2/17/13 - Sunday
Practice,
Mill>headstand
~100min
Nothing yet, keep at it.
1990s
~30min
No progress here either. 
And measurements.
Weight: 161 (+.5)
Waist: 31 1/8 (+1/8)
Chest: 39 1/2 (-1/8)
Hips: 36 3/8 (-1/4)
R bicep: 13 1/8 (-1/8)
L bicep: 13 1/8 (-1/4)
R thigh: 24 3/8 (+1/8)
L thigh: 23 1/4 (0)
Typical plus-minus doogle-dangling.
2/18/13 - Monday
Cycle 21, Week 3, Day 1
Deadlift
5x260
3x295
4x330 - Beat 4x320(20,3).*
Clean
6x205 - Beat last week’s 4x205.
3x5x195
4x195
LDL
11x255 - Beat last week’s 7x255.
10,9-10,9,7-8x235
LDL
11x255
10,9-10,9,7-8x235
10x225
Breakdancing
Headspins, ~1hr
Whip legs around hard but tuck them when they come together. <—Helped greatly improve consistency of GOOD spins (7/4s, even got three ~2s today). Also, tuck upper body into the head. Hard to explain but wrap the hands around the back of the head.
GOt some that were like accidental transition into mills, which were all flops so far so I’ll work on that when it happens, that is, I have no control over it lol it just happens. This trick with tucking legs made it more frequent though.
PR in every lift and a new form tip on bboying. So this week is off to a good start.
*I’m gonna go ahead and say that my mad scheme with good mornings worked. This is the first time since cycle 17 for deadlift that my week 3 rep max stayed the same as the previous cycle, so it’s the first time in said time period that I put a solid, undeniable 10 pounds on my deadlift. So for clarification here’s what I did this cycle and will continue to do for deadlift:
Week 1:
Deadlift 5/3/1, Cleans 5x6, GMs 6x10
Weeks 2, 3, and 4:
Deadlift 5/3/1, Cleans 5x6, LDLs 6x10
With the knowledge that the week 2 PR will suck and the week 3 PR will be awesome.
Next cycle I MIGHT try, like, a carb up on Sunday night before week 2 deadlifts to see if it helps me recover more so my week 2 PR doesn’t suck. But that’s probably just an excuse to binge on pizza or whatnot, so I don’t know yet.
2/19/13 - Tuesday
Cycle 21, Week 3, Day 2
Overhead press
5x115
3x130
4x145 - Beats 4x140(20,3) and 5x140 from last week. So I’m pretty sure this is the absolute best my military press has ever been.
DB OHP
4x65s - new weight
5,5,4x60s
7,6x55s
Dips
5x+55 - new weight
6,5,5,5x+45
Pull-ups
2x+25
2x+10
5xBW
Breakdancing
Mills>headstand
~40min
Tuck the head. Feels like I’m getting close.
2/20/13 - Wednesday
Basketball court survival practice ahem breakdancing practice.
Took me bout 10 minutes to warm up,
Head work
~110min
No PR but definitely more consistent solid ones once I got going. Best: <2
Set up tight around the head (hands all the way on the back of the head) and whip the legs around, tucking them once they get around.
couple move sets
Got some where I rolled out of the headspin and into a set of mills. The transition wasn’t clean but the more I do it the better it’ll get so
Mill>headstand
~50min
Keep at it, nothing yet. I feel the bounce between my feet and the ground getting lighter, indeed very slowly though.
Smith Jacked Forearms Hold, 285 lbs
24sec, 10sec, 8sec
2/21/13 - Thursday
Cycle 21, Week 3, Day 3
Squat
5x205
3x230
1x255 - Right back to where I was at in 20,3.
Front squat
5x205 - no PR
5x195:F
7,6,5x185
Light squat
7x200
5x10x120 - was in a hurry, had to get home quick.
So today fucking sucked. Absolute suckage, suck suck suck suck suck sucked balls even for a weak-ass teenager like me today sucked.
My theory is that I’m either a) tiring myself out on deadlift day and/or b) overdoing the assistance here.
a) I won’t change deadlift day because I’m actually making progress with deadlifts and I don’t want to risk that.
b) Past two weeks I’ve been going too heavy on the “light squats” and doing some serious roundbacking squat morning twisty-bendy shit for those last 3-4 reps of each set. This is probably putting too much stress on my low back, making it harder to recover and harder to keep stable, which BTW I felt really unstable when I did 255 today.
I don’t think this session is representative of my true strength, looking at the 5x245 I pulled off last week. But I’m still pissed it went so bad.
2/22/13 - Friday
Cycle 21, Week 3, Day 4
Bench press
5x130
3x150
7x165 - Beats last week’s 8x160.
BB row
12x185 (PR)
10-11,8x180
10,9x175
DB BP
4x80s - new weight
4,4,4,3x75s
6x70s
BB hold (seconds)
4x275
10,16,17x245
12x255
Might as well do these since 140s are the heaviest DBs at my gym and I’m getting to hold them a pretty long time. Curious I could do 140s with towels but only ~250 here. Eh.
