Did some yoga and some non-static stretches (dynamic kicks and PNF hamstring stretches with a band). Do this everyday, even for just 5 minutes. No static stretches unless it's after a training session and I'm very warm.

SSB squatted 400x2 today. Everything felt like a ton of bricks again. No way was I going to hit 450.

Been a rough cycle. I think I need a serious reset of my training maxes. My current number for my squat is over 500 and I'm pretty sure I can't hit that right now...and that's just a training max.

Still, that doesn't explain why I'm failing under numbers I succeeded at recently. Obviously I'm losing weight and doing Muay Thai. Another thing, though, is my low carb diet. I'm eating carbs peri-workout, but still going into sessions feeling kinda empty. I couldn't even muster more than one set of 330x8 today (just did one set of 8 and then a drop-set all the way down to the bar, after initially just grinding out 1 rep). I've been eating oatmeal with water and frozen berries as my carb source before lifting, after a morning of just lean meat and veggies. For a grueling lower body session I should try eating more.

Post-workout meal was a big-ass veggie lasagna that I've wolfed down easily. 1200 calories and 60 grams of protein. Yeah, this tells me to eat more before squats.

Muay Thai yesterday after the usual 11-hour Monday. Way bigger class size than I was expecting for a Monday. Usually it's just me and 1 other person. Mostly new people, so we did some casual stuff like a fitness circuit for the first third of the class. Went from the bike, ab wheel, jump-rope, and dips, all in succession, for several rounds. Took the dips to failure.

Worked several combos after. Am staying more on the balls of the feet than I have been before, but need to pivot more when I throw a left hook.

Deadlifted heavy for the first time since surgery. 355x5. Arm hurt the next day when making a twisting motion but was better the day after that.

Yesterday bench pressed 255x4. 1 was the minimum but it felt light.

Went to Muay Thai 4 days last week. Nobody to spar with on Friday. Hit the bag and coach held mitts for me.

Overhead press
135 x 3
155 x 3
175 x 2
Clear to me now that my estimated training max is just too high.

Attempted dumbbell push press and couldn't even get the 115 up once. Guess I really needed to recover this week after feeling rundown last week.

135 x 7, 7, 8
Super-set with pull-ups x 8-12

Incline dumbbell press
50s x 10, 12
Super-set with pull-ups x 8

SSB squats
335 x 3
380 x 3
430 x 1
Almost failed that rep. Everything felt ultra heavy. Also felt like my back was about to crumple under the weight. Worked abs to failure in Muay Thai the day before which could be to blame.

Strip set of 330x8, 240x9, 150x10, 60x12.

RDL
215 x 8, 10

Right knee is really hurting now. It wasn't bad during the session but it's worse at night. Did extensive static stretching in the evening and I'm suspecting that's causing it.

Did a bench press workout on Saturday. Up to 240x3 and repping 215x7-8 for assist work. Rows were up to 215x8.

Ate horribly on Sunday. Had frozen yogurt in the afternoon and then a huge noodle bowl at the mall followed by Cinnabon for dessert. Probably good weight gain for arm growth, though.

Made sure to make it to Muay Thai yesterday after working overtime. Only me and one other guy. Classes are shrinking drastically. It's the cardio and kids classes that are big. This really sucks, but it does get me more 1-on-1 training. Coach Anthony told me I'm still not swiveling on the ball of my foot enough when I kick, especially with left leg kicks. I need to work on my footwork in general. Will keep watching Bazooka Joe's tutorial videos and practice out of class. It will be a big focus for me going forward.

We worked a combo on our partner's mitts: 1-2, block left hook, 2-3. Add on outside right leg kick. Next, add on 3-2, then inside leg kick.

Finished with 3 rounds on the bag. 1 round boxing, 2nd round kickboxing, 3rd Muay Thai.

Used the 12 oz gloves on the bag:

Damn, what a week. Did a strict press session on Tuesday that my phone ate up. Started the 5/3/1 protocol for that lift. Attempted 165x5 but could only muster 3. Definitely overestimated my training max.

Went to Muay Thai on Wednesday but came an hour early because I mixed up the class schedules. Found myself in the cardio kickboxing class. Said fuck it and joined in. It was a good workout. We did some things that had my body aching because of soreness from weightlifting - in particular, anything with squats and some TRX rows that I REALLY dug. Also did partner sit-ups and plenty of actual striking, albeit much more simply than in Muay Thai.

