Closer to being in a coma than just being tired.
1 hang power clean
Up in doubles to
5 x 2 @ 100 kg
2 paused deadlifts (deadlift bar)
4 x 3 @ 180 kg
Took it easy because I’m so tired and beaten up.
Wanted to do light front squats but either did pull or was in immediate danger of pulling something in my back. So I dropped it here. At least I showed up and did something.
1 push jerk
1 x 9 @ 110 kg
EMOM x 3 reps for 6 minutes - no steam left.
Wanted 10 but am super tired and didn’t dare to hyperextend my back today. But lol I take it. Fresh I definitely have more than 10.
2a lat pull down (simply too lazy to do pull ups today)
6 x 12 @ s13/14 neutral grip
2b seated btn press, no back support
12 @ 40 kg
10 @ 50 kg
2 x 9 @ 60 kg
2 x 9 @ 50 kg (10 kg dangling)
3a db lateral raises
Run the rack drop set
2 sets 15-5 kg all to failure
3b overhead triceps extensions
Drop set, each plate to failure
2 Sets s6-1
Notes:
We are proud of you too sir.
Missed an entire week of training due to being ill. Wasn’t bad at all but with averaging 3 exams per week (for 5 weeks), I’m in no position to take risks. So had to completely pause training.
1 push jerk
6 x 6 @ 105 kg
Decided to do the responsible thing for once and start back with light weights. Good call, as I feel the past weeks taking their toll.
2 overhead rack lockouts/ holds (pin at 40)
Up in 3s and 10-20 kg jumps
3 @ 110 kg
3 @ 130 kg
3 @ 150 kg
3 @ 160 kg
3 overhead marches (in place)
2 x 20 sec @ 130 kg
4 lat pull down (neutral)
4 x 10-12 @ s14
5 seated btn press
10, 8, 6 @ 60 kg
6a face pulls
4 x 15
6b hammer curls (heavy)
8, 6, 4 @ 30 kg (per arm) wird grip issue with left arm
7 seated incline curls
2 x 10 @ 10 kg + band
1 paused deadlift (deadlift bar)
2 @ 200 kg
3 x 4 @ 175 kg
Felt all very fluffy and solid.
2 front squats
2 x 5 @ 110 kg
2 x 5 @ 105 kg
2 x 5 @ 100 kg
Everything about those was aweful and weak today. But at least we did something, ey. Also the overload oh stuff is affecting this.
3 hatfield squats
10 @ 102 kg
2 x 10 @ 122 kg
Discussed deadlift accessories with the guy who tries to teach me slack pull. He adviced against incorporating more pulling. In hos opinion I don’t lack the strength but rather the effiency to pull more weight. The one muscular weakpoint I can pinpoint is my quads. So I decided to annihilate those with some additional quad focused squatting work and therefore will incorporate hatfields now.
4 sit ups
3 x 15-20
1 paused push jerk
3 @ 120 kg
3 @ 122,5 kg
Cluster set 45 sec rest between reps
8 x 1 @ 122,5 kg
2a bench press
5 @ 112,5 kg
8 @ 102,5 kg
7 @ 102,5 kg
8 @ 95 kg
3a dips
3 x 10
3b 45° unilateral high row (I just sit on the floor and lean back on one arm and pull with the other)
3 x 10-12 @ s6
Didn’t like the feel.
4a lateral raises
10 @ 17,5 kg
10 @ 15 kg
13 @ 12,5 kg
10 @ 10 kg
11 @ 7,5 kg
4b overhead triceps extensions
8 @ s6
10 @ s5
7 @ s4
Decided to just eliminate my triceps entirely today. For shit 'n giggles.
Went in super lethargic after a very high stress exam week (please let this month pass fast!) but ended up not only performing very well on the overheads but also getting in a ton of volume! Very pleased with myself.
Hows all the non gym stuff going mate ?
Academics:
Currently averaging 3 exams per week for a 5 week period. If everything goes to plan I’ll be allowed to call myself a licensed physiotherapist at the end of the month. Then another year of study to reach my second bachelor degree (first was in something I’d translate to exercise science, next is therapy sciences). Very stressful time period. A job as physio for the remaining study period is already secured. I build up quite a reputation for myself (in the small circle around my professional existence, haha) which made that very easy.
(Mental) health:
I have my weak spots and that’s probably gonna be the case forever. But I can accept that and deal with it. All in all I’m more resilient and straight up happier than I ever thought throughout most of my late adolescence/ adult life. It’s a hard road and I’m not saying that’s past me, but I have prevailed without becoming ‘hardened’ on the inside and it’s been well worth it.
Dating life:
I hit some steep ups and downs in recent times of having and been loved and lost. I have learned A LOT about how I experience intimacy, connection and sexuality and what’s important for me in those areas in the last 2,5 years. That’s been a very important journey of self discovery for me, although it might sound mundane. I gained a lot of perspectives from a variety of people and a good insight into myself as a result as well. In my last 2,5 years of non monogamous dating I’ve also discovered that I’m polyamorous which while it’s only something that affects me personally has been quite the journey to find out and acknowledge. While I don’t care personally about stupid stuff like the number of romantic partners one has been with, the feedback from women I’ve been in relationships with, has meant s lot to me and helped reshape the look I have on myself. Currently I have started dating two very interesting, cute and pretty fascinating women (well possibly three, but that depends on your definition of dating) and am excited to further see how I experience this area of my life, that has gained a lot of importance for me and has also transformed in a positive way, beyond what I ever expected/ hoped for to be completely open and honest.
