The deload payed off exponentially and I felt stronger in pretty much everything I did today. I've been sick for almost two weeks now and I'm just getting over it, but it was what sapped my strength in the weeks prior.
I'm also done loading back on creatine.
SSB squats:
340 x 5, 5, 5
One-arm dumbbell press:
115 x 5, 5, 5
> Could have gone higher on squats and these, but kept it low for progression momentum.
Power cleans:
190 x 3, 3, 3, 3, 3
EZ bar mini-band curls:
15, 10, 8
Deload
SSB squat:
250 x 3 x 5
One-arm dumbbell press:
80 x 3 x 5
Power cleans:
135 x 5 x 3
Mini band EZ bar curls:
12, 10, 8
Finally getting over my week and a half sickness and I'm in the middle of creatine loading. I'm expecting good things next week.
Went on a fasted BCAA walk for an hour this afternoon after waking up.
Deload
SSB squat:
200 x 3 x 5
Dumbbell military press:
60s x 3 x 5
Fat Gripz deadlift:
185, 225, 275 x 5
> Only got 2 reps on the 275 before I had to grip the bar.
Chin-ups:
20, 10, 8
Deload
SSB squat:
250 x 3 x 5
One-arm dumbbell press:
80 x 3 x 5
Power cleans:
135 x 5 x 3
Mini band EZ bar curls:
12, 10, 8
8 minutes of HIIT in the grass. It was...sprinty. Goddamn, cardio is boring to write about.
For the sake of my shoulder and the fact that I seem to respond better to it while on a constant caloric deficit, I'm back on my own routine that I adopted in the immediate aftermath of shoulder injury, with the exception now of being able to use the same pressing weight for both arms.
I can't tell if I've gotten this much weaker doing 5/3/1 three days a week while cutting or if being sick is just affecting me that much, but today was very sobering. Spirits are high, though.
SSB squats:
340 x 5, 3, 3
> I left this program months ago doing 365 x 5 for 3 sets.
One-armed dumbbell press, neutral grip:
110 x 5, 5, 5
> Tried to do 130 and it was shockingly heavy. Wtf.
Power cleans:
185 x 5, 5, 5
> Form is getting better. Feet aren't all over the place when I thump down. Still don't have the coordination to squat into a full clean. I pulled up 300 at my meet but of course I'm reigning in my form for training.
Chin-ups:
20
Cheat day today. Feasted on what had to be a 2,000 calorie burger at Shari's Restaurant.
Deadlifted 440 x 5. Running on 4 hours of sleep and feeling a little sick. I felt like I had no pop whatsoever.
Some things to mention: I haven't been using whey for the past week and a half and I'm off of creatine right now.
Things have been sucking. To recap:
Deadlift has been good. 420 x 10
Boxing has been good. No pain, jabs are harder than ever.
Squat sucked. 360 x 3
Bench press today sucked. 285 x 5, shoulder pain.
Sometimes I feel great benching, other days I don't. The warm-up doesn't seem to have any bearing.
Press:
130 x 3
150 x 3
165 x 8
> Disappointing, but I've been really cutting the carbs this week, so not exactly unpredictable. I also think just doing pump-monkey exercises for assist work has been a factor. Luckily I found out this week that dumbbells don't hurt my shoulder so I can get back to pressing. Shoulder shockers just weren't doing enough.
Dumbbell military press with Fat Gripz (neutral grip):
60s x 10, 10, 10, 8, 6
Pull-ups:
55 x 8, 8, 5, 5, 5
Miniband EZ bar curls:
11, 9, 7
Deadlifts:
330 x 5
375 x 5
420 x 10
> Easy PR with chalk. It really makes me wonder how held back I've been. Was supposed to only do 3 reps for the first two sets, but forgot.
SSB good mornings:
170 x 3 x 10
Ab wheel:
5, 5, 5
Weighed 208 lbs this morning.
