Thursday, November 6, 2025
2-mile walk with 24# vest
Friday, November 7, 2025
Warmup: 10 minutes Octane Recumbent Elliptical
Cable Lat Pullover
55 x 12
67.5 x 10
82.5 x 10
Close grip (V handle) Pulldowns
115 x 12
175 x 8
DB Rows
80#s x 12 ea
95#s x 14 ea
Chest Supported T-Bar Row
115 x 10
140 x 8 - a little tuckered out by this time
Deadlifts TM 330 week 1 (Off 3" Blocks - technically 35# bumpers)
135x5
185x5
235x5
285x3
This whole sequence was a heaping pile of shit. Stabbing pain at the top of my butt. I presume this to be a new revelation of sciatica - just in a new location.
Can’t win them all. Gym was crowded as hell with the phone zombies.
1.25-mile pre-sunrise walk
1±mile lunchtime walk
30 minutes stationary bike
Tuesday, November 11, 2025
Warmup with Octane Recumbent Elliptical - 10 minutes
Leg Extension
95x12
140x12
190 x 12
Squat TM 300 week 2
Barx10, 140x5, 190x3,
210 x 3
240 x 3
270 x 2 - 3rd I hit the angled rack on the way up. Photo of aftermath forthcoming.
HS Leg Press (selectorized)
130x12, 190x12
250 x 12
290 x 10
Lying Leg Curlz
90x12, 130x12
155 x 7
BB SLDLs
185 x 10
245 x 10
Standing Calf Raises
270 x 13
340 x 8
Happy to finish out after the squat mishap. Things were already tough with tight hips, but hitting a rack pin on the ascent shook me up pretty bad. On top of that, the embarrassment of unloading 270 off the safeties like I failed an ego attempt was humbling. I have a nice 4 sq.-in bruise and lump to show for it.
Warmup on Octane Recumbent Elliptical - 10 minutes
More warmup with dead hangs and rotator cuffs with dumbbells
Bench Press TM 280 week 2
135x10, 165x5
195 x 3
225 x 3
250 x 10 - decent work
HS Incline Press (selectorized)
160 x 10
200 x 12 - or around there
Hoist Roc-It Pec Flye
60 x 12, 90 x 12
120 x 11
Freemotion Preacher Curlz
45 x 12 ea
70 x 10 ea
Bayesian Curlz on that same Freemotion Preacher Curl
40 x 13
EZ Bar Curlz
90# x 8
Another zoo day at the gym. Witnessed both extreme ends of gym behavior tonight. First the asshat that loaded the leg press with all it could hold, did half-a-dozen 4-inch reps then walked away leaving it loaded. Then when I got to the cable curl machine, there was a pretty jacked kid on it, facing the wrong way…
“What a tool…wait, what the fuck!!!” I had witnessed innovation; pure genius: Bayesian Curlz on a cable preacher curl.
Neck is still bruised and tender, but it didn’t seem to bug me today.
Straight arm cable Lat Pullover
60x12, 75x10
90 x 10
HS High Pulldown (supinated grip)
80/arm x 12
125/arm x 14
HS Low Row (neutral grip)
70/arm x 12
115/arm x 12
Chest Supported T-Bar Row
80 x 12
125 x 11
TBDLs
140x10, 190x5
225 x 3
265 x 3
295 x 2
Every last rep was a heaping pile of shit. Something in the chain ain’t firing. I know doing these at the end of the day isn’t the brightest idea, but these are really middling loads and shouldn’t feel so awful.
Warmup Octane Elliptical 10 minutes
Rotator Cuff work and hangs
Bench Press TM 280 week 3
Had to use Decline BB Bench because all the benches were taken by broccoli headed high school dorks.
135x10, 165x6, 195x5
225 x 3
265 x 6 - I was doing fine, but the leg holder slid, which means I slid, which caused me to hit the j-cups twice. Kinda fucked my set.
HS Incline Bench (plate loaded)
140x12
230 x 12 - finally a respectable grind
Hoist Roc-It Pec Flye
Pin 8 x 12
Pin 13 x 9
I like the rotating handles, but the resistance profile is strange.
