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43 minutes ago, RunningFromAmerica said:

I live in Central Europe, so not *so* much. There's definitely some guys emphasising Upper Body and if not entirely skipping leg day, then definitely rarely doing the compounds. There's an old-timer bodybuilder who trains people in the evening, he has his own locker and stage-ready photos of himself at various ages - we don't speak eachother's languages but we are on Szia terms. His guys do squats and block pulls sometimes but not super regular fair to say. We also have some kickboxers who do a lot of cables mostly.

There used to be a guy who would load up the heaviest weights on cable machine and do really short ROM stuff, making a dreadful racket. He's not been around in a while though.

Mostly everyone is super friendly, occasionally some younguns even ask me a couple of questions - most recently about calves lol. There's one scary dude who is not very friendly, he's on kissing terms with the old-timer though - real old school dudes. I can be mean though, I ate the goldfish of one guy who claimed 'I'm using that' on the best bench when he was over the other side of the room doing crunches....and he had been doing curls on the bench.......on a Monday. ON INTERNATIONAL CHEST DAY THIS IS WHAT YOU DO??!

Haven't seen him since. I feel a bit bad about it tbh, but ffs.

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I used to live in the Czech Republic! Pilsen, Prague, Podebrady... Trained with some very strong people there and visited a lot of cool gyms. Where do you live?

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Budapest (I'll probably redact that in a few hours). Tbh there's a powerlifting gym on the edge of town where I suspect the really stronk people go. I'll pay it a visit sometime. 

And in case anyone googles, no I don't go to the Buda gym all the movie stars go to!

Edited by RunningFromAmerica
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My hammies (hammys?) are tight. One of my goals over the next month is getting more mobility in my hamstrings. If I lie on my back and try to raise my legs straight up, my lower legs only get to about a 45-degree angle from my knees. I can force ‘em straight with a little effort, but I’d prefer they get their on their own.

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12 hours ago, Log said:

Yeah, it sometimes happens with no weight added.  If I squat down, the knee wants to buckle.  When this happened before, it went away after a couple days, so I thought it was just a temporary thing.  This time, it's stuck around.  I don't think it's anything too bad, but it's something.

@GordlowWould you mind posting/sharing your workout plan?  I have an adjustable kettlebell here at home and am thinking about getting some TRX straps.  

Keep in mind I'm 56 years old and my body is beat up from years of abuse, so at the moment my focus is on restoring structure and mobility rather than trying to add more size or power.

The basis for what I do now is a whole-body calisthenics routine, Al Kavadlo's YouTube videos are a great learning tool there.

For kettlebells, Mark Wildman's channel is my go-to. He has tons of really great advice and instruction. The complete Enter The Kettlebell series is also up on YouTube for free and is a must-watch for anyone interested in that kind of training. 

My TRX came with an instruction book and DVD. That was super helpful and informative!

My current routine:

Strict bodyweight box squats (3-4 x 25) 

Pushup variation (currently incline using the same box or bench I use for squats) (3-4 x 15)

supersetted with Australian/Fat Boy pull-ups (6-8 x 8-10)

Hanging knee raises (2-3 x 15)

Optional exercises include:

Kettlebell hand-to-hand swings (2-3 x 10+10) most workouts but not always

Bridges

Step-ups or lunges

Hindu push-ups/Tiger Push-ups

Mechanical drop set dumbbell curls

Kettlebell Turkish get-ups or sandbag get-ups

Sandbag shouldering and pressing

Sandbag cleans

https://www.t-nation.com/training/yoga-yes-yoga-for-big-bastards/

I'll sometimes substitute kettlebell pullovers and squats for bodyweight box squats

I'll do 10 supersets of 10 reps of TRX rows and pushups for my calisthenics push and pull if the smith machine I use for Australian pull-ups is busy, or if I feel like it.

