Have been out of the gym and resting for the past week. Only needed the pain pills for a couple days. Still got some aches there, iced, massaged, rested. Been eating lots of veggies - school buffet makes some dynamite veggie soup, pigged out on that.
Also been fighting a cold for couple of weeks. The very first symptoms: dry throat. Taking it easy, resting, eating as good as possible.
Fighting stress. Still no classes signed up for summer - will I have a job at all? Classes getting assigned, I haven’t been asked. Car needs fixing. Bank account still anemic.
Starting sleeping better. Seriously. Workouts are so goddamn stressful I never sleep well. Takes a few days of no workouts before I can sleep the night through. How on earth can anyone sleep well after hitting the weights? I don’t get it.
Actually feeling pretty good today. Plan on hitting the gym later this week.
Get well soon. Congrats on the pain pills. Hope they gave you something good. Last time I got some it was tramadol or something. Wasnt even a controlled substance.
It’s a controlled drug. Forget the generic name, they just print the 30 syllable thing on the label. Doesn’t really make me drowsy, just calm some so I can sleep well. Wears off after 6 hours.
I’m also checking on how I’m recovering from the workouts. Really getting convinced I’m super sensitive to workouts and overtrain incredibly fast. Seriously, I’ve thrown my system out of whack just taking a good brisk walk.
OK. It’s been two weeks. I’ve rested, rested, rested. Got good nutrition. Appetite dropped after a few days, that’s normal. Lots of sleep. Iced the bad area (didn’t seem to do much good), stayed off it when sleeping, took pain pills. Stopped the pills after a few days, got better. Now feel fine, no more pain. Feeling really refreshed. Here we go.
Squats
95 x 8
135 x 6
155 x 4
185 x 2 enh, didn’t get low enough to make me happy
185 x 2 that’s better - had to concentrate on staying tight, hold breath, push knees apart.
Felt good. May have built a tad of strength.
Weird. Two guys next to me, also squatting. Using exactly same weights as me. But they were wearing belts and not going as low. Were they straining? Really? And they weren’t skinny, either. Helped my confidence.
Cybex leg curl
70 x 12
70 x 12
felt good.
This is promising. Will see if I can keep from stressing out and overtraining.
[quote]cavalier wrote:
Hmm . . . that might explain why that one lady student has been so VERY attentive during my lectures . . .[/quote]
You know the rule, right?
Your age, divided by two, plus seven. No younger than that.[/quote]
You round down when your age is an odd number, right?
[quote]cavalier wrote:
Weird. Two guys next to me, also squatting. Using exactly same weights as me. But they were wearing belts and not going as low. Were they straining? Really? And they weren’t skinny, either. Helped my confidence.
[/quote]
[quote]cavalier wrote:
Hmm . . . that might explain why that one lady student has been so VERY attentive during my lectures . . .[/quote]
You know the rule, right?
Your age, divided by two, plus seven. No younger than that.[/quote]
You round down when your age is an odd number, right?
Just checking.
[/quote]
Like the geezer who was introduced to the lady as “He’s in his 90’s”, and he said “EARLY 90’s!”
[quote]cavalier wrote:
Hmm . . . that might explain why that one lady student has been so VERY attentive during my lectures . . .[/quote]
You know the rule, right?
Your age, divided by two, plus seven. No younger than that.[/quote]
You round down when your age is an odd number, right?
Just checking.
[/quote]
Like the geezer who was introduced to the lady as “He’s in his 90’s”, and he said “EARLY 90’s!”
[/quote]
Saturday, after the first workout in 2 weeks, I felt great. Dynamite. Like I could lift a house.
Today, after Sundays’s workout, the pits. Bleah. Sleep was OK, but not as good as it should have been. Does look like I overdid it Sun. Never should have done those bar rows, should have just done a set or two of arm curls.
Will wait for a few days until recover, then deadlifts.
