8/17
Belt squat +30x15,17,14
RDL 105x11,10,7
BSS +20x2x10
Standing ab wheel 2x6
Adductor stuff
My belt squat setup has been collecting dust for a long time. @throwawayfitness’s videos inspired me to give the belt squat another try today.
10 Likes
Oof, just scheduled my excision surgery that will take place much sooner than expected — September 10th (barring a friend can’t drive and pick me up because it’s at my surgeon’s other location further away from me). I didn’t expect to get in until October. It’s actually kind of terrifying even if I am excited to have even just some of this horror removed from my body. But I guess the sooner I do it, the sooner I can recover and get back to lifting and fully enjoy the fall weather. Trying not to gaslight myself into thinking I don’t actually need this because my pelvis hasn’t been bothering me too much lately.
9 Likes
8/20
Five miles of walking/running.
Life really likes to test me right now. The next issue is, well, I haven’t moved yet. My best friend and I started moving some things yesterday and immediately looked at each other thinking the same thing: this is Not It.
It is mostly my fault. I viewed the apartment and signed a contract. My landlord has been very attentive and considerate of my needs and desires. But I swear all the problems in this place showed up yesterday when I saw the place unfurnished for the first time. I don’t know how the tenant tolerated the bathroom situation among other things. It really needed a renovation, like, 30 years ago. And the setup will make it hard for me to shower after an operation. It seemed uninhabitable.
So, over the past 30 hours I’ve been scrambling trying to figure out what I’m going to do, how I’m going to move to a different apartment by end of day Monday, how I’m going to break this lease.
Turns out the landlord and his maintenance guy tried to address several of my concerns while my friend went with me to tour a different apartment. Basically, it seems he is open to me changing my mind, but I get to take one last look tomorrow to see if the problems were resolved or not.
However, I am probably going to take an apartment in one of those fancy buildings that feels more like a hotel than a living complex if I can get approved and move in this weekend. I don’t have much choice besides luxury-style apartments because no other private landlords will allow short-term leases in my city. Unfortunately, I will save noticeably less money per month this way. Though I should get a raise in a couple months to help compensate.
And, of course, the gym situation. In the building’s gym there is actually a decent array of dumbbells, but besides that only one squat rack and barbell and a few machines. I am going to try to take some of my stuff with me to a first-floor unit. There is a small “patio” that would offer space for deadlifting. I’m not sure if I can (or even should) set up my squat stand in the apartment, especially because I’ll already have my bike and trainer there too.
There’s the end of my next rant. I’m sure there will be more…
8 Likes
8/21
Pull-ups 11,6,7,7
Push-ups 8,8,9,9
BSS BWx2x16, +20x12
Some 80# sandbag carries
Very little time again today
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8/23
Pull-ups 11,8
Deadlift 175x3x5
BB curl 35x19,16
Some BPA
Still frantically trying to find an apartment 
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Good luck, Bagsy! I hope it will give you as much relief as possible!
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Thank you, I appreciate that and hope so too.
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You will find the exact place you’re meant to be! Send hugs, prayers and awesome apartment finding vibes!
8/24
Felt bad for half the day but then managed to hop on the bike for an easy 36 km.
Thank you for your support 
9 Likes
8/25
Front squat 90x3x7, 60x12 (constant tension)
Press 55x3x8
Standing ab wheel 2x5
BPA 3x20
Lots of BW lunges and lateral raises
Some adductor stuff
7 Likes
Toured three overly fancy apartment complexes today and really liked two of them, which are less than a year old and thus have many units that haven’t been inhabited before. Both more or less the same monthly rent and would let me move in early next week. I’d feel very comfortable in both. I’ve spent several hours trying to decide where to apply and find myself flip-flopping back and forth…
First place: Super close to my favorite green space in the whole city, always dreamed of being by it. Very spacious unit on the first floor, meaning I could probably move my home gym into here (who needs furniture?). The apartment gym has only one squat rack anyway, so keeping my squat stands could be helpful. I don’t want to wreck the floor though. But there are some good cable machines, dumbbells up to 75 lb, and some other goodies that I would look forward to using in the communal gym. I miss DBs! Security deposit of $500 is waived for me too. Bad thing? It’s a food desert. Also far from a public transit station. I’d have to commute 2-3 miles by bike one way to a solid grocery store. I might really miss the convenience. I did buy panniers and a rack for my bike though, so I think I could stock up less frequently moving forward.