Right after was Muay Thai. Just me and one other girl, so I led the warm-ups. Two more people joined after warm-ups. We drilled a really long combo on the bag the whole class. Was tired but felt fresher as the session went on.

Yesterday, I went on a 40 minute jog. Whole body was still sore from Monday.

Muay Thai in the evening. With our partner we would throw a punch and a kick, switching off. My partner was coach Anthony which is always fun. I was chasing him around and getting tagged, but my jab found its target several times while he was showboating. My sense of distance is something I'm really going to focus on.

Other partners were either more inexperienced than me or, in the case of one guy, more out of shape, so I significantly held back and took the opportunity to lightly work on inside leg kicks and higher body kicks against moving opponents.

Told coach I'd been watching Bazooka Joe tutorial videos on YouTube at his behest and he invited me to stay after hours and work on things as I wanted to. Ended up staying until 9 pm. Took some bagwork video.

Ate a lot over the weekend. Went to the Gilroy Garlic Festival Saturday afternoon and ended the evening at an Italian restaurant for my niece's birthday. So much pasta. Alcohol intake was a single tequila drink with dinner and when I recoiled at how much sugar it had I cut myself off there.

SSB squats
310 x 5
360 x 5
405 x 5
Been having right knee pain the past few weeks. Warmed up extensively today and I didn't feel it today.

Neck crunches between squat sets. Forward, backwards, and each side with the thick Iron Woody band.

310 x 8, 8, 8

Hise shrugs
310 x 20

Romanian deadlifts
215 x 2 x 8
First time deadlifting anything since last year, or picking up something that weighs this much for that matter.

Did 4 hill sprints on Thursday. Just wanted a short, 10-minute burst of activity to counter the hour-long Muay Thai sessions.

Yesterday was sparring. For the third time now only I showed up for the class. My buddy Daniel was already there for some earlier open gym training and was surprised someone showed so he decided to stay and spar. Coach Anthony remarked how he's probably going to nix the class because nobody ever attends, but that he'll incorporate sparring throughout the week so I'll still get the training in. His other idea was to maybe invite other gyms to spar on this day. People are wimps.

My defense is really bad. It's okay for the first round or two but it quickly deteriorates if I'm working up a sweat. My chin comes up too much and I leave myself open when I throw if I'm a little tired. I also need to move more laterally when under fire instead of backing up.

My jab continues to give everyone trouble and they remark on that, which is cool. I'm throwing more kicks now and trying to stand more laterally at behest of the coach, although I just watched a YouTube video where the instructor says that in Muay Thai you want to stand square unlike in boxing. 

At one point I checked a kick and he was limping so he took a break. 

Near the end of the session I got caught in a combo that ended with a head kick that caught me right under my eye. I saw stars and had to stop because I couldn't see out of it for several minutes, so coach called it a day. There was a lot of blood.

Just rested up for the remainder of the night because I work today. Went out to Rite-Aid and bought some butterfly band-aids. Already had Neosporin.

Wednesday I started the 5/3/1 protocol for the bench press. Think I may go back to axle pressing, as it just feels better and I have no meet coming up.

Bench press
170 x 5
200 x 5
225 x 8

Dips
12
45 x 10, 10, 10
Super-set with pull-ups up to 45 x 8

Rear delts, curls

Muay Thai at night.

Yesterday I box squatted up to 330x5 for 3 sets, did walkouts with 470, and good mornings with 150. Tweaked my right lat muscle just by working up with 290. Nothing too bad, just some discomfort.

Sparred in Muay Thai. First guy was a smaller guy I've went at it with before and am friendly with. This time he was really wailing on me despite the coach saying he wanted very light contact. Nothing I couldn't handle but was annoying. My shins and left glute are very sore today from his kicks. He also kicked me in the dick right as the round ended. I mostly kept it light but clocked him a few times when I felt he was benefitting too much from the fact that he didn't have to worry about my strikes hurting as badly.

Other two partners were good. Noticed that my chin starts sticking out a little when I'm tiring. I don't gas anymore, though.