Cav- ever think about 2 days week lifting? I did a Dan John program that was structured that way and although I wanted to be in the gym more the program worked and I felt great all the time…
Shouldn’t have gone to the gym today. Thought I was rested. But had some strange anxiety all day. The apartment had pest control come be, so I had to drag out everything from the bottom cabinets. Hate it.
First clue things were wrong was when I picked up a 45 lb plate, and it felt like a pickup truck. What?? Don’t let it bother me . . .
Deadlift
135 x 8 heavy - come one, keep a good attitude
185 x 6 better
235 x 2 - DAMN. Was shooting for 4 reps, but conked out on the third. OK. Rest. Rest. I know I’m gonna tear this off the floor.
235 x ZERO like pulling a giant sequoia - WHAT HAPPENED???
Fuck it. Four years ago I pulled 275 in a meet, which is pitiful for a guy my size. Last year did a rack pull of 315. Why is it my lifts simply DO NOT RISE???
Did a couple sets of pulldown crunches. Went home and sulked. Do you suppose all the work I did for the pest control people wore me out? Is that even possible? What’s going on???
[quote]cavalier wrote:
Why is it my lifts simply DO NOT RISE???[/quote]
The eternal question:) I struggle with many of the same issues as you. I am somewhat physically fragile, injure easily, lose strength fast. But I just try to focus on the journey. I really, really love lifting even if it’s just the bare bar. Do you feel this way?
Snap, you’re small so your relative strength is good. But I seem not to be making a journey at all, just running in place. I constantly visualize going to the gym and hoisting huge weights over and over, it’s so wonderful. Then I go, and the painful reality sets in.
Last night was so stressed I could hardly sleep. Slept for about an hour or 2, woke up and tossed and turned for hours. Finally dozed off as the sun was rising. Woke up and felt great. Going to wait until I sleep through the night - however long that takes - then go back to the gym.
Slept well last night, all the way through without waking. Guess I’m recovered, so back to the gym.
Squat
75 x 10
105 x 8
135 x 6 all of these easy, perfect form
155 x 4 hmm, a couple had me bending forward a mite - need to concentrate, but got them done.
Cybex Leg Curl
75 x 10
75 x 8 worked on squeezing at top
For the past couple of years, have been trying to build hand and finger strength by leaning on a table with finger tips only. Repeat every week or two. Lately seems to have made some progress, so couple of days ago took the big jump. Down floor, assume pushup position, but with fingers only, not palms. What do you know, could actually maintain it for a moment, even do very short pushup to floor. Did 3 times and fingers felt fine. Yay me. Maybe someday I can get to the point where other guys won’t break my bones when we shake hands.
Bench day. Will increase reps a bit.
45 x 12
75 x 8
95 x 8 easy, just pumping up and down, not even stopping
125 x 4 whoa!! felt like a baby grand piano. Wanted to do 8, but barely 4.
What could it mean? It’s happened before - everything’s fine, increase weight just a little, then BAM. Must be pain tolerance - I’m not breaking anything, must be sensitive to the effort. Concentrate. Tighten everything.
125 x 6 better, a little easier. One more.
125 x 7 oh wow. So very, very close to failure. Took all my willpower, straining, but did it.
Bar curl
50 x 10
50 x 12 same thing, concentrate and second set a bit easier.
Finally realized how dumb I was last workout. No need for high reps, 5 would have done fine.
Was a teensy bit sore from the bench, barely anything. Been 9 days since deadlift last, feel good, want to see how it goes . . .
Deadlift
95 x 10
135 x 6
155 x 3
185 x 5
195 x 5
205 x 5
very, very good on all sets! Tempted to increase weight, but getting dangerously close to the point where I crapped out last time, would rather leave something in the tank.
Cybex ab crunch
110 x 8
110 x 8
110 x 8
first two easy, last one tough. No matter, it’s still good.
That was yesterday. Last night didn’t sleep any more than usual, but felt a lot better than most nights. Today feeling nice and pumped. This new routine is very promising.