Bench press:
210 x 3
240 x 3
270 x 7
> I was so upset about this that I actually packed up my things to leave. Then I decided to wait a while and try again. Eventually cooler heads prevailed and I manned up to finish the rest of the workout. I ended up having a blast with some creative assistance work.
One-armed neutral-grip dumbbell press:
100 x 10, 8, 10
> I fucking love these, they've never done wrong. Amazingly, I can contract my shoulder as hard as I can and it still feels fine using dumbbells, after some slight pain on the bench press. Goodbye, extensions. I'm going to make these a staple.
Kroc rows:
135 x 20, 15, 12
Dumbbell pec squeezes:
3 reps, 10 second holds, 3 sets
> Between sets of rows.
EZ bar mini band curls:
8, 8
Boxing gym was closed tonight for no apparent reason. I hate this place, haha. When I was about to head over to the gym in the adjacent room (everything is in a community center) the counter lady stopped me and explained how they only lease out to the boxing gym owners and that I have to pay to use their gym, but she'll let me in for free this time. I was thinking "Fat chance" as she explained how much it would be to get a membership.
Cycled between skipping rope for two minutes and shadowboxing for two minutes for several rounds, then did 15 minutes on the ellipitical, then 5 minutes walking the treadmill.
I filmed my shadowboxing and I'm pleased with my form when I think to fully extend my shoulder. Often I'd have a short strike, though. Will work on that more. My shoulder felt superb and I let loose some very strong jabs. I've been taking glucosamine and it seems to be doing the trick - either that, or just my months of rehab.
My butt is so sore from split-squats that I can't sit down in a controlled ascent. I'm glad to do more single-leg exercises instead of doing front squats again.
Recent pic of me at 210 lbs, and for fun, 175 lbs eight years ago:
SSB squats:
265 x 5
300 x 3
340 x 5
> My squat isn't doing so well. Now that I'm only doing them once a week I really need to make up for it with assistance work. Core felt unstable and I kept pitching forward.
Bulgarian split-squats:
45s x 8, 8, 8, 10, 10
> Never done these before. A little awkward at first but it became easier as I got used to it.
Neck extensions super-set with ab wheel
> Making use of a great neck machine at the gym.
Overhead press:
120 x 5
140 x 5
155 x 11
Shoulder shockers
Front raises: 45 plate x 8, 8, 8
Lat raises: 25s x 8, 8, 8
Seated C&P: 25s x 8, 8, 4
Pull-ups:
30 lbs x 10, 9, 8, 8, 6
Deadlifted 400 x 12 while sick. Nothing but chalk (for the first time), which I'm wishing I'd had long, long ago. Though my recovery between even just the warm-up sets was terrible just from feeling ill, I'm astonished at how easy the actual set itself was, and I could have kept going if I really wanted to start grinding reps out.
Afterwards I tried to military press 85 lb dumbbells and just had nothing left in me. Came home, ate and rested, then went to the park to do decline push-ups (4 sets) super-set with neutral-grip pull-ups (7 sets).
On Thursday I was sick as well and only felt capable of squatting 325 for 5. Gotta listen to the body sometimes.
Skipped boxing entirely this week.
Felt shaky and glycogen-low again today. Here's the thing: when I walked in the gym, I was full and lethargic. That's how long my warming-up is, though my metabolism is also pretty fast if I go from bloated to starving in 25 minutes. Crazier still is I had almost entirely low GI carbs before training: wheat bread, milk, some almonds.
Still had a good session, but I felt shaky and depleted when benching. It was a weird sensation. The warm-up had my muscles feeling ready to lift a truck, but my blood sugar felt like an empty tank. Consequently I was explosive but wild and unsteady. I bet a 1RM attempt would have been through the roof.
Bench press:
195 x 5
225 x 5
255 x 11
Barbell skullcrushers:
135 x 8, 8, 5
Kroc rows:
130 dumbbell x 20, 12, 11, 10
1 20 second chin-up rep
Went on a 40 minute run this evening. According to my phone I covered 3.78 miles at a 5.6 mph pace. I would have gone longer but I started getting ravenously hungry and feeling glycogen-depleted. My VO2 felt incredible and I wasn't having any trouble keeping my breath. I think I'm going to institute these longer sessions once a month because I do like to run.