Freemotion Cable Preacher Curlz
45 x 12 ea
70 x 10 ea
Bayesian Curlz
45 x 12
EZ Bar Curlz
80# x 12
Another stupid Friday night crowd forced me to consider the Decline Bench. Good enough for Dorian Yates, good enough for me, yeah? I think I got my bearings on it and was able to push similar weight to the flat, but sliding down and doinking the rack messed up what could’ve been a pretty decent workflow salvage job.
And if you’re one of those parents who drops off their kids on Friday night for the gym to babysit them - fuck you.
OH Press TM 180 week 3
Bar x 15, 95x7, 115x6
135 x 5
155 x 3
170 x 6 - tough set, held form, #6 was a grind
DB Lateral Raises
20s x 12
30s x 10
Cable Lateral Raises
30 x 10 ea
Plate Raise (junk to overhead) 35# x 20
Triceps Pushdowns
60 x 12, 90 x 12 - drew a lousy handle.
Some c*nts keep dragging the preferred handles off to some of the remote area cables (we have 4 cable complex locations)
Triceps Overhead Extensions (Cable)
67.5 x 8
Foggy walk home from gym (same route, under a mile)
My route home requires me to traverse a major intersection (10 lanes first, then 8) which would make walking at night way more perilous than I wish to encounter. Daytime (non-rush hour) is bad enough. The intersections along this path are also in the top 10 in our city for accidents and citations given.
So, for three days I was unable to turn or tilt my head due to a stiff neck.
Took Tuesday off work, but it didn’t really get better until Wednesday night. Merging onto a rush hour freeway unable to turn my head is quite an adventure.
“I change lanes now. Good luck.”
Thursday, December 4, 2025
10-minute warmup on Octane Recumbent Elliptical
Dead Hang - for like - 40 seconds
Cable Lat Pullover
45x12, 67.5x12
90 x 10
Close Grip Pulldown (neutral)
115x12
160 x 10
BB Rows
135 x 12
165 x 12
Chest-Supported T-Bar Row
135 x 11
Cybex Eagle Lat Pulldown
110 x 12
170 x 9
DB Rear Delt Flye
20#s x 12, 10
Nice little comeback trip.
And Christmas came early for us. We now have a belt squat. I was so happy, I randomly high-fived the dudes I didn’t know who were putting it through its paces.
Warmup with Recumbent Elliptical - 10 minutes
Rotator cuff stuff with DBs, and dead hang (a whole 30 seconds)
OH Press TM 185 week 1
Bar x 15, 95x5
115 x 5
135 x 5
155 x 10
DB Lateral Raises
20s x 12
30s x 10
Cable Lateral Raise
30# x 12 ea
DB Shrugs
90#s x 10
Triceps V-Bar Pushdown
67.5 x 12
97.5 x 12
We only have 2 cable stations without the extra pulley. I’ll have to use those next time
BB Skullcrushers
90# x 10
Seated Triceps Pushdown
260 x 12
Aborted attempt to do intervals on the Stepmill
Lost track of the level indicator on the display and bumped it up to level 13 or 14, when 9 would’ve been appropriate for my fat ass. HR hit 170
by the time the first 30 second interval was over. Even at cruising speed my HR didn’t drop below 160 at any point after. For reference I am in my late 50s putting my max HR at about 165 or so. I need to do conditioning, but I just screwed myself right out of the gate today.
Sat in the lobby for 10 minutes thumbing through my phone before I walked home.
On Friday morning I saw a delivery truck parked in front of the gym. Stopped the manager today about the new stuff it must’ve brought.
“Bunch of new butt stuff”
New Glute Drive
Power Squat - (is this for glute or quads)
My favorite squat rack was replaced, and the one I hated most got a smith machine in its place. Shoulder press and 2 bench presses were replaced.
The problem with the belt squat is that it has detachable implements. Word has it that at the sister gym the belt and handle and chain eventually walked away.
