Some pretty deep musings
I’ve been told, my friend 
But, a little random brain wrangling here and there can be useful. I’m perpetually curious about all of it. Everything.
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I don’t doubt that, I’ve had some good eureka moments sweating my ass off between a set of squats.
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2/7: Something old but something new.
24 hours into an unintentional fast. Saw my doc at 1130 so I presumptively fasted. He wanted me to wait so I blasted back to my clinic to dive back into work.
Ran across an older podcast with Pavel Tsatsouline talking about strength-endurance. Say what you will about the science. I don’t care.
The idea of methodical steady state resistance training got me going. 48 hours prior I was on a protein sparing modified fast. HIIT would probably red line my cortisol then I’d be a frazzled mess for the evening. And I want my lady and I to enjoy some down time.
Here it is:
*15 minutes on the clock
*Linear sets of: 80 lb farmer walks, dips, Bulgarian squats, pull-ups, and calf raises then start over.
THE MOST IMPORTANT PART
-All reps done in a smooth manner. Equal speed on both portions integrated with long stretches or long holds as I saw fit.
-Farmer’s were only weighted movement. I can walk forever with 80 lbs/hand. My steps were slow, methodical. The Sasquatch walk. This made me focus on all the muscles, breathing through the nose, chest up. There’s a time and a place for loading up bodyweight per hand and going for a headlong controlled dash. Not today.
-LASTLY: stop well short of the “burn” AND don’t let your breathing and heart rate up enough to make you open your mouth.
“The Talk Test” applies. Walk around, calm down if needed. This isn’t a blast it’s a cruise.
This was the most cathartic thing I’ve done in a long while. Win-win.
I wrapped it up with a 60 gram protein drink with added collagen and creatine.
Sitting with my lady watching Invincible season 3 together. And she loves it. We’re middle age adults and still enjoy just doing this together like we did together in our…more spicy days in our 20-30’s.
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2/8: Push
Leg extensions: 70x8, 50x10
*STRONG contraction at the top, controlling eccentric. Slight incline on the bench and folded blanket under my upper leg. Helps the stretch on the rectus.
Kneeling cable cuff Lateral raise: 15x11 to myo-match
*These are money. You engage the delts well, control the eccentric, little hip shift laterally to emphasize the stretch. Ahhhh!
Low incline DB press: 80x5, 60x5
*Feeling fatigued. 2nd session in…over a decade using dumbells for presses so just the novelty compensates for total weight. I cut these well short of failure to feel out weights.
PJR triceps: 80x8, 60x10
*Another money movement. Love that stretch.
Bulgarians (+1 heel wedge): 50x5, 60x5, 70x5
*Just feeling out the knees. Powerful, smooth reps, no failure.
OVERALL:
Felt good. Top end sets tapped me out a bit indicating I’m due for a couple days of kcal maintenance level for system recovery.
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2/9: The Extra Stuff
Similar strength-endurance, Peripheral Heart Action, Steady State, whatever training.
Rounds of:
80 lb farmer walks
Pull up
Bulgarian squats
Dips
Windmills (16 kg)
*Bodyweight calf raises between every movement to keep the blood flowing to that end
*Breath/heart rate slightly up the whole time but don’t get it up too high.
This is more mobility/resiliency work I regret "forgetting ". Once the serious home improvement starts up this spring, I’ll have all the GPP work I need.
For now, this serves so many useful purposes, call it mandatory.
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2/10: Pull
Seated cable row: 150x6, 130x10
Lying cable curl: 50x5, 40x8
Incline DB curl: 20x8 (alternating), 15x10 (simultaneous).
*Burn, baby, burn!
Prone incline DB Y-raise: 5xsome repsx3 sets.
*We found a weakness! These will be in the rotation for awhile.
Deadstop stiff-legged deadlift from mid-shin: 275x3, 315x3
*Easy peasy. Just wanted to feel some weight. Not heavy, not failure.
Hamstring curl: 20x some reps
Solid session. Not great, not sadness. Call it middle of the road.
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2/12: Push
Leg extension (cranky, cold knees): 60x15-6-3 (rest-pause)
*Phenomenal pump. Knees 100% better after.
Cable upright row: 35x10xmyo-match
*These were just money. Side+rear delt, traps all blows up.
Incline lateral raise (alternate prone/supine): 10 x needed a fire extinguisher reps x two sets.
*Paying homage to John Meadows and those short bottom partials once you’ve hit full ROM failures. Burn, baby, burn.
