Skipping Evening Today

Placeholder entry. My shoulder and deads being on Friday both make me wary of doing much work around my shoulder today, and between that and the incoming stress of working before Friday (deadlifts) I'm hesitant to do anything that could damage recovery. It also just seems like a bit of a waste coming in in the evenings if I'm not doing a major lift, though I'm trying to get away from that mentality.

Tomorrow I've got some light benching-related activities in the morning, and probably nothing in the evening. Friday morning it's deads with 385, and I'm excited to hit that.

2014-04-30 Competition Squat

Warmup - limited positions due to shoulder

Didn't do the glute bridges, for some reason.

Some extra tennis ball work for upper back

Squat -
45x5
85x5
125x5
165x5
205x5
245x5
290x5
385 Unrack
335x5
405 Unrack
335x5
425 Unrack
335x5
I did pretty well on the first set, not so well on the second, and very well on the third. I'm not totally sure of my depth, but that's usually a sign that I'm cutting slightly below legal instead of rock bottom.
I credit a lot of the difficulty changes to rest periods. After set 2 I rested roughly a minute before setting up to unrack 425, then something like 8 minutes before set 3. I probably did the same going into the second walkout, but then only 4-4.5 minutes before set 2.

I've rearranged the playlist a bit; basically added another 1:30 between the first two sets dropped 1:00 between the last two to give things a bit more balance.

I still have issues with my knees, but speed (and the fact that difficulty doesn't really increase during the set if I rest long enough) has me thinking I'll make it to 350x5x3, which will be a lifetime PR for sets across (lifetime PR for a single set of 5 was 375).

Updates 4 weeks out

I woke up this morning at 164. Weight loss seems to be capping off, so I'll be reducing meal sizes again. I'll start by just reducing the dressing on breakfast to 20g of olive oil and the rice to 90g each (so roughly 170kcal dropped, for ~2175)

Next steps:
1) I've got about a week left before I restock beef and chicken, and 10 days each for pork and fish.
Beef: Replace the 185g short rib with 130g top sirloin
Chicken: Reduce portion to 130g -> but bump rice back up
Pork: Start buying segments that are 100% loin only and reduce portion to 140g
Fish: Increase portion to 150g (hilarious, I know)
(~2025kcal/day)

EDIT: As some slightly greater ass-coverage, I'm going to increase the meat portions somewhat further and compensate with a drop to 10g oil for the salads.

2) If rice stayed down, drop it to 80g/meal (~1875kcal/day);

3) Remove the apple from lunch and drop rice to 70g/each (~1725kcal/day)

I doubt I'll hit #3 before the meet, in which case I'll only do it after reintegrating conditioning. If I head off to China I'll drop training to 3-4x per week and condition all 3 days to compensate for increased calories and drinking; if I stay in town I'll stick with my 4-on-5 schedule but add back the old conditioning days.

I don't have an official diagnosis on the shoulder, but I've got a strong anti-inflammatory prescribed and instructions to avoid overhead work. Benching is still fine, so I guess we're just dropping into a heavy/medium mix there. Thursday will be bench 145x5x3 (so 75% of next week's working weight) with some extensions, crossovers, and raises depending on what aggravates the shoulder and what doesn't.

2014-04-28 Arms

Warmup (5lbs, no holds)

Close Grip -
45x10
65x10
85x10
105x10
125x10
145x9
165x3
I didn't get much shoulder pain here as long as I stayed tight.
Surprised at only getting 3 with 165, though.

Overhead EZ Extensions -
30x10
40x10
50x8
45x11
I like these.

Preacher Curl -
50x11x2, 12
After the third set, I saw bicep veins that I didn't know existed.

V-Handle Extensions -
30x20
45x20x2
I did these mainly to justify watching Henry hit a couple of squat PRs.