Breakdancing
Mill>headstand, ~30min
Keep at it. It’s gotta happen one of these days.
2/23/13 - Saturday
Breakdancing practice.
Head work
~60min
Nothing new.
Mill>headstand
~90min
Experimented with popping up hips more and rotating around more. Still no success yet.
Handstand work
~30min
Solidified freeze>handstand. Did it perfectly clean, using strictly my arms to push myself up into a strict handstand.
Tried something new with going into 1990s, we’ll see if it works.
Also got TWO clean handstand push-ups today without the wall, which doubles THE SHIT out of my previous PR.
It turns out there is a gym that allows breakdancing after-hours in my area, but since it’s so late my parents won’t let me go. I stopped by for 10 minutes today to slide around on the clean, un-shitted-on floor and breathe in the air that wasn’t pungent with the stench of 40-year-old men from the “racquetball league”. Heartbreaking is the knowledge of what I am missing.
My hand is still sore from a snowball fight yesterday. Gettin’ old.
2/24/13 - Sunday
Measurements:
Weight: 160.5 (-.5)
Waist: 31 (-1/8)
Chest: 39 1/2 (0)
Hips: 36 1/4 (-1/8)
R bicep: 13 1/8 (0)
L bicep: 13 1/8 (0)
R thigh: 24 1/8 (-1/4)
L thigh: 23 1/8 (-1/8)
Break 3 core lift PRs in a week and I still get smaller. Not complaining, just observing.
Breakdancing
Mills work, ~120min
Mill>headstand: Keep at it. Just kept trying one time after another, no luck so far.
Coin drop: Basically this means going into mills from standing. (video). Sweep right leg around hard, need to roll higher but looks alright. Surprised myself with my speed in this video.
Coin drop video:
2/25/13 - Monday
Cycle 21, Week 4, Day 1
Deadlift
5x140
5x175
5x210
Clean
4x6x95
6x100
LDL
2x10x110
3x10x115
10x125
Breakdancing
FAHS, ~20min
best: ~7/4
Long story but ended up getting really screwed on time. My head was burnt up by the end of these 20 minutes anyways. I finally ordered that new beanie yesterday so I hope I’ll have it by Wednesday.
2/26/13 - Tuesday
Cycle 21, Week 4, Day 2
Overhead press
5x60
5x75
5x90
DB OHP
6x6x25s
16 OAPs on each arm, did this at my close by suburban gym that has no dip station or anything high enough to improvise dips with. W/e, let’s face it, it’s a deload day and I wanted to get to practicing.
Breakdancing
Mill>headstand
Sweep around hard horizontally, roll really high on back HELPED. Could feel an improvement, not there yet but I will make it happen by this Sunday so I can move on with my life.
2/27/13 - Wednesday
Breakdancing. Head still is fried from headspins, and since USPS is an inefficient excuse for delivery that is hemorrhaging money due to its vast amount of retired workers and inability to bring in revenue, I think my beanie won’t be here for a while.
Just as well, I have other things to learn.
Warmup
~10min
Mill>headstand
~160min
Sweep around quick. Roll as HIGH as possible on the second mill. And dive for it, plant that head in the ground. FELT improvement, had some where I just felt like “yeah, that’s closer to what it’s gotta be like”.
Oddly enough despite spending just under 3 hours on one move this felt like one of the more focused and productive sessions.
3/1/13 - Friday
Cycle 21, Week 4, Day 4
Bench press
5x70
5x90
5x105
BB row
3x10x85
2x10x90
DB BP
6x6x35s
Breakdancing
FAHS, ~60min
New beanie came. It’s a little stiff from the padding but DAMN I spin a lot faster with it, I have to re-learn this move a bit to take into account the speed I get with these but it will be worth it.
Mill>headstand, ~30min
This is mine damn it. Not today, but by Sunday this move is happening.
That’s 2 cycles to go now before I test my maxes.
Changes for cycle 22:
No more squat-mornings.
3/2/13 - Saturday
Suburban YMCA underground sesh
Warmup
~10min
Mill>headstand
~140min
Was close until I started getting tired. It’s happening tomorrow.
FAHS
~30min
Getting more used to the new beanie.
3/3/13 - Sunday
Measurements:
Weight: 159.5 (-1)
Waist: 30 3/4 (-1/4)
Chest: 39 1/2 (0)
Hips: 36 3/8 (+1/8)
R bicep: 13 (-1/8)
L bicep: 13 1/4 (+1/8)
R thigh: 24 1/8 (0)
L thigh: 23 1/8 (0)
Weight loss is a surprise. I didn’t reduce my eating in any way this week, I hope I didn’t lose any strength.
Breakdancing practice:
Mill>headstand, ~120min
Got it once perfectly clean (wat’d I say biatch), and several other times with knees landing on elbows but at least my feet stayed off the ground.
Legs wide, straight, and TENSE. Roll HIGH. Legs must stay fixed while rolling high, do not let them buckle in while rolling.
