I reckon that looks really good. It’s similar to what Greg gets us to do after a meet.
17.09.
Woke up at 126,6 kg. That is 2 kg lost from Sunday. However Sunday was not measured in the morning, so I wouldn’t give too much on that number. If I continue to lose weight that quickly, I need to adjust my calorie intake. I am aiming for 3300 kcal atm. I don’t feel hungry, I just make good food choices and don’t stuff my face. I am also tracking everything, which is much easier if you don’t have to work.
I can’t tell for sure if this training was a success or not. I felt better overall than yesterday. I had a very productive day working on my bachelor thesis and had an urge to move. The good thing is that I made it through the workout. I didn’t fell particularly great during but not that bad either. I reckon this whatever-virus-thing is on the mend and I am jut still weakened, Or I am just detrained? Anyhow I made it through the training and I don’t feel bad afterwards. If I feel good tomorrow, than I know I made the right call.
1 deadlift (crap gym belt)
EMOM 7 x 3 @ 147,5 kg
2 deficit deadlift (beltless)
3 x 10 @ 117,5 kg
3 tempo squat (beltless)
5 @ 40 kg
5 @ 50 kg
5 @ 60 kg
5 @ 70 kg
5 @ 80 kg
4 seated row machine
5 x 10
Notes:
- nothing difficult but hard if you know what I mean.
- lower back seems definitely detrained. Felt pretty worked after the EMOM.
- no video of the deadlifts but the deficits looked on point back position wise
- tempo squats are very humbling. The weight is incredibly light and still you start to shake. Good stuff for people who can’t feel their glutes working I reckon. My glutes activated like crazy.
18.09.
1 Push Press (beltless)
EMOM 7 x 3 @ 87,5 kg
2 Floor Press
3 x 10 @ 80 kg
3 unilateral z press with kettlebell
5 x 8 @ 20 kg
4 lat pull down
5 x 10
5a seated face pulls
3 x 15
5b triceps push downs
3 x 10
5c biceps curls
3 x 10
Notes:
- the floor press is a really awkward movement for me
- the z press uniateral action might be good acessory stuff. Challenges your core and upper back. Limits the pressing itself though
- I am getting better by the day.
Floor press takes a bit of time to learn. But you’ll be good.
Z press is not limiting the press, it’s emphasising the press. Because you only pressing, working hard to stabilize the core as well. But it takes out the lower body and all the body english you have doing a standing press.
Good to see you’re better K, keep it up. Bodybuild that strongman body of yours.
I’ve given floor Press a crack a few times before, def feels bloody awkward
20.09.
@mortdk well… to be honest I am not doing too good for the most part atm. My therapist thinks that most of my recent symptoms are related to stress and my depression. She also thinks that what happened at work last week was a panic attack. Those of you that follow along for a long time know that I have experience with panic attacks. Apparently there are tons of different forms of panic attacks though and this might have been a different kind. Her diagnosis makes sense to me in hindsight. Especially since the physician couldn’t find anything wrong.
My holidays end next week but I am probably calling in sick as bespoke with my therapist. I don’t really feel good doing that but on the other hand, stress can definitely make you sick and I am not going to keep that job for that much longer.
Oh and on the back: My stupid 125 kg overhead press flared it up again. I have one last appointment with the physio and should make better choices afterwards.
So yeah all in all these last weeks I haven’t been too good and at times have been a mess. I am ever working on that. One thing I am slowly getting better at is reaching out for help. That is difficult for me and admitting that you need help and talking about your feelings isn’t easy. Quite funny that it is way easier to talk to a therapist about your feelings than friends and family.
Tried a new mobilization routine today, which I will implement before overheads and front squats:
1 Front squats (No supportive equipment)
EMOM 7 x 3 @ 85 kg
2 sldl (No belt)
3 x 10 @ 105 kg
3 pendlay rows (crappy gym belt)
1 x 8 @ 80 kg
2 x 8 @ 100 kg
4 barbell lunges
10 per leg @ 20 kg (jup, empty barbell)
2 x 10 per leg @ 30 kg - humbling
5 dead bugs
3 sets
Notes:
- light weights but felt good to train without strain
- just glad I got through a workout without anxiety stuff or something feeling off hurting or whatever.
Hey K sorry to read that, I really thought you were doing a bit better. Well if your therapist is good, then they are easy to talk to, and you know it’s stays there.
You should try my routing for a couple of weeks.
You’ll leave the gym so energetic and very much not beat up, everything is focused on technique at light weights, very very different. Nothing heavy, nothing strayneous, just sheer fun with lifts you love.
Well it is an ever ongoing battle that I have been fighting my whole adult life and even before that to a degree. I reckon there is going to be moments where you lose ground and then there are moments where you gain ground. If I didn’t believe that, I would have finished myself a long time ago.
You don’t need to worry about that happening and I am not looking for pity, I am just telling it how it is.
I hope that this fight is winnable though and not something that will go on for the rest of my life. For most people it isn’t but there are chronic types of depression.
I’d say my current workouts (the past 3) were plenty light and they all felt very good.
Felt like utter shit today. Some type of flu symptoms maybe, dead tiredness besides sleeping very good and long, whatever. I am not looking to analyze the situation, I don’t think there is much to gain from that. I just decided to skip training again and wait till I feel better. Tells me that calling in sick is the right decision.