2014-08-28 Bench

Warmup (minimal holds)
Some LAX rolling for left upper back due to possible slap tear

Bench -
45x5
65x5
85x5
105x5
125x5
145x5
170x3
245 Unrack
190x3x4, 2 (3F), 1 (paused 3ct)
Possible causes:
1) General tiredness from deadlifting yesterday (addressed next time - Sunday's a day off)
2) General tiredness from work yesterday (worse next time - work starts earlier next Saturday)
3) Pressing tiredness from Friday (partially addressed next time - taking it easier this week but still attempting PR)
4) Pressing tiredness from cumulative pressing volume (mildly addressed next time - lower cumulative volume this week)
5) Fear over the possible slap tear, though benching didn't seem to aggravate it so I don't see much reason to worry
6) Possible sleep and stimulant issues; napping daily might not be helping.
I have three cycles left before the meet (plus one deadlift day if I get 395x5x3). If I don't get 5 reps on Sunday, I'll drastically drop the volume and take the Press days lighter until the meet.
Nixing drop sets for now as I run into final prep. I'm basically peaking now.

No chins due to worry about aggravating my left shoulder; I'm very paranoid about this.

2014-04-27 Back and Ab

Warmup (minimal holds)

Pull-Up -
10, 5, 6, 6, 6
Sparing my left shoulder

Barbell Row -
135x10
145x10
155xx11
165x12
175x8

Rear Lateral -
20x25
22.5x20
30x12

Plank -
135x30ct
After which I couldn't get back up without hurting my shoulder again.

2014-04-27 Deadlift

Warmup

Deadlift -
135x5
170x5
205x5
240x5
275x5
310x5
345x3
380x5, 5, 4 (5 no start), 1
I don't think I pulled back hard enough on these; several (especially the 5th of set 2) drifted out and got very, very bad. I also made the mistake of resetting for the last rep of set 3; had I done it normally I'd probably have (slowly) gotten it, but in resetting I lost position. I almost passed out after the single.

Left before pull-ups; the gym opened later than I thought, so I didn't have time to run through the rest.

2014-04-25 Chest and Shoulders

Warmup (full)

Bench -
45x10
75x10
105x10
135x10
165x6 (spotter grabbed last right before lockout)
195x1
135x13
I took the shoulder fatigue here as a bad sign for things to come.

Decline -
45x10
95x10
135x10
160x6(7f)+1(2f)+1
135x8(9f)+1

Incline -
45x10
65x10
85x9
105x5 (6F) + 1
65x12 (13F)+2
I stayed in the midrange for most of 65 (only locked out 2-3 of them).

I'm making a mental (and physical) note not to attempt something if I'm not sure I can get it. I've gotten into the habit of "just seeing" on pressing movements, and have way too many Fs on the last 2 workouts to let that continue.

Side Raise -
15x20
17.5x15
20x17

And now for a drink.

2014-04-25 Push Press

Warmup - 7.5s, holding all positions for 3

Overhead squat with 45

Push Press -
45x5
60x5
75x5
90x5
105x5
120x5
135x3
155x5x3
105x10+2+2(3F)+3
This was a good workout.
I lost control at the end of the first and third sets, mostly due to difficulty with the very end of lockout. I think leg drive and follow-through count for even more than I'd realized - the later reps of the drop set either flew up (if I got everything synchronized) or stopped around my forehead.
Wearing my headphones backwards seems very important here - I get distracted if they come off.

Oh, and I felt really good going into these. Apparently I rested well last night.

Pull-Up -
10, 9, 8, 7

2014-04-24 Squat Accessories

Warm-up - lazy on the holds this time

DB Row -
20x10
35x10
50x10
60x30
70x20
80x13, +5 for right
Not feeling as energized as last time; lighter emotional state.

Rear Lateral -
20x25
22.5x20+2
25x15+2
27.5x15
30x12

Pulldown -
135x10x3

Neutral SLR:
20, 11, 11

Plank -
90x30x2
135x30

2014-04-24 Squat

Warmup - 7.5s, holding the scapular retraction phase for 3 seconds as well as the rest

Also some overhead squats to help unlock my t-spine.