Edit: Forgot to post Thursday’s squat workout this week. Typical deload squat day, mill>headstand practice afterwards. Not much to say about it
3/4/13 - Monday
Cycle 22, Week 1, Day 1
Deadlift
5x230
5x265
9x300 - Beat 9x295(21,1). #10 got off the ground but it just didn’t happen. I got all amped up to do 10 but only got 9, so maybe if I got all amped up to do 11 then I would have done 10. haha
Clean
5x210 - Pretty sure this beats 6x205(21,3)
4x200:F
5x190
5,4x195
GMs
11-12,9,9-10x155
7x160
6x155 - Lost my balance going forwards so by the time I got my shit together I was too tired to do many more.
8x155
Breakdancing
FAHS, ~10min
Nothing new. Just staying stable was really tough since my low back was dead after good mornings
3/5/13 - Tuesday
Cycle 22, Week 1, Day 2
The YMCA I normally go to was shut down for w/e reason. So I had to go to my friendly neighborhood suburban Y, where I cleverly disguised 135 as a meager-looking 25-10-10 on each side to avoid rousing any suspicion that I might be strong or something.
Also, I had to do DB BP instead of dips b/c there is no roman chair there.
Overhead press
5x100
5x120
7x135 - Beats 7x130(21,1). According to the 1RM calc this is the my best PR ever.
DB OHP
3x65s - Got 4x65s on week 3 last cycle but I think yesterday’s GMs left me sore and less stable so I left it at 3.
5,5,5,3x60s
5x55s
DB BP*
0x80s:F, 0x75s:F
7x65s
5:F, 5, 5:F x 60s
6x55s:F
Pull-ups
6,4,5 x BW
Breakdancing
FAHS, mill>headstand, ~25min, nothing new.
*I know what you’re thinking. “Marrot, you sure fucked that one up.” And that’s an entirely factual assertion, and I was really damn pissed about it. I figured I could do AT LEAST one with the 80s (got 4 in week 3 last cycle), nope. Back it down to 75s? Nope. And when I was going as light as 60s and 55s (pitiful), I had no idea where to stop the set. I honestly would feel like I had another easy rep in me, and then bam I get stuck in the middle of the rep and hit failure.
So there. I got my main lift PR, and I’m hoping my fuck-up with DB bench today won’t hurt the rest of the week.
3/6/13 - Wednesday
Was looking forward to this workout. It was NOT looking forward to me.
Warmup, ~10min, banged out those front handsprings easy enough.
Mill>headstand
~125min
EASE INTO the high roll that I go onto the head from. If I drop right into it I just get a shitty backspin. Unfortunately it was after a little over 90min in that I found out this cue, so by the time I found out this cue I was too drained to get any clean ones. But it DID help despite my fatigue, so I remain optimistic.
FAHS
~35min
Just doing that business.
Smith BB hold
22sec, 12sec, 12sec, 285 lbs
Got two solid handstand push-ups today and that’s the most total time I’ve ever done smith BB hold w 285 lbs, so I don’t think Tuesday’s fucking up ruined me enough to warrant any kind of backing off for tomorrow’s squats.
3/7/13 - Thursday
Cycle 22, Week 1, Day 3
Squat
5x180
5x210
6x235 - Beats 6x230(21,1), but probably not 5x245(21,2). I still count this as a PR though, since the 5x245, unlike the 6x230 and this one, was made after I had recovered from GMs.
Front squat
3x210 - new weight.
6,5,7,7x190
Light squat
8x200
10,9,7x180
10,7-8x170
Stopping that squat-morning garbage.
Pull-ups
4x+25
5x+10
5xBW
Breakdancing
Mill>headstand, ~20min
Getting better.
3/8/13 - Friday
Cycle 22, Week 1, Day 4
Bench press
5x115
5x135
11x155 - Beats 11x150(21,1).
BB row
8x190
10,10,8x180
11x175
DB BP
3x80s:F - more bothered by the F than the 3, but hit the main PR so it’s good
5,5,5,4,3-4x75s
BB hold
20sec, 22sec x 245
14sec x 255
Breakdancing
Mill>headstand, ~60min
Getting better; got 5-7 in a row where I caught it in a frog freeze, not completely clean like it should be but definite progress since feet stayed off the ground. Focusing on using my abductors to make my legs wide and pointing my toes helped a lot.
FAHS, ~20min
best: >2. Hold breath to keep back from over-arching.
That’s a solid PR in every core lift this week. What helped a lot was just getting myself amped up before that all-out set. During cycles 19-21 I thought it was all physical anyways and I would get what I would get. But that mindset sucked. There is a mental component, I have to really KNOW I can hit a PR.
3/9/13 - Saturday
Breakdancing,
Warmup
~10min
Always takes too much time to loosen up.
Mill>headstand
~155min
Got 3 perfect ones. Control and focus is more important than raw dumb speed and power.
FAHS
~45min
Got two that were a little over 2 turns.