Rolling triceps extension: 35 x8; 30x12, x7
*Damn! Haven’t done these since my misguided "Westside " phase of powerlifting close to 20 years ago! These felt damn good.
Janiki flyes: 25xmeh, 30xok, 35xmoney shot
*Erik Janiki (sp?). Giant bodybuilder dude. Decline fly with an almost overhead reach at the bottom. There might be something to this. Little bit more elbow bend, big inhale at the bottom, stretchhhhhh, ahhhhh!
Holy shit this ended up as a pure bodybuilder session and I feel fantastic after barely dragging my ass downstairs an hour prior.
It’s a good place (for me) to see this type of session as pure gold.
Historically, it was “grind them weights or GTFO!” then feel like a bag of broken dicks for days after.
Instead, I feel like a pumped up primate an hour after. Ready to rock n roll. Or eat homemade meatloaf.
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2/13: Let’s just call it “Peripheral Heart Action” x15 minutes
Rounds of same stuff. My lady joined me this time. She found it therapeutic. A good break from both the HIIT stuff and our main sessions 3x/week. Gets heart rate up a bit, stretches some stuff out.
Better than taking turns on the walking pad or risking frostbite.
Really "leaning " (ha) into the cyclic protein sparing modified fast. Slowly but surely shedding some fat I’d convinced myself I didn’t have.
Almost zero loss in strength on core movements. THAT is my mark to put some maintenance days in or just not go so steep on the “on” days. Meh.
I can push hard for a loooong time but I’m not risking as much muscle loss at this point.
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2/14: Biceps/Forearms. Only😳
Competition-style BB curls: 65x6+3 (slight cheat, slow eccentric), 55x8+2
Incline DB curl: 20x8, 15x8x2 (reps/sets)
Standing forearm curl: 105xrepsx2
Haven’t done something like this since my mid-teens. Since I’m not chasing competition lifts anymore, I’m amusing myself with THE most neglected part of my body other than calves.
I haven’t and still don’t, care about my biceps appearance. But who doesn’t mind some extra arm strength and mass? I’ve found it plenty useful.
Both of aforementioned muscle groups don’t have a good mind-muscle connection hence even my hardest sets really aren’t tapping them out.
The solution: frequency. I’ve been finding biceps are good to go at the 72 hour mark or sooner so I’ll take advantage of a now well equipped home gym. I’ll train them whenever they feel recovered.
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2/15: Pull
High to low cable row: 45x10, 35x15+loaded stretch
*Thank you, Eric Janicki (got the spelling right) for execution on this exercise. Hit the spot
Seated cable face pull (wide bar): 35xmyo-many
*Go until cramps
Hamstring curl: x2 sets of failure with plantar flexion then failure dorsiflexed.
*Petfect. Pumpalicious.
Addeded cable laterals: 15xmyo-match
M’lady has a URI so she’s in bed. Probably something I brought home from the clinics.
I’m not feeling super froggy either and very low back area is pissed off from scrunched over house projects so its “go for the pump” again. I enjoy this.
Plus, it gives my wife a chance to rest. I’m like a work dog so I’m always crashing around the house doing projects.
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2/17: Push
45 degree incline DB: 70x8@8 RPE, 60x8
Single keg extension (alt leg/set): 25x20-10-5
Chest dips: 70x6, 50x6
*Haven’t been dipping enough. PR was 150x4…but I was also a shredded 155 lbs.
Chaos behind the neck snatch grip press (I prefer Oingy-poingy presses): 65xmyo-many
*This is what built my delts. Never saw benefit going over 135 lbs. This was more of a stretch/pump. If I don’t do them for awhile, first time back is more mobility work. Ugh.
PJR: 80x8, 70x8
*Did I mention I love these? That stretch+pump😙
Gotta get upstairs. The lady is still sick. Quick and dirty session.
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2/18: Extra stuff
Wife thinks she has the flu. Pfft. I bathe in virus daily. Quick workout while she’s zonked.
Standing cable curl: 50x10-4-2; rest-pause
Incline curl: 25x7, 20x10
Rounds of: Farmer walks, KB presses, and swings. 60lbs, 35 lbs, 53 lbs; respectively.
Only to see how fat I look on camera. Meh. My skin is so goddamn thick I have to get to like 10% to see definition. Verified very thick skin by multiple surgeons including one I dated. That’s my line and I’m sticking to it.
My only reason to trim up is health. BP climbs no matter what the weight is. Genetics. They’ll get you.
Plus, after reading recommendations from others on this site, being on even TRT is no bueno if BF >20%. I’m a 2% below that now if our InBody can be trusted. I can’t find the report but who cares.
