Entry #1071

Deadlift:
365 x 3
405 x 3
430 x 10
> Had another one or two in me but was mentally held back a little bit from my thumb. No blood, thankfully. Nice PR.

Dumbbell military press:
80s x 5, 6, 6

NG pull-ups:
12, 10, 6, 6, 6

SSB squat:
255 x 5, 5, 5

Entry #1070

SSB squat:
245 x 5
320 x 5
375 x 5
> Oof, getting heavy. Last rep was probably the hardest-fought squat I've ever done.

One-arm dumbbell press:
135 x 5, 5, 5

Dumbbell row:
135 x 10, 10

Horizontal band row:
20

Sliced my thumb wide open with a razor blade and it impacted how tightly I can grip. Had to cut rows short because blood was seeping everywhere.

Entry #1069

Deadlift video: 410 x 12

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xm0HGGYNbTk

Today:

SSB squat:
370 x 5, 5, 5

One-arm dumbbell press:
80 x 5
110 x 5
135 x 5

Dumbbell rows (no dead pauses):
135 x 8, 8, 8

Dips:
15, 8

Curls

Entry #1068

Taking a cue from MadCow this cycle and progressing on presses and squats with at least one day of work-up sets per week before conquering that weight for 3 sets next time, rather than 3 sets of 5 and doing a linear increase in poundage next session. This way I'm increasing at half the rate as before (5 lbs on squats per week instead of 10, 2.5 lbs on presses per week instead of 5), a necessary tapering down as I get stronger.

This time I didn't see any benefits in workout length, though, because I found out I can no longer progress on dumbbell rows with 25 lb plates - there is simply no room on the dumbbell. I had to take some time to experiment with 35 lb plates and increasing the height of the bench, which worked out fine.

SSB squat:
290 x 5
315 x 5
370 x 5

One-arm dumbbell press:
132.5 x 5, 5, 5

Facepulls:
10, 10, 10

One-arm dumbbell row:
180 x 5, 5, 5
> Less leg drive now that I'm higher up. Also, holy crap is my left arm stronger than my right, despite being the side that was injured three times. The weight shot up in my left arm yet I had to really grind it out in my right. 

FatGripz skullcrushers super-set with alternating dumbbell curls:
45s x 8, 8 50s x 16, 16

Entry #1067

Haven't been updating as much because of technological reasons. Luckily, this has been a deload week so there's not a ton to report. I did have a badass swim session in the middle of a thunderstorm, and cardio has been consistent all around.

Despite all this I weighed 212 yesterday. It's either from creatine, muscle gain, or both. Despite the increase I look as lean as ever.

Tuesday~

SSB squat:
255 x 5, 5, 5

Unilateral dumbbell press:
85 x 5, 5, 5

Hang clean:
135 x 5, 5, 5

Unilateral dumbbell rows:
100 x 25, 12

Today~

Fat Gripz deadlifts:
190 x 5
230 x 5
280 x 2, finished the last 3 holding onto the bar

GHR:
20

Dumbbell military press super-set with chin-ups:
65s x 5, 5, 5               15, 10, 8, 8, 8

SSB squats:
205 x 5, 5, 5

Neck machine

Entry #1066

SSB squats:
365 x 5, 5, 4
> Whew, I'm starting to feel burnt out. Back was extremely stiff.

Unilateral dumbbell press:
130 x 5, 5, 5 

Power cleans:
205 x 3, 3, 3

Unilateral dumbbell rows:
130 x 10, 10
> No floor contact. Felt incredibly light after rowing 170. 

EZ bar curls + mini bands:
25 x 12, 7
> One of my bands snapped so I couldn't finish the set. R.I.P.

And with that, I've gotten back up to my old numbers before I left this routine for 5/3/1 - except at a lighter body weight, the same dumbbell weight in both arms, and a better deadlift. All in three weeks. My shoulder has been pain-free ever since I switched and I'm able to throw hooks and uppercuts again. Lots of good things happened when I did what I knew would work for me as an individual.

I'm gonna take the next week off for a much-deserved deload and then come back to push through new barriers. 

Entry #1065

Deadlifts:
355 x 5
400 x 3
450 x 1
450 x 6
> Between safety bar squats, picking heavy dumbbells up from the floor, and power cleans, my back is feeling overworked. First try was a fucking grind. Went for a walk to the bathroom, came back, and busted out 6 reps, this time taking a longer and more focused start before picking the weight up. It might be worth trying out an extra day of rest before deadlift day.

Dumbbell military press:
75s x 6, 6, 6

Chin-ups:
16, 10, 10

SSB squats:
245 x 5, 5

Machine neck extensions:
80 x 10, 8

Entry #1064

6:45 minutes of HIIT yesterday, plus a walk to the store and back.

SSB squats:
360 x 5, 5, 5
> Felt myself pitch forward a little on some reps. If I can't fix this on my own I might bring back the bands, but it felt like just an attention thing.