I'm really enjoying the challenge of using new equipment and trying out new exercises. I'll sometimes toss in something new I've seen on a Kavadlo or Wildman video but the push/pull/squat/usually hinge is the firm basis day in and day out.

Except: once or twice a month, when my energy is sky high and the dumbbell area is free I will "go up the rack" from 12 kg to 30 kg doing 3 clean and presses on each side and sometimes finish with a couple of sets of jumping snatches with the 28s and 30s.

Or I'll do cleans and presses and snatches with the kettlebells, working from sets of 10+/side with the 12 kg to a set of 1-3 with the 28. 

Sometimes I'll do the calisthenics first then do the clean and press run. 

I think if you are building strength it's best to stick to a proven routine, but in my case I have the flexibility to "listen to my body" a lot these days.

Thanks for asking! Let me know how you decide to go, and how it works for you.

Also: Diet is still mostly chicken, eggs, yogurt, bananas, berries, nuts, fish, oatmeal, fermented foods, soups, salads, tea, water, avocados, beans, apples...

It seems to be working really really well for me so far.

 

 

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6 hours ago, Control said:

Yes.

If not hamstrings, what?

Hip mobility.

additional: what is often perceived as hamstring tightness is actually arguably putting too much responsibility on the hamstrings because they're the area giving the feedback. Do you really need longer hamstrings? Or do you really need better hip mobility and core strength? The answer isn't necessarily binary, but I'd veer more towards column b personally.

I've also read feelings of tightness can often also be more about the connective tissue aka fascia. I mean I read it here: https://yogainternational.com/article/view/10-hamstring-myths-debunked.

 

Edited by RunningFromAmerica
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Top sets of the week:

Back Squat - 115kg x 7 (Rep PR)

Bench Press - 100kg x 8 (matching PR)

1' deficit deadlift, straps - 140kgx 8

---------------------------------------------------------------

Saturday, tbh my head wasn't really in the game for squats. But I knew 7 reps at 115kg was the PR and I was able to get it pretty easily. My knees did feel it though afterwards.

Sunday, found my groove on the bench and I thought I was going to rep PR the 100kg. Tbh I could have, but rep 8 misgrooved a little and I called it there because I don't really want to grind.

Tuesday - was without my gf on deadlift. Didn't really get into the heavy deadlifts, but got good 3 x 8 sets on the deadlift and the SSB Good Morning. Although leg extensions and to some extend leg curls are oft derided, I do think the lower quad and hamstring are useful for my knee health and I got some of these in too - realistically I do need to work these. I thought afterwards that I had done too much and would have big doms but it didn't happen really I think the cardio is helping.

Wednesday - 'fluff day' was good, maybe too good - arms are cramping up like a mofo. My gf was catching up on deadlifts so I was just doing curls with a tricep swiss bar for japes and lol maybe did too many.

Days this week are a bit out of sync because of gf things. For that reason and others, I will change up this week and do heavy overhead pressing on Friday, and probably some kind of box squatting on Saturday, possibly with wraps, to give my knees a break. I may bench on Sunday, or not. We'll do the Squat 1+ day next week.

There's a challenge at my gym to do 10 hanging toe-to-bars followed by 10 hanging knee raises by the end of the year. It's an interesting challenge so I am pondering how to make it happen.

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I'll just put today's Trapbar here. 10x140, 5x196, 5x306, 5x416, 3x495, 3x495+53lbs of chains (though I'd roughly estimate it as 533 at the top of the move), 2x2x515, 3x470. Then shrugs with 306, 196 and 110.

I also did bench and other upper body stuff on Tuesday, but I'll edit that in if I get another workout in tomorrow.

But anyway, another few pounds closer to my all time max. I still have about a month before the Spring/Summer diet starts, so I need to get there before that, right?