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2/19: Pull
J-row, seated: 80x10-4-2
Face pull, seated: 40xmyo-many
Hamstring curl: 25xrest-pause
*who counts? Every. Single. Time I do these my hamstrings feel better. Same with knees and extensions.
Calf raise: 70(vest)xmyo-match the shit out of 'em.
Quick and pumpy. Need to get household stuff done and get dinner going. Wife still sick.
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2/20: Extra stuff
Casual rounds of: Pull-up, Farmer’s, Dips, KB swings. Calf raises between each exercise.
Light on the effort. Just getting blood moving.
Got a new barrel for a rifle and a buddy was texting with firearm questions during the session AND the door way chin up bar is in the door way of the room…where I work on said firearms.
181 lbs that morning. I look significantly leaner than the picture I took a day later (when I’m actually posting). Fluids, bloat, etc. Funny. I just want to hit <15% which is close.
Can’t turn 44 (June) and be poofy.
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2/22: Push
Cable upright row: 40x13xmyo-match
*This was money. I bow slightly back and up like the top of a snatch. Contract hard up and back, controlled stretch on the way down
PJR: 80X11-4-2 (rest-pause)
*Dang! Just bought this pair of Nuobell 80-lbers a month ago. I love this movement so much I just get hard thinking about it😁
Janicki decline fly: 30x6, 25x8
Leg extension: 50x15xfailure
Edit: oops)
Slight incline hammer curl: 25x6, 20x8
*Money. I don’t care what Dr. Mike says.
Note:
Had a HIDA scan Friday so just did a fast from dinner to dinner (procedure was 1300 yesterday). Feeling a bit off today. Cumulative stress (work+training +kcal deficit) likely it.
Fine. Good session. Move on.
My abdominal fat just seemed to reduce by half over the week (appearance wise). I deal with some bloat hence the gallbladder work up (I requested).
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2/24: Pull
Single arm high->low cable row: 50x10, 40x15
Weird face pull variant plus regular face pull: 2 sets. Weight/reps irrelevant at this point
*These are a keeper variant
Drag curls: 65x8-5-2
Incline dumbell curls: 2 sets, descending weight.
Hamstring curl: 25xbuncha reps, lengthened partials, etc
*The goal was: PUMP so I could follow with…
Dumbell stiff leg deadlifts: pair o’ 80lbers x15
*Had to just stop at 15. Not passing out (my blood pressure improved rapidly with weight loss recently) was the barrier not muscle fatigue.
Good enough. The Werewolf approves
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2/26: Push
*Absolutely nothing in me today. Could be the past few days of poor sleep, definitely challenging clinic schedule, dipping back into PSMF, and, ultimately, I’m one of few co-workers that haven’t been out sick.
My wife had a sinusitis thing all last week, my kid got sick…last man standing.
Barbell 30-degree incline press: 185x5, 165x6 (2 second pause at clavicle/rep, no lockout)
*Cycling these back in after about a month so strength is temporarily down PLUS having no gas today.
These just do what I want and feel like I want them to feel. I realized my dislike for dumbell presses is not new: it’s why I never did them much. Flat is ok. Inclines irritate my anterior shoulder no matter how I position them.
For me, barbell presses, incline in particular, just hits that spot.
Dumbell upright row/high pull hybrid: dropsets from 25->15x2 rounds
*Just a light pump.
I am DONE. For the night.
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3/1: Pull
It’s official: my body must be fighting something. Tired, achy as fuck, etc.
Cable drag-ish curls: 50x6, 40x8
Incline DB curl: 30x6, 20x8
DB row: 80x6, 70x7
Hamstring curls: 30x myo reps
Calves: 70xmyo reps
Just dragging ass. Strength is meh. No matter. This to shall pass.
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3/3: Push
*Still feel like my body is dealing with something but not overall “sick”.
Kneeling cable lateral: 15xrest-pause, 20xreps
Muscle snatch: barxmany, 55xa bunch, 65xenough
*Shades of my Olympic lifting days and why haven’t I been doing this more? Delts and upper back lit up.
Seated barbell tricep overhead ext:65xrest pause
Leg extensions: work in sets of 10 then 70x10 to rest pause
Dumbell bench press: 70x5, 60x7
*Just did these hyper strict and slow to see if I even want these in the rotation
Seated incline hammer curls: 30xcan’t remember, 20xthe same
Overall:
Decent session but still not 100%. My wife keeps saying, “everyone around you has been sick. You HAVE to be fighting something!”. Ok. Yeah. Moving on.
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