I've been eating lackadaisically lately, but hell, if this is what my new version of being dietarily lazy is, I'm doing pretty damn alright for myself. Lamb kabob, tons of fruit, rice, organic dark chocolate, local town hamburgers, steak, dolma, red wine - when I lived with my parents eating sloppy meant losing the motivation to eat and simply forcing down a crappy frozen dinner here and there throughout the day. I'm not feasting "dirty" so much as I am just taking in more carbs than I intend to for a cut. If I gain any pounds by accident, at least it'll make me stronger.
My pant size is now a 32.
Deload
Weighed in at 210.4 lbs. Groovy.
Also a got kickass 5/3/1 app for Android that makes calculations less annoying.
Press:
70, 90, 110 x 5
Shoulder shockers
Chin-ups:
17, 8, 5, 6, 5
Band pressdowns super-set with hammer curls
The definition of "punching the clock" today. Pretty boring.
Deload
Power clean practice (up to 135)
Deadlifts:
185 x 5 (Fat Gripz)
225 x 5 (Fat Gripz)
275 x 5
SSB box squats:
300 x 8, 8
Abs
Gripping the 225 with Gripz was the easiest it's ever been. Didn't have to readjust my hold or anything.
Deload
Bench press:
120 x 5
150 x 5
180 x 5
Skullcrushers:
50s x 8, 7, 3
40s x 10, 8
> First two sets were an improvement over last time, which seemed to cause my triceps to just completely die on the third set. Way back in my Westside days I used to use the 65s, but I'm going deeper now, to the point where my forearm is basically touching my bicep.
Dumbbell rows:
160s x 5 x 6
> Super-set with cable flyes. More for my shoulders feeling good than anything, though I could always use more inner pec development too.
Bilateral curls:
50s x 8, 8
40s x 10
Relaxing recovery day. The only thing I did was some mobility and shoulder exercises, and some minor ab and grip work. Also did neck bridges.
Deload is next week. I don't hate this phase as much as I used to.
Overhead press:
135 x 5
155 x 3
170 x 8
Facepulls with band:
15, 15 ,15
> Between sets of pressing.
Shoulder shockers
Weighted chin-ups:
75 lbs x 6, 6, 6, 5, 5
Band pressdowns super-set with 55 lb dumbbell hammer curl
Some great mobility drills for the shoulder in this article that I'm using: http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_article/most_recent/long_live_the_overhead_press
Came into boxing later than usual because I had to stop at the laundromat on the way over (thanks for the pee, my feline friend). Only got a 35 minute session in.
Speed bag
2 rounds of double-end bag
5 rounds of heavy bag
I like the speed bag warm-up. I also did TGUs before leaving the house so the combination of the two really had my shoulder feeling fantastic.
At one point during slamming the heavy bag I just instinctively let slip a left hook. A LEFT hook. Crap, I reaaally could have been paying the price for that, but it felt fine. It wasn't a very hard one or anything, but it certainly felt good.
Footwork was a little sloppy during combinations. I'll focus on keeping centered next time. Need to hammer it home to keep my feet at an equidistant apart.
SSB squats:
260 x 5
300 x 3
335 x 9
Romanian deadlifts:
325 x 8, 8, 8, 10
Ab wheel, neck bridges, CoC trainer (40)
GPP was better today. Didn't rest more than two minutes between deadlifts.
I managed to go to boxing today despite six hours of sleep and arms that felt like lead. Goddamn skullcrushers always give me ridiculous DOMS.
2 rounds of shadowboxing
2 rounds of double-end bag
5 rounds of heavy bag
3 rounds speed bag
2 rounds of double-end bag
2 minutes, 1 minute rests, except on the speed bag when I'd just take about a 20 second break everytime I screwed up
The sesson was...slower-paced. I didn't destroy myself. I picked my shots, and didn't use full-power on everything. Today was a focus on accuracy and quality over speed.
