Nice work, Cav… I like the lift selection…hit the body and done!
Cav, do you use box squats as well?
Thanks, Goat, but ummm . . . it was a 2 hr workout.
Kairiki, I noticed you also asked the Goat about box squats. Favoring those, are we? Anyway, I have used box squats, primarily to check depth. Deep in the ancient ruins of this log, the story went like this:
- thought I knew squat about squat
- posted vids proving I was actually squatting sky high (somewhere around Mar or Apr this year)
- hauled out the broomstick, got a box and started relearning the squat
- by today made it back up to ~200 lbs squat decent depth
OK, so . . . how often do we get to tell the gym owner we broke a machine?
Wanted to give sumo deads a try, was curious if it would get my long legs out of the way. Didn’t exactly accomplish that, but still had a roaring workout . . .
15 x 5
185 x 5 . x 5 . x 10 wanted to see if I could get a bit of toughness of last week’s challenge
215 x 6
235 x 4
255 x 3 . x 3
weren’t as easy as hoped, and hands kept grinding across thighs, but still got in the spirit and gave it some oomph.
Wanted to do OH presses, but back was aching, so decided to try something a little easier:
Cable tri pressdowns
70 x 15
90 x 13
110 x 9
felling strong . . .
130 x 5 . BAM!! CABLE BROKE!!!
there I am, holding the rope piece and watching pieces roll across the floor. Owner thinks he can fix it. Decided to try something not easy to break.
Arm curls
55 x 15
75 x 7
80 x 5 . x 5 . x 5 . x 5
Feeling strong.
Oh yes, one of the staffing recruiters is getting me an interview with a contract-to-hire gig. She’s really sure she can get me in. Sounds really promising.
Hopefully good news, fingers crossed.
I’m telling,…Mom, Cav broke the machine!!! Nice session and best of luck on the job gig!!!
Sounds like things are going your way. A possible job. And strong enough to break the cables.
Trying out sumo! How fun is that! I’m really liking it. Of course, I do a modified sumo. Which is like the conventional puller’s sumo.
[quote]cavalier wrote:
Feeling strong.
[/quote]
This is what we like to hear!
Nurse, thanks.
Goat, it’s actually very satisfying to tear a steel machine apart in your bare hands. Oh, and Mom’s been dead 12 years - nyah, nyah!
Snap - OK, I’ll confess, I think the connection was just loose on the thing. Trying sumo because I have long legs and thought it might get them out of the way. Didn’t quite work that way, still a lot of effort and my hands ground against thighs, quite distracting. Didn’t get legs too far apart, didn’t seem strong enough. If you have any tips, I’m listening.
Kent, thanks for dropping by and giving an ego massage.
About the job. The recruiter is really enthusiastic and apparently pushing to get me in. It’s contract-to-hire - contract means fairly easy to get in, to-hire means go permanent. Cons: it’s in a part of the country which takes me further away from relatives and not where I wanted to go. Also, it requires Java programming, which I’m weak on and lost several jobs which required it.
Oh, shit - it’s snowing. I really wanted to move cross country before that started.
Depression coming back and fighting it.
Bench
95 x 8
115 x 6
135 x 6
155 x 2 . x 2
another guy suddenly came over and spotted me on this, guess I looked really bad. It feels so heavy. How is it possible to spend a quarter century working bench and still not get past the mid 100s?
135 x 6 . x 6 . x 6 . x 5 . x 6
Squat
115 x 7
135 x 6
185 x 5 . x 4 . x 4 . x 4 . x 4
OH press
55 x 15
75 x 10
85 x 8
95 x 6
105 x 2 . x 3
DB flies
15 x 12
25 x 10
30 x 8 . x 8 . x 8
Solid work. Keep up the training.
Could you pick up Java enough to get the job? Keep up your spirits. Moving away from where you want to be isn’t the end of the world.
james
Keep it up Cav…those GMs are looking good! Stop breaking shit you manimal!