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So, I started back on a strength phase of my workouts, and my back has held up to the squats I've been doing so I decided to try 275 on a back squat.  Understand, that 275 on a back squat is pretty light for me, and for 3x3 I'm pretty sure I could do somewhere in the mid 300s at least.  With that said, my back wouldn't like that very much.  I was able to do the 3x3s with 275 without feeling it at all in my back, and I'm going to try to slowly increase the weight to see if I can actually strengthen my core enough that I can squat near my limit.  I was able to do 3x3 at 255 on the bench, so it's time to move up to 265.  My goal this year was to bench 275, and I imagine I'll be able to do that by my birthday (June 30th).  I'm still holding on to more weight than I'd like, but I'm wearing it a lot better than I was this time last year not only that, I feel much more athletic.  I'm a beefy 215 right now and wondering if being under 200 lbs. is even possible at this point.  I know I've put on a lot of muscle, but I'm dreaming about being able to put up a shirtless @sharnado avatar one day, lol.  I can't do that if I can't burn off the extra body fat.

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Today, due to bike trouble, I walked to work. Took me two F'n hours, but I still did an upperbody pump for 90 minutes. Thankfully, the work day itself was short.

As for the Tuesday's bench and others, I went up to 286 did 3 singles (plus a 1 or 2 partials that don't count on each set), 3 and 3 with 275 before and after the 286's, then a bunch of stuff with lighter weights. Reps being pretty similar to last week. Not much progress on that front, but I try to get in reps with 286 or more every time out, hoping I can slowly progress up to that damn 300 lb mark at some point.

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Lifts of the Week:

Press: 60kg x 5

Bench Press: 105kg x 5

SSB Pin Good Morning (slightly wide deadlift stance): 95kg x 3 (Top Set of SPINALTAP~! series)

--------------------------------------

Last week I think I tweaked my upper back on the left side. It is nothing to write home about, but working around it a bit. Same with the knees.

- Friday was a special Press day. I actually should have been doing 57.5kg for 1+ and 60kg was....a little too much. 5th rep was a wee bit grindy. Still, it shows I don't really have to do this lift too often to keep it.

- Saturday was squat day. Because I wanted to give my knees a break, I just did lots of dynamic effort speed squats with the safety bar onto a just below parallel box (15 x 2, moving the weight up from 50kg through to 72.5kg at the end). Combined with hip thrust and kickback machine work I was surprising fatgued.

- Monday I was feeling a bit beat up and I wasn't that up for benching 105kg for an AMRAP. But I did my duty. And it was pretty good. Tempo bench with 3 seconds eccentrics (and 2 second pause at the bottom) has been really helpful in improving my first reps on heavy sets - it's a gamechanger frankly. I did 3 more sets of that with weight bumped up, and I also did 3 sets of wide grip 'pussy pad' bench - longer-term project is to get my bench wider because my weakness is off the chest; my triceps can get me out of trouble 9 times out of 10 but that's not the way to securing that three plate bench. 

- Tuesday still beat up but it was deadlift day and I did my duty. Well kind of. I decided on the way I would do Good Mornings instead. But to make it interesting.......

Up to eleven - Wikipedia

I took one of Jim Wendler's crazier ideas: The Spinal Tap.

I like doing heavier GMs off pins (it's safer), and I used the SSB bar because frankly anything below about 80kg on a straight bar sucks for my shoulders.

So it went:

55kg x 5, 65kg x 5, 75kg x 5, 65kg x 5, 75kg x 5, 85kg x 3, 90kg (Joker 1) x 3, 95kg x 3 (Joker 2), 60kg x 5, 70kg x 5, 80kg x 5 - 11 sets total

between each set I did an accessory movement - 5 sets of leg extensions, and 5 x 2 sets of 1 arm facepulls with a light band to rehab my upper back.

It was actually a lot of fun and pretty time efficient. I got 27 working sets in the workout (I did leg curls and standing calf afterwards) in about 80 minutes, and that's doing a lot of weight changes. I wouldn't personally fancy doing it for Deadlifts for this reason! I think I will do this again in a few weeks with a 2.5 or 5kg weight bump.