On the double-end I'm no longer just worrying about the bag moving around and establishing a rhythm. Now, any shot that isn't a solid connection I deem unacceptable and is cause to slow down and try that hit again.
Working on finding my distance on the heavy bag and extending fully. Kind of tricky with my shoulder, but it keeps getting better.
There were a few kinks felt in it at the start. Really gotta stop skipping Turkish get-ups beforehand. They're freaking miraculous.
I'm beat. Lamb dinner, foam roller, and an epsom salt bath are gonna be nice tonight. Nice is for weaklings, though.
Bench press:
220 x 5
250 x 3
280 x 7
> Very long warm-up, and it paid off, even though I was going for 8.
Skullcrushers:
50s x 7, 6, 5, 4, 3
> No tendonitis feeling thanks to warming up with band pressdowns and using Fat Gripz. My elbows thanked me.
Dumbbell rows:
160s x 5, 6, 6, 6, 6
> Left arm is way stronger than my right, even though that's the side I injured my shoulder on.
Bilateral curls:
50s x 7
35s x 10
25s x 10
Done in an hour.
I think I might be noticing a pattern of being really strong whenever I don't go to boxing. Then again, it might just be a coincidence and I was weak last week just because.
Haven't gotten around to updating the entire week. My lifting has sucked. Can't tell if all the boxing has been inhibiting my performance or it's just cyclical.
Tuesday bench: 260 x 5
> Didn't get a good warm-up, and shoulders felt incredibly weak. I reracked early because everything felt like a grind.
Thursday deadlift: 390 x 5
> Have no idea what's up with this. I pulled 455 x 5 several weeks ago.
Saturday OHP: 160 x 9
> Only thing that didn't regress. Felt good with no shoulder pain.
Overhead press:
115 x 5
135 x 5
152.5 x 10
> I'm not locking out on every rep, but that's okay. Gotta stay pain-free. It's not like I'm doing cheat reps at the end; I'll randomly feel good enough within a set to fully extend on a rep here and there.
Facepulls with band between sets
Shoulder shockers:
45 lb plate, 10-20 lb dumbbells with Fat Gripz; 6-10 reps
Chin-ups:
25 lb plate x 12, 9, 6, 6
Bodyweight: 10
Mini band pressdowns super-set with curls
Felt no motivation to train today, but I did anyway. I'm having psychological trouble adjusting to such reduced training frequency now (I feel like my legs are going to wither away from squatting three times a week to one now). Moreover, I'm doing 5/3/1 three days a week so I'm alternating between squats and deads. The solution to that is to always have one variation of the other as accessory work. I'm not going to be my dumb teenage self. I got my ass in the gym and had a good time.
SSB squats:
242.5 x 5
282.5 x 5
317.5 x 11
> Whether I do 315 or 340, I always get 9-11 on high rep squats, haha.
Romanian deadlifts:
315 x 10, 10, 8
> I always do these overhand, and never touch-and-go.
Ab work + Captains of Crush trainer: 20, 15
Whew, my GPP kinda sucked, even after being light and doing boxing. Gonna work on that.
Beginning 5/3/1 again.
Bench press:
192.5 x 5
222.5 x 5
252.5 x 11
> Had another rep or two in me.
Face-pulls between bench sets
Crazy plates:
155 x 10, 10
> Made my shoulder hurt after 7 reps.
Dumbbell rows:
130s x 12, 9
110s x 10, 9, 9
> Felt something in my shoulder snap as I was bracing myself up and rowing with my good arm. No pain, just felt alarming.
Skullcrushers super-set with hammer curls
New rule: no pressing for accessory work. I came back to 5/3/1 to slash my pressing frequency and volume, so there's no point in defeating that by doing a bench variation after bench pressing. Only extensions and pulls for now.
