BigA's Log

[BigA]

Deadlift (no belt + mixed grip): 335 x 3, 1, 1 (rehab)

Back is feeling better than before. The set-up with 135 is almost pain free now.

[BigA]

Press (no belt): 197.5 x 0, 0 , 0, 0, 0, 0 (press "starts")
Weighted Chin-ups: 32.5 x 5, 4, 4, 4, 4, BW Chin-ups: 8
Incline Bench Press: 215 x 2, 1

Meh, don't even want to comment. Training is not going too well lately.

[BigA]

HBBS (no belt + no wraps/sleeves): 360 x 5, 330 x 5, 5 (rehab)

Repeated last time's weight. I barely ate anything today and didn't get much sleep.

I have been dealing with some medial elbow tendinitis. I will increase the time I spend it on the lacrosse ball.

[BigA]

Tuesday

Deadlift (no belt + mixed grip): 335 x 4, 1 (rehab)

So, I think I might have slightly retweaked my back. I was kind of on the fence about whether I should do the next rep as it wasn't a full blown spasm but it was moderately painful. All subsequent reps were like that.

I have been really lazy with the traction and rolling my back. I didn't think much of it but I really need to do them. I would like to think that psychologically, I am ok with this injury pain (ie I don't view it like it's crippling and I cannot move or I retweak it). Jordan and Austin said that people with a positive attitude like this have the best pain outcomes and I think I do. I never need to take nsaids, ever. But I am not sure if only training is the best approach. Aggressively rehabbing has the best track record in my own personal experience (for myself I mean). For example, my forearm tendinitis (well probably just inflammation, not full blown tendinitis) is helped MARKEDLY by rolling over the lacrosse ball. When I did traction and rolling for my back, it also helped tremendously compared to just only training. So, I should probably do that then.

I guess I can see why they would go down this path as some therapies are expensive and they don't want you to waste your hard earned money. But, there is a lot stuff you can do at home to substitute for that is basically free. I can't see why anyone would disparage the home stuff other than it being a waste of time. It sort of makes sense in a time context if it actually is a waste of time but that implies that we are doing better things with our time. But I know EVERYBODY (absolutely myself included) wastes at least some time during the day. I haven't met a single person yet that literally did something productive every second of every day.

I said in a previous post I was going to start cardio but never ended up happening.

Morning Bodyweight: 237.6 (!)

This BW is officially the lowest I have been since reaching my peak BW of 252-253. I can make out abs. It's about the halfway point since starting this log.

Edit:

BW Today @12:00 P:M: 236.4

Damn, it's even lower than yesterday morning. I guess that's what happens you skip meals for days at a time. I don't really expect to get the press tomorrow but we will see.

[BigA]

Strict Press (no belt): 175 x 4, 3, 3, 3, 3
Weighted Chin-ups: 75 x 1, 0, 10 (lbs) x 7, 7
Incline Bench Press; 225 x 0, 185 x 4
Barbell Curls: 75 x 10, 7, 3 (1 min rest)
Lateral Raises, Tricep Extensions

As expected, weight loss + workout close to bedtime = bad workout

[BigA]

HBBS (no belt + no wraps/sleeves): 365 x 5, 335 x 5, 5 (rehab)

[BigA]

Deadlift (no belt + mixed grip): 305 x 1

That's all that my back could tolerate after the retweak last time. I didn't want to push it.

[BigA]

Strict Press (no belt): 197.5 x 0, 0, 0, 0, 0
Weighted Chin-up: 32.5 x 5, 4, 4, 4, 4, BW Chin-ups: 8
Incline Bench Press: 215 x 4, 3
Barbell Curls: 75 x 10, 7, 3 (1 min rest)
Lateral Raises, Tricep Extensions (superset)

I will lower the 6 singles to 5 single (well, if ever I get more than one single with this weight that is).

So, this bodyweight loss has definitely affected my pressing strength. Yet, my incline bench is still climbing (although it uses more muscle, still, this is probably due more to it being so untrained). Maybe a 200 strict press is a mental thing, I don't know. But if the incline is climbing then I can't really complain.

Being proactive about my back and elbow has been quite helpful. As far as the back goes, I have noticed that traction and rolling by themselves are not nearly as effective as combining them. The elbow has been helped TREMENDOUSLY by rolling. Like, the difference is night and day. The stabbing pain is almost gone. I went from not being able to curl a 25 pound plate to doing it no problem in 3 days.

Y'all, buy the supple leopard book. Just do it. It is so worth it. Nobody says you have to squat like kelly starret. But I am telling you, don't be pigheaded and look at his squat technique or his interviews and then dismiss everything else he has to say. I have been reading other logs people's logs and suggestions to different problems presented by posters and I can't help but wonder how many some of these chronic problems that people encounter would be helped by a really hard and painful self massage, every single day or for the back, traction. I don't give advice to people on here as I don't consider myself an expert at this and so I just prefer to observe. But yeah, it leaves me wondering sometimes.

[BigA]

Tuesday

HBBS (no belt + no wraps/sleeves): 365 x 5, 335 x 5, 5

Repeated the weight from last time.

[BigA]

Wednesday

Deadlift (no belt + mixed grip): 335 x 1 (rehab)

So, it seems that my back can really only tolerate singles. I will adjust the rehab accordingly. Every retweak so far has been from doing one more rep.