They are definitely a cute lot. It is going to be hard to let them go. 3 more weeks and they should be old enough.
Bulldog, I was waiting for someone to say that…lol. Figures it would be the one with the bulldog avatar.
As for the last “kitten” pic, it is amazing what you get when you google “sexy kitten”…lol.
Ahhh, kitty cuteness puts me in a Zen-like state…
Tks Strick!
Shoulders
Shoulders have felt great all week. 2 sets into millies and they were still feeling great. 1st rep on the set at 135# and the ice pick to the anterior, left delt started. Fortunately, it numbed as I went on.
I added face pulls to the workout to try to get more rear delt/upper back work in to counter all of the pressing I do.
Military Press
barx20
95x10
135x5
175x3
205x5x5 - some sort of PR for total reps at 205#
1st set
I can’t get over how easy this looks on video. It did not feel this easy.
5th set
Face Pulls
90x15x3
1-Arm DB Laterals
40x10
45x10
50x10x2 - PR +2 Reps/Set
Rear Delt Raises
50x10
50x9
50x8
BB Shrugs - back still waxed from Monday. Really achy by the end.
225x10
315x10
40510x3
Mrs. Strick’s Workout
Seated DB Press
25x8x2
25x7x2 - PR +1 Rep for 3rd set @ 25#
Seated Rows
70x8
95x8x3
100x8 - PR +5#
Squats
barx10
75x5
95x5
100x5x3 - PR +1 Rep
I agree, the presses looked easy, even on the 5th set, looked like you had 5 more sets in you. Thats nuts. You must have eaten your wheaties!
And grats yours and to the wife’s PR’s.
Great stuff Strick, Im trying to get my wife in on the lifting too, she still at this point insists on being a cardio bunny tho…
That is a lot of reps at 205 brother. Damn fine work.
Ogre, I am still amazed by it. Funny how much video can differ from perception. I am passing along the kudos to my wife.
MattyXL, my wife is not about the cardio…on any level. She did some yoga and that was it. SHe has REALLY gotten in to the lifting. If you can get her started, and let her guide herself, once the right ideas are planted, she will have a blast. The only downside we have is that it slows down the workout pace. Oh, and we have to jockey exercises, every now and then, when we both need the power rack.
Joe, I agree, for me. The number that keeps sticking in my head is 225#. Can I get a full 5x5 with that much!? Of course, 1st I have to get it with 210#, 215# and 220#. Might not be an issue…lol.
New respect. Those did look easy. Wow.
Thanks, C_K. When 250# looks that easy, I’ll start feeling pretty good about it.
Strick, I have some personal thoughts on the military press, and shoulder health stuff if you’re interested.
[quote]punnyguy wrote:
Strick, I have some personal thoughts on the military press, and shoulder health stuff if you’re interested.[/quote]
PG, please do share. I am open to about anything except stopping MP, as it is my best lift and I am hardheaded.
The MP as you are doing it looks very anterior delt dominant. As taught by Rippetoe (note I am not a Rip fanboy), when the bar is at your forehead on the way up, you need to bring your head forward and under the bar(your arms should finish where your ears are if not slightly behind them), finishing with a shrug (which is conducive to shoulder health) at the top of the movement, which also (for me anyway) forces your shoulder to externally rotate (again conducive to shoulder health).
edit to add: here is a link to the thread with a post by “bwhitwell” which made me think of you wrt MP: M - Competitive Bodybuilding - Forums - T Nation
Wrt shoulder health, stretching the internal rotators is something that doesn’t seem to get emphasized enough. In the video linked, start at the 3 minute mark -but when doing that stretch, remember that you should feel like there is a muscle originating in your armpit that is pulling your hand/forearm down. It makes tremendous sense to me that if your internal rotators are tight as hell, strengthening the external rotators alone is just 1/2 of the puzzle.
I do that stretch, plus external rotations a la Poliquin: Achieving Structural Balance
Face pulls for whatever reason have never really helped me. I prefer strict DB rows bodybuilder style -retract scap/trap/rhomboids before pulling up, with a small pause at the top, supinated, pronated, and neutral grips. For the rear delts, I hold the dumbbells in front of me with pronated grip, and the raise is like pulling a rope apart; tried this after reading a BB forum thread, and for the first time can actually feel the mind-to-rear-delt connection (I do not do the retraction thing, otherwise I do not feel the rear delt working) I go for a ton of reps with the rear delts, light weight relative to what I can do with lateral raises.
When I’m foam rolling my legs, I always roll the thoracic musculature as well (give yourself a big hug to open up the back).
PG, thanks for all of the info. I am still sorting through it, but it looks good and potentially very beneficial.
And I think you are very correct about my MPs being anterior delt dominant. I think the width of my grip contributes to that. My hands are close enough together that it is difficult to get my arms out until the weight is higher. I used to use a slightly wider grip and, hence, the bar traveled back earlier. I ended up narrowing my grip, though, because it seems to bother my shoulder less. It could have been coincidence. I will revisit this as well.
Thanks again. I will definitely go through this stuff a couple of times and see what I can pull from it.
Wanted to add that I also do shoulder “dislocates” before all upper-body workouts, but with rubber tubing/band rather than a rigid stick -lets you work through potential tricky spots w/o forcing your shoulder or wrists into bad positions.
Of all the problem areas, the shoulders (knees second) seem to be the one you can do the most about, you just have to find something which helps you. From reading, I know Cressey and Bill Hartman (PT guy who did a DVD with Mike Robertson) both had “surgery required” diagnoses, but re-habbed their way out of it. My personal experience is that it takes time, and constant vigilance and application.
Tks for the sexy kitten pics. 
I do dislocates as well. I do use a broomstick, however. Also what I call windmills…rotate one arm back, then the other.
Thanks again for the input. I will see what I can do with it.
This is a little late, but
“Hot town, summer in the city.
Cool cat, lookin’ for a kitty.”
Great pressing Strick. It looked so easy for you. Your strength seems to be coming back fast!
How’s the weight loss going btw? and how do your numbers compare before and after?
Great pressing !!! HOT DAMN!!! The race is truly back on 
Math, that works. I got lots of kitties. But not one that looks like the last pic. Probably a good thing.
Brett, my strength seems to be returning/stabilizing. I think that I am finally get used to the reduced carbs.
As for weight, I am lingering just over 280# and should be under it, for the 1st time in a while, by this week. The loss has been hampered by my lazy ass getting out of the cardio (treadmill) rut. I need to get back to that, but more demands on my time have arisen. I just need to squeeze it in.
Bulldog, I am trying. One of us needs to hit it by years end!