Before I took a shower I was flexing in the bathroom (it increases vasodilation and makes the muscles feel good - believe me, I'm way past the age where I think my body mass is novel and interesting to look at) when my shoulder jolted in pain for a split-second. Fuck. Nothing lingered, though, and it feels fine now. Just nix the extra pressing and I see good things going forward.
I feel good enough to go to boxing tomorrow. Just need to remember to do Turkish get-ups beforehand.
Took a week off from boxing to let my shoulder heal, and coincidentally this was my deload so I went easy on the weights, as well, while keeping on top of my pre- and rehab exercises. It all paid off and I'm feeling terrific.
Today I did 4 sets of TGU singles before going to boxing. 5 2-minute rounds on the heavy bag (1 minute rest), then 3 1-minute rounds on the speed bag, and then back to 2 rounds for 2 minutes on the heavy bag.
That last set of 290 fucked my shoulder up again. Stupid me for not terminating the instant I felt pain.
Luckily, it's not serious, but any sudden motion causes a jolt of pain, just enough to let me know I need to change things.
Straight sets of 5 are too much. I have two options:
1. 5/3/1
2. My current program, which kicks ass, but going back to unilateral training.
Taking an indefinite break from boxing until I feel prime again.
SSB squats:
290, 330, 370 x 5
Bench press:
290 x 3 x 5
Dumbbell rows:
160s x 3 x 5
Skullcrushers super-set with curls
SSB squats:
365 x 3 x 5
Bench press:
225, 260, 290 x 5
Dumbbell rows:
100s x 16, 13, 10
Done in an hour and 10 minutes. Pretty good, but my recovery always takes a hit on straight sets of squats. Went to boxing last night.
SSB squats:
290, 330, 365 x 5
Bench press:
285 x 3 x 5
Dumbbell rows:
100s x 15, 12, 8
Done in an hour. The way it should be.
I got some great punch refinement tonight from Victor, one of the two coaches. I'm trying to lean into my jab so much that it's taking too much weight away from the back. The solution? Stand lower. I already thought I was low, but holy crap, my power output was instantly heightened. I can get a lot more force with less weight. I still want to throw my weight behind the jab as much as possible, but not to the point where I'm off-balance.
Victor held the mitts for me while I jabbed and threw 1-2s. He said his hands were really beginning to feel it. At one point I didn't even shift my weight satisfactorily and he quipped, "Damn, you didn't even do it that time and I still felt it."
My shoulder is holding up swell. No pain, and my jab is stronger and longer than ever. I'm going to keep reading Dempsey's book and become a mutant.
SSB squats:
360 x 3 x 5
Dumbbell press:
130s x 3 x 5
Clean practice super-set with 100 lb dumbbell rows
Goddamn, the Power Hooks take up so much time. They never stay still on the dumbbell so I can't rerack with the hooks not facing up. After every set I try, fail, and end up dropping everything and then having to deconstruct and reconstruct the bells to put them back up. I've got to figure out a solution to this.
Yesterday the boxing gym was closed because of Presidents' Day. More blood on Bush's hands. Instead I went to a hill and did 3 sprints up it.
I was supposed to deadlift heavy today but I felt so fresh warming-up for band squats that I made them the max effort lift instead.
SSB squats:
360 x 2 x 5
> Only 2 sets because my rest days this week are halved from reorienting my lifting schedule around my boxing.
Dumbbell military press:
80s x 3 x 5
> My left shoulder doesn't lock-out all the way on random reps. I think part of the reason it would hurt with barbell pressing was the fixed nature of the bar forcing it up all the way in sync with my right. With dumbbells it can do what it's able to. Oh, and the neutral grip feels fantastic, as always. I really want a Swiss bar.
Romanian deadlifts:
315 x 3 x 10
> All overhand.
Band pressdowns super-set with curls
Did lots of face pulls between sets, and some external rotator work on a machine as well.
No shoulder pain. I'm loving the dumbbell-oriented routine.
