Interspersed with rehab exercises throughout.
Followed by some minutes on the exercise bike which I’m currently doing whilst typing this out, fasted.
Scale continues to mock me at 214.4lbs this morning, however I am looking a bit leaner. Not certain if I’m just lying to myself or if it’s genuine mitigation but I’m wondering if the lack of scale movement is partly down to the fact my right arm/shoulder could be growing a bit at the moment. The bicep is definitely looking and feeling fuller, not sure about my shoulder but that is definitely getting a bit stronger. On a massive plus side my infraspinatus finally seems to be on the mend, there has been some pain since the physio appointment last week but it’s much less in frequency and severity than it has been over the last year or so. Be interested to see if I’m gaining muscle there as well when I go back to see the physio at the start of next year.
BB Floor Press
57kg x5
66kg x5
75kg x5
Superset with prescribed DB Row 32.5kg 3x10 (each arm)
BB Squat FSL 96kg 5x5
Superset with Chest Supported Swiss Bar Row 70kg - 10, 11, 11, 10, 11
Circuit x3 rounds
BB Good Mornings 67.5kg - 3x8
Half Kneeling 1 arm KB Press 20kg - 10, 12, 12 (each side)
Face Pull purple band - 3x20
Pallof Press green band - 12, 14, 14 (each side)
Followed by 25 mins of swimming.
Been off work all week and wanted to go swimming, I don’t think I’ve been pool swimming on my own in my entire adult life. I don’t know why but I didn’t anticipate how challenging it would be.
I tried to pick up swimming a few years back to supplement my running. I was a 35:xx 10k runner at the time so aerobically I was pretty darn fit, but one length swimming left me absolutely gassed. I was also built like a 35minute 10k runner with no natural buoyancy ie body fat (or much muscle) to aid me, so in my defence I had to do double the work!
There were blokes in there with some significant levels of body fat who were breezing it. I had to keep reminding myself it’s about adaptation and much like when I did my first run after a year or so after not doing one it kicked my arse the first couple of times till I adapted.
Wow that’s a pretty impressive speed to say the least. During lockdown before I built my gym I was focusing a bit on running, my 5k PR was 21:22. I can’t imagine ever being able to hit a 35 minute 10k
Swimming is definitely something that needs an adaption phase, there is a reason competitive swimmers spend hours at it. Just hammering that technique.
Thanks! All I do was run, though, until I turned 30/31. I should’ve gone quicker really, but injuries got in the way. Which is an easy excuse to make, but I think we all have a “genetic ceiling” in a given sport. We might not necessarily reach it, but if you stick at it for long enough, you get a good idea.
I occasionally do a little over the summer, I think anyone walking round the size you are, going under 22:00 for 5k is very good going.
Hard Conditioning
X7 hill sprints, first couple were smaller ones to warm up, 5 after were 20-25 secs with 2 mins rest. Felt ok considering it’s been months. Followed by just over a mile recovery walk
X1 double clean and press 20kg bells
X2 double front squats 20kg bells
X3 double KB DL 20kg bells
X4 trap bar row 77kg
X5 trap bar dead’s 77kg
X6 chins
X7 HKR
X8 KB Snatches (x4 each arm) 20kg
X9 KB High Pull 32kg
X10 split Squats BW (each leg)
X11 Plate overheads 20kg
X12 KB Swings 32kg
Done in 28:04, fasted
Wasn’t going to do much today but once I got the coffee inside me that changed.
Follows the same logic as the song.
I did one of these last year but with a more KB focus, this was brutal. It’s all so easy the first 5/6 rounds but then by round 8 I was cursing whoever put this together and then remembered it was me.
BB RDL (SST %) FSL 83kg 5x10
Superset with 20kg weighted chins 5x5 which were harder with the Christmas weight gain
Circuit
Single front rack KB squat 20kg - 3x12 (each size) got a great feel on my obliques with these
BB Close Grip Bench 80kg - 6,7,6
DB Hammer Curls 11.5kg - 15 sec eccentric on right arm only
Couple of things to note from this workout, I started off with squats rather than the main lift of the day which was floor press. I also accidentally did a much narrower stance squat in a warmup set (I say accidentally as due to some plates being in the way I couldn’t do my normal stance) and was surprised how much better/easier it felt than my usual wider stance I’ve done for the last few years.
Floor press topset felt pretty easy too which considering last cycle on 1s week I struggled hitting 5 is definite progress, need to rein in my urge to add 2kg to my training max as 1kg increment has worked well.
Is this your standard approach?
I’m slow to learn on 531, I always learn the hard way, but Ive always had the appraoch the smallest increment is 2.5kg.
Do you just find a lot of weight repeating? (Not that that is sime bad thing) Or do you use fractionals?
I tend to do 1kg for upper and 2-3kg for lower movements. I take Jim’s mantra of start too light to progress too light to try and keep making progress.
Nice to blow the cobwebs out a bit, as it wasn’t until the afternoon I got round to this managed to go canal side for a change, timed it while the mrs and kids were watching Wicked so that was a bonus too.