-
07-01-2022, 10:57 AM
#341
Thanks, Mr. Bingley! Canadian Bill and I knew you'd be happy about this:
And look who else weighed in...
Screenshot_20220701-104207_Instagram.jpg
-
07-01-2022, 12:54 PM
#342
lol
2w squat is on tap! I've got the champagne on ice
-
07-01-2022, 04:48 PM
#343
Good point, Mr. Bingley! I'll make sure we have some too for Sunday night!
In the meantime, Boring Day came around again. Nothing super exciting occurred here but I got all my numbers.
Intensity bench
141 X 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1 (PR)
As advertised, I'm down to singles and didn't even attempt a second rep. Repeat missed reps have gotten hard to recover from between sets and I think they negatively affect my groove on the following sets. I also get annoyed with having to deload et reload the bar between sets!
Today's reps were a lot stronger and cleaner than last week's, so sticking with plain singles does not seem like a bad call yet. There appears to be some room for more weight on the bar, but I wonder how much progress I can get out of this approach... A 150 bench would be nice even if I don't care a whole lot about this lift. Call me unambitious but I'm pretty satisfied with being able to bench a pair of big boy plates for reps and sets across.
Volume press
87 X 5 (PR)
84 X 5
81 X 5
78 X 5
75 X 5
I rarely treat my volume sessions as PR events but, after checking my logs, that top set is the heaviest set of 5 I have ever pressed. I am quite surprised I was able to make it, especially with my arms and shoulders tired from the bench press singles. Those are surprisingly taxing.
I stuck with Andy's descending sets for 5 X 5; I really like this approach on this upper/lower split. The second set is tough but then, as the weight gets lighter, I try to reduce the lay back to perform a stricter press.
My groove was excellent today and I achieved a pristine bar path on almost every rep. It must be the boost in confidence I got from that 100 PR!
That said my right knee was acting up again, perhaps from working on a school paper all afternoon. On the bright side, my hip is almost back to normal. The physiotherapist's exercises seem to be working, which is a relief since I was not looking forward to him sticking a needle in my piriformis during my follow-up appointment.
-
07-04-2022, 07:14 AM
#344
Late entry about yesterday's training session. Mr. Bingley will be happy!
Intensity squat
225 X 3, 3 (PR)
Once again, I got my 2 triples on my first attempt. I didn't think that 6th rep would go but eh, it did go. Overall, my depth seems borderline but it's been worse; I think it is good enough to move on and add another 2.5 next time.
Deadlift
250 X 2, 2, 2 (PR)
This seems to confirm the bad day hypothesis about last week's deadlift session. For yesterday's, I made sure I was well fed: pasta for dinner the night before, oatmeal for brunch the next morning, and 1/4 cup of maple syrup between squats and the deadlifts. Oddly enough, the 3rd set felt the strongest. I haven't figured out why yet, but I might find out once I review my videos in detail.
And then something strange happened again. I could not fall asleep last night. This has occurred before after a heavy session, but not to this extent. I was still wide awake at 0530. Then I did fall asleep as some point, woke up with my alarm at 0700, got dressed, packed a lunch and left the house, but a few blocks down the street, it became obvious that being on the road in such a foggy state of mind was ill advised. I turned around and filed a leave pass for today.
This has happened once or twice since I started doing squats and deadlifts during the same session. When I go to bed, it feels like my CNS is still fired off and just won't calm down. I can't remain in a given position without feeling like I'm boiling against the sheets, I keep tossing and turning to cool down, and eventually the vicious cycle of insomnia takes over as I realize how late it's getting and how little sleep I'm gonna get. I'll have to search this phenomenon on the forums to find out whether others have experienced this, and whether there is something I can do about it. Let's just say that it ain't ideal for the R part of the SRA cycle.
On this note, I'm going back to bed. Hopefully I can get a few hours of sleep.
-
07-04-2022, 02:00 PM
#345
depth looks fine, and the deads were great
how much time elapses between your workout and bedtime? I can definitely see that if they're within an hour or two of each other your body could still be fired up, especially with the max efforts you've been putting out of late.
