Yesterday I did my secondary chest and shoulders workout (everything is 45-60s rests)
Machine Press
Just sets of 8 working up to a top set
Pec Minor Dips
3 x 10ish
DB Flye/ Press
45/8ish x 4
Superset with 10 band over and backs
Machine Rear Delt
3 x 30
Machine Side Lateral
4 x 10
DB 6-Ways
5/10 x 3
Crunch Machine
4 sets
Bike x 20 minutes
So sometimes my wife, just because of schedule, will eat at like 4pm and then not be hungry for dinner. I’ve been catching my daughter noticing this and she’s been trying to not eat. I’d talked about it with my wife, and she fixed her schedule so she’s modeling meals, etc., but she had to have a sit down with our daughter yesterday about you have to eat. The little girl is way caught up in the preteen stuff right now. Anyway, I guess the convo went well, because she was eating on the clock when I get home. It’s all good stuff: she actually prefers like chicken and rice and pineapple; I just don’t want her developing crazy mindsets over shorter-term pressures.
For another parenting failure, I took my son to see Nosferatu last night. I thought it was going to be a scary movie and he wanted to prove he could handle it. It’s not. It’s 2 hours of this super artsy, Victorian setting, overly sexualized boob watching. I don’t think I’ve ever been so uncomfortable. I kept thinking, surely that’s the last scene, but I was always wrong right up to the credits. Anyway, he said he really liked it; no kidding, boy.
He’s got his first wrestling scrimmage that he’ll actually get to wrestle tomorrow, and then we’re off to see my family and my new nephew!
Pro tip: google the IMDB Parent’s Guide for whatever movie you’re going to see. It will tell you straight up exactly what kind of naughty stuff will happen without spoiling too much. I don’t even have kids but don’t wanna get caught playing the wrong kind of movie depending on who’s around.
Oof. Maybe not my favorite trip of my life.
Got home and had a few minutes before the gym closed. I worked up and did 4 sets of:
1a. RDL 275 x 8
1b. Bench 225 x 6-8
Got a real workout in today. The volume is going to increase quickly over the next few weeks, so I’m keeping everything really light - that’s my clever way of pretending I could actually lift more… you’re not there so you don’t know!
I used the new ST knee sleeves today @freshyfresh. They’re noticeably different, but not annoyingly so. They stayed on the whole time, my knees felt warm, and I didn’t feel like they provided much assistance (a positive for me), so they get a thumbs up.
Lying Leg Curls
40/15
65/10
95/10 x 2
SSB Squats
45/10
135/8
185/8
225/8 x 2
Probably took it too easy there
Hack Squat
-/5
1pps/5
2pps/10 x 2
DB Reverse Lunge
Front foot elevated
30/10
30/10 + 4 + 2
RDL
Skipped these because I did them yesterday and I tend to overdo my lower back
Standing Calf
150/10 + 6 + 4 x 2
Any cast iron cooking tips? I’m pretty bought-in on not eating teflon flakes for breakfast anymore, but I keep ruining my eggs.
I am pretty good thankyou. The 2 week vacation gave the body and mind some much needed down time. I didn’t do any training on holiday and this might be the first time for 8 years that I have had a proper break. My pec is fully healed now now so its game on with pressing again. I did manage to break my toe 3 days before the end of the holiday. Just walked into a chair leg on the dining room at the hotel. Was pretty lucky to not trip or throw my breakfast on someone. Knew straight away it was broken, came up black and purple almost immediately. Same toe I have broken at least twice before - I am apparently a little clumsy. It still hurts a bit, but it is the third (middle) toe so its basically useless anyway, so it shouldn’t slow me down too much.
The 2 weeks gave me tome to re think my training and reset what I want to work on. It was very clear to me that a couple of things had happened over the last 6 months of last year;
I was not training with any real purpose which lead to some inconsistency in terms of effort and application. The pec injury was a factor here but in truth I was already coasting a little for a couple of months before that.
I was skipping a load of conditioning and strongman workouts. Went from consistently training 6-7 days a week to 3-4 at best. I really noticed this when just walking around on holiday, in particular if I had to walk up stairs. This was a bit of a wake up call for me and a reminder that you are only as good as you are right now. What you did 6 months (let alone 4 years) ago means jack sh$t.
So I have come back from holiday with a renewed sense of purpose and a desire to get back to my best. Work is going to be a little unsettled fr the next few months but it won’t effect training too much so there are really no excuses.
The family are all good. The kids all go back to a new school year at the end of January. My son starts high school and is looking forward i, which is a massive positive. His last school report for primary school was excellent and his teacher really did an amazing job turning him around in terms of behavior and application. We are really starting to feel like he is growing up and hopeful that it will make life a bit easier for everyone.