I may try some light lat work tomorrow, Not sure yet. May need to stick with the bands for a bit.

 

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3 workouts in this week so far, and I think that will have to do, unless I feel super frisky tomorrow. Somehow, I doubt it. No records this week, but overall it was still good. In an attempt to inch the bench max towards 300 lbs, I did a total of ten sets (or "sets", as one of them was a single rep and nothing more) with 264 to 297. The 286 and 297 were just singles and a couple of partials that don't count and that one 286 was just a single. Sets with 264 and 275 on the way up as well as back down. Same with 242 and 220. The 220 was a set of 5 on the way up and a set of 10 on the way down (I did 12, but the last two were shit). Between the sets I did lat pull-down combos and after the bench some chest flies.

Tuesday, I did the extra weight giant set triangle with 60 lbs, using smaller plates and one of the chains across my shoulders (Hercules-style). After two rounds, I took the chain off and was left with 33 lbs and then 22. The reverse shrug felt heavier than ever before with the chain around my neck. More chest flies, push-downs and curls to finish the workout before the mandatory ab work.

Took Wednesday off in order to recover for the trapbar and stretched out my hamstrings and quads a lot throughout the workday and more at home. Today, I had at least twice the amount of food I normally have at work, spread out throughout the shift. So, Trapbar it is. Started out with 12x140, 7x196, 5x306, 5x359, 5x416, 3x469, 2x526, 2x515, 4x3x469. After the 2x526, I tried adding the chains and failed 2 attempts to get that off the ground, so I did the 515 and 469 sets after that. A bit bummed out about that, but I did do a short (about 6 reps) set of shrugs with 405, then longer ones with 306, 196 and 110. Then abs.

Due to lack of materials, my work week has been shockingly light (compared to usual) so I was hoping for bit more, but there was heavy stuff in there, so I'll take it. Next week is shorter due to Easter. Will we witness "The Passion of Shartnado" next Thursday? I'll keep you posted.

Well, I went for one more workout today. A 90 minute upper body pump. Nothing heavy, but just crazy pump. I made a new playlist just for the workout. Now I'm ready for the weekend. Maybe Dynamite this evening.

Edited by Shartnado
Fuck it, one more!
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I saw my きんにっくきょうだい、my "muscle brothers" The Big Guns Zeus and The Bodyguard for the first time in YEARS today at a festival at Osaka Castle. 

Hard to explain what I good time I had, and how happy I was to see them again, without cursing.

 

Just the greatest dudes.

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Look at the f'n size of Bodyguard 's shoulders!!!

Edited by Gordlow
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Top sets of the week:

Back Squat - 120kg x 5 (Rep PR), 135kg x 1 (PR)

Double Overhand Deadlift - 120kg x 2 (Rep PR), (2 x) 90kg x 10 (Rep PR)

---------------------------------------------------------------

For those who are following, my upper back seems fine now. I did some light tempo lat work on the low row and things settled down. Yay!

Saturday was Back Squat. I deployed a strategy of doing a bunch of squats holding a plate to my chest to warm up, and doing my first back squat reps with 70kg. It still sucked, but 80kg was ok and there was no issue after that. Tbh wasn't really feeling it and so I set a target of 5 reps with the 1+ set, got the 5 and stopped it there. It felt heavy, though 130kg for a single didn't. 135kg for a single felt heavy again, but tbh it wasn't hard. I suspect I had 150kg in me, and probably 160kg on a really good day if I was playing my edge.

I then did 5 x 5 on 95kg, and while it didn't kill me it gave me 3 days of doms. I want to build to 5 x 10 at 90kg, but 10 rep squat sets are going to need some improved conditioning. Good to have a goal though. I think I'll be employing more of a 'Beyond 531' strategy on the heavy work next cycle, and looking to build up to 10 sets of 5 at 90kg. Whilst I hate the straight bar, I intend to try to persist with it for at least the next mesocycle. I have 1 squat day left in the cycle, and I think I'm going to put 80kg on the bar and see how many sets of 5 I can walk away from.