Other aspects:
Going pretty well. Fortified existing positions, standpoints and character traits (dating update was very intertwined with personal development stuff).
1 drop jump into box jump
2 x 3 @ 60 cm
1 x 3 @ 75 cm
2 front squat
1 @ 130 kg @ about RPE 7/8 but enough for my sore and tired body.
Overload: Reverse band front squat (pin at 40, doubled black band)
1 @ 130 kg
1 @ 150 kg
2 @ 160 kg
Very interesting. Since I am not really following a structure I thought this is a good moment to experiment. Might downgrade to weaker bands as the support at the bottom is intense.
Back off front squats
3 x 4 @ 110 kg
Nothing too intense here.
3 deadlift single
1 @ 215 kg - this was supposed to be very chill and only to drill the motion but it was not chill at all! Ouch - quite humbling…
4 glass floor deadlifts
3 x 6 @ 145 kg
Light weight because the single moved so terribly. Skipped split squats and called it.
This was all in all not a good training session and I once again overshot the total intensity for this week. But hey, not the easiest circumstances rn, so today is nothing to dwell on at all. I still made it in.
Really appreciate the share sir. It’s great to hear you working things out and happy to hear you are happier these days. Wishing you well in the remaining exams. Sauté big fella.
Appreciate the interest my friend. It’s good to write/ speak out positive things from time to time and not only dwell on the negatives of the past. Neither did I nor want I leave those behind me. My perspective changed and I can look on my past self in a much softer light today. It’ll be an ongoing journey but I generally don’t punish myself as much as I did anymore and started to believe I was worth more than the pain that darkened so many years. Not saying I left those parts of me behind for good but at least I’m not feeding them and right now it just doesn’t look like I’m in immediate threat of them being a determining constant of my life.
In light of full disclosure:
For people reading that don’t know me as long as our man @simo74 - I’ve hit some rough patches throughout big stretches of my life (relative to my age). I’m not complaining and not saying I had to deal with things others aren’t dealing with themselves (highlights: Cancer, years of depression, suicidal ideation, harsh personal developments including very short bout of homelessness). Nothing to pity me for - and I mean that! Just keeping it real like I used to years back and making sense of my answer above.
Fantastic to read the personal development and life changes glad you’ve come to a better place mentally worth more than all the deadlift PRs in the world! (But don’t stop chasing those either!).
Thanks buddy! I’ll agree that nowadays these things are much more important than the weight on the bar.
I’m not stopping my chase but if you want it illustrated, this portrays my hunt for deadlift PRs pretty well:
(You don’t want to know how long it took to find a video of this exact simpsons gag that I had memorized perfectly…)
10.09.
Quick MetCon workout to get some movement in.
1a
5 rounds jump rope x 100 skips
1b biceps curls
5 rounds x 20 reps @ 1st round 37,5, consecutive 27,5 kg
2a
5 rounds jump rope x 100 skips
2b wall balls
5 x 10
The ‘b’ was practically the active rest. Did however many shitty little series I needed to get to 100 jumps. I have never practiced skipping rope and haven’t tried in years. One time I got 40 consecutive skips but mostly it was much less than that.
Didn’t like how much my shoulders were burning. It’s always something with this MetCon stuff. Shoulders, quads… Eh it was good enough for today.
Extra tired today.
1 push jerk
5 x 6 @ 110 kg
2 overhead lockout and holds
3 @ 100 kg
3 @ 130 kg
3 @ 155 kg
3 @ 170 kg
3 overhead marches
2 x 30 sec @ 135 kg
5a face pulls
3 x 12-15
5b lateral raises (back to wall)
4 x max. @ 15 kg/ 12,5 kg/ 10 kg/ 7,5 kg
Notes:
Those are some heavy holds.
How did you decide on the length of time you use for the holds (and the march, for that matter)?
The length - honestly just going by feel. No real though to it.
The marches are something I have picked up from Sandra Bradley (current esw u82, I think). The seem like a good idea to work on stability. As for the length - 20 sec was exhausting and 30 very close to a maximal effort.
To incorporate heavy holds in the first place was an idea from my ex coach Max McCall. He suggested stability might be a limiting factor because from what he’d seen from my mobility and such, he didn’t understand why I would fail reps near lockout.
Makes sense. Once upon a time when I thought stability was my problem I was doing overhead holds and also overhead walks. I was lifting at a storage facility so I’d just walk down the row and back with the bar overhead. (As I look back on it, my problems then were actually a mix of bad mobility + weak abs, and not really stability.)
I hadn’t really seen anyone else do overhead supports. I read about them long ago in old articles. I’d read that John Grimek used a chain to hold the bar and then did holds up to some crazy poundages, like 1,000 pound supports.
I’d also come across this article with a number of power-rack exercises (before racks existed): especially lockout presses, and lockout holds.
Exercise 1 and 2 here: The Tight Tan Slacks of Dezso Ban: Stability, Pull, Lockout Power – Charles A. Smith
1 paused deadlift
2 @ 210 kg
3 x 4 @ 180 kg
Still trying to work on effiency and patience.
2 front squats
4 x 6 @ 107,5 kg
Yeah this was weak (lower weight and volume than overhead 
) but I have to listen to my body, I fear.
3 ssb split squats
2 x 8 per leg @ 62 kg
Restarting these easy. Maybe adding 7,5 kg per week. Hatfields will be done the second lower body day.
4 sit ups
3 x 12
Not much but honest work