Went to sparring on Friday and was the only one who showed up. Worked the heavy bag for a bunch of rounds until coach Payam, who was skipping rope nearby, approached me and said he'll spar. Boxing only. We went several rounds at an intensity I wish everyone here could adopt. He hit just hard enough to punish but that's it. He complimented my jab that snuck through several times. In return, his body shots started to find their way in by the later rounds, including one that mildly knocked the wind out of me. I would say we did 6 or 7 rounds and my cardio held up well. After we were finished I used the exercise bike for 5 minutes to cool down.

On Saturday I did a deload overhead press workout. Push pressed the 100 lb dumbbell for 4 reps and strict pressed 130 x 8 for several sets, all super-set with bodyweight pull-ups. Went to a pool party and barbecue that afternoon at George's.

Deload squat workout yesterday, up to 280x5 and repping 250x8 for 3 sets. Did rear-delt and external rotation work between sets. Also, neck crunches.

Was 9 minutes late for Muay Thai due to an accident on the freeway but the substitute coach was cool about it. I walked in and 4 people were already partnered up and doing kicks down the length of the gym against the shield. Coach held one for me and we went way faster than everyone else. Left kicks going down the gym, rights coming back, and then repeat for push kicks. I finished before everyone else so I skipped rope and stretched.

Worked on several combos against the Thai pads next. Too many to remember but one involved a 1-2, right elbow, left uppercut, right elbow again. Elbow in a downward fashion, like it's divebombing. Much more powerful. Coach greatly mixed things up by calling random shots out for me to throw between combos.

Finished up with a minute of speed kicks on the heavy bag each side, then planks.

Yesterday:

Deload

Landmine press up to two 45s + 25 x 8, 8
Super-set with dumbbell rows x 100, 115 x 8

Dips
Up to 25, 45, 45, 45 x 10
Super-set with weighted pull-ups of 45 x 8
Decided to just plunge right in and go for it with the pull-ups. Couldn't resist with a 45 hanging off of me once again. Used a little leg drive here and there and could feel my arm being strained but still just terrific to be able to do.

Dumbbell press with 50s
20, 17

Facepulls, curls

Went to Muay Thai later. Got taught by my partner some good defensive moves, which I desperately need more work on. Slip the jab, jab the body and throw an overhand right. Now this made my arm feel it, but I was able to proceed and is something I'm going to keep working on. Really glad to have a good partner like this.

Had a fun and restful weekend, then did a deload leg workout yesterday after my overtime shift. Worked up to 170 lb lunges for 14 reps over 4 sets. Added super-sets with good mornings x 8. Really like the suckiness and am going to keep doing this.

Ordered 2 new sets of wraps for Muay Thai so I can rotate them out when others need to be washed. The $330 headgear I want is available in black on Rakuten. Can't pull the trigger on it this week but hopefully next.

Strict press
Up to 180 x 1, 3
200 x 0
Super-set with pull-ups x 8-10

One-arm dumbbell push press
115 x 2, 3

Bench press
215 x 6, 8, 8, 8
Super-set with pullups x 10

Lots of sets of dumbbell presses, facepulls, lat raises, and curls

Heavy session. I would like to run a full 5/3/1 program for all the lifts after this deload. I should be able to start deadlifting again, I believe.

Muay Thai yesterday consisted of a lot of defensive work. Partner attacked with just a jab and middle kick and I had to either block or parry and check. Added on longer and longer combos. Payed special awareness to not moving in the direction of the incoming strike. Block the hook while swaying away from it, move away from incoming kick. One of my most productive sessions in awhile because I got to focus on defense so much. Will come in handy for sparring.

Three consecutive days and no mishaps from landing my feet wrong on kicks. Toes are thanking me.

Weight loss pictures from January to yesterday. Flexing in both pics.

Muay Thai yesterday. First we went down the length of the gym throwing two speed kicks on each side at the Thai pads, alternating each time. Even before I did anything the substitute coach knew me well enough to preemptively tell me to keep high on my toes when kicking. Followed up with push kicks, again going down the length of the gym. Next was one minute each side of non-stop speed-kicks. Calves started to hurt at this point. Good.

Drilled various combos next. At one point we had to slip the jab and throw a right upper-cut. I got told to not exaggerate the slip. Just make it a quick and sharp movement. I've been watching too much Ippo, I think.

Finished up with ab work.

Yesterday:

SSB squats
350 x 5
400 x 3
445 x 1

330 x 7, 8, 8

External rotation and rear delt work, neck crunches

Swiss ball leg curls

Right knee is hurting. Did hill sprints few hours later.