Low Bar Squat -
45x5
85x5
125x5
165x5
205x5
245x5
285x3
380 Unrack
330x5
400 Unrack
330x5
420 Unrack
330x5
225x15
I got video of the last work set via Eugene; my back position stays a lot better than I thought.
Walkouts make 330 feel like air.
225 felt like hell; holding the low bar position is really tiring.

Pull-Up -
8, 8, 8, 7
Got a tip from Mark to try loosening up slightly and staying less straight. He's the authority on pull-ups, but I couldn't quite pull it off yet. It'll definitely integrate my abs more once I get it.

2014-04-23 Arms

Warmup - 7.5s with 3s on everything, as before

CG Bench -
45x10
65x10
85x10
105x10
125x8
145x8
155x5+1
95x20+4+2+(3F)+4
I'm liking this. Warming up more slowly gives me time to get into the movement, which seems to let me get more amped.

Decline NG Extension -
30x20
40x12
45x7 (8Fx2)
40x10

EZ Preacher Curl -
30x20
35x15
40x12
I definitely prefer this to the dumbbell version.

Did the super couch to help loosen my quad up for squatting tomorrow morning.

2014-04-23 Bench

Warmup - 7.5s, with 3-second holds for every position (including the transitions during scarecrows)
I've been doing the 3-second thing for a while to up the difficulty when I do 5s, but now I'm trying it with the 7.5s to build up even more.

Bench -
45x5
65x5
85x5
105x5
125x5
145x5
170x3
195x4
245 Unrack
195x4x2
245 Unrack
195x3 (4F), 2
245 Unrack
135x14 (15F x2), 2 (3F), 1 (2F), 2
I decided to run higher volume to make up for the decreased reps. That said, I also failed somewhat on "never stop pushing" and had issues with my unrack. It's hard to tell if GTO issues played a part in this.
I also went pretty nuts for the drop set. In future I'll play slightly more conservative; failure helps nothing.
On technique, I've got issues unracking properly and with shoulders losing position on the way up.

Pull-Up -
11, 10, 9
Still questionable technique, but I'll build up. Weighted starts when I can do 10x3 clean.

2014-04-21 Deadlift and Accessories

Warmup

Deadlift -
135x5
165x5
200x5
235x5
270x5
305x5
340x3
375x5x3
250x22 (strapped; plus a 23rd with no straps to rerack)
I felt very good going into these.
My wrist position slipped somewhat on the first two sets, and grip failed completely on rep 3 of the third. I forgot to set my lats properly for the first two sets; that may be affecting my lockout. I'm having trouble getting my shoulders fully behind the bar, though that may be from limited thoracic mobility.

Pull-Up -
10, 8, 10, 9
Again, not all reps would have passed if I'd been less tired. I did keep tension in my lats for all of them, though.

Barbell Row -
135x10
145x10
155x10
165x11

Rear Lateral -
20x25
22.5x15
20x20

Neutral Straight Leg Raise:
10x4, 30 seconds rest between

I'm still in a very tired state; after deads today I was basically tanked, though I pushed through with a lot of rest before and during the pull-ups.

2014-04-20 Push Press

Warmup

Push Press -
45x5
60x5
75x5
90x5
105x5
120x5
135x3
150x5x3
I've had too much to drink the last few days and I didn't sleep much last night. These felt...foggy. It was like I was pushing through water; I knew I could get every rep, I just felt sleepy while I did it.

Pull-Up -
10, 10, 8, 8
I don't know if I would have counted those 10s on a rested day, but I'll take it for now.

Pulldowns - Did singles to a max of about 200, which was fun

2014-04-19 Low-Bar Squat Practice

Since I'm now only 6 weeks out, it's time to switch back to low-bar regardless.