I am getting daily walks in though. That is helping me relax
So I feel better today than I did yesterday - in regards to cold symptoms but I want to have it cleared out once and for all and I am still waking up with a slightly sore throat. So I’ll wait out another day.
I had sort of a mental break down yesterday evening. It’s crazy how fast things are going south atm. Things to be grateful here are my two best friends, one of of which offered to talk on the phone, even though he was out with friends and that helped some. I managed to calm me down to a considerable degree but didn’t get a lot of sleep. Went to the doctor to get a sick note. Told him straight up what was happening and he hinted that he would favor stronger meds but didn’t want to prescribe them himself.
Managed to get a spontaneous appointment with my therapist who also suggested a psychiatrist to gauge if a different combination of meds might at least temporarily be in order.
The big surprise is that I actually got an appointment there this week (Thursday morning). You usually wait a considerable time to get one of those.
Sounds like you cant catch a break man. Hope the session Thursday goes OK.
Shit mate, hope it all works out.
Walking each day is great to relax. Do you walk in the city, suburbs or have a nice green area to walk in?
Damn K, good thing you got an appointment this thursday.
Good times comes to the one who waits. And you’ve waited long enough man.
I really can’t, can I?
@I_Luc I have a big park right across the street which comes in handy if you live in a big city like this. I would prefer a forest though but that would take some driving to get there.
@mortdk I’ve eaten a lot of shit over the years, so I developed a stronger stomach for it. I never go down without a fight and I will break through this and will eventually see better times and find some peace. I also will get out of this funk regarding my training. These are scary times, I am not going to lie. I really don’t want to go to a clinic (which is like the last option for suicide prevention) but at this point it isn’t necessary. Had to discuss the possibility with my therapist though.
24.09.
Well I kinda trained today…
1 deadlift (crappy gym belt)
EMOM 7 x 3 @ 152,5 kg
2 deficit deadlift (beltless)
3 x 10 @ 125 kg
3 leg press (slow eccentric)
5 x 5 @ 182 kg
Notes:
- the EMOM was hard today. Pushed my conditioning
- the sets of ten absolutely obliterated me. The bar moved really well and technique felt good but I was getting dizzy and was done for at the end. Took long rest periods between sets.
- ruled out the tempo squats since I was so fatigued and lower back already had to work hard enough.
Felt like crap during the workout and for about 2 hours afterwards. Then I was okay. I can’t make heads or tales of this. What the fuck is happening?! Is it my CNS? Am I just detrained after all of this time of inconsistent training? Am I pushing too hard even though weights all feel good? Is it still in some way affiliated with this cold-thing (of which all symptoms were gone today)?! WHAT IS IT THAT IS KEEPING ME FROM HAVING A DECENT SESSION IN TH FUCKING GYM?!
Well the positive takeaway is that today and yesterday were better than Monday. Also I managed to go to the gym at all.
Made the executive decision to not train another time this week. Better luck next week
You’re training too hard on top of the other shit you’re dealing with. Back everything off. You’ll still get progress out of it but won’t suffer for it.
I literally feel like I have been run over. It took me two hours to get out of bed and I can barely keep my eyes open or expand the energy to move around. If this persists I am getting a blood test done next week.
@MarkKO this programming was actually supposed to be light and serve as an introduction back to real training. Maybe it’s just too hard in the given circumstances.
Yeah man sounds like a blood test should be next on your agenda. I was going to suggest some over-the-counter things like CBD oil ( don’t know if it’s legal there ) 5-HTP, and Ashwaganda, But if it’s a chemical balance Those aren’t going to do a whole lot necessarily.
For training, as much as a pain in the ass it is have you thought about doing something totally different with this block? Sort of like thibs’ Four seasons of training thing, maybe this would be a good time to get your conditioning up to some crazy levels, hit a calisthenics goal or do some low-intensity bodybuilding stuff while back burning comp lifts or something along those lines
Update: Why wait? Booked an appointment tomorrow morning with the doctor to get blood work done. I’ll try to get him to look at bloody anything, which should be easy since I am a former cancer patient and regular extensive blood tests are advised anyways.
Well it is legal as far as I know although way less popular than elsewhere and I don’t really buy into it tbh. Before I jump the gun and consume any chemicals I’ll first see what Thursday’s appointment brings. The doc is probably prescribing me something anyways.
Hmm honestly I have been out of regular training (both regular frequency and regular schedule) for… I think maybe close to two months? So I don’t really think that’s the way to go. Well maybe it is - I don’t know.
First need to get better I think… Yesterday triggered my conditioning and absolutely killed me.
You may have forgotten that I am 277 lbs mate ![]()
This would probably be the route to get back into stuff.
I wasn’t sold on CBD until I saw how it affected my animals. My dog loses her shit during storms, and it makes a very notable difference that I’m positive isn’t placebo lol. But I imagine sensitivities to that vary widely.
Fair enough on the calisthenics and conditioning. Bodybuilding is always a good go to but I always list it last because of how boring I find it, haha.
Interesting point on the cbd stuff! I’ll wait out tomorrow and then we’ll hopefully know in which direction we are heading.
Haha oh yeah I feel ya on the boring argument. That goes actually for anything other than heavy training in my case