I used to love chicken thighs, so I’m surprised that I like chicken breast better now. I think a large part of it is that I’m now actively trying to avoid animal fat when eating at home unless it’s a weekend meal (I tend to cook something else on weekends for variety), so the fact that chicken thigh feels so fatty is putting me off a bit.
I guess the cooking method matters a lot too. I oven-roasted my chicken legs, so the fat gets rendered out a lot better and the skin is very crispy, so it doesn’t feel fatty. I’m pan frying the chicken thighs in comparison, so it ends up cooking in its own fat eventually even if I cut off excess fat. Maybe I should try roasting the chicken thighs.
Did pull-ups and push-ups and 3x800(ish) meter runs today. Didn’t have time for the movement stuff, though I do get little bits in the morning and right before lunch so it’s not a total wash.
The runs felt really hard, nor did I actually run 800(ish) meter without stopping either. I’m obviously overpacing myself on this. I came home and read up on a lot of running training… then decided that I don’t care. What I want to try doing is running 800m(ish) and just barely have enough energy to finish it. Currently running too fast too achieve that so I’ll have to try to slow down next time.
Rack mostly complete. I bought the SML-2 squat stand because that comes with a pull-up bar. The problem is that I didn’t think ahead about how I’m going to get high enough to install said pull-up bar. I’m going to have to go buy a step-ladder over the weekend and see if I can install that bar on my own.
Spent all of my time allocated for lifting and exercising setting this up, so I just did this real quick afterwards-
OHP- worked up to a 135lb single that I failed. Which, in hindsight this was a dumb move but I got so excited that I could do this without having to power clean the bar that I just had to try. I push-pressed it afterwards easily.
Back squat- worked up to a 225lb single. Felt slow and my left leg felt achy from it, so it’s a good thing that this all the weight I have right now. I think things will come up real quick though. Interestingly the weight didn’t feel heavy at all on my back, while I remember the weight feeling really heavy when I returned to the gym after the pandemic. That was almost a year layoff while this is about 4.5 months though, so that may have something to do with it.
OHP- 65lb, 2x15
Back squat- 95lb, 1x30
I am a tad concerned about the squat rack’s stability/wobbliness right now. I am not sure if I tightened the bolts enough. I have really simple adjustable wrenches and so tightening it got tedious.
The bigger issue is that the squat rack slides. I racked the 225lb and it moved forward a bit on the right side. I’m going to have to invest in something heavy to weigh it down for the time being.
Bench- worked up to 155lb, each rep with a tiny pause.
Actually pressing 155lb felt really easy, but just about everything else felt really wobbly. I think it’s because it started to actually feel heavy for all the stabilizing muscles and the arm and they’re not used to benching.
Some amount of moving around and push-ups afterwards. The pull-up with pause felt much better today, but I am also no longer pausing the subsequent sets. I think trying to pause multiple sets with 10 reps is too much for now. So I will pause the first set of the day and do the others in as much of a smooth flow as I can so that I can (hopefully) work on different qualities.
I’m trying what I always wanted to try for a while now- work up to a really easy single, which could become multiple singles in the way Christian Thibaudeau once described how to approach singles training, though I think the weight I’m using would be lighter than his prescription. I’ll do high rep work afterwards with extremely low weight for volume.
The point is to use the singles to get practice with the lifts while using the volume to (hopefully) build the muscle endurance that I generally lack everywhere. So far I’m seeing positive results from the high rep barbell stuff. The key appears to be pain.
I’m tempted to buy even a light KB so that I can work on swings. I don’t plan on deadlifting because I don’t have a platform and who knows when I’ll make the decision to go buy mats. KBs are just so stupidly expensive that it’s hard to make a decision.
OHP- ramp to 125lb, 2x1
Front squat- ramp to 225lb, 2x1
I think 125lb on the OHP is a bit heavier than it ought to be doing, but it felt solid as far as a single is concerned, so we’ll see.
