IE's Log

[coleossus]

Yesterday was a light squat/no deadlift day, so these numbers are all my last heavy lifts combined.

Squat:

• 45x5x2
• 155x5x1
• 245x3x1
• 340x2x1 (belted)
• 430x5x3 (belted)

Bench:

• 45x5x2
• 95x5x1
• 140x3x1
• 185x2x1 (belted)
• 230x5x3 (belted) - PR

OHP:

• 45x5x2
• 80x5x1
• 115x3x1
• 145x2x1 (belted)
• 175x5x3 (belted)

Deadlift:

• 135x5x1 (hook grip)
• 240x3x1 (hook grip)
• 335x2x1 (belted, mixed grip)
• 430x5x1 (belted, mixed grip)

Dips:

• -90x5x3 - PR

Chins:

• -120x5x3

Okay, ready to come back to my log. Never stopped, just been fucking around with stuff, clawing back up through some stress-related layoffs, and lots of new discoveries (mostly related to input from KingOfTheJews after having the chance to train with him)

SQUAT: Moved the bar way up my back. Not high, not ultra low like it was. I'll snap some pics - got a nice bright red, semi-bleeding strip across my back with knurling texture because my muscle memory adapted before the skin did. Doesn't matter - bar control is stellar and rock-solid. Just working on not swaying on my way out of the hole and following the "toes up" cue to help prevent balance issues.

BENCH: Weird and unrewarding until last week. Barely made 210 on Tuesday, threw up 230 like it was nothing last night. Corrected grip width and chest-touch location. Can feel the lift in my chest like I should, no more tricep-focused/shoulder-impingement-risking crap like I was doing before. Finally secured a 2 plate bench and chasing 300+ so my ego will stop crying when the other bros wreck my numbers.

OHP: Fixed grip width, stopped being obsessed with chest contact but still keeping it under chin. Finally sticking elbows well out in front of the bar and snapping myself under it as it comes up. Mid-lift endurance issues seem mostly resolved.

DEADLIFT: Focusing on how I sit in the lift and keeping that back straight but, most importantly, keeping bar over mid-foot (was rolling it back of mid-foot before).

ASSISTANCE: Dips took a huge 30# drop in assistance. Expecting a drop in chin assist tomorrow. Probably not down to 90#, though.

Not sure if I mentioned this, but I've been struggling with asthma mid-workout post-squatting. Real mild (tight chest, LOTS of unproductive coughing, breathing issues in general). Got sick of it on Tuesday, messaged my doc, got an asthma test planned in June and an albuterol inhaler in the mean time. So far it seems to make a huge difference, and frankly I think it contributed to my big benching jump this week. I'll talk about this more tomorrow since it'll be my first full intensity lift with the inhaler.

Anyway, back in upper-body PR territory, shitloads of form corrections thanks to KingOfTheKews, on my HIIT (inhaler helped this a lot), and a stone's throw away from squat/dead PR territory again. Should be completely back in the next two weeks. FINALLY.

Went to the Oakland meet and had a blast though, to my chagrin, getting sick two weeks out wrecked my training and I decided not to compete. I should've just pulled shit numbers and competed anyway, especially considering my weight class, but my ego just wasn't up to it. I'm too temperamental (big revelation, right?). Here's to staying disciplined until the October meet!

Weight's down again. I got back to 345 a couple weeks ago, got lazy, weighed 350 last night. Aiming for 330 first, next goal is 280.

Of particular interest, considering my habits and track record over the years, I've completely quit playing videogames. Not for any moral or personal reason beyond being generally bored by them at this point, but it was pretty much the big fall-back I'd resort to when I didn't feel like lifting or doing HIIT. Haven't sat down to play anything for well over 2 months - shortly before my last post. Such a long layoff from gaming is unheard of, for me, and definitely indicative of new habits.

You know... You don't have to not post if you're "not making any new ground" or not "doing anything interest." Did I get all those negatives correctly? What I mean to say is even if it's "boring" or whatever, you can still post!

If you're lifting its worth logging. Have you seen some of the nonsense in other logs?

mgilchrest & chromoly are right. If we only logged the noteworthy stuff, this would be a pretty bleak place, I certainly extrude plenty of unspectacular prose, but such is lifting. Plenty of drudgery ... and a few bright moments.