Warmup

Low-Bar Squat -

Bunch of 5s with 45

Few 5s with 95

Then 135

Then 155

Then a couple with 185

Then singles with 225, 260, 285, and 315

Then a few walkouts with 365 and two more with 405

2014-04-18 Squat

Warmup

Squat -
45x5
85x5
125x5
165x5
205x5
245x5
285x3
330x3, 1x12
I drank last night and didn't sleep too much. I tried 100mg and 1 primatene going into this; I definitely felt the heat effect from the ephedrine but don't think I got much performance boost.
The singles got harder very quickly. I realized after a while that I've been pausing at the bottom of my squats; for the later reps I tried to emphasize Frank Yang's "ECCENTRICONCENTRIC" in my head, which helped somewhat.
If I don't get at least 4, 4, X next week I'll switch out to either banded or front squats.

It may be time to add a belt.

2014-04-17 Bench and Arms

Warmup (sans bridges)

Bench -
45x5x2
85x5x2
105x5
125x5
145x5
165x3
190x5, 4 (5F)
240x Unrack, 10-second hold
190x5, 2
135x13
Benching at the gym near Duke (i.e. not the Duke gym, since they don't do paid guest passes). The squat racks and portable bench were perfect for my setup and unrack.
I focused much harder on pushing myself through the bench. For sets 1 and 3 I held my breath until after rep 4; for #2 I breathed after rep 3. For the 5th rep of set 3 I also went in with the intention to not stop pushing until my arms physically gave out. That plus the unrack probably overrode my tendency to fail - I suspect my GTO just kicks in too easily.
I'm going to integrate more heavy unracks into my training, at least for bench.

Pull-up -
10, 9, 7, 5
Starting to get a slight pulling sensation in my left lat.

CG Bench -
45x10
95x10
135x9
145x6
185x Unrack, 10-second hold
135x7

Decline NG DB Extension -
15x15, 11 (12f, but that just meant squeeze pressing them up), 7

Preacher DB -
20x6ea
Right arm totally shot for some reason.

2014-04-16 Deadlift

Warmup

Deadlift -

135x5

165x5

195x5

225x5

265x5

300x5

335x3

370x5x3

I feel pretty good about these. I found them harder, but I also pulled them on less-suitable bars on less cumulative sleep. I enjoyed the round plates, though.

Pull-Up -

10, 8, 6, 7

I ran out of time here.

2014-04-12 Bench

Warmup

Bench -
45x5
65x5
85x5
105x5
125x5
145x5
165x3
190x5, 4 (5f), 4 (5f), 4 (5f), 2
135x15
I'm forgetting my technique again; I'd've had the second set of 5 if I'd held my breath after rep 4 and remembered to drive myself through the bench. I should have known better for the third and fourth sets. 5th I wasn't satisfied with the technique on the first so I hit it again on the second.
The last 135 rep was very bad; my right side seems to be shutting off again. I need to stop skipping my mobes.
I was really chipper going into this though, which was funny.

Pull-Up -
10, 9, 8, 7

CG Bench -
45x10
95x10
135x8
145x5 (6f)
135x6
Near miss on the last 135 rep.

JM Press -
45x10
Wrist.

Decline Swiss Extension -
40x8
30x10
20x20
If I go towards my neck on these they actually seem to imitate a JM press, at least somewhat. Maybe if I flare my elbows.

Then time's up.

2014-04-11 Deadlift and Accessories

Warmup

Deadlift -
135x5
165x5
195x5
225x5
260x5
290x5
330x3
365x5x3
I got Chris to video the last set; I'll see if I can get it up. The gist is that my back feels like it's coming out of place, but looks totally neutral. I'd guess I'm just losing extension.

Pull-Up -
10, 9, 8, 8

Barbell Row -
135x10
145x10
155x10
165x10
All strapped.

Rear Lateral -
17.5x25
20x20
22.5x15

2014-04-09 Chest and Shoulders

Warmup

Bench -
45x10
70x10
95x10
120x10
145x10
160x9 (10f)
135x7
I'm not totally sold on keeping the reps this high, but it does sort of make sense given the goal.

Incline -
45x10
65x10
85x10
95x10
This shit is embarrassing.