[quote]cavalier wrote:
Snap - OK, I’ll confess, I think the connection was just loose on the thing. Trying sumo because I have long legs and thought it might get them out of the way. Didn’t quite work that way, still a lot of effort and my hands ground against thighs, quite distracting. Didn’t get legs too far apart, didn’t seem strong enough. If you have any tips, I’m listening.
[/quote]
I believe this is a supremely technical lift. I must admit that I bailed on the wide stance pretty early on because . . . I’m not the most patient person with myself. If you have the time and the patience, take the weight WAY down and try to stand wide and strengthen the hips. The modified sumo I’m using now is working pretty well for me.
James, thanks. Of course I can pick up Java - I have written Java code, just not enterprise level - but that’s not the problem. It’s convincing people to hire me, and they seem to want the absolutely perfect experience already. The few jobs where they’ll let me come up to speed are so shitty you couldn’t believe it.
Matty, don’t know if my GMs are “good” - beginner’s level, at best - but they do seem a solid exercise, want to keep doing them. If I ever get as strong as you, will really worry about breaking stuff!
Snap, that’s interesting. Would make me unhappy to take the weight down, I fight to get it up, but I can see where that would be necessary.
Maybe I should be asking: is it a good idea to do sumo if you have long legs?
About the job - I found out it doesn’t really require Java. Maybe a familiarity. Anyway, phone interview today. I prepared, got ready, resume by phone, held breath, and then SUDDENLY . . . nothing happened. They didn’t call.
Recruiter tells me something came up and client rescheduled for Thursday. Grrr, grrr, grrr.
So I’m late getting to the gym, and yep, it’s packed.
Squats
115 x 6
135 x 5
155 x 4
185 x 4 . x 4 . x 4 . x 4 . x 4
Being patient, realize I won’t zoom up weight, work on form. Seems a tad easier. Still a little twisting of upper body when starting up, bet it’s the scoliosis doing that.
Bench
95 x 6
115 x 5
135 x 4 . x 4 . x 4 . x 4
140 x 3 . x 3
trying to concentrate on form, pull shoulder blades, arch back, pull bar apart, etc. Trying to pause on chest. The weight may be eh, but I’m getting better form than the other guys.
135 x 4
115 x 10
this last set was awesome, perfect pauses on chest, control up and down.
Really trying to hold control on bar, smooth down and smooth up. I think that’s the real measure of strength.
Standing Tri Cable Extension
50 x 10
70 x 10
90 x 9
100 x 4 . x 4 . x 4 . x 4 . x 4
Wanted to do some GMs, but someone in the power rack. I really can’t wait to move and try another gym.
Sumo’s are hard for a couple of weeks until those groin and ass muscles adapt. If you keep at them, they’ll get easier off the floor (though not enough to ever make you enjoy them) and make your squats go up.
Interesting, Albino. Earlier this year I had to go through squat rehab and learn how to squat low. In addition to regular deads, I tried some exaggerated sumo deads, very low weight, specifically to work my squat in the low position. Seemed to work.
[quote]OldGoat wrote:
Watched your challenge vid…great effort Cav…[/quote]
I would like to wacth this! Where can I find it? thanx 
& Good luck with the job hunt
OK, but I hope you have a strong stomach . . .
Had 2 job interviews today, one in person, one phone. Won’t find out anything until next week.
Sumo DL
god, this is so hard, can this possibly have any advantage over regular?
95 x 10
135 x 8
185 x 5 . x 5 . x 10
205 x 5 . x 5 . x 7
Dip - so very hard, must concentrate to get up
x 6 . x 6 . x 6
Arm curl
55 x 12
75 x 8
85 x 4 . x 4 . x 4 . x 4
OH press
45 x 10
65 x 10
75 x 8
95 x 4
105 x 1 FAILURE
75 x 12
making awful faces, shaking, grinding the weight up, it just isn’t possible anyone can lift more than this
wanted to do one of the very few exercises I seem any good at
Ab pulldowns
80 x 12
130 x 10
190 x 6 . that’s the whole weightstack.