Went to Muay Thai yesterday after the usual 11-hour Monday workday. Just two other people and the substitute coach. We warmed up and donned shields. 30 seconds of speed kicks each side, then 30 seconds of low kicks, also each side. Switched partners and used Thai pads. I held for a girl named Jazz whose two brothers also go here (one of them is the big dude who I've heard has been MIA due to wrestling). Combo we worked on was 1-2-1, right elbow, switch knee. Not too much to report here. We did this for most of the class and then switched to a non-stop 1-2 pyramid on the heavy bag of 20 seconds, 40, 60, 40, 20. Then same with knees. Finished with abs.

Some areas I'm really focusing on after my last sparring session are staying less square in my stance and having a tighter guard. We all had problems with hands dropping when first learning how to throw punches, but another bad habit, even after that's been eradicated, is keeping the hands too low by the chin and not protecting the face.

Have been stretching periodically and felt more limber in class. Nothing too crazy, just doing hamstring and split stretches when I have a few free minutes at home or work.

Picked up a dip stand for $25 today from a Craigslist seller.

Workout consisted of warming up on the bench press, doing landmine presses with three plates x 8 for 3 sets, and working up to sets of 10 dips with a 25 lb plate. Felt easy. Should be good for 45 next time. Very happy about that.

Also, visible in the picture above is the 195 lb barbell I'm rowing. Feels heavy on the repaired bicep but so far so good. Finished up with a bunch of curls. 

Had an eventful weekend. Ate a lot. Hooters feast last night watching UFC 226. My boxing coach, TJ Johnson, actually helped Cormier train for Stipe. He hasn't been coming to the gym in awhile, though.

I also didn't log a feast on the 4th of July. Have probably gained weight this week, but the good thing is it just means my arm will grow. 

Went to sparring on Wednesday. Going to just write some notes as a stream of consciousness kind of deal. Here's a short clip that coach Anthony Instagramed of me and my partner at the time, Aaron.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/KBBnHmxib1w836k17

Need to stop standing square, keep my shoulders up, and check more kicks in general. The most important thing, though: hit hard if we're sparring hard! Unlike previous times, sections were the mat was divided into hard and soft sparring areas. Only three people chose the hard sparring, including me. When fighting either of my partners, I realize now only after the fact that I never made them pay for rushing in on me and I was greatly holding back while they were not. I just can't wait to go back and do it again.

Worked the overtime shift yesterday and hit up Muay Thai at the end of the day. Pretty technical day. Drilled the basics in front of the mirror and followed commands on moving in the direction that was called out. Went through punches 1-6 and then strung them together in succession after moving each time. Got asked to help teach a new guy how to throw a hook. Bag work was next. One punch and one kick, then two punches and one kick the next round. For some reason I wasn't landing square on the shins today and coach told me to watch out for that. Was nailing my foot more.

Ended with ab work. Pretty simple evening.

Did this on my work break Sunday, which was only doable because Sundays are very slow and low key.

SSB squats
Up to 422 x 3

330 x 7, 8, 8

Banded neck crunches and external rotation work between a few of the sets

Unilateral Swiss ball leg curls
20, 15

Abs

Butt was still sore from lunges several days ago but it didn't seem to matter. I also did some light shadowboxing and kicking practice in the morning and my legs are feeling so tight. Need to stretch the hamstrings out for Muay Thai. More stretching in general.

Later in the evening I did hill sprints.

Did a bench press workout of up to 210 x 8 on Friday and went on a jog Saturday evening. Haven't been to Muay Thai since Tuesday due to helping my friend out with some things during the week, so will make sure I get there tomorrow after working overtime.

Yesterday:

Alternating SSB lunges
150 x 10
180 x 10
190 x 10, 10

SSB squats (narrow)
240 x 8

Hise shrugs
240 x 25, 30

Good mornings
190 x 8, 8

Rare rest day yesterday. Went to see Hereditary in theaters and it was amazing. Between Annihilation, A Quiet Place, and Hereditary, it's been a good year for creepy movies. Had a sugary Starbucks drink but that was the only off-diet choice I made. In the theater I smuggled in a charcuterie bowl of salami, olives, and cheese.