I guess that's that, then.

Thanks for the encouragement, everyone. It counts, even though I didn’t post all this time. I’m just a moody little fucker, especially when I’m spinning my wheels. I’m not fond of social networking in general (I don’t even have Facebook), and constantly having to post “Well I did the same shit I’ve been doing the last three months and not making any meaningful progress” is just obnoxious. Doesn’t mean I give up – if anything I work harder at figuring out the problem – but I don’t like constantly talking about it unless I’m specifically soliciting help or instruction, or if I’m discussing it retrospectively (like now). I feel sheepish about it. That’s just how I’m wired.

Additionally, a lot of these form issues evolved into things I ultimately either needed in-person assistance with (which I got) or just needed to keep practicing on my own until it clicked (which seems to have happened) or that needed further exploration to find the source (like with the mid-workout asthma). Posting about it didn’t really serve a purpose for anyone – didn’t make me feel better, didn’t add to the body of experience at the time, wasn’t particularly entertaining.

Regardless, I’m back, now, with a significant enough number of changes to believe I’m better positioned to continue my training in a meaningful direction, and I’m in a generally less bitchy mood. So, onward ho!

[coleossus]

Eugh, do they have a new forum software? I can't get any markup or editing features to work now.

EDIT: Must be my browser at work. Weird.

[Chris McCarthy]

Good to see you back!

[chromoly]

Asthma sucks. I have it too. Just gotta carry the damn inhaler around all the time.

Glad you didn't drop off the face of the earth/die. Keep posting!

[coleossus]

HIIT: Fuck yes I did. Prowler's broke, though. Had to do it on the elliptical (too heavy for the treadmill), so that's a bummer.

Squat:

• 45x5x2
• 155x5x1
• 250x3x1
• 345x2x1 (belted)
• 440x5x3 (belted)

OHP:

• 45x5x2
• 80x5x1
• 115x3x1
• 145x2x1 (belted)
• 185x4x1 (belted)
• 185x3x1 (belted)
• 180x5x3 (belted) - PR

Deadlift:

• 135x5x1 (hook grip)
• 245x3x1 (hook grip)
• 345x2x1 (belted, mixed grip)
• 440x5x1 (belted, mixed grip)

Chins:

• -110x5x3 (straps) - PR

SQUAT: Okay nix the bar control claims. General feedback from gym pals is that first two reps are good, then I start driving hips first instead of leading with chest because the bar moves in the hole - though my depth stays good throughout. Part of this, I think, is being so close to the max strength 5x3 programming can develop, part is making another 10# jump. We'll see how the 5# jump goes on Tuesday. Going to have to fix this so I don't fuck myself with a 450# good morning.

OHP: Been feeling ambitious, tried a 10# jump. Just a smidge too much, might've been able to pull it off with more layback. Second set I fucked myself up with my headphones jamming in my neck. Just decided to not fuck around, drop 5# and get my 5x3. Think I might have another couple in me.

DEADLIFT: Nothing special. Rep 5 was a little slow, but... felt good, no hitching/bouncing.

ASSISTANCE: 10# off my assist! I feel kind of like I cheated by using straps, but the assist machine is a rusty piece of shit in my gym that has absolutely no knurling. I keep trying to set my hands “where they'll end up” like Rip says, but when I do that I end up slipping off the bar completely. Setting my grip tighter just ends up in my hands slipping out of position and fucking my calluses up really badly. So I just said fuck it, straps. I might abandon straps next time, because I hate them.

Definite difference with the inhaler. No coughing or breathing problems. Really notice a difference in my breathing/cardio/endurance in the middle of my OHP. Before I'd feel like passing out, couldn't catch my breath and just kind of had to rip the reps out really fast. Now I can catch my breath between reps. HIIT yesterday was a breeze, too, but I don't know if that's because I was on the elliptical, because I had citrulline beforehand, or because of my inhaler. Maybe all three. Ended up dialing the resistance to 20 by the time I was done because it just felt too fucking easy.

Nothing special to add. Nice to make upper body gains at last. Can't wait for a 2 plate OHP.

Good to see you back!