Sunday was bench day. I've done my main bench 531 for the mesocycle, so I'm doing a 1 week, 3 session, minicycle on a slightly wider grip using what Jim Wendler calls "5s Progression ". I did am easyish max of 105kg on a pinkies on the ring bench end of last cycle, so my training max should be 95kg but I narrowed the grip slightly and called it 100kg for the purposes of this wave. So it was a simple 5 x 70, 80, 90kg. Nothing to write home about. I think most close-grippers toy with widening their grip in the hope of getting more weight...and then generally decide it's not worth the aggro. I'm slowly trying to move it out to a more medium grip - but if nothing else it's a different angle and a little different pec activation..and it prevents overuse to switch up grips. Will actually go lighter tomorrow (5 x 65, 75, 85), and then 5 x 75, 85, 95 on Sunday.

Today was deadlift day, and yeah I wasn't really up for it - I still hadn't recovered from the squat day. But after hitting some doubles, I decided I would go for it at 90kg and I got 10 reps. A few minutes later I got them again. I decided a 3rd set really wouldn't be a good idea...but that's a big jump from 80kg x 8...even if that was on a small deficit - the truth is, I think I pull slightly better from a deficit - I just feel more locked in somehow. I gotta be honest, I think a 3 x 10 on a deadlift is as far as I will ever want to go. My back and arm tendons were crying and it's at moments like this I'm so glad my gym has a SSB for doing GMs with. 

I have 3 days more in the gym this week - yes I will be there Good Friday and Easter Sunday, but looking forward to a brief interlude next week if I'm honest.

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I'll write a more detailed report later, but I just need to get it out there that I just did a single rep with 557 on trapbar. Other heavy sets before and after were 2x504, 3x504 and 2x504. Three straight workouts this week Monday to Wednesday. This means I should actually top my 1RM in the near future. I'll be damned.

 

Ok, let's recap. 3 workouts, Monday evening was the typical extra weight giant set with 66lbs (no chain this week, just weights). 3 rounds, then 44 lbs, 22 lbs and just bodyweight for one round each.

More lat pull downs, chest flies, side delts and light curls followed. Ab work for the finish. The hanging knee-raises with the 26 lb chain around my neck/shoulders is getting up to 20 reps and beyond. Maybe I'll add the other chain as well.

Tuesday was bench day, despite the heavy chest work the say before. 10 sets with 242-286 range (between 1 to 5 reps) and slow eccentric and pause at the bottom with 187 and 1,5 reps (an extra half rep at the bottom) with 154. Then some moderately heavy curls with the plates when deloading.

Wednesday was the record trapbar. I took the warm-up rather light with 10x140, 5x196, 5x306, 3x359 (this was short, as the other chain fell down, so it was unbalanced), 3x416 and then the heavy sets mentioned above. Then shrugs with 405 (getting 8 to 10 reps this time, lost count, but more than last time.) Then more with 306 and 196. Knee raises with the chain went up to around 25 reps this time.

Now, I will take the rest of the week off, not due to fear of blasphemy, just due to the fact that I won't be at work.

Two weeks until my real winter (spring) vacation, I need to get the new 1RM on trapbar before that.

Edited by Shartnado
More text available.
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Hit 3x125 on my "1" set for OHPs today, which is almost certainly a PR (I actually don't know for sure since I didn't track carefully or make a real effort to remember back in 2013/14 when I got this strong; I just sort of went "big numbers go brrrrr" and lifted a bunch).   Squats tomorrow and I'll have to try 235 with that.  Bench should hit 200 for the first time ever whenever I do that (probably Saturday).  The real issue is deadlifts, where I only just got a 4th rep on my "3" week at 320.  I have 335 for this week, and... I dunno.  I think I'm going to have to punch up DLs by 5 pounds instead of 10 next month.  My shoulders really take the brunt of them when they're going this heavy, feels like my arms are going to pull out of the sockets altogether.

