Quest for Fire

[Erok]

Mon., 9/05. 224.2#. At the gym by noon-thirty. This qualifies as an early morning session.

OHP: 45x..., 95x8, 115x5, 135x5, 157.5 x 5,5,5,4. 135x5,8. Ugh. It is what it is, especially this time of day. I've barely had one meal.

Tricep Pushdowns: 80x12, 100x12,12,12. These are all done within five minutes. Nauseating upper-body pump.

Wife squats 180x3x3, and earns a glowing compliment from the Top Trainer. She benches 87.5x3x5, too, earning glowing compliments from me.


Old favorite African food joint relocated to more accessible neighborhood. Food is still amazing. Happy Laborious Day, everybody!

[Erok]

Wed., 9/07. 223.6#. For once, Wife is more motivated than I am. Sleep was horrible last night. But, food & hydration are on point, so I keep my mouth shut and go through the motions.

DL: 135x8, 225x6, 275x3, 335 x 8(straps). Hey, I'm still alive!

Rows: 155x10,10,10,10. no more cheating with the stretch reflex at the bottom - kills my forearms. each rep ends on the floor. dammit.

Lat Pulldowns 110x12,12,12 with the fat bar! Woo! The guy I was trading sets with was doing 220# with about 80 degrees of layback, like a reverse bench press. He's over 6' and built like a fireplug. pretty awesome.

T-bar Kelso Shrugs: 45x20,25. so much easier to set up than a bar & plates, and eliminates cheating. Sorry not Sorry.


Stew beef with creamed spinach (Saag). Also fried up a steak for lunch. Thinking about it now as I type...

Just heard the news about The Great Norb Schemansky, may He Finally Find the Recognition He Deserves. Damn. That guy was awesome.

[Erok]

Fri., 9/09. 222.2#. I got comp tix to see Cake! Last time we saw them was at the Rosemont in Chicago when they opened for Garbage. Long, long ago. Not a band I would pay to see, but I can't ignore free tickets, or the nostalgia factor.

OHP: 45x..., 95x5, 115x5, 135x5, 155x3, 165x4 (that's two more reps than I was planning for), 135x8,8.

Squat: 205x21. boom. Still no visions, though. I was told there would be visions. For now, all I get is wife coming up to me asking if I'm okay. Maybe when I get to 225.


Stuff some food down, then go to the show. They're still pretty good, even if they are weird & the singer is chatty. Their trumpet player is excellent. They gave away a Burr Oak tree, and a cap that says "Make America Cake Again". Gotta have a gimmick.

[Erok]

Sat., 9/10. Event Day. You must chop down the tallest tree in the yard wiiiith... a herring! (hacksaw and pole saw). Your chainsaw-owning neighbor can only help once you get the whole thing down to the bole. Then, you must cut the smaller branches (<1") from the big ones (with the hacksaw) so the brush piles up nicely on the curb.

For this Event, I chose the 30' mulberry which has been growing next to the foundation for the last ten years, shading the West side of the house and the neighbors' driveway. Got lots of decent 6' branches with which to make trellaces, and some fairly big logs with which to expand the leaf mulch cabin. Found four pieces that might make okay bows, depending on how patient I am (lots of damn pins in mulberry). Took all damn day, with one break for chicken enchiladas. A sharp hacksaw makes all the difference.

Sunday - don't remember much about Sunday. Could barely get out of bed. Caught up on some episodes of Ascension. Biscuits & Gravy at the local cafe.

[Erok]

Mon., 9/12. 224.0#. Was feeling blah (underrecovered), so I drank wayy too much coffee. bloated & jittery.

Squat: 95x10, 185x5, 275x3, 335x5, 345x3, 275x8. Ugh. Squats did not help. Bloated, jittery, and nauseated.


Roast beef, grilled jerk chicken (I figured out the marinade!), mashed cauliflower (the secret is cream cheese).

I think the summer cold I caught has settled in my R ear. Gonna watch Inner Space for ideas on how to cure it.

[Erok]

Wed., 9/14. 223.2#. Busy in here. Bodybuilding comp coming up in October, so lots of bros crowding around the mirrors with their hands clasped behind their backs (shoulder day?), and a very intense lady doing DLs for sets across. I kill some time in the rack with presses and front squats, try a set of behind-the-neck presses. Those wouldn't be so bad, as long as I never, ever load the bar. Finally:

DL: 227.5# x 8, 317.5 x 4 (hook - these just floated up, felt amazing), 375 x 4 (straps - these felt normal, meaning really hard).

Deficit DL @ 1.75", wider grip: 225 x 8,8.


Roast beef, mushroom cream sauce, and egg linguine noodles with butter. mix 'em all in a bowl, and you got stroganoff.

[Erok]

Fri., 9/16. 224.0#.