The front squat felt surprisingly easy. I honestly didn’t expect myself to be able to use this weight today but the ramp sets just felt fine. What does not feel fine is the rack position. Bruised my collarbone already and the front rack felt really uncomfortable past 185lb.
OHP- 55lb, 2x20, 1x10
Back squat- 95lb, 4x25
BB row- 65lb, 1x30, 1x20
Presses felt fine. The back squat felt a bit tough on the last set, but my legs felt fine when I walked just now, so I am hoping that there is no DOMS tomorrow.
The rows felt easy. I stopped at 30 more out of disbelief at how easy it felt. In hindsight it makes sense since I was doing 135lb for 17 reps a couple of days ago, so the body is prepared for it.
8x13 EMOM burpees.
This felt really hard. Way harder than the 10x10 EMOM jumping burpees. I begin to run out of rest time in the later sets, which I believe contributes to how difficult this feels.
I have had the SML-1 for over 2 years now and sometimes have an issue of it getting a little crooked if I slam the weight in there, but usually I just try to lay it in there controlled. Seems to help. What kind of surface is yours sitting on?
As far as stability. I am not sure how you put yours together, but I used two wrenches that I had to buy. I didn’t have any that large for the hardware with it. Also, I finger tightened everything first, and then went around in a crisscross pattern with the wrenches, sort of like you do when you are changing a tire, to ensure everything ended up symmetrical. My SML-1 is super solid, doesn’t budge, and I have put over 400 in there plenty of times.
I also built my deadlift platform out of medium density fiberboard (MDF) that I bought from the hardware store. 4 sheets of MDF and some horse stall mats. The thing is a tank and did not cost me that much to make.
5.4mile(ish) jog in ~51:30 minutes. Ran a different route today because looping around what I calculated to be a mile 6x begins to get boring.
Very windy today, which had its pros and cons. Put a bit more effort into speed on the return trip because the wind was mostly on my back, which I think explains the slightly faster than 10min mile pace I ended up doing.
I got the squat stand on concrete right now but want to move it over horse mats when/if I ever buy one. I considered building a platform but am currently against it because it seems hard to put away. I did see a Youtube video where a guy made one that is essentially three part and thus easier to put away, but I’m also curious how well just stacking horse stall mats would do or if the plywood/MDF/etc is really that necessary.
As far as tightening the nuts are concerned- I think I underestimated just how much I needed to tighten everything since my experience with putting things together are limited to small stuff like desks and beds, and I was taught to not overtighten things. So the rack definitely swung a bit after my first pass tightening it. Doesn’t swing anymore and so far feels fine when I rack (more gently than I would at a public gym) weights.
Bench- Ramp to 175lb, 1x1
This felt like a solid single. I am struggling to find the proper bench and spotter arm positions. The spotter arm position seems good; it catches the barbell before I crushes me. The problem is that I often touch them a bit with the bar, which is not good.
15 minutes of moving around + 5x17, 1x15 push-ups, then 5x10 EMOM inverted row, then 2 mile(ish) walk.
Inverted rows are something that I really need to work on because I can’t do them very well. There’s lots of muscle issues in my upper back that prevents me from doing them with a good ROM and I’m convinced they’re part of what makes benching so weird for me.
OHP- ramp to 125lb, 3x1
Back squat- ramp to 225lb, 1x2
OHP- 55lb, 2x25
Back squat- 65lb, 4x25
Did these without pausing at the top unless I needed to catch my breath.
Bent knee inverted row- 10x10 EMOM
Doing these with a straight leg causes my core to sag and my ROM to suck, so I will regress to doing them with bent knees. Honestly these don’t feel easy and I find it funny that I can do 10+ chin-ups without too much problem while I can’t do straight leg inverted rows. There’s so many dysfunctions going on.
Bench- ramp to 175lb, 1x1
Brought the spotter arm down one peg. Now the bar can put pressure on me if I drop it but it probably won’t kill me. I think this felt tougher than last time, but that might be because I went from 155lb->175lb today whereas I did 155lb->165lb->175lb on Monday.