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Hit 3x200 on the bench and probably could have done another set of that if I wanted.  Got 2x335 on the DLs today, and it was a struggle, but I'll probably set my #s up by the 10 pounds after all (to 365) and see how it goes.  Both PRs.  I feel like my legs are really lagging, though, and I think I might work back up to my prior 5-day setup, with the extra leg day for more quad abuse.

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Just to see where I'm at, cardio-wise, before the diet, I went for a walk this morning. Brisk walk to the stairs, jogging the stairs up and down three times and brisk walk back home. Maybe 45 minutes overall. Legs were hurting, otherwise fine. I need to take the forest route from now on, so I won't make the same mistakes as last year. I also may need some extra protection/support for my ankles, just to be on the safe side. As I'm writing this, my lungs are still somewhat burning, but I have missed the "runner's high", which I could totally feel after the shower. It's funny that the daily bike rides absolutely do NOT give me this rush, like at all! Even when they go smoothly. The pump workout playlist seemed to work for this too, by the way.

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Whatever else happens this week, workout-wise, will be inconsequential, so I might as well update now. Only two workouts so far, but I will go today, too.

Tuesday was bench and lat pull-downs. I was able to get the right side of my neck and the right trap stiff af and it still kinda bothers me. I've had this before, so no biggie. I did more than 10 sets of bench within the 232-292 range, but the heavier ones were just singles with a couple of abysmal partials added. A clean 286 was all I took from this, once again.

Had to skip Wednesday because of work stuff, but that included way more biking than usual, just to actually get back to where I was supposed to be by the time my shift started.

Thursday was trapbar and I was aming high. So, I started quick and short. 10x140, 5x196, 5x306, 3x416, 1x515, then going for 579. After failing twice to get it off the ground, I was really bummed. I was in he process of taking it back down to 515, when I figured I could use the small platforms that I made that are usually beneath the 70lb kettlebells. They are basically just boards with some worn down padding at this point, no more than an inch, inch and a half max. I put them in place and go for 515. That cleared easily, so I load up 579 once more. And lo and behold, it comes up. Yes! I walk to the nearby office to gloat and ask if someone wants to come and see me do it again. No takers, so I go back and do it again. I say fuck it and add the remaining 11 lbs and now one of the co-workers does come to take a look. I take my position and lift 590. He seemed surprised. I was just happy. I knew I would clear it. I do it once more, before scaling back down to 526 and get 3 reps. At this point, the other avid gym user shows up for a quick workout before our shift and witnesses me doing 6x515. I decide that's enough of that and go for shrugs. Two sets with 416 with both going to around 15 reps or more, then two more sets with 403, same range, then one set with 306 and one more with 196 with two separate sets with 110 between those. Then the hanging knee raises with the chain and other ab work.

Yeah, this was big. 579 without the platforms will have to wait for a bit longer, but that day will come. But c'mon, 590, that's like the combined weight of Demolition (Ax and Smash combo, anyway), for fuck's sake! Like I said, whatever happens there today, doesn't matter after yesterday. Beast-mode, motherfucker!

Next week, I'll be in Edinburgh enjoying the fine Scottish cuisine for the first time since 2019, so there will only be walking at best. Then, the spring/summer diet begins.

...yeah, today's workout was just light upper body pump, not much else, although I did do the hanging knee raises with 2 chains this time! I looked somewhat similar to Gresham's Octopus-gear when wearing those around my neck. But the real reason for the edit is that I once again miscalculated the weight I was using on trapbar and it was in fact 581 and 593, which would make my last week's best 559 lbs, so only 2lbs beneath my all time record.