Middle daughter goes into grade 8 (2nd year of high school), she is amazing and the only real worry we have with her is the online social media influence. She is a very social person and I wish she would spend a little more time doing other things.
Eldest daughter goes into grade 10, which for her means she will do 2 of her VCE subjects this year. Because she is in the advanced learning program she in studying 1 year ahead for some subjects. Kids here study for the VCE (Victorian certificate of education) in grade 11 and 12. She will do 2 subjects in grade 10 and 11 which will mean she has 2 less subjects to do in here last year. This will hopefully mean she can work harder on less subjects to get the best results possible. She is 15 now so will try to get a job this year. We are hopeful that the karate club she trains at will give her some work. Would be better than working at Maccas. The club starts back next week so she will talk to the sensei then.
Wife is good, super busy at work (she still does 2 jobs) and never spends enough time doing things for herself. I will do my best to try and change that this year but I’ve been trying to do that for 28 years without much success. LOL She has a small surgery next week to remove a benign lump so that will present a few challenges but nothing to worry about really.
@simo74 that’s awesome stuff! Sorry for my delayed response - I’m having trouble fitting a day into the allotted hours lately. It sounds like your kids are doing amazing; I’m very glad to hear that. We’ve chatted about our sons before, so I know where you’re coming from and it’s terrific to hear how things are moving.
Good luck to your wife! You already know it’s benign? That’s quite a relief. She may have already had the procedure by now; if so, I hope the recovery is quick and painless.
Work is keeping me busy. I’ve said yes to a handful of additional speaking opportunities, which I’m happy to do, but I do need to start being a little more jealous of my time and be home more. I can’t be complaining when I agree to optional stuff. We’re filling out the team, though, so I anticipate that will help tremendously.
I did a couple nonsense hotel workouts last week, but nothing awesome. Punched the clock today with a pull workout.
No need to apologise for the delayed response. I know how busy life gets. Sounds like work is going really well even if it is eating up a little too much time. I find that work seems to be like the ocean, sometimes its low tide and smooth sailing and other times it’s high tide and things a little more bumpy. Sounds like it will calm down a bit soon when you get the team set up right. Good to see you still getting in some work in the hotel, I know how hard that can be.
@simo74 good analogy! I always used a roller coaster, but the ocean tells a little better story.
Today was the push day. I’m still staying light and just milking volume, which is feeling pretty good and not overly wearing me out. Then I came home and wrestled with my son. He’s improved a ton, he’s the one wanting to roll with me, and he’s just generally happier - super pleased with all that. Then I pull the Napoleon Dynamite in my own head and I’m thinking “I would have been good if coach would have just let me go up in weight earlier.”
I’m writing this down and then headed over to my daughter’s birthday party with her friends with water slides! I don’t know if they’ll let me hang out with them, but I am not ashamed to go play on water slides by myself. And it’s always a good time to pretend I’m impressing the moms.
Anyway, today:
DB Low Incline
30/15
55/10
75/6
85/8 x 3
85/10
Incline
45/10
135/6
185/6
195/6
Felt a little heavy so just left it
Machine Press
Worked up to one set with a bunch of rest pauses, so 4 mini sets (that come together to form one mega set!)
Also it’s vast, seems unending, doesn’t care who you are or what you’ve got going on in your personal life and will absolutely drown you if you’re not careful.
I like the analogy! But I like the sea more than I like work, at least I can attempt to surf on the sea (well I suppose I can always coast at work too, so hey it just keeps working!).
@alex_uk that was awfully circular and confusing - worth an academic publication!
Today was legs - not horrible.
Lying Leg Curls
This was a different machine than I’m used to, so I did quite a few warmups just figuring out where to place my hips - the pad has a big break.
Did 3 x 10 then a double drop set.
Squats
Didn’t have my SSB, so I had to suck up my whiny shoulder.
2-count pause in the bottom of every rep.
45/6
135/6
225/6 x 5
BSS
I tried all kinds of ways to make these feel good - changed box heights, where I held the weight, where I set my foot, etc. It was really tweaking my back. I don’t know why. Probably a hip mobility thing. The question will be if I care enough to deal with it, or just go back to walking lunges that I always found more awesome anyway.
Leg Extension
Worked up and did a drop set of death
RDL
True 5s negative and 1s pause at bottom
135/10 x 2
Do you have a roller pad on the rack? I used to do BSS using a bench and found it really hard to balance. I could never work out whether to have my toes on the bench or place the top of my foot flat and was always wobbly. My gym has padded rollers that attach to the rack (video of this weeks BSS in my log). These were a game changer for me.
Yes that would work, but the rollers are a little bigger, kinda like the ones on a leg ext machine so probably easier to balance with.
I hold a dumbell in each hand which really help me with balance and dont feel any back or hip issues. I have also see people do it with one dumbell and holding the rack with the other arm to help with balance.
