Lifting to Live

[Bill Anders]

Syncope symptoms are not fun. When I was having my heart problems back in Aug/Sept/Oct that is what was happening to me. Be careful as you do not want to bust that noggin. That would take the fun right out of things.

No, they are not, Fred. Thankfully mine aren't cardiac related, just exacerbated by the fact that I am allergic to OK.

The syncope, in this instance, doesn't bother me. I just never had to take the step of setting up inside the rack to make sure that I didn't catch the bar on my head. The vertigo, on the other hand, is worse this year than it ever has been. The standard horizontal-to-upright is about the same as this time last year, but yesterday's experience with it while sitting upright was a new one. I even had it for a bit during this morning's sessions while coaching clients.

New doc on Tuesday, so hopefully we can get a handle on it, but I went through 3-4 when I lived here last, with no relief.

I hope all's well with you!

[Mr. Bingley]

Remember, the first rep is always a lie!!!!

lol

sorry about those episodes boss, hope they figure out a way to prevent them.

[Bill Anders]

lol

sorry about those episodes boss, hope they figure out a way to prevent them.

Cheers, Mr B!

We'll see if they can finally figure out how to keep my head from being stuffed with snot all the time. It has been a 30 year battle, including surgerys, so I'm not necessarily optimistic. But I've gotta keep trying. I am, however, ready for their go-to advice of "well, don't lift heavy over your head".

[Mr. Bingley]

lol you know me, i am all in favor of a universal ban on the press!

[Bill Anders]

lol you know me, i am all in favor of a universal ban on the press!

Haha, very true! But I am a stubborn SOB. I'll keep chasing them until I can't.

[Bill Anders]

2/10/25 - Monday
SS L @ 3' 42kgx2x5
HDL H @ 7' 350x8
SQ L @ 5' 280x2x5

Notes —
SS - Light Doubles across. Opening hips too early, then only shifting feet forward/backward. Need to smear them out to the corners (Left foot back & left, Right foot forward & right).
HDL - Heavy Set. Heavy AF, but got them done. I was still feeling the effects of my three-week run at pulling heavy from the floor. These were 91% of the previous week's attempt and I went for 8 reps, so this really wasn't the break that this lift is meant to provide. Chase recommended that I drop 20lbs off these for the next go around to give a bit more separation between the DL and the HDL. We also had a talk about Rip's latest video on the topic, where he has completely moved to 5 reps. This weight would be appropriate for that, but not necessarily for 8s. We both still like the 8s, mainly for training the grind factor and staying tight during reps 6-8.
SQ - Light sets. I keep writing these in, but keep scratching them due to time constraints of the morning shift. It's a tight 90 minutes of free time between the mid-morning and noon session, which should be sufficient, but it somehow never is.

2/11/25 - Tuesday
PC H @ 3' 63kgx2x5
OP H @ 5' 155x5x4
BP L @ 5' 215x5x2
Prowler (47kg sled) - 25kg + 2.5lb (57.5#), 5 laps

Notes —
PC - Heavy Doubles, focused on Shrug/Stomp. Occasional light arm pull.
OP - Heavy sets across. This is the lift where skipping the light day due to time constraints really shows. The balance is off and I travel out of the groove too much, making these heavier than they should be. But I got them all done.
BP - Light sets across. All good.
Prowler - Even though I've known that I needed to get back in the groove with some HIIT, I always manage to run out of time, but never excuses. But this morning's finger wag by the new doc—who surprisingly did not advise me to lose weight, so she might be a keeper—re-focused my need to do these. As I've never pushed one before in a training capacity, I started light. And these were light.

2/13/25 - Thursday
SS L 43kgx2x5
SQ H @ 5' 330x5x4
Prowler (47kg sled) - 50kg + 5lbs (115#), 2 laps

Notes —
SS - Light Doubles across. Focus on staying over the bar longer, which is also a great carryover for DLs. All good.
SQ - Heavy sets across. Heavy, slow, stead, good.
Prowler - I doubled the weight from Tuesday, which is a good baseline for five laps, which takes a bit over five minutes. The extra 5lbs is from using 2.5lb plates as spacers between the sled and the first 25kg bumper and between the two bumpers. Otherwise, it's a bit of a nuisance to get the fingers under them.

