Went to a food truck festival with George and Azzy on Sunday (w00t for 3 day weekends). The food was OK but not worth the drive to Daly City. And the cinnamon roll at the end was a cold disappointment. Went to Stonestown Mall nearby afterwards and didn't pick-up anything from the Gamestop we visited, but George went home with Persona 5 Tactica.

Deload

Squats

195 x 5

245 x 5

295 x 5

Front squats

225 x 10

245 x 10

265 x 10

Good mornings

185 x 3 x 10

Weighted Swiss ball crunches

25 x 20

New Cerberus grip shirt is amazing for front squats. No slippage whatsoever. Did the clean rack rather than arms crossed, but wrists didn't have any issue with it.

I don't aim to get sore from a deload workout, but my inner quads were really feeling it the next day even though the sets weren't challenging.

 Started a deload cycle nice and early on Saturday morning:

Axle press

70 x 5

110 x 5

140 x 5

Weighted dips

50 x 3 x 10

Super-set with chin-ups

15, 15, 10

Curls

Afterwards, my girlfriend and I went out for a nice brunch date at a cafe inside a computer history museum before going to see Mortal Kombat II, which was a lot of fun. They did Scorpion right in this movie but no Sub Zero was a bummer.

 Got to practice lots of in-fighting technique yesterday at boxing by getting with a partner and practice throwing/defending 1-2-3 in close range. Did 5 minute rounds. Ended with rounds on the bag, footwork drills around a plastic ring, and then shadowboxing. Thursdays are really nice; class isn't crowded and it's always technical in contrast to Friday's typical calisthenic bombardment.

I've been eating more to put on some weight. There are some competitions I'm considering in fall and I want to come in at a higher weight class. Eating big in summer weather always sucks, but I'm dealing so far (it may not be summer yet but it's still been 90+ degree weather this week).

 Mat pulls (7)

475 x 8

SSB squats

270 x 10, 12, 12

Reverse hyper single leg curls

270 x 2 x 15

Rather than decrease the amount of mats, I opted to increase the weight. This felt like a good amount to settle into for a cycle. Going out of my comfort zone with this touch-and-go style. I felt myself approaching the shadow  zone even with taking quick breaths at the top of each rep, but I resisted the urge to shut it down to see how far I could keep going and I managed to hold on.

 Bench press

240 x 5

275 x 3

305 x 3

Swiss bar bench press

215 x 4 x 10

Super-set with lying dumbbell rows

115s x 4 x 10

Giant sets

Banded chest flyes: 3 x 12

Banded tricep pressdowns: 3 x 12

Alternating dumbbell across-the-chest curls

35s x 3 x 20

I've put on a little weight and am feeling stronger. I'm due for a weigh-in this weekend. Left shoulder that was previously bugging me seems healed. Pleasantly sore in the chest and shoulders the next day.

Boxing on Friday started off with jabbing a partner while moving backwards, then adding a 1-2. Moved on to bag work for the rest of class. Less physically intense than usual for this day's class, but jabbing non-stop for 3 minutes was a decent challenge. It's always a little harder when your partner is limp wristed while holding mitts so you don't get a rebound effect too.

Went out with family for Chinese lunch on Saturday and then spent the rest of my day at my aunt's, spending time with everyone. Wonderful time. In 2008 I wrote a log entry that's still up about how I went to my aunt's and boasted about bringing along a science book to read so I wouldn't be bored. I'm the polar opposite of that attitude now. Didn't really train on this day, but I went down and set everything up to squat the next day and did 2 sets on the reverse hyper, going from 180 lbs to 270 lbs x 10 for each.

My low back did not like sitting on her couch for prolonged periods of time so I had a plan B of doing belt squats the next day, but it was feeling better by the time I stepped into the gym.

Squats

365 x 5

415 x 3

465 x 2

315 x 20

After a split-second decision I went for the 20th rep and felt my back straining to keep the weight up, but no pain. That remained true the rest of the day. Great sign.

 Axle strict press

160 x 5

180 x 3

205 x 1

Last set super-set with chin-ups x 10

Weighted dips

50 x 10

65 x 10

100 x 9

Super-set with weighed chin-ups

50 x  3 x 10

Behind-the-neck press

110 x 2 x 10

Super-set with Carter curls

35s x 2 x 10

It felt good to strict press 205 overhead again after my press performance dropped from cutting weight for the contest. Left shoulder is feeling much better. And everytime I come back to weighted dips I'm reminded that they rule.

Went to a metal show last night so got about 6 hours of sleep. Worth it. I could use a nap but I'm still game to die in a Friday boxing conditioning session at the gym after work.

 Mat pulls (7)

455 x 2, 10

SSB squats

260 x 3 x 10

Standing ab wheel: 10

50 crunches

Side plans (30 seconds each side)

Got 2 reps while holding my breath, stopped as I started to black out, and then did another set while taking breaths at the top like a squat. Still, I'm getting the hang of this. I also stood narrowed than I ever have and really felt what people mean when describing enhanced leg drive this way. 