I have gotten so much better at skipping rope. I can actually do it comfortably for 5 minutes now thanks to improving my footwork. Class size was big again last night. After the jump-rope warm-up we got in three groups and warmed-up with one group freestyling on the bag, another shadowboxing, and the other doing medicine ball slams. Rotated and did 3 rounds before we partnered up with Thai pads, shin guards, and gloves.

Drill 1: pad holder kicks, striker checks, switch-kicks, 2-3, inside leg kick.
Partner was south paw and this threw me off a little when remembering what side is what in the heat of the moment when holding, but I got it down soon. Partner kept kicking my knee on the inside leg kick. Corrected him to kick higher but by then my knee was already hurting. Come my turn I used my 12 oz gloves instead of the 16s. Trying to remember to drop my legs more when throwing the cross. Pivoted pretty well into the hook.

Drill 2: add in a left push-kick and right head kick
Struggled with going as high as my partner was holding for the head kick and badly stubbed my big toe because of it. Asked him to hold it lower and I kicked slower.

Drill 3: add left spinning back kick
Fun addition. I am actually better at this kick than I thought I would be, having practiced it a little before from Joe Rogan's inspiration. At first I fell well short of even touching my partner with my foot but then I got the range down and hit his pad nigh perfectly. The first time this happened after I kept missing coach Anthony happened to see and went "Nice."

Ended with ab work. Coach said that intense circuit warm-up at the beginning was because a lot of people in class need to better their cardio and that's why he's been adding things like that in. I don't blame him, I blame people who are not new to class and still gas hard.

Limped after class a little from the toe and the side of my knee hurts from the kicks.

Axle strict press
Work up to 180 x 2

140 x 8, 8, 8
Super-set with neutral grip pull-ups x 8

Dumbbell bench press
50s x 15, 15
Super-set with neutral grip pull-ups x 8-12

Curls, rear-delts

Surgery site has been sore the past few days. Was holding a 35 lb dumbbell while doing rear delt raises and felt a twinge of pain so I stopped work in that arm. No lingering pain though.

Must Thai yesterday right after work. Two usual coaches are still on vacation. Filling in was the assistant coach who I've worked with a few times before within normal classes. Class size today was just 3 others. Worked various drills on the shield. 1-2, switch kick. Very simple. Kicking the shield at its various angles is a little bit of a challenge for me, but I'm not sure if that's my fault for not correcting how my partner held it. Didn't hurt my toes once and aimed well, though. Eventually added a 2-3-2 after the kick and ended with a kick on the other side. Class ended with ab work.

Talked to the coach after and it turns out he used to go to the AKA on Hillsdale, the same one that was my first school ever back in 2006. It's since closed down but he told me about how Arlovski, Velasquez, Phil Davis, and tons of other guys used to go there. Very cool.

Felt tired yesterday after work but went on a chill 25 minute jog in the evening. Just went around the high school and back. Working almost 12 hours today and choosing to spend the short time I have after work to go to Muay Thai instead of lift.

Cool thing at the party on Saturday: someone asked me how my arm was doing and couldn't tell which side it was on.

Did squats up to 400 x 5 and then back down to sets of 6, 8, 7 with 330. Glad I hit the rep goal on the same day I did Muay Thai. Will be going to a house party and BBQ soon. Bringing a protein shake with me that came in a package today.

Made it to Muay Thai this morning. New coach I've never seen before and 2 new people in class with only the remaining person being someone I recognized as an assistant coach. Coach introduced himself to me and said between the 3 other guys he's taught them for a combined 30 years, making me the newbie.

First drill was a simple right low kick to the shield. My partner went first, then me. As usual, my first few kicks were terrible, but by the third attempt I found the right motion. Got corrected on how far I was rolling my ankle. I overcorrected and landed the next attempt with the side of my shin. Need to find a happy medium. Bizarrely, my left kick was far better and stronger. Coach remarked on this. Told him it's usually the opposite.

Another thing to keep in mind is to land on the ball of the foot when push-kicking, not the heel.

Next drill was 2 for 2 combinations with our gloves as mitts. 1-1, duck, 2-3-2. Got told to loosen up. Also to not lean forward so far into my punches and to not stand so low because it's not utilizing my superior height over my partner's. Several years ago in Portland my boxing coach corrected my stance and made me go really low when throwing punches, telling me this is how power is generated. Muay Thai is a different animal, though, and maybe the coaching styles are different as well, but in any case I stood up a little more and dipped straighter down when throwing the right hand instead of lunging way forward.

