The Anti-Degenerative Training Log

[Railbob1776]

Friday, 5/12/23
Morning bodyweight: 218.7lbs
Waist: 41 inches
Total workout time: 44 minutes (not including 10 minute cold-down on the bike after the weights)

1. Squat 45x3, 95x3, 140x3, 145x5
Moved up ten pounds to 145 for five reps today. Felt a little bit of knee pain throughout the sets, I think a 5-10 minute cardio warmup next time will help with that.


2. OHP 45x3, 95x3, 110x2, 125x3, 110x3 (felt fine)
These felt fine, went up five pounds on top set.

3. BW Chins x 5 / Pulldowns 160x10, 145x10
Finally hit five reps on bodyweight chins, pulldowns also progressed.

[Railbob1776]

Wednesday, 5/17/23
Morning bodyweight: 218.8lbs
Total workout time: 39 mins

*5 minutes on elliptical to warm-up the knees

1. Deadlift 135x3, 225x3, 275x1, 325x3
>things felt great here, really tried to squeeze the weight up off the floor instead of yanking it and I succeeded. Felt great. I'll probably go for 330x3 next time. Also, stuck w/ hook grip. I'm so used to it now it's my preferred method. Still think I should switch to straps to prevent any thumb issues. Maybe next time.

2. Bench Press 135x3, 185x2, 205x3, 185x3
>things felt fine here, no rush to increase weight, might repeat 205 next time

3. BW Chins x 5, 4
>Excited to finally be doing more than one set of bw chins! Now I'll work on building up to 3x5.

4. Pulldowns 165x6
> last set of pulldowns for awhile since I'm doing multiple sets of chins now

* foam rolled the IT band on each leg and did some knee PT exercises.

Note: purchased some Hoka Bondi 8 shoes today, these are the "new big thing" for foot support. I'll be wearing them for my 30-minute walks and any extended cardio I do. Check them out if you have knee/hip/back/foot pain or want to prevent it. Apparently, these are the new go-to shoe for people who stand on their feet all day.

4584

[Railbob1776]

Thought I'd post my current favorite protein shake recipe:

2 cups Fairlife Milk (fat-free)
1/2 cup Kodiak High-Protein Oats
2 scoops whey isolate (chocolate)
2 tbsp PBFit (peanut butter powder)
1/4 cup walnuts

I usually have the shake for either breakfast or dinner and my other two meals consist of a scrambled up mash of: (1) veggies of some sort; (2) potatoes or rice; (3) 5oz extra lean ground beef; and (4) 1/2 cup egg beaters. This keeps me pretty full and I'm losing weight at a steady pace.

4623

[Railbob1776]

Monday, 5/22/23
Morning bodyweight: 217.3 (-1.5lbs)
Total workout time: 34 mins

5 mins elliptical warmup

1. Squat 95x3, 115x3, 135x3, 155x3
> felt a little right knee pinch, but that seems to be the norm now, nothing insane or severe
> went up 10lbs and decreased the reps, meh, whatever, just going with what feels right


2. OHP 45x6, 65x3, 95x1, 115x2, 130x3, 105x3
> felt a bit of right shoulder pain on the top set but no pain on the 80% backoff set.

3. Weighted Chins + 5 x 5, BW Chins x 5
> I'll be bringing the dip belt next time to make adding weight easier, feels good to be able to do these.

4790

[Railbob1776]

Friday, 5/26/23
Morning bodyweight: 216.4lbs. (-1.1lbs.)
Total workout time: 42 mins

5 minutes elliptical warmup

Deadlift 45, 135, 225, 275x1, 330x3
Five pound increase. These felt good. Still hook grip, no straps. Video makes it look like I'm purposely slamming the weight down but I'm not. It feels like I'm just guiding it down. I'll have to try to control it more on the way down. The slamming is annoying.

Bench Press 45, 95, 135, 165, 185x2, 210x3, 190x3
Went up five pounds on the top set and did one backoff set at 90%. Shoulder felt fine. Used some wrist wraps to avoid any issues with the TFCC tear in my left wrist. I got the tear on 4/28/22, while racking the barbell after OHP. I usually wear a "wrist widget" (available on Amazon) but I left it at home today. The TFCC tear is mostly asymptomatic but it can rear its ugly head now and then. The widget keeps it under control.

Weighted Chins 7.5lbs x 5 reps / BW Chins x 5 reps
I used the dip belt today, much easier than holding a dumbbell between my feet. Love doing these.

Finished up with some knee stretches and light set of slow leg curls.