Second place: Only about 2/3 the size of the unit described above, also does not have a ground floor, so I wouldn’t feel good about lifting weights in there. I could get rid of my barbell and squat stands, though there is only one squat rack at the gym. Still has DBs up to 75 lb, but it is a bit more limiting in terms of other equipment here. Maybe I could just give up deadlifts and stick to RDLs, use the barbell at the gym and do only BW exercises in my apartment? There are more stores nearby, including one that’s practically attached to the complex. Also has easy access to metro station if I need one. Not particularly close but not particularly far from two big parks, though public transit can help.
Obviously the gym stuff plays a big role here. Honestly, a large part of me would love to get rid of my home gym stuff because, well, I’ll have to get rid of it at some point before I move abroad. Neither gym at these apartment complexes seems heavily trafficked, so I doubt I’d have to wait to use the rack. But I don’t want to regret that decision, and maybe it would be better to hang onto my squat stands. Not sure. I think I could just keep my barbell and bring it to the gym in either case, to be honest. Keep pull-up bar and dip bars in my apartment for convenience. Probably better that way.
Decisions, decisions…
9 Likes
My vote, if an Internet stranger only getting the"on paper" version counts for anything.
1 Like
8/26
Going out of town early tomorrow morning. I’m super excited to go to a show and then will be headed to a professional development conference that will be crucial for me. Returning on Sunday and almost certainly moving the next day unless life wants to throw another wrench in my plans. So far it seems like I’m managing to make it all work though.
Absolutely! I definitely appreciate people chiming in even if they aren’t familiar with my city, which I don’t think I’ve ever named anyway. I need to decide sometime today. The gym situation is so important but not something most of my friends can understand. I’m leaning toward the first option too. It is next to a major road that would be a no-go for my work commute despite what all the navigation apps tell me, but I think I can make the commute a bit longer albeit safer by taking some side streets instead.
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I wish you a good and safe time, and a move that is seamlessly smooth.
Cuz I know how those wrenches can start flying at crunch time!
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Typing this from a state I’ve never visited before and feeling huge relief:
So, I changed my mind last minute on Tuesday evening after my friend and I drove over to the desired property. I realized that my bike commute to pretty much anywhere would be very dangerous for the first 800m or so. Sucks because after that it becomes very bikeable, but given how far I would be from many conveniences, I am not interested in risking my life by bike most days. In the end I made the more rational decision and think it will be better to have more options and be closer to things I need. I applied for the second place.
Today, I was approved for the apartment and will move on Monday. I think I will be the first person to live in it. 
I’ll have to figure out the lifting situation. I think it will be okay. I’m looking into buying a free-standing pull-up bar for my apartment too while starting to get rid of some things I don’t need like my SSB, bench, and plates. The gym is still pretty well equipped, and I’m glad I’ll be able to use DBs again!
Overall, I’m just so glad something worked out. It will be tough for me to save money for the first couple months, but it will be okay afterwards. I’ve never lived in a luxury apartment complex before, so it will be a big change for me. It’s weird to think that a disease is what drove this decision. Even if the mold in my current place didn’t contribute to my endometriosis, I will at least feel more comfortable physically and mentally in the new place. And I am so looking forward to having an in-unit washer and dryer…
12 Likes
Adjustable KBs and a power tower might be useful if you’re looking for a home gym option and you have the cash.
I really really like my REP fitness adjustable KB. It is a shame they don’t make one that goes from 24kg-32kg
Bought this power tower when I married and I like it well enough-
Thanks for chiming in! I’ve been training in my home gym for the past five years. I already have an adjustable KB from Titan (not a huge fan of the build but gets the job done) and adjustable dip bars. I’m generally not a fan of power towers because they’re too tall and/or the dip handles are waaaay too wide for me. I don’t want to use my door-mounted pull-up bar anymore, so that’s why I’m looking for a free-standing one (bonus points if it’s stable enough for me to attach rings).
I’ve looked at something like this, but I read it’s not ideal for those with small hands. And I have really, really small hands.
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Trip went well, but I just tested positive for COVID. At this point all I can do is laugh…
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not hitting like.
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