Still on the Right Side of the Grass

[Browndog]

His name on Instagram is louloria. I just read he is thinking of pulling out. It is a tough break.

Strong guy!!!

Can't tell if he's in the USAPL, or a different federation.

But yeah, that's a rum break. I'm about to have to make the same choice here. I'm giving things to the end of the week to resolve enough to know I can load the leg and not do serious damage.

[Browndog]

5/5/21

Fourth Cycle Week Two - rep/sets

Bench - 50kg 5*3, 2*2 / 60kg 5*2, 2*2 / 70kg 3*3, 1*2 / 80kg 2*2, 1*2 / 87.5kg 1*2 / 93kg *1
Down Sets - 77.5kg 5*2
Close Grip Spoto - 67.5kg 5*3
Single Arm Incline Press - 50lbs 8*3
LTE / Curlz - 30/35/40kg *10
Tri Pulldowns - 28kg 10*3
EZ Bar Curlz - 40kg 10*3
Overhead Tri Extensions - 20kg 10*3
Palof Press - 18kg 15*3

With all this low bar Squatting, my right shoulder is a bit tired, and it showed up today for the first time in a long while. The single at 93kg was grindy. Surprised me it did...everything up till that point moved really nicely.

Cold day in the gym, as coach had every f'n door in the place open. Froze my ass off!

[Mr. Bingley]

b) I had my 1 year anniversary of completing prostate cancer treatments with a check up today, my PSA numbers continue to drop towards negligible. The trend is your friend, as they say in the financial world.

iii) I learned a bit more about the effects of the hormone deprivation therapy I was put on. The doctors asked about my training, and how it was going. I filled them in on my precipitous drop off a cliff starting back last October. I let them know about the numerous strains and pulls I've been experiencing over the last 6 months.
For the first time they admitted that the everything I've been experiencing is to be expected...as the effects of the hormone deprivation last longer than the warnings on the box say (especially for a "strength athlete"), and effect the larger muscles of your legs, more than your upper body muscles. So the strains and pulls are directly attributable to cancer treatments, not programming or me taking a turn for the worse...yeah I've been catastrophizing a bit the past few month.

I wash I "knew" about this earlier in the process. It would have saved me beating my head against a wall trying to figure out where it all went wrong these past 6-7 months. This new found knowledge allows me to re-frame my recent training experiences as well, and that's a really good thing!

I don't know if this will make enough of a difference to get me ready for Natls in Daytona, but I'm in a better frame of mind. Now if the adductor can come around fully...

so glad to hear about your dropping PSA numbers, that is awesome and hopefully makes your nights a little easier, having that become less of a worry with each test

All these treatments have their downsides, as I can attest after my surgery; I'm sorry they didn't at least give you the complete information on the residual side effects

[Browndog]

so glad to hear about your dropping PSA numbers, that is awesome and hopefully makes your nights a little easier, having that become less of a worry with each test

All these treatments have their downsides, as I can attest after my surgery; I'm sorry they didn't at least give you the complete information on the residual side effects

In fairness to the docs, they have no real idea of the type of training we engage in.

[Browndog]

5/6/21

Fourth Cycle Week Two - rep/sets

Big Wheel Pulls - 83kg 5*4, 113kg 5*3, 133kg 3*3, 153kg 3*2, 173kg *2, 188kg 1*2, 200kg *1
Down Sets - 173kg 5*2
Dumbbell Hip Thrusts - 80lbs 15*3
Face Pulls slow out - 26kg 12*3
Single Arm Hi Row 24kg 10*3
Leg Extn - 60kg 20*3

Best session in a while: set up on point, no pain, no fatigue. If things keep improving through the next week, I hope to get the bar back on the floor or close to it.

[Mr. Bingley]

great!

[Browndog]

5/8/21

Fourth Cycle Week Two - rep/sets

Squat to Box (20") - 50kg 5*4, 60kg 583, 70kg 3*3, 80kg 3*2, 90kg 2*2, 100kg *2, 110kg 5*3
3 count Paused Bench - 77.5kg / 75kg / 72.5kg *4
Pistols/Single Leg Hip Thrust - bw/50lbs 10*3
Neutral Grip Pulldown - 144kg 10*3
Leg Extn - 60kg 10*5

Still working to rehab this adductor. Sets went well, though the last few reps of the last set got the adductor a little cranky. The cooldown between the Squats and the Pistols made the first set of Pistols eye opening...single leg work like this really put a strain on the adductor. Once warmed up, it was better, but still sore...grrrrrr.

I overshot the first set up the Bench...badly, second set was just about right, and 72.5kg was too light.

Next week has to show some real progress with this adductor issue. Either I can really load it up, or I can get back to "normal" positions on the Squat and Deadlift. If I can't do any of those, I don't see a way that I'm going to be ready for Daytona in four weeks.

[Browndog]

5/10/21

Fourth Cycle Week Three - rep/sets

Squat to Box (18") - 60kg 5*4, 80kg 5*3, 95kg 3*2, 105kg 2*2, 115kg 1*2, 125 / 132.5kg *1
Down Sets - 105kg 5*3
Belt Squat - 60kg 5*3
Kettlebells RDL/Mid Row - 32kg's 8*4
Single Leg RDL - 90lbs 10*3
Oblique Rotations - 16kg 10*3
Leg Ext (3 count eccentric) - 50kg 10*3

Great success...vera nahce!

Seriously though, I checked off two big boxes tonight:

1) Down to Squat Depth
2) Able to handle increased load with no pain...none.

Thursday will be the final hurdle to clear:

1) Can I put the bar on the floor?
and/or
2) Can I handle / move a heavy single above 200kg without issues?

...stay tuned!

[Browndog]

5/12/21

Fourth Cycle Week Three - rep/sets

Bench - 50kg 5*3, 60kg 3*3, 70kg 2*3, 80kg *2, 87.5kg 1*2, 94kg *1
Down Sets - 80kg 5*2
Close Grip Spoto - 70kg 5*3
Single Arm Dumbbell Incline - 60lbs 8*3
LTE/Curlz - 32.5kg *10, 37.5kg *10, 42.5kg *8/10
Tri Pulldowns - 30kg 10*3
Curlz - 42.5kg 10*3
Overhead Tri Extension - 20kg 10*3
Curlz - 42.5kg 10*3

Not a bad session, but in my haste I forgot to pause 94kg...
Overshot the down sets and close grip. I need to reign myself in.
Pushed the assistance work, and got an Single Arm Dumbbell Incline PR...oooh baby.

[Browndog]

5/13/21

Fourth Cycle Week Three - reps/sets

Deadlift - 70kg 5*3, 120kg 3*3, 140kg 2*3, 160kg *2, 170kg / 180kg *1
Big Wheel Pulls - 178kg 5*2
Dumbbell Hip Thrust - 90lbs 15*3
Face Pulls slow eccentric - 28kg 12*3
Single Arm High Row - 24kg 10*3
Leg Extn - 70kg 10*5

Well, we were able to put the bar on the floor and pull without any pain, though I would have liked to get a little more thoracic extension...but I can work on that.

Gonna have a conversation with my coach about Natls: are we in a position to show some progress from Mayhem in January? If he thinks we can get some good work in over the next few weeks, and be in a position to surprise ourselves, I'll book my flights.

I'm not where I'd like to be, but I wasn't in January either. I have no expectations of a repeat of the showing in Chicago, but I would like to start to re-build my total...starting with Daytona.