Edited by Shartnado
Friday update, plus math is hard
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Top sets of the week (kinda):

SSB Squat - 130kg x 2 (Rep PR), 90kg x 12 (Rep PR)

Back Squat - 125kg x 3 (Rep PR), 7 x 5 x 90kg (Not really a Rep PR but some kind of volume record)

Bench Press - 95kg x 8 (ugh)

------------------------------------------------------

So I didn't make it Good Friday because a friend came over so I ended up benching and squatting on the same day, which weirdly I'm beginning to think might be better than trying to bench the day after squatting. I wasn't feeling that well, so I used that as an excuse to use the SSB Bar...as if I need one. I was really happy with both the Rep PRs. Whether it was right for me to go if I wasn't feeling great....I don't know. It was my last workout before deload, but the truth is that and being unwell has probably compromised my deload, as I wasn't feeling amazing for a couple of days afterwards.

Fast forward to this weekend. Back to the barbell...but actually it was a different barbell on the rack. I could have swapped it out, but I didn't. It was thicker, which felt nicer to grip. But it was also a lower quality barbell, and I struggled to find a good spot on my back to hold it. But tbh I was happy with the triple. I could easily have done more reps and it's getting to the point where I think I might be able to lift more with the barbell than the SSB. The 7 sets of 5 with 90kg really felt ok. Probably the mistake I made was to throw in some 'split-stance trap bar RDLs' afterwards....not that felt bad either, but not sure I was really ready for all that compound volume.

But tbh I woke up feeling like a creaky old man, and I was in two minds about doing the bench day today. I went and it was dogshit. Now I couldn't get on my preferred bench and had to make do with some raggedy ass ghetto bench, and I set the jhooks too high. But my bicep tendons seem to have regressed again, and first rep eccentrics were a nightmare. I got 8 reps, but they were slow and the 8th was a bit dodge. Getting 100kg for 10 has been a goal for sometime, and not getting it is starting to piss me off. But the truth is...I've made squat the priority, and just hoped bench would come along for the ride....and it hasn't quite happened. So I'm going to accept that, scrap the 531 cycle...take a week off heavy benching (I'll do press)...then do the wider-benching I'm weaker at using the 5PROs from 531 Forever (so lighter weight, no rep PR attempts)..I will do a bench specialising phase this Summer. The weird thing is I though I'd had found the cure (slow eccentric volume benching)....I mean it still might be, but only if I do it literally every week it seems.

I did 5 sets of Pendlay Rows and my body hated me - I'm trying to find ways to sneak in more deadlift accessories but I may also have to consider if that's really viable. I then ate my weight in ice-cream and chicken and I feel a little better, but only a little.

Good news is that my max on any squat is 150kg, and I'm pretty sure I'm going to break that by 5-10kg at the end of the cycle.

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After a decent time off from work as well as working out, I officially started the Spring/Summer diet today. Starting from 191 is OK, but I must admit that my motivation is not exactly where it was last year around this time. Went for a jog this morning, it was not bad. I tried not to over do it, so it was around 35 minutes with a few minutes of walking mixed in. I'm nowhere near where I was last summer, but I may be beyond where I was last spring, so it should be fine after a while.

Tonight's workout felt super heavy, though, except that it was nowhere near heavy. I can't promise I'll even try anything heavy yet this week, but I'll know more tomorrow evening.

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My knee is barking like crazy at me.  Not sure if it's the extra squatting or the leg press, but something in there is not great.  I can probably work around it, but not 100% sure how.

My shoulders, on the other hand, have finally revealed their true evil nature and shown me the real path to pain and suffering.  I did some of Arnold's lateral raises leaning into a 45-degree bench, and even a 15-lb weight made my arms fucking SCREAM in the first 20-40 degrees of motion.  I don't know if that means I completely fucked my supraspinatus or something else, but I think I can safely say it's not my goddamned rotator cuff.  Holy God that hurt - easily the single worst gym-related pain I've ever felt.

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