We finished with several different combos on the heavy bag that the coach would call out, mixed with some easy ab work (10 sit-ups, 10 crunches, repeat until the end of the timer). Again, got told to loosen my shoulders up and not be so tense on the bag.

Loved this class. Really dug the emphasis on technique over burn-out conditioning. Hope I see this coach again.

30 minute jog a couple of hours after lifting. Felt my blood sugar levels drop and I got a little shaky out there. Walked part of the way home and had a small spinach and fruit smoothie and some low carb portabella pizzas. Still feeling a little hungry, but that's what dieting is supposed to be like sometimes. Will have a casein shake before bed like usual and evaluate my weight tomorrow morning before deciding on whether I will have a cheat day or not.

Axle bench press
Up to 160 x 5
Super-set with barbell rows up to 185 x 7

One-arm dumbbell press
50 x 7
80 x 5
100 x 3
125 x 3
140 x 0, 0
125 x 7
Couldn't get 140 off my chest. Worth noting that anything over 125 is with my dumbbell handle and plates so the set-up and grip are harder. Did the 125 on little rest to make it feel heavier.
Super-set with dumbbell rows up to 125 x 9

Axle bench press
205 x 7, 8, 7
Super-set with barbell rows up to 185 x 9

Dumbbell bench press
50s x 15, 12

Rear-delt raises
35s x 18, 18

Alternating dumbbell curls
35s x 2 x 8-10
Partial reps on right arm.

Facepulls

Was driving to Muay Thai when I got pulled over and issued a citation for making an illegal left turn. He said lots of people do it at that area. It really does look like a turn lane, but oh well. Ticket was $25 but apparently I have to go to court and court fees add up so it's more? Weird. More importantly, I missed class so I came home and ran sprints up Heart Attack Hill.

Did a lot of grocery shopping today. Went to Grocery Outlet instead of the local market for my main haul and saved a ton of money on meat and other things. I'm saving up to get a Winning FG 5000 headpiece. Comes out to $340 on Rakuten. They canceled sparring tomorrow so hopefully I will have it in time for next Friday. Wish I had known about nose guards and how little protection open-face gear provides before I bought my Venum one.

Two good days of training to report. On Tuesday I worked up to the usual box squatting workout with 330x5.

Went to Muay Thai on both Tuesday and Wednesday. Tuesday was a tough conditioning day but it wasn't too bad. Everyone else was dying and had to keep taking breaks. When class started and we just started burning out on the exercise bikes and slamming medicine balls I was thinking that I would rather be working on technique but luckily we quickly incorporated bag and mitt work into the class which alleviated my concerns.

Yesterday was just me and one other girl in the class. Actually worked out pretty nicely for myself because I got more intimate coaching. Did a drill where one person jabbed with a left low kick following it and the other person parried. Very simple. Got told not to jab so fast so she can react. Added in 2-3, then switched the kicking sides. Eventually got up to 1, kick, 2-3, kick, 3-2, kick. Ended with working the same thing on the heavy bag with power behind it. Coach Payam really steps out wide when kicking. He said we need to really push with the leg and step way out so the kicking leg swings over hard. Felt a lot of power by stepping out more. Same thing we went over before on a Saturday.

Yesterday:

Axle strict press
Work up to 170 x 3
Good weight to put up. Not too hard on the right arm.

140 x 7, 8, 8, 8

Dumbbell bench press
50s x 12, 13

Dumbbell curl, left arm
50 x 8, 8

Plate curls
45 x 20

Facepulls
12, 10

Working overtime on Mondays now. No time for both lifting and Muay Thai.

Did some shadowboxing and kicking for about 12 minutes this morning on an empty stomach except for a little bit of protein. Some progress pictures, with the last one being relaxed:

Weighed in at 197.6 this morning. Exactly what I told myself I wanted to be before I stepped on the scale. Losing 2 lbs a week is good.

Got ready to go to Muay Thai at 9:15 until I realized at 8:55 that it's at 9:00, not 15 after like during the week. Damn. Opted to do the workout I had planned later in the day instead. Some benefits to this happening because my toes still hurt and I have minor pain in my right hamstring if I lift the leg from stretching too hard again in the split position.

Deload

SSB squats
185 x 5
230 x 5
280 x 5

240 x 9, 10, 10

Swiss ball leg curls and reverse crunches

8 minute jog after

Gonna make the rest of the day a cheat day.

