Didn’t have much of a plan but turned into a solid session.
Warm-Up
World’s Greatest Stretch and 1 mile on the Assault Bike (took about 3 minutes)
Machine Bench
70 x 25
100 x 20
115 x 15
Machine Row
175 x 10, 8 with 2 sec hold at the top These hurt
Hang Power Clean
155 x 3 x 3
175 x 3
195 x 2 x 2 Son practiced cleans with the 15kg bar and then did a few sets of deadlift with 53 lbs.
Decline Crunch
1 x 15 and started to cramp
Double KB Front Squat
40s x 12 Right knee hurt at the bottom so stopped here. That’s new.
Sled
You go, I go push 25m x 7
Meant to hit more shoulders but didn’t feel the need by the end. 195 felt like 225 should on cleans so I need to get back to doing these with more weight than I can press. I used to never deadlift and only did cleans and clean pulls. And then I decided to deadlift and could hit 4 plates just because of the clean work. This might be my approach for awhile instead of continuing to beat my back up with deads.
Belt Squat Experiment on the Smith Machine Used a dip belt and threw the chain around the bar. It kind of works, but put a ton of stress on my knees similar to the V-Squat machine. My knees still hurt and it’s been about 8 hours.
105 x 10
155 x 10, 10
Bench Press
135 x 5
205 x 5, 5
Hang Power Clean
155 x 3
175 x 2
195 x 2, 2
205 x 2
Continuous Clean & Press + Front Squat
45 x 8 + 4
65 x 8 + 4
75 x 8 + 4
85 x 8 + 4
85 x 8 + 4
Decline Crunch
2 x 10 Cramp. What is wrong with me?
Pull-Up
BW x 10, 6 Mostly done to try to alleviate the ab cramp.
Sled
Tank M4 L2: Pull x 25m x 4
Tank M4 L3: Push x 25m x 6 Total Time: 12:32ish
Well, I suck. My left shoulder hurts and more than just a silly little pinch. It feels like tissue on the head of the humerus or more likely the scapula is messed up. Can you say labrum? The odd thing is that overhead pressing doesn’t hurt. Cleans don’t hurt. none of the movements I’ve been doing hurt during the movement, but here we are.
I’m calling an audible and switching over to Even Easier Strength. I have more time to train now that flag football is over, so it fits. It runs in two-week cycles with 10 training days.
Day 1: 2 x 5
Day 2: 2 x 5
Day 3: 5-3-2
Day 4: 2 x 5
Day 5: 2 x 5
Day 6: 2 x 5
Day 7: 6 x 1
Day 8: 1 x 10
Day 9: 2 x 5
Day 10: 5-3-2
Easier Strength OG version says continue this for 40 total workouts. DJ’s newer version says you can do that or swap out the main movements and keep going. Here are the movements:
Squat
Hinge
Press (with batwings for 3 x 10 sec iso holds)
Row (in place of batwings)
Abs
Warm-Up
25 leg extensions
25 seated leg curls
Leg Press Machine
350 x 5 x 2 sets
Decline Crunch
2 x 10
Bench
210 x 5 x 2 Lying Leg Raise
2 x 10
Clean Pull
185 x 5 x 2 Feels like cardio
Machine Row
180 x 5 x 2 sets 3 sec hold at top
Sled
Tank M4 Sled, Alternate pull 25m L2, push 25m L3 x 5 each Time: 13:55*
(Closer to 9 minutes if I remove the 5:34 break I got while an 82 year old stranger talked to me)
Today was 6x1 day and felt pretty darn good. I’m still all over the place with exercise selection but I think this will work. The workout says to hit 6 singles adding weight each set and don’t miss a rep.
Squat
Top single of 325
Hang Power Clean
255 for an ugly single
Bench Press
275
Machine Row
No singles. Did sets of 5 and worked up to 265 x 5.
Caught a sinus bug and been on the shelf the past two days. I plan to get back to the gym tomorrow. I had COVID back in 21 and it changed how my body responds to illnesses. I get aches like I have a fever and my shoulder joints feel like they’re going to explode. Other joints will throb off and on for no reason. From a sinus perspective, I actually have minor congestion and symptoms.
On a completely unrelated note, I came here to tell @studhammer that I sent him an email to the address he gave me back in 2022.
Sled
10 trips, 25m each, alternate pulling and pushing. Took 12:30 compared to 10:05 for the same workout Wednesday. Apparently this cold has impacted my energy levels.