SSB squats with bands:
240 x 3 x 5
> Game my mid-back an atrocious pump. I think I'm missing out from going this deep with bands doing box squats, and in general I feel like I'm switching back-and-forth too much in general, so I'm going to stick with one or the other for weeks at a time from now on.
Dumbbell press:
125s x 3 x 5
> Finally got my dumbbell hooks in. Starting modestly but my shoulder felt great.
Left early to make it in time for boxing. Had my best session yet. Really strong jabs with no shoulder pain, my stance just "clicked", and I'm leaning into my punches more. I'm ready to spar.
Horrible day at the gym. Despite getting plenty of sleep I felt ridiculous foggy-headed and tired, probably from readjusting my sleeping schedule to early rises (I usually lift at 4-5 pm, but was in today at 11:30). I felt like I was falling asleep on squats, and I nearly killed myself on the bench press by forgetting a 45 on one side. To make matters worse, my shoulder was hurting.
SSB squats:
355 x 5, 5, 4
Bench press:
285 x 4
That's all I got done. Some things to do next time about my shoulder:
> Under the SSB when I'm struggling I tend to push up on the handles. My shoulder hurt from this. I've gotta stop doing that.
> Warm-up more. Do light arm stuff between squat sets. Bring back dumbbell scarecrows, in particular.
> Don't fall behind on prehab and rehab like face pulls and Turkish get-ups.
> Either get a Swiss bar or switch to dumbbells. I'm already preparing for this; my dumbbell Power Hooks are on their way in the mail so that I can press as heavy as I want without the plates falling off when hoisting the bells to my lap.
> On Iron Radio they mentioned an old-time lifter (maybe Paul Anderson?) who cycled with medium, light, and heavy days thrice a week. Might try that out.
> Have a fourth day of dedicated prehab exercises using my kettlebell.
Some boxing overview from this week:
I actually got some advice from one of the coaches (not the stoic dude who signed me up). I hit like a monster and know how to throw a punch but, as I've always known, due to a lack of formal teaching my footwork is wack. I was instructed to take a wider stance and to align my shoulders up with my feet more. I haven't been so clueless all this time so as to not employ decent weight disbursement but now I can actually do this more effectively. When facing the bag, opponent, animal, battle tank, etc. the opponent should be kept between my stance. I can think about it as targeting the enemy with my crotch, which would undoubtedly be spitting rapid-fire bullets in this allegory.
I'm officially signed up as of yesterday. Sparring can happen now. I am ready.
SSB box squats:
375 x 3 x 5
> No end in sight. Can't wait until I'm repping 4 plates a side.
Bench press:
280 x 3 x 5
> No touch-and-go here. Plenty of pauses. Last rep was a 2-second stop.
Clean practice:
135 lbs, varying reps
> Actually trying to squat down with the weight now, which is just fucking my whole form up. Something to get used to. Power cleans are swell but if I want to take first in my next meet I've got to master the full clean.
Decline heavy band push-ups:
15, 12, 10
Dumbbell rows:
100s x 3 x 10
> Did these between sets of push-ups. I went up to 20 reps with the 100s on Tuesday, but my body just seemed to feel the pull heavier today so I listened to what felt right. Form was excellent as a result, with the ROM going back toward my belly instead of simply up. I think it's this little alteration that makes it much more fatiguing.
SSB curls:
80 x 10, 8, 8
Lots and lots of training every day. Slipping behind in updates.
Yesterday:
SSB box squats with mini bands:
240 x 3 x 5
OHP:
177.5 x 5
Shoulder hurt doing that so:
NG OH dumbbell press with Fat Gripz:
80 x 4
75 x 5
> Muuuch better.
Deadlifts:
365, 405, 455 x 5
> Couldn't even get 455 x 1 last week. Changed my form to much success.
So much boxing. Went three days a week for 2 hours each. I'm exhausted right now and it's late.