OHP: 45x..., 95x10, 115x5, 135x5, 150x2, 160 x 3,3,3,3,4.

Z Press: 45x..., 95x8,12,12.
Curlz: 45x15
Tricep Pushdowns: 70x20.

Gotta go get grub and get to the show: The Handsome Family, ladies and gentlemen. Recordings don't do them justice. They are hilarious and personable, and hearing Brett Sparks' voice through a PA allows you to marvel at his dynamic range. Goddamn, they're just so good.

[Erok]

Tues., 9/20. 221.6#. yikes.

Oh, the gym just bought brand new Rogue bumper plates! 25, 35, and 45. They go perfectly with the new Rogue block collection.

Power Clean into Front Squat: 95x 5,5. these bumpers are not as bouncy as I thought they'd be. I guess that's why you have to slam them down?

DL: 135x10, 225x5, 315x10 (straps)
SGDL: 225x8,8
Standing Snatch Grip Shrugs (straps): 225x20,20. All of this felt great.

Wife has an interesting session. Local IPF girl talks her into trying a belt for squats (something I've been trying to get her to do for a while - I'm not as persuasive), and of course, it messes her form up a bit. However, she can feel the utility of tightness it provides, and they come in sooo many colors!...
Anyway, so she's having a hard time on work sets. stance is narrow, depth is shallow, knee is popping. what was supposed to be 3 sets of 5 becomes 5 sets of 3. She showed a lot of squat-thru-it-iveness.
But then, I'm unloading her bar afterwards, and I see a 5# plate where the 2.5# plate should have been. She did 182.5 x 5 x 3 for an Unintentional, Unilateral PR! I cheered, while she stood dumbstruck.


Steaks, brussel sprouts, onions, and spinach dip.

[Erok]

The ardent reader(s) of my log (hi, honey!) will remember the most scientifish of my works: The Sandow Coefficient, with which I measure my bodily awesomeness with that of the progenitor of bodybuilding, Eugen Sandow. Because of Math, this coefficient is only applicable to those people who stand exactly 5' 9.25". I am one of those lucky few.

Let’s look at the numbers. As in the spring, measurements were taken with muscles relaxed - no flexing. The subject is allowed to stand on the leg as it is being measured.

Tues., 6/07. 222.2#. Sat., 9/24. 221.5#.

Height: 5' 9.25" 5' 9.25"

Neck: 17.5 17.75
Chest: 44 45
Gut: 43 42.5
Waist: 41 40
R bicep: 14 15
L bicep: 14.5 15
R forearm: 12 12
L forearm: 12 12
R thigh: 24 25.5
L Thigh: 24 25
R calf: 15.5 16
L calf: 15 15.5

So, comparing these eight points of measurement (derivation of the Whitcomb Area Rule) my springtime average circumference of 26.4375" has increased to 26.71875.
Sandow's is still 27.125" (he’s dead, allowing us all the chance to catch up with him).

r=C/(2pi), therefore:

Springtime Erok: r=4.2077, gave us:
55.62 square inches, times 69.25 in height=3851.7 cubic inches of Erok.

Autumn Erok: r=4.2524, giving us:
56.81 square inches, times 69.25 in height = 3934.03 cubic inches of Erok. A new World Record!

Sandow: r=4.3171, so:
28.55 square inches, times 69.25 in=4054.6 cubic inches of Sandow.

Correcting for fatness, we find:

Springtime Erok: 222#/3851.7=.0576 pounds per cubic inch

Autumn Erok: 221.5#/3934.03=.05630 pounds per cubic inch

Sandow: 202#/4054.6=.0498 pounds per cubic inch

My previous Sandow coefficient of 1.157 has decreased to 1.131!

Is this success? Well, the numbers don’t lie.

[Erok]

Fri., 9/23. 221.4#

OHP: 45x..., 95x8, 135x5, 145x2, 162.5 x 3,3,3,3,5. Woo! This gets the attention of Mr. Back, called so because, from the front, he looks like a normal strong guy, but when you look at him from the side or back, you see a Whole. Nother. Person. It’s as if Yoda climbed onto his back in order to train his deadlift, and, like the male angler fish, was completely absorbed into this guys’ back as pure GainzZz™. Anyway, Mr. Back converses with me about the press, asking if I’d ever gotten over 200. Of course, I say: “yes, I push-pressed 200 once! I don’t count it, though.” He says his best press was 205 for a single, after the lockout of which he passed out. A new goal!

Squat: 135x10, 215x20. I think there will be visions. I shall purify myself with sets of 20. Brodin, hear my prayer.

Tricep Pushdowns: times..., well, in the logbook it says ‘times infinity’, but I think that’s because I couldn’t remember how to count. I did four or five sets to failure on the dual cable machine with whatever the pins were set at when I got there - one side had the rope grip, other side had the V-bar grip.


PorkyPork!