The middle of my left hand is hurting again when I load weight onto my hands during some of the movements from the Elements program. This happened before back in Feb or so when I tried doing them daily. So I cut the moving around stuff today.
Push-ups are starting to feel tough. I don’t think I’m getting enough rest in the later sets. The chin-ups feel smooth when I’m not pausing them. I was a bit worried that the inverted rows yesterday would make these harder, I certainly felt them while sleeping, but if anything the chin-ups felt easier today.
2 mile(ish) run- ~18min.
90F+ day today, so I’m happy that I ran this at this pace, or that I didn’t make some random excuse to not go run at all. I am 99% sure that that this is the fastest I’ve run 2 miles.
OHP- ramp to 125lb, 1x1
Front squat- ramp to 225lb, 1x1
OHP- 65lb, 2x17, 1x16
Front squat- 65lb, 5x20
Did these without pausing at the top unless I needed to catch my breath.
Bent knee inverted row- 10x10 EMOM
2 mile(ish) walk.
No burpees. My hands felt a bit painful during mobility stuff earlier today, so I am going to limit the amount of time I spend on my hands for a bit.
Edit-I finished dinner and I am hungrier now than before I ate. This is getting real now.
Bench- ramp to 165lb, 3x1
Bench setup is starting to feel better.
65lb, 2x33, 1x34
Greatly underestimated what I can do.
10 min or so various animal walks.
Hands didn’t hurt, which is a good sign.
2 mile(ish) walk.
A Dan John Youtube video popped out of nowhere and I spent a considerable amount of my time today watching them. God dammit, now I WANT a kettlebell.
Push-press- ramp to 155lb, 2x1
I shouldn’t have done the second set.
Back squat- ramp to 235lb 1x2
Did everything with doubles. Felt very easy.
OHP- 65lb, 1x22/20/8
This felt pretty hard. I think I came pretty close to technical failure on the second set. I think I overreached a bit with the push-presses.
Back squat- 75lb, 1x51, 1x33, 1x16
I think. I didn’t really care to pay too much attention to memorizing the exact reps past the first set.
Did these without pausing at the top unless I needed to catch my breath.
This felt really hard. I wanted to try doing it in one set. That didn’t feel doable, so I tried two. That didn’t feel doable either.
Bent knee inverted row- 10x10 EMOM
These are starting to feel better. I think it’s because I’m getting used to the movement. I noticed that the first 5-6 sets feel effortless, and then I progressively get more and more tired. We’ll see how that changes in the coming days.
Was at my parent’s house today, so I decided to go run in the nearby hill trail that I ran back in mid 2021. Went at it in an easy pace since it’s supposed to be an easy run. For context the fastest I logged myself running this was ~46 min.
OHP- ramp to 115lb, 3x1
Front squat- ramp to 195lb, 1x2
OHP- 65lb, 2x25
The last set felt really hard. Rested several times in the front rack position.
Front squat- 75lb, 4x25
Did these without pausing at the top unless I needed to catch my breath. These also began to feel tough by the third set.
Bent knee inverted row- 10x10 EMOM
Brought the j-hook down one notch to see if it would make this feel better. It did; I don’t have to do this odd thrusting maneuver to get my chest to touch the bar. But it evidently also made this more difficult. Things sorta fell apart by the 7th-8th set.
5x12 EMOM jumping burpees.
Felt really hard. Barely finished the last set within the minute.
2 mile(ish) walk.
Spent the last couple of weeks repeatedly looking at Craigslist and finding no KB or plates that doesn’t require me to drive hours away, so I ended up buying a 24kg KB and a pair of 45lb plates from Rogue.
Edit- Forgot to mention. I weighed myself at my parent’s house over the weekend and saw that I was 168.3lb. Weight loss itself is not occurring at any rapid speed but I can clearly see a difference in physique right now, so I feel ok. Things should be good as long as I see a continued downward trend.