Oh he looks like pure trouble. And by trouble I mean that he’ll steal your heart and chew your socks and beg for food and lick your face. SO CUTE.
Lower Body
Hip Thrust: 3 x 10 full ROM, then 5 partial pulses at the top
Did these before my training buddy got to the gym.
Front Squats: 4 x 5-8 controlled
My buddy did back squats and I’m glad I switched to the front racked position. This was completely fine for my shoulder.
Modified Sumo Deadlift: 4 x 8-ish
It’s surprising how little this lift is discussed as a butt builder, but my glutes were definitely feeling this.
Leg Extension: 3 x 10-12
Ham Curl on Stability Ball: 3 x 10-12
Other Stuff
Weekend walkies involved a luscious city garden, a big stream, and some smiley-faced dogs.
Grip Chat
What grip do you use when deadlifting?
Today I taught my friend how to use a hook grip. We go thumbless on certain exercises, like the lat pulldown, so naturally he did the same thing with his hands today. And that’s when I taught him the hook grip.
But I saw Eddie Hall deadlift a million pounds with a thumbless grip… but he was wearing straps.
So is a thumbless deadlift a thing people commonly do?
Only time I use a thumbless grip is for rows with straps
I use hook grip if I’m pulling heavy singles. Mixed Grip if it’s rep work. Hook grip is the most technically efficient imo
That’s really good to know. Thank you! I used to love a mixed grip too, and will have to show him how to do it next time. It probably can’t be part of my routine anymore given my shoulder/scap weirdness.
It seems like a disadvantage to remove the thumb, but after doing a quick social media search, I’m seeing that some people do do it. So I feel dumb for correcting him on something valid.
Maybe I’ll approach it like, “this is how I was taught and how most trainers coach it, but what you did is a thing strong people use too.”
mix grip because my hands are too small for hook grip
I also don’t deadlift enough for it to be a risk to my biceps or do enough reps for asymmetries to cause much issue
That’s a smart solution. Do you ever use a women’s barbell? They feel great.
That makes perfect sense. A mixed grip really does feel good when it’s not overdone.
Over/Under
I’ve never had access to one. Would be interesting to try at some point though
I do hook grip with thumb. Not because I’m super strong though, but because its easier. Or, feels easier to me. Ive used straps a few times and really liked not focusing on grip, so thats a good compromise for me, cuz I can’t bring myself to buy or use straps regularly or for max/near max.
Generally mixed grip, alternating sides.
If using straps, I have used both with and without thumbs. Don’t think it matters much.
I think you’d love it. It’s just slightly narrower so it feels better in your hands.
Only problem is, it’s a bit lighter, so you have to remember to factor that into the plate math.
Same for me on all counts.
I like that strategy.
Good to know! Thanks for chiming in.
A mixed grip is pretty darn common I’m learning. Thanks!
Chest and Arms
Dips: 4 x Failure
I hit these before my training bud got there. It’s weird though because for the first set, I barely eked out 5 reps, second set I was able to do 7, and on the third I felt like a machine and hit 10 reps that lit up the pecs like nothing else. Then on the fourth I dropped back down to 5.
Push-Up Warm-Up
I just taught my training partner how to do hand-release push-ups. So we worked on those.
Incline Dumbbell Bench: 4 x 8-12
We worked up to 40s. These surprisingly don’t irritate my scap/shoulder problem as long as I don’t do a deep stretch at the bottom.
Machine Chest Press: 3 x 10
This machine’s strength curve is pretty weird. It feels crazy heavy for the first inch or two, and then crazy light through the end range.
Pec Deck: 3 x 6-8
This one was just for my bud. Flye-like movement patterns are NOT okay for my left shoulder.
EZ Bar Curl: 3x10
We kept bicep and tricep work to a minimum today.
Cable Rope Pulldown: 3x10
Other Stuff
I’ve been consistent with 5 grams for the last week. Some guy on YouTube did a video of taking something crazy, like 28 grams a day to see if it would help with alertness after missing sleep. He said it works.
Anyone using shilajit? Is shilajit legit?
Apparently it’s pronounced “she-la-gee” but I’d rather say it wrong and break out into an MC Hammer song.
“Those people live in a way that I do not prefer!”
I will eat extra protein on their behalf… partially in the form of these apple jacked muffins:
where is mine? They look scrumptious
I sent it to you a while back but Orin ate it on your behalf.
He does like to eat everything he can get his paws on
Stream of Consciousness
Today was an off-day-walk-day type thing. But my brain is foggy from getting awoken by a barfing dog at 2 am.
I’m becoming more and more addicted to improv these days. Our intermediate level performance is next Wednesday, and I’m so ready to take more classes and get better. I honestly don’t even care that much about performing; it’s the classes that feel like an injection of happiness straight into the veins.
Hot take: The joy of learning new skills beats showing off the outcome of those skills. It kinda reminds me of lifting in a way. If you fall in love with the process more than the goal, you’ll end up more consistent and motivated to improve, which will give you a better outcome in the end.
People who get obsessed with achieving a certain outcome often quit too early because they didn’t learn to love DOING the things that lead to that outcome.
I think maybe that’s why I kinda petered out with shooting. I was enjoying the practice of doing it with my gal pals during the women’s classes, but then getting into the competition side of it made it a little less fun because it felt like there was no way to beat those guys. When you compete you’re focused on an outcome. And no matter how much I was improving, it was like nothing compared to the men who fell in love with the process, and as a result, spent all their free time dry firing and working on skills.
But it’s easier to fall in love with a process when you’re making obvious progress. And I hit a plateau with shooting. It didn’t feel like anything was changing. But with improv, the progress feels huge.
One thing I know for sure is that being dorky on stage is a lot cheaper than ammo. And you can use improv skills in everyday communication or just when walking into the kitchen trying to make your husband laugh at your retardedness.
Anywhoodle, I think I might try to get back into those women’s shooting classes. Those ladies were a lot of fun.