Went on a 50 minute jog from 8-9 tonight. Going to bed early to wake up for Muay Thai. Less partying and more training lately on Fridays.

From yesterday

Deload

Axle bench press
130 x 5
150 x 5
180 x 5
200 x 5

160 x 10, 10, 10, 10

All Super-set with barbell rows up to 135x10

Curls

Went to Muay Thai on Tuesday and Wednesday. We actually did some limited sparring where each person takes turns throwing a punch and a kick, making sure not to do the same combo twice in proximity. One dude just starts full-on sparring me, ignoring the drill. Barely got hit because his punches were pretty wild and I blocked and parried well.

I've noticed that some of my bad habits that I've worked to rectify are cropping up in the very beginning of class and it's taking me a while to warm-up. Yesterday on my very first kick I totally missed the shield and went over it, smashing my toes on my partner's shoulder and keeping me in pain the rest of the session. Paying attention to where my kicks land is something I've worked on recently.

Deload

Axel strict press
110 x 5
130 x 5
150 x 5
Super-set with pull-ups x 8

90 x 9
95 x 9, 9
Super-set with pull-ups x 8-9

Dumbbell bench press
50s x 20, 20
First dumbbell exercise with both arms. Used both arms to get the right dumbbell into position. Still don't feel ready to curl a 50. I tried to a few weeks ago for partial reps and felt something twinge. Probably scar tissue, but eh, I'll work up to it.

Curls with 50x7 on left arm

No Muay Thai. Worked overtime today.

Did Muay Thai in the morning just about two hours ago. First drill was one partner throwing a 1 or a 1-2 at the holder's cue and the holder throwing a right low kick so the puncher checks. We just used our boxing gloves instead of mitts and my glove kept getting loose. Eventually added a hook so it's 1, 1-2, or 1-2-3, depending on the call-out. Also switched the leg kick side. Got told not to move into the direction of my partner's back leg so I don't walk into a kick. I suppose if I moved fast enough that would actually work to my advantage in stuffing his kick, though. Also jammed my same thumb. It's a new bad habit from overcompensating in trying to loosen up. Keep fists closed.

Second drill was on the bag. Coach Payam would call out a combo that we could execute, checking at the end each time. Got corrected on how little I'm stepping to the right when throwing that left kick. Actually, got told the same thing last time but on the opposite leg. In short, step more to the side and follow with the kick. Power increased exponentially from this.

Finished up with ab work. Reverse crunches super-set with sit-ups. Three rounds of this. Just what I wanted. I didn't have time to do abs after squats yesterday and figured we'd do something in class anyway.

Eating clean this morning and afternoon, then making it a liberal evening at a Tiki bar and restaurant in Oakland for the birthday.

Yesterday:

SSB squats
350 x 5
395 x 3
440 x 1

330 x 7, 8, 8

Three hill sprints a couple of hours later, after dinner.

Sunk in pretty deep for that 440. Had to fight a little bit.

Axle bench press
Work up to 160 x 5

One-arm dumbbell press
Work up to 140 x 3
Super-set with bent-over dumbbell rows up to 125 x 10

Axle bench press
200 x 5, 7, 8, 8
Super-set with barbell rows of 185 x 5, 8, 8, 8, 10

Curls, rear-delts

Getting heavy on the bilateral stuff. Good milestones. Surgery site is feeling a little tender but no pain. Feeling kinda bloated. Ate horrible pizza, fried chicken, and a cinnamon roll at this game place last night with my nieces and sister.

Picture from last night:

Took a 40 minute nap after work yesterday's and went to Muay Thai. Held the mitts for a new guy and gave him a few basic pointers. On my turn the coach told me my hook is way too wide. It's an adjustment I made after I kept falling short in sparring. A long hook has its place in an arsenal but the biggest correction I need to make is being at the right distance and keeping the trajectory tight like before.

Jammed my thumb from keeping my hand too open. Rookie mistake.

Went through several basic combos and added kicks in before we did cardio circuits. Exercise bike, ab wheel, medicine ball slams, planks, in that order. Last 15 seconds on the bikes and slams were burnout phases. Third time since Saturday I'm doing this. Would rather have 100% technique training but there are a lot of out of shape people here who could benefit from this. Oh well.

Will take today completely off to give my body a break and attend my niece's graduation.