2/14/25 - Friday
HC L @ 3' 47kgx2x5
BP H @ 5' 237.5x5x4
OP L @ 5' 140x5x2
Prowler (47kg sled) - 50kg + 5lbs (115#), 5 laps

Notes —
HC - Light Doubles across. I was full-body tired before this workout began, which showed throughout these doubles. Arm pull, lack of shrug/snap resulting in short floats, etc., etc. Focusing on staying tight through these, with rep-by-rep correction by Chase made these exhausting. But I got them done.
BP - Heavy sets across. Heavy and steady, with constant self-reminders to maintain leg drive. All good.
OP - Light sets, which got swapped for the Prowler.
Prowler - I kept the weight the same as the day previous, since that seemed to be a good baseline weight. But I jumped it from two to five laps, which takes a bit over five minutes. Next week, I'll start adding weight each day.

**The title covers the Volume week, plus a "fun" mid-week break thanks to a mid-night round of thunderstorms with rain that froze soon after as the cold front passed through. That made for a nasty day on Wednesday, so I stayed put and focused on studies.

[carson]

Finally, I read a bit more details from your post. Sorry about the vertigo and the nasal problems. I have a little of both but not nearly as serious as yours sounds.
I'm curious about your prowler reports with the pluses and minuses. How much weight do you push/pull? How much does the prowler weigh and how much weight do you add to it? Finally how far is a lap?

I regularly push a 75 lb. prowler with 200 pounds of plates for 240 feet. I then rest for 3 minutes and do that 3 times. The top total weight that I have pushed is 375 lbs.

[Bill Anders]

carson, thanks for stopping by.

The vertigo has settled down this past week, but it still rears its ugly head once in awhile, especially when I raise my head too quickly getting up from the bench or the bed. The sinus issues are a lifestyle and have been for 30+ years. But I have a new doc who's interested in a challenge, so we're waiting on the bloodwork, which is the first step.

re: Prowler - honestly, it's early. I started only last week and am still feeling it out. Our gym is set up similar to a branded SS gym, in a small shopping center. So probably not much different than Sully's old gym (I haven't seen pics of the new place). All I have room for is the center walkway, which is maybe 45-50 feet long. Probably closer to 45 feet.

Our prowler is 103lbs, and so far I've loaded another 115lbs on top of that. I push one length, swap handles, take a breath, and return to the starting point for one lap. I swap handles, take a breath, then start the second lap. So on, so forth. Since it's so short and so quick, I really don't need to stop for a break yet. Once I get a feel for it, I'm sure I'll be loading more. The tough part is the friction. Even with the PTFE skids installed, we're pushing it on rubber gym flooring, so there's a lot of resistance.

One day, perhaps I'll get the gumption to load the weights that you're pushing. But I'll need to get consistent on it. No prowler work this week, as we'll be shut down due to ice and snow for the next couple of days.

Keep at it!

[Bill Anders]

2/17/25 - Monday
OP H @ 5' 165x3x4
RP H @ 8' 430x5

Notes — This is the combined focus of this week's Mon/Tue workouts. The forecast was for freezing rain to start early Tuesday morning, with temps plummeting into the single digits to lock it in tight for the next few days. So I wanted to get the heavy lifts done. Both things came true.
OP - Heavy Triples across. Focus on quick reach (snappy hips to the wall) kept these smooth and consistent. All good.
RP - Heavy set. Focus on a complete back reset between each rep. All good.

2/20/25 - Thursday
SS L @ 3' 45x2x5
SQ H @ 5' 350x3x4
Prowler 50kg + 15# x 5 laps

Notes — Still icy, but roads were clearing, so we made it to the gym to get a workout in.
SS - Light Doubles across. Started with a slower than optimal pull. Chase had me dial it up, which worked just fine. All good.
SQ - Heavy Triples across. Chase called the first rep of the day as not to depth, which prompted me to bury each and every rep after that. The cue worked as intended. All good.

2/21/25 - Friday
BP H @ 5' 247.5x3x4

Notes — An odd day. I was in the gym at 0530, coaching sessions through early afternoon. I slept well the night before, but ended up dragging all day. So I focused on the primary lift and left it at that.
BP - Heavy Triples across. Focus on leg drive and tight arch. All good.

[Mr. Bingley]

all good is all good!