Side Raise -
15x25
17.5x20
15x20

Skipped mobes, partly for bad reasons and partly because today got unbelievably stressful in a hurry and I just wanted to get the hell out. I realized after I left that I'd planned to do Decline; oops. Maybe I'll do some really wide crossovers next time; I discovered this afternoon that getting my hand REALLY far across my body generates a REALLY strong contraction in my inner pec, which is nice.

2014-04-09 Push Press

Warmup

Push Press -
45x5
60x5
75x5
90x5
105x5
120x5
135x3
150x5x3
I felt extraordinarily tired during these. I assume a lack of caffeine had something to do with it.

Pull-Ups -
9, 8, 7, 6

2014-04-07 Squat Accessories

Warmup

DB Row -
22.5x10
40x10
55x25 (straps)
65x15 (straps)
75x10 (straps)
Fun.

Rear Lateral -
20x20, 15, 15

Tried pallof press, couldn't make it work. It's also very hard to load the hanging leg raise.

Tried the double super couch (tie ankle to thigh, then thigh to another object). Very good.

Supplements

The taurine, carinitine, alpha-gpc, and citrulline came in today.

So, my entire supplement regimen:

1) 2 Fish Oil, 2 Vitamin D, 2g Taurine, 1g LCLT

Preworkout: 5g Creatine, 6g Citrulline, 600mg Alpha-GPC

2) 2 Fish Oil, 3 Vitamin D, 2g Taurine, 2g Citrulline, 1g LCLT, probiotic

3) 2 Fish Oil, 1 Vitamin D, 2g Taurine, 2g Citrulline, 1g LCLT

4) 2 Fish Oil, 2g Citrulline, 1g LCLT

Looking things over, it actually appears that the pills aren't any more expensive than the powders. Preworkout L-citrulline and creatine both work best as powders, but around meals I'd rather be using pills.

2014-04-07 Squat

Warmup

Squat -
45x5
85x5
125x5
165x5
205x5
245x5
285x3
330x4, 3 (4F), 3, 2, 2, 1
I haven't been sleeping too well (same problems as the last few days). I also suspect that the extra volume just isn't any use with my lower body movements - they were moving just fine before.

Coming in 3 times a day is also enough of a pain in the ass, and sufficiently boring, that I think I'll revise it down regardless. Triceps is now arms, chest and shoulders merged, reduced split on the leg days.

Bench: CG Bench, JM Press, EZ Curl
Squat: Kroc Row, Rear Lateral, Neutral HLR/Pallof
Press: RE Bench, Incline, Side Raise
Deadlift: Barbell Row, Rear Lateral, Suitcase Dead/Fallout

Upper body prehab runs with face pulls and push-ups; lower body prehab goes with x-walks and single-leg rdls. I may run this back up to 4 movements, but for now I'm sticking it at 3. SLDLs and maybe TBLs could wind up back in eventually, but that's pending lower body feeling.

Oh, and I'm also thinking about splitting the salads up by vegetable (pork gets spinach, maybe separate after that) and returning to an apple vinaigrette for the pork one.

2014-04-06 Chest

Warmup

Decline -
45x10
95x10
135x10
160x8
185x5
135x15
I'm not tall enough for this thing.

DB on Swiss -
30x10
40x10
50x13
30x22

Crossover -
20x18
17.5x12
15x14

2014-04-06 Biceps

Something of a feeler workout.

Warmup

EZ Curl -
30x10
40x10
50x8
60x8
65x6
70x5
75x4
80x2
40x20
Mislabeled in notebook; apparently the nice bar weighs 30lbs, not 25.
Next time I'll drop to 5 sets; 30, 50, 65, 75, 45.

Preacher Hammer Curl -
15x10
17.5x12
15x13
10x30

Incline Curl -
10x15, 12, 12
5x30

Then a bunch of roller, gemini, and ball work on my thoracic stuff.

2014-04-06 Bench Press

Warmup

Bench -
45x5
85x5x2
105x5
125x5
145x5
165x3
185x5, 5, 4, 1
135x10
I wasn't quite mentally here for these. I've also noticed that my caffeine doses don't seem to work very well anymore. At least one major technical flaw (pushing the bar away rather than myself through the bench), plus inadequate hip and heel drive.
I locked out most/all of the 135s; I'll try to avoid doing that again, since my triceps are a weak point here.