Squat
10, 8, 6, 4, 2 with last set done at 295
Curtsy Lunge
Kickstand RDL
Saw some single-leg stuff on my social media feed and felt inspired. I barely used any weight and I’m sore today (posting 11.10.).
Still trying to figure out what I want to do. I like the ‘Step Progress’ method I used on Bench earlier in the year so I’m going to try that on bench, OHP, squat, and deadlift. I’m starting very conservatively on squat and deadlift and hoping my back will behave. I’ve also started doing some back extensions and side crunches on the 45 degree machine and I think it’s actually helping. I fear my avoidance of back pain has led me to be weak and enter a vicious cycle of dysfunction.
Warm-Up
1 mile on a bike, back extensions, side crunches, and lying leg raises
Deadlift
135 x 5
225 x 4
285 x 3
325 x 2
365 x 1
Kickstand RDL + Regular RDL
135 x 5R, 5L, 5 regular for 2 sets
Cable Row
160 x 12
180 x 10, 10
Lat Pull-Down
175 x 10, 10
Seated Leg Curl
130 x 15 leaning forward
145 x 15 same
160 x 12 regular
My back hurts. Experiment fail. No more deadlifts. Today is my push day and I was supposed to squat but I’ll bump that back til the next push workout and punish myself with single-leg work.
I took the kids to the gym Monday and Thursday (yesterday). I had a plan for them Monday but yesterday was less structured and wasted time. My daughter wants to use the elliptical or arc trainer but she can only do it if I’m next to her and I wanted to lift. I only take them on these days because my son has basketball practice at a different gym at 5pm on Wednesdays and Fridays. 1) it’s tough to get my training done and then get him to practice by 5 and 2) I want him to be fresh for practice (even though it probably doesn’t matter much at his age). I need to plan my training to fit their workout days. They don’t seem to mind the sled. I did that Wednesday and my legs were tired yesterday, so we didn’t do it. I think I’ll just plan my workouts to be Monday and Thursday for the foreseeable future and just have them do what I do. We could even go on Tuesdays to play on the cardio machines. It’s funny; I tried to get away from full body sessions but they just keep coming back.
Took the kids to the gym yesterday and Friday. We just cruised on the elliptical Friday and that was actually the selling point for my kids. They want to use those but can’t if I don’t do it with them.
I had them deadlift while I did some high pulls and then decided we’d just do a few rounds of Cindy. It fit perfectly with their skill level - inverted rows, push-ups, and squats. I did five rounds and made them do four. I’m sore and fatigued because I’m pathetic. I honestly think it’s a great standalone workout. One could grab a DB or KB for the squats if they need to bump up the intensity.
I enjoyed it so much that my weight training classes are doing four rounds as their warm-up today.
Still here. Still fatter than I should be. Still struggling to overcome my weakness. But on a different note, I went to physical therapy for my back last week. It was only the evaluation but I was encouraged. The main problem seems to be the right side of my SI joint. Extension hurts. Flexion feels good. And the PT encouraged me to keep doing what I do including a hinge movement, albeit a bit lighter.
I randomly push pressed 175 in class today and followed it up with a strict press for the second rep. I can’t strict press 175 without the stretch reflex I used today.. My best is 170. And that made me wonder why we settle for strict press. I know it’s a specific lift much like the deadlift, but we don’t do that with bench. And one could argue that the dead stop bench is more realistic. If you get crushed by your car while changing the oil, then you won’t get the benefit of the stretch reflex to help you press it off of you. Anyway, just random thoughts today…
Good to see you still posting and pressing strong!
Any plans here? I know you’ve been working on relationships with food, so it might not be for you, but the annual T-ransformation is happening, be good to see you involved! (I’m going for gains this year so will probably join you in the fatter than I should be category by the end of it).
No, not this year. I’m always on a different schedule. I only need to cut about 10 lbs as of today, and I’ll be trying to do that before January 1st. The scale number is bigger than I like, but I don’t look awful. I think that allows me to make compromises with myself. I’ve developed that little fat pouch on my lower abdomen just above my waist line, and I’m not a fan.
Did a little bit during my son’s basketball practice.
Squat
135 x 8
205 x 6
235 x 4
275 x 2
300 x 2 No belt, wearing Brooks Beast running shoes, not bad. Might be time to get serious and start wearing my lifting gear again (Chucks, belt, wrist straps).
Hang Power Clean
185 x 2
195 x 2
205 x 2
215 x 2, 2 (felt like garbage so did it again)
225 x 2 Can’t expect to do well at something if you don’t practice, and I’m out of practice.