4938

[Railbob1776]

Wednesday, 5/31/23
Morning bodyweight: 216.4lbs (same)
Workout time: 33 mins

5 mins elliptical warmup
1. Squat 45x3 45x3, 95x3, 115x2, 135x3, 155x3 (knee pinch), 125x3 (knee pinch)
2. OHP 45x3, 95x3, 115x2, 125x1, 135x3, 120x3 (slight elbow pain)
3. BW Chins x 6, 4 reps

Tired of barbell squats. They always feel like shit. I've officially retired them. I've never felt solid and strong squatting. 150lbs is just as awkward and awful feeling as 315lbs. My long femurs and short torso have always made them difficult and painful and now my knees hurt when I do them. I'm done trying to force a square peg into a round hole. Going forward I'll either find a suitable substitute (perhaps the blasphemous trap bar squat??) or I'll just stick with regular deadlifts as my only big compound movement. Leg presses and hack squats can irritate my knees too so I'm not going back to those either. Leg Presses never even felt like they worked my legs, not sure what they work other than my patience.

Also, did a CT scan of my heart and got my CAC score: 63. It's minimal or mild risk of heart attack/stroke. It should be zero but 100 is where things get more serious. I've also got "high cholesterol." PCP wants me on 10mg of Crestor (statin). I haven't filled the prescription yet. But I am continuing to work towards losing weight and I have switched up my diet. Trying to eat more in line with the mediterranean diet and drastically cutting back on my red meat consumption. I was basically eating nothing but extra lean ground beef. Adding more fish, lean ground turkey, tilapia, salmon, tuna, beans, nuts, extra virgin olive oil, and ramping up the veggies and fruit. Whatever. It's worth a shot. Just trying not to die yet. I wouldn't mind if my upstairs neighbor would die though. Stupid THOT. The stomping noise is maddening. I've complained a few times already, nothing ever stops. Life is hell. Why am I trying NOT to die again? Hope all is well with you and yours.

5054

[Railbob1776]

After light cardio today I tried a few sets of trap bar deadlifts with two 45lb plates on each side (225??). I loved the "high handle" position, it felt super stable and I felt like I was in a very strong pulling position. I also tried the "low handle" position and felt the right knee pinch. Not sure what caused it, maybe I was just too sloppy or maybe it caused my hips to dip just enough to bend the knee too much. Anyway, I'll be using the TBD's as my main compound life for a while. I'm going to see how strong I can get on it.

Mediterranean diet is going well. Awesome food.

[Railbob1776]

Monday, 6/5/23
Morning bodyweight: 214.9lbs (-1.5lbs)
Workout time: 42 mins

5 mins elliptical warmup

1. TBD 135x3, 225x3, 275x3, 315x3, 350x2@10
> these are great, no knee pinch, very challenging, feel it in my whole body
> I feel like TBD's are a better than squats and conventional deadlifts as a whole-body compound movement for tall, lanky guys with long femurs who are not competitive powerlifters. Just my .02.

2. Bench Press 135x3, 165x2, 185x2, 215x3@9, 195x3@8
> no shoulder pain whatsoever

3. BW Chins x 6/4/3 reps
> I don't like doing high rep chins but I'd like to get 10 reps for three sets before adding weight



5200

[Railbob1776]

Friday, 6/9/21
Morning bodyweight: 213.8lbs (-1.1lbs)
Workout time: 24mins

1. OHP 45xwhatever, 65x3, 95x3, 115x2, 125x1, 140x3@10, 125x3@9
2. BW Chins x 6/6

> OHP went up, no shoulder issues at all, the slap tear is asymptomatic
> BW chins improved on the second set, goal is two sets of 10
> starting on 5/3/1 program next week, same frequency & movements, just doing the percentages in 5/3/1, need more structure
> continuing to lose weight, plant based diet is going well
> cardiologist appointment today, reviewing CAC score and maybe scheduling other baseline tests to get full picture of heart health, no statin, going to try lifestyle/diet change first. Both of my parents have high cholesterol, our cholesterol famously goes up even after losing significant weight. I blew it off when I was younger but I need to keep an eye on it now that I'm over 45.




5293

[Railbob1776]

Monday 6/12/23
Morning bodyweight: 211.7lbs (-2.1lbs)
Workout time: 38 mins

5/3/1: Phase 1A
1. Bench Press (TM 210) 135x5, 155x5, 180x5
2. Incline Press 195x1@10 (TM 175), 90x5, 105x5, 125x10
3. BW Chins x 6/5

Notes
> This was the first 5/3/1 workout in a long time, not sure I like the incline press, seems like an unnecessarily deep stretch that might cause problems and with no real benefit. Might just stick to one main lift per workout (bench/TDL/OHP) and chins. Additional silly shit as desired and tolerated.


5474