uh, nothing. Hey, time for your next set." (wife squatted 140 and benched 92.5, BTW)

Seated Press: 45x16, 65 x 8, 85 x 8, 105 x 8, 125 x 8,8.

Curlz: 65 x 15,15,15.
LTE: 75 x 15,15,15. exhausting.


Porky Pork! A 6-pound shoulder, browned and slow roasted in the dutch oven, with nothing but salt. served with sweet potatoes and fried eggs.