Cindy - 5 Rounds
5 pull-ups
10 push-ups
15 squats with 20 lb med ball
I’m writing this on Friday but I did this on Wednesday. I went to PT yesterday and the focus was mostly mobility, soft tissue work, and a little bit of stabilization work. I haven’t felt that sharp pain that nearly drops me to the ground in at least a week so I’d say things are going good. Hopefully they get better. I can’t remember what it’s like to live without back pain.
Did some of my PT exercises as a warm-up which took 10-15 minutes. It’s mostly stretching stuff but it gets my body temp elevated. Oh, and single-leg glute bridges with a 5 sec hold don’t hurt.
Squat
135 x 8
205 x 6
240 x 4
275 x 2
300 x 2 I really wish this felt easier.
Hang Power Clean
185 x 2, 2
195 x 2
205 x 2, 2
215 x 2
225 x 2, 2
235 x 1
Leg Press Machine
One rest/pause set to 25 reps with 350 This felt awesome. No joint pain; just muscles burning and struggling. I haven’t felt that in a long time.
The closer we get to the end of the year, the more this is looking like a possibility.
I’m sure it’s tied to mental health, but I’m struggling to find discipline these days. I find myself in moments of “I should do this, but I want to do that.” and then I give in and do whatever that is (eat or drink something I don’t need).
For example:
I plan to fast through the workday and then I get to lunch and I’m hungry. The food vendors parked along the street are super sweet and give me free stuff. They offer me leftover chicken tenders and fries and I accept.
Or someone brings donuts and I eat 1 to 3 instead of fasting through the day.
It’s taken 41 years, but I finally understand the struggle a lot of people have with weight loss. It’s all right there in front of me, but I choose the bad thing because it makes me feel better in the moment.
Maybe January can be the moment. Dry January and clean eating. I cheated myself by starting early a few years ago when I finished 2nd in the Challenge. I think I started my cut right after Halloween and lost 40 pounds through March/April. Maybe I can lose 15 to 20 pounds this year depending on my starting point. I think 225 is a reasonable and good weight for me. I weighed 239 first thing yesterday morning, but there’s plenty of room and opportunity to gain a few pounds in the next few weeks.
For example:
I plan to fast through the workday and then I get to lunch and I’m hungry. The food vendors parked along the street are super sweet and give me free stuff. They offer me leftover chicken tenders and fries and I accept.
Or someone brings donuts and I eat 1 to 3 instead of fasting through the day.
I don’t think there’s any room for “white knuckle fasting”. It’s going to always result in a compensatory binge. Only way I find I can make fasting viable is when paired with feasting. Eat big enough that you don’t WANT to eat for another 24 hours. If it’s living in denial, it’s going to just highlight hunger.
I’m currently digesting our staff lunch that consisted of a sort of taco bar. Desserts were provided by our culinary classes so I had to sample a few of those, as well. I don’t think I’m going to want dinner tonight.
The thing with my version of intermittent fasting (aka skipping breakfast and lunch) is that there are days where I do just fine. I’ll get a little hungry before the lunch break but if I beat that, then I’m good for the day. I can even go train right after work and not eat until dinner and feel just fine.
Unfortunately, I think I use that to justify things once I open the floodgates. I’ve allowed myself to become quite fond of a particular snack on those days and it’s spilling over into regular days - nacho cheese Doritos and sharp cheddar cheese. I’ll cram a few chips in my mouth and chase them with a bite of cheddar. I’ll occasionally add a meat to the rotation kind of like a barbaric version of a sausage, cheese, and crackers plate. There’s something about the spicy chip and sharp cheddar combo. I’d recommend trying it, but it has to be poison.
I know I still possess that switch deep inside me where I can turn it on and focus. It’s been a really long time since I’ve focused on myself and my physique. I’ve been living in survival mode these past couple years whether it’s laziness, minimalist training, or avoiding back and joint pain.
I’ve also fallen victim to comparing myself to others - “I’d like to lose some weight but I don’t look that bad.” or “I still look pretty decent compared to others my age.” But I have a new health factor to prioritize - my blood pressure. I’ve had three readings in the last 4 to 5 weeks that were 140/80ish and that’s up from the spring and summer. Cutting alcohol is the obvious choice to address that. If you’re into making a list of pro’s and con’s for something, then it’s pretty hard to write anything in the pro’s category for consuming alcohol.