No pull-ups today; I'll put them back in on Wednesday (longer recover period for my shoulder, push pressing so violent shoulder extension regardless).

I've ordered a month's supply of taurine, citrulline, l-carnitine l-tartrate, and alpha-gpc; they're arriving tomorrow, and I'm interested to see how well that goes. That came to about $130 (with food expenses running about $350-$400 before off-meals). I've got an extra $1200 from my tax return, and while a fair bit of that's going to discretionary expenses (new shoes and clothes, sunglasses, car stereo header, belt(s)), I should have enough on the side to fund supplementation until the meet, and possibly through the end of the summer. I may also need to order more caffeine, though I'm hesitant about that after a brief episode yesterday.

Incidentally, if anyone actually human reads this, know how to identify your major friends and don't take them for granted. You never know when they'll proactively and unexpectedly come through for you without even knowing that you need them.

2014-04-04 Deadlift and some accessories

Warmup (7.5s)

Deadlift -
135x5
165x5
195x5
225x5
255x5
290x5
325x3
360x5x3
250x15 (strapped)
Solid reps. I wasn't sure I'd get them after the first set, but then set 2 went up the same way and I decided I was probably ok. I don't know if using a red bull in place of caffeine pills as my preworkout helped.
The Broz lifting tape worked out really well; I like it a lot and will keep using it.
I need to re-work my strapping method; getting fed up of the straps slipping during high-rep sets. That should have been at least 20, possibly over 25.

Barbell Row -
45x10
95x10
135x9
155x11
165x10
105x25
Went with my bench grip; I think it actually did help me focus more on my upper back.

Rear Lateral -
15x20
20x18
25x15
15x26
Lots of cheating and rest-pausing, but hey, volume.

2014-04-02 Squat

Warmup

Squat -
45x5
85x5
125x5
165x5
205x5
245x5
285x3
325x5, 5, 4 (5F), 1
225x15
Misracked the second 325 and got lightheaded getting it back up. Held the third set for way too long going into the last rep and then low-bar Anderson squatted it back up as 225.
I'm pretty sure I had 20-25 (at least) in me for 225. I guess we'll find out next time.

I injured my shoulder on Monday, so no pull-ups today. I'll still do the quad workout later though.

Possible Further Split

I'm considering nixing cardio and splitting things up even further to focus more on the individual muscles (primarily because I don't feel like I'm adequately addressing a lot of things right now).

This would look something like:

Bench (5x3 Bench, drop set, Pull-Up)
Biceps (EZ Curl, Hammer Preacher Curl, Decline Curl)
Chest (Decline, DB Swiss, Crossover) <- potentially RE Bench over Decline, pending shoulder

Squat (5x3 Squat, drop set, Pull-Up)
Upper Back/Abs ("Kroc" Row, Rear Lateral, Neutral HLR ss Pallof Press)
Quads/Abductors (Trap Bar Lift, Pistol, Banded Abduction)

Press (5x3 Press, drop set, Pull-Up)
Triceps (CG Bench, JM Press, Decline NG Extension)
Shoulders (Incline, Landmine Press, Side Raise)

Deadlift (5x3 Deadlift, drop set, Pull-Up)
Upper Back/Abs (Barbell Row, Rear Lateral, Band Fallout ss Pallof Press)
Lower Back/Hamstrings (SLDL, 45-Degree Back Raise, Uni RDL)

Subject to various changes.

That being said, I'm not going to just leap into this - I'll think it over a bit and at least allow a week or so on the current iteration so my body can adapt to the already-higher volume.

This also lends itself to experimenting with ephedrine. Alternatively, I can rearrange things a bit on Mondays and Fridays and do the conditioning in the evenings (cluster the above earlier in the day). That sounds like a recipe for complete burnout, though. Honestly, this whole plan seems like a recipe for burnout; I doubt I'll actually do it, but spitballing can be amusing.