Asthma sucks. I have it too. Just gotta carry the damn inhaler around all the time.

Glad you didn't drop off the face of the earth/die. Keep posting!

Good to see you back, I.E.!

Thanks, folks! Glad to be back. Looking forward to the next couple of weeks.

Expecting to stall on my squat and/or deadlift right around 455, maybe a couple increments beyond. Probably going to keep the weight there until my upper body stalls, just for the sake of practicing my aforementioned form issues with the squat. At least for awhile – depending on how long my pressing keeps incrementing and how I feel about my squatting form, I may switch my compound lifts to TM ahead of time.

[Merkin Weaver]

Glad to see you back homie.

Keep up the good work.

[coleossus]

HIIT: No. Excuse? Went out of town to see my folks over the weekend.

Squat:

• 45x5x2
• 155x5x1
• 255x3x1
• 350x2x1 (belted)
• 445x5x3 (belted)

Bench:

• 45x5x2
• 95x5x1
• 145x3x1
• 190x2x1 (belted)
• 240x4x1 (belted)
• 235x4x1 (belted)
• 235x5x3 (belted) - PR

Deadlift:

• 135x5x1 (hook grip)
• 250x3x1 (hook grip)
• 345x2x1 (belted, mixed grip)
• 445x5x1 (belted, mixed grip)

Dips:

• -90x6
• -90x5
• -90x4

SQUAT: Nixed the headphones, focused on controlling back angle and elbows stuck out. Minimized bar roll. Last set (esp. last rep) was tired, put headphones on, of course had trouble. Not sure if I’m imagining but last rep may’ve been shallow. Going to try 450# on Friday, see how it goes – poor weekend recovery might’ve been involved.

BENCH: Tried one last 10# jump. Might have been able to grind it out, but wasn’t worth blowing extra volume just to play. The work set of 4 was just lack of focus.

DEADLIFT: After reading around other forum experiences, tried sucking feet in closer. Focused more on my quads. Quality of lift was A+, remained focused on keeping back straight and tight. Last rep was a slow grind, but held at top to ensure lockout and avoided hitching again.

ASSISTANCE: Weird sets with my dips. Not sure if it was a rest issue or what.

Visited folks out of town, bribed some home cooking out of my mother on the grounds of yesterday being my birthday. Ate too much, slept too little over weekend. Corresponding uptick in bodyweight; 355# this AM. Knew what I was doing when I did it, though. Think it contributed to difficulty of squat and dipping especially.
Today is on target. Been lazy with fat/carb macros, but protein has been appropriately high and I’ve been getting supplements in regularly. Close enough to my LP limits, I think, that little fluctuations in bodyweight can have a fair impact on my lifts.

Squatting and deadlifting very slow now, but not sure if it’s because I forgot what PRs and muscle building feel like, because my LP is actually (almost) exhausted, or because I didn’t rest enough over the weekend. Either way, we’ll find out in another week or so.

Going to start prepping my Texas Method plan this week so I’m ready for the impending walls. Next stall gets one, maybe two retries before I move it to TM advancement. Squat and deadlift will probably be the first, probably in the next couple weeks. Pressing will probably remain linear for awhile beyond that since it got stalled with all that tendinitis crap months back.

Left shoulder still feels a little stiff and needs lots of warming up before I squat. New bar position and resulting grip aren’t aggravating it, and I’m far gentler with my stretching/warmups than I was. Tendinitis is completely gone and has stayed gone.

Glad to see you back homie.
Keep up the good work.

Glad you are back.
Also, how did a prowler break? Steamroller?

Thanks, gents. Can’t wait to move my log to the Intermediate section. Soon!

I didn’t witness the prowler break, it’s laying in a corner in the gym. Looks like one of the welds on the sled feet popped off. There’s a guy at my gym who has strongman aspirations despite erratic gym attendance and not being on programming of any sort (???), and he’s been in loading the various sleds with the 100# plates from the leg press. Last time I saw the prowler working he had about 800#’s on it and was tugging it around chained to a body harness. I’ll let others decide if that had anything to do with it.

[chromoly]

Happy birthday!

[Chris McCarthy]

Happy birthday!

X2!!

[peez]

Happy Birthday, IE!