The maple syrup makes me laugh...on my Friday workouts, which are in the morning starting around 7:30, I consume a lot of coffee
-
07-04-2022, 03:43 PM
#346
Thanks, Mr. Bingley! I started training at 1435 and was in the bath tub by 1600. I took my time during the workout, with 5 minutes between squat and deadlift sets. Using the 2 gyms also makes the transition between lifts a bit longer.
I went to bed between 2300 and midnight, which is not particularly late for me. On a normal day I am a world-class sleeper: I fall asleep right away and it takes a lot to wake me up. As an alarm clock, I use the Alarmy app, which used to be called "Sleep if you can"... My husband describes it as "violent". If you were to ask him what's the worst thing about me, this app is probably the first thing he would bring up.
I was able to doze off for maybe an hour this morning. Not feeling great, but the fog is less thick. I searched the forum and this phenomenon doesn't appear to be unique to me on a particularly heavy day. Many recommend magnesium or ZMA. I have some but I'm not disciplined at all when it comes to taking supplements. I guess I'll have to get on top of that.
I really hope I can get some sleep tonight. I'm meeting my new boss tomorrow afternoon and I'd rather not come across as a bag of hammers!
Funny story: last year I sent a letter of introduction to my current (and soon-to-be ex) boss where I mentioned my strength training. In an attempt to be funny I wrote that I had recently bought my second set of 45-lb plates and that time would tell whether this was foresight or wishful thinking on my part. We now know the answer to that question.
Anyhow, when I met my current boss last July, he was extremely surprised by my size as he had pictured an Arnoldine joining his team. It's been a running gag ever since.
This year I had to update my letter of introduction but I'm curious to find out whether I will get the same kind of reaction from the new boss.
-
07-05-2022, 07:30 AM
#347
lol i bought my 4th set of 45lb-ers a couple months ago, I'm really hoping this time it will be foresight
hope Mr. Sandman works his magic on you
-
07-05-2022, 03:29 PM
#348
If anything that 4th set acts as a pretty tangible goal! We have 3 sets now but I keep thinking about getting another one to tickle my husband's ego. Extrinsic motivation works much better on him than it does on me.
I'm caught up on sleep, but I decided to delay today's session until tomorrow. I'm not feeling well recovered yet, and taking an extra day off never seems to hurt on this every-other-day schedule.
Not sure how I feel about the new boss yet, but I'll spend 6 hours in a car with him next week to visit one of our sub-units. That should be interesting.
-
07-05-2022, 04:23 PM
#349
Oh for sure. As I'm creeping up on 59 I know that realistically the window for me to pull 405 is closing as I'm no carson and I came to this game late, so I really need to bear down and get it done.
-
07-06-2022, 04:39 PM
#350
Quick update before my super hot husband is done cooking me a delicious meal. I'm starving!
Intensity press
97 X 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 1, 1, 1 (PR)
I'm surprised this went so well, all things considered. I'm still feeling off today. I suppose it's a combination of that insomnia event earlier this week, and of my being nervous about to the new job. When I'm stressed out I get random aches and pains like pinched nerves, muscles spasms, squeaky joints. I'm dealing with some of that this week.
Anyhow, I was not expecting to get a triple today and, to be honest, I wasn't even sure I could hit one single. Yet oddly enough, today's results are better than last week's:
- Last week: 5 X 2 and 5 X 1 at 96 (15 reps in 10 sets);
- Today: 6 X 2 and 3 X 1 at 97 (15 reps in 9 sets).
So I'm calling this a victory.
Volume bench
125 X 5
122.5 X 5
120 X 5
117.5 X 5
115 X 5
Those descending were fucking hard. Even the last set was a close call. Going down 4lbs per set seemed like a bit much last week, but 2.5 might not be quite enough. I think I'll try 3lbs next time.
Posting Permissions
- You may not post new threads
- You may not post replies
- You may not post attachments
- You may not edit your posts
-
Forum Rules