Unilateral dumbbell press:
127.5
Right arm: 3, 5, 6
Left arm: 5, 5, 5
> Seems like I didn't warm-up adequately. I'm doing a lot of slow, blood-pumping stuff for my shoulder and elbows, but nothing explosive to prime my muscles for performing. Added an easy extra rep on the last set to show myself it was just that and nothing more. It's hard being patient sticking to the progression plan but a 2.5 lb increase every time is plenty fast.

Power cleans:
200 x 3, 3, 3, 3, 3
> For some reason I just can't front squat dynamically for a full clean. Part of the issue might be not leaning back enough. When I tried to keep that in mind I sacrificed height and failed to shelve the first rep of one of the sets, so I need to combine the two principles now. Shrug up while pulling back. I'm really enjoying cleans. They're a fun change and I'm eager to break my 300 lb nemesis from the competition.

Unilateral dumbbell rows:
100 x 15

Entry #1063

Sprinted a hill three reps last night.

Slept poorly and felt tired today, but had a very good session.

SSB squat:
355 x 5, 5, 5

Unilateral dumbbell press:
127.5 x 5
100 x 12, 12, 12
> Dropped my dumbbell handle and it broke.

My fault, but this wouldn't have happened if my dumbbell hooks didn't fail so miserably and I was able to rack and rerack like a bench press. Went with the heaviest gym dumbbell, 100.

Power clean:
195 x 3, 3, 3, 3, 3
> First set sucked. The rest were the best cleans I've ever done. Need more of a warm-up.

EZ bar curls:
20 + mini bands x 15, 8, 7

Entry #1062

Deadlift:
330 x 5
380 x 3
425 x 9
> Could have gotten another one if I really tried. I did things backwards today to bring my deadlift performance up and I think I'm going to keep it this way.

Dumbbell military press with Fat Gripz:
75 x 5, 5, 5
> The last set was the best I've ever overhead pressed since dislocating my shoulder. Everything got way easier the further I went, probably as I inadvertently recovered from deadlifting.

Chin-ups:
15, 12, 8
> Did these between sets of pressing. 

SSB squat:
240 x 5, 5, 5
> I didn't think about how I can't front squat with a clean grip when my arms are pumped. I'm not sure if I even want to practice for cleans anymore, or if I can get by without front squatting for practice. I don't have any Olympic meets on the horizon. 

Neck machine:
80 x 7, 6 
> Between sets of squats.

Did some martial art practice last night. I can throw hooks and uppercuts with no pain. This routine is fantastic. As soon as I stopped barbell pressing my shoulder got better. 

Doing 5/3/1 three times a week saw my deadlift go up, my squat stall before going down, and my pressing sharply decline. I've managed to keep up my deadlift progress by maintaining Wendler's scheme for it while getting my squat and presses to hike up with my own touches, all while hovering at 207 and losing about a pound or two every two weeks.

Entry #1061

SSB squats:
350 x 5, 5, 5
> This was the breeziest it's been in months. As the weight goes up the effort just becomes easier. I'm convinced that there's no better method for getting my squat up than simply doing it frequently. 

Unilateral dumbbell press:
125 x 5, 5, 5
> Doing face pulls between sets. 

Unilateral dumbbell rows:
170 x 5, 5, 5

Incline skullcrushers with Fat Gripz:
45s x 4
35s x 10, 6 
> Underestimated how killer dumbbell pressing is on my arms. 

Entry #1060

Weighed 207.4 lbs.
 

SSB squats:

345 x 5, 5, 5

 

One-arm dumbbell press:

120 x 5, 5, 5

 

Dumbbell rows:
165s x 5, 5, 5 

 

EZ bar mini-band curls:

16, 10, 7 

Entry #1059

Yesterday:

Front squats (clean grip):
225 x 5, 5, 5

Dumbbell military press with Fat Gripz:
75s x 5, 5, 5 

Deadlifts:
405 x 8

Back was sore from sitting at the computer too long doing work right before I trained. Sucked up my deads. 

Entry #1058

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 

Entry #1057

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.

 

Entry #1056

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 

Entry #1055

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 

Entry #1054

8 minutes of HIIT in the grass. It was...sprinty. Goddamn, cardio is boring to write about.

Entry #1053

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.  

Entry #1053

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.

Entry #1051

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.

Entry #1050

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 

Entry #1049

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 

Entry #1048

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 

Entry #1047

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:

 

Entry #1046

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. 

Entry #1045

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

Entry #1044

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.

Entry #1043

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

Entry #1042

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.

Entry #1041

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.

Entry #1040

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. 

Entry #1039

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 

Entry #1038

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.

Entry #1037

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 

Entry #1036

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.

Entry #1035

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.

Entry #1034

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.

Entry #1033

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. 

Entry #1032

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. 

sup...

sup

Entry #1031

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 

Entry #1030

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. 

Entry #1029

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.

Entry #1028

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. 

Entry #1027

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.

Entry #1026

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 

Entry #1025

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. 

Entry #1024

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. 

Entry #1023

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.