SSB box squats:
370 x 5, 4, 5
Bench press:
277.5 x 3 x 5
Dumbbell rows:
100s x 20, 12, 10
Overhead skullcrushers super-set with curls (Fat Gripz)
Session took way too long because I wasted so much time trying to get a way to do heavy dumbbell press with my custom dumbbell handles. I can do it one-handed, but with two I have to carry both and hoist them on my lap. This doesn't work without me holding the plates in place because the pins aren't strong enough to keep everything from coming apart. Got frustrated and just went over to barbell benching.
I really want to switch to dumbbells for a while. Might look into suspended dumbbell hooks, or just get really strong clamps.
I canceled lifting today to go to boxing. Since it's M W and F I'm going to lift T T and S.
I'm warming up to the place, kind of. It's still the bottom of the barrel but the price can't be beat. There were actually some guys there who looked my age today, too. I bounced around between the heavy bag, speed bag, double-end bag, and shadowboxing. I also attempted to skip rope but I'm too tall with arms too long and the rope wasn't going anywhere with the ceiling overhead. I'm trying to pay a lot more attention to my footwork by slowing down handspeed and just syncing every strike up with steps and hip swivels. I think I throw too many punches in an attempt to "pad out" a round and many are coming out sloppy. Less is more, for now.
I'm not risking throwing any full-power left hooks, unfortunately, and right hooks are just schwangwangwang with how far they have to travel across the body. I might switch up my stance on the fly in sparring to address this.
SSB box squats with Monster minis:
260 x 2 x 5
135 x 5
> The bands with that weight were making this closer to a heavy effort. These are strong bands, so I don't think I'll venture over two plates a side next time.
Overhead press:
175 x 3 x 5
Deadlifts:
365, 405 x 5
455 x 0
> My deadlift is severely regressing. It's time to change the programming for it. I'm thinking that my PC might be getting overworked because of the use of the SSB three times a week instead of regular squats, or maybe this linear progression is just getting stale. I might apply the 5/3/1 protocol here. I should also make more of an effort to do assist work like good mornings, but time is always so difficult to cram in one hour.
http://conditioningresearch.blogspot.com/2012/02/massage-post-exercise-reduces.html
I should definitely be more proactive in breaking out the foam roller after training.
Late night for me tonight. 3:32 AM. Things have been better today. Gonna hit the sack after this cottage cheese.
I've had an extremely tumultuous week, with the prospect of being single again and planning on my 800-mile move back to California to getting back together again to once again having circumstances be shaky. Normally I'd be too stressed to train, but I'm no longer normal.
I finished my deload last week and felt great. I also went to boxing yesterday for the first time and it was awful. Kids were mixed in with teens and I felt like the oldest one there despite the range being ages "8-34". The one coach there was a grumpy young guy who seemed like he didn't want to be there. I didn't even get offered any tutelage, it was just go in and wait around for a bag. You certainly get what you pay for.
Returned to lifting today and had a great session despite stress and inconsistent eating for three days.
SSB squats:
350 x 3 x 5
Bench press:
275 x 3 x 5
> Good pauses. Shoulder felt excellent.
Power clean practice:
135 x 5
Dumbbell rows:
160 lber x 3 x 5
Overhead skullcrushers super-setted with curls (Fat Gripz)
Friday:
SSB box squats:
240 x 3 x 5
Overhead press:
135 x 3 x 5
Deadlifts:
135, 225, 315 x 5
SSB good mornings:
150 x 3 x 10
---
Sunday:
SSB squats:
295 x 3 x 5
Bench press:
210 x 3 x 5
Dumbbell rows:
100s x 3 x 20
> Did these in between bench press sets.
Oh man, found a great-looking boxing gym only 1.5 miles away from my apartment. Better than that, it's only $15 a month! I'd miss BJJ so much, though. I was really getting into my groove with it, I love the coaches and people there, and rolling on the mat has an inextricable quality that's distinctly unique from sparring. The feeling of sinking my first sub last week was nothing short of euphoric. Unfortunately, reality is cold. $100 a month for 2 classes a week vs $15 for 3 - the choice for the unemployed student is clear.
Did some shoulder rehab today. Kettlebell stretches and Turkish get-ups.