 Bench press

205 x 5

240 x 5

275 x 6

Swiss bar bench

210 x 10, 10, 9, 8

Super-set with bent-over dumbbell rows

115 x 4 x 10

Giant sets

Banded chest flyes: 3 x 12

Banded tricep pressdowns: 3 x 12

Alternating dumbbell across-the-chest curls

35s x 3 x 20

Pressing strength is definitely down, but I didn't push this hard either and probably had 1 rep in reserve with 275. Got a monstrous pump on the giant sets and my chest and shoulders were pleasantly sore the next day. Really activated some bodybuilding-style mind-muscle connection visualizing by flexing my pecs and biceps during their respective exercises. 

Next day I went on a 3.46 mile run in 38 minutes, averaging 10:59 per mile.

 Boxing was a small but disciplined class yesterday, which was a nice contrast to the large class sizes typical of Wednesday and Friday. After jump rope rounds, we did 2 rounds of weighted shadowboxing, followed by nonstop 1-2s, overhead presses, uppercuts, and 1-2s again, which torched the shoulders. Next, we used the plastic rings to practice footwork drills around them, which I always appreciate Thursdays for. 

The latter half of class was partner drills, just taking turns defending the jab, then facing each other with with one partner holding a shield and the other either jabbing or throwing 1-2s as we moved laterally back and forth. Ended on using noodles to swing at our partner so they could duck and throw either a 2-3-2 or 3-6-3. We were supposed to be striking air here, but my partner took my blocking gestures that I was practicing while holding the noodle as a sign to hit me, and twice he bent my ungloved arm back too far into itself by punching my forearm with his glove so I ceased blocking to get him to stop. I gave it back to him reasonably enough by making him stumble back during the lateral movement striking drills when I'd throw right crosses at the shield he was holding.

Had someone I know who acted as my cornerman during sparring one time come up and say he was glad to see me, asking where I'd been for the past few weeks. He thought it was cool I did a strongman show. It's been great having people welcome me back. I haven't been signing up for sparring because my physical expired last year and I am the worst about going to the doctor, but I'm due for a routine check-up anyway. There is also something I want to get checked out: I've had a bump on my upper abs for about 13 years now that's largely invisible but can be felt and is slightly uncomfortable if I touch it, but not so much that a meathead like me couldn't ignore it all this time.

 quats

315 x 5

365 x 5

415 x 6

Strip-sets of 365x5, 315x8, 225x8

Feeling better energy-wise compared to the day despite a mediocre night of sleep (kept dreaming and waking up, including a sleep paralysis episode). I was expecting a pissed off back waking up in the morning, but it felt pretty good. I've been doing a new back rehab routine that includes cat-camel stretches against a band, which I picked-up from a Georges St. Pierre post on Instagram. My back REALLY likes how that feels afterwards.

Axle push press

140 x 5

162.5 x 5

190 x 5

Seated Arnold press

80s x 6, 8, 8

Chin-ups

Bw x 10

15 x 3 x 10

Carter curls

35s x 2 x 10

Felt astonishingly run down. It caught me by surprise, as I was looking forward to training and I had no perceivable soreness until I loaded some weight on my body. Left shoulder was being pissy at me, which made me glad I had chosen to push press rather than strict press. Mid back felt tender supporting the axle lowering back down. And when I went to do pull-ups, my lats were aching, especially my left side. Elbows were also clicking during the Arnold press so on the second set, I donned elbow sleeves.

Boxing on Friday was exactly what I expected and wanted from that class. I have this session memorized by now. Skip rope, stretch, 3 rounds of dumbbell shadowboxing while the coach comes around and holds pads for everyone, then the following circuit:

1 minute of medicine ball burpees
1 minute of plyometric push-ups
1 round of isometric dumbbell holds
x 3 rounds

End with rounds on the heavy bag, followed by ab work and more stretching. My shoulders and chest were blasted from the calisthenics by the end. There's something special about suffering through this class knowing the weekend lies ahead.

Coach is a former bodybuilder and asked me about my strongman competition. It was cool that he wanted to catch up.

Saturday was a planned rest day. I began to notice one of our cats having balance issues. This guy has always been the weaker and less athletic of the two and tends to have a wobbly gait in general, as he was an abandoned kitten rescue from a ranch who had preexisting health problems, but now it was like he couldn't even turn around without tripping and falling on his side. I cleaned his ears after reading that waxy build-up can mess with their balance and then kept an eye on him, but the next day he seemed a lot better which prompted us to hold off taking him to the vet, although he became more unbalanced and lethargic again on Sunday night. Due to his sneezing and running nose, he hopefully just has a cold that's affecting his balance.

Sunday:

Mat pulls off 7 mats
505 x 6
405 x 15 (touch-n-go)

SSB narrow stance squats
240 x 3 x 10

10 ab wheel reps, kneeling
30 crunches

Couldn't keep tension for more than 2 touch-and-go reps with 500. That's a weight I'll have to earn with that pull style. This was still a fun session, as it's been awhile since I've pulled 500 and used the SSB.

Later, went on a 2 mile run in the evening.