Went on a fasted walk, planned for a lazy rest of the day, then decided it'd be good to do my first two training sessions as soon as possible after time off.

Mat pulls (6)
495 x 10
So far my idea to reset back a week after a bad session is working. Leg drive was good and the movement pattern felt well-oiled. Used an Emevas-style rest pause to get the 10th rep, which I think is exactly what I need to train my weakness of back fatigue and my 1RM being disproportionate to my rep ability. For the first time ever I'm experiencing the feel of gutting out a slow rep. Increased my weight belt by a size. I either gained weight or I trained fuller than normal, not sure.

SSB squats
340 x 5, 5, 4
No real reason I didn't do 3x5, just that 3 sets was more than before and I felt like leaving room to go up next time.


Neck crunches
10

Gliding leg curls
15, 15
Lessening the eccentric is way more knee-friendly.

Crush gripper #2
Left:1,1,1  Right:0,0,1
Pretty excited about progressing with this.

Back to the grind. Resuming carb restriction again, probably a little gradually.

Overhead press
162 x 5
187 x 5
212 x 5

Weighted chin-ups
70 x 15, 10, 10, 10, 10, 10

Close-grip bench press
237 x 10, 10, 10, 10, 10

Curls
135 x 3 x 10

Facepulls

Currently on last day of vacation with my girlfriend. Diet has been very good, though certainly not "clean", and I've gotten a lot of walking around in.

SSB squats
315 x 3 x 10

Incline bench press
215 x 10, 9, 9, 8

Weighted chin-ups
70 x 12, 12, 12, 12, 12

Dumbbell clean and press (clean every rep)
100 x 6 both arms

Facepulls

Curls
135 x 3 x 10

That was fun. Rest times weren't bodybuilding-short but much shorter than normal, still.

Squats
355 x 5
400 x 3
450 x 1

Deadlifts
405 x 13

I'll be doing squats again tomorrow so I kept this streamlined.

Bench press
275 x 3
315 x 2
355 x 1 (PR)

Band rows
20, 20, 20, 20, 20

Overhead press
170 x 10, 10, 10, 8

Curls
135 x 15

Ended feeling like I didn't do enough which is usually good on a cut. I'll be training full-body on Saturday in anticipation of 4 days off while my girlfriend visits so I didn't push it too hard today like I usually do on week 3.

Last night

Crush gripper #2
1, 1
#1
4x10
First time closing the #2 ever. Did both hands.

Planks
25, 25, 25, 25, 15

Reverse crunches

Mat pulls (7)
495 x 10
Basically, anytime I miss the day's mark I'm going to reset one week next session so I have a good chance of following a failure with a success. Didn't need a rolling start and I'm not going to bother anymore, it's hard to get the mats just right on the uneven surface to where that's possible.

SSB squats
340 x 2 x 5

Neck crunches
45 x 10

Gliding leg curls
12
Single-leg kettlebell SLDLs
50 x 9

Went out and picked up the keg today for $35. The seller was a really cool old dude and he offered me $20 for the second one if I ever wanted to come back. I thanked him and told him I might take him up on that, then thought about it, went straight to the bank to get a 20, texted him, and came back for the second. Too good to pass up.

Overhead press
185 x 5
210 x 3
235 x 1
Couldn't get a second, but this was a smooth rep. Should be able to hit my record of 250 while cutting weight.

Weighted chin-ups
70 x 15, 10, 10, 10, 10, 10, 10

Close-grip bench press
235 x 10, 10, 10, 10, 10
Back to this after taking inclines for a ride. Pec-tendons felt good for the most part. The right was a little achy for the first three sets but nothing startling. I'll see if it hurts more than usual on bench day and adjust my flat pressing frequency if needed.

Curls
135 x 12, 10, 10

Facepulls, external rotations

Went on an easy hike by myself yesterday at St. Joseph's. Started to rain and I really needed to wee so I left after about 40 minutes. Did 4 minutes of foam rolling and 13 minutes of yoga at night. Back has been feeling like shit lately.

Squats
330 x 3
380 x 3
425 x 3

315 x 10, 8, 8

Deadlifts
405 x 13
Not pulling from the floor has definitely messed with me. This felt weird and unpracticed. Used a lot of back on the first few reps.
Gliding leg curls
10, 10

Bench press
237 x 5
272 x 5
312 x 4

Band rows
20, 20, 20, 20, 20, 20

Overhead press
167 x 9, 10, 8, 7
Much shorter rest times, really pushed my pace.

Dumbbell push press
100 x 5
Clean every rep.

Haven't been recording this lately but did hill sprints 3 and jogged after. Some stretching later at night. Have a job interview at Home Depot tomorrow so going to bed early tonight.

Mat pulls (6)
495 x 4, 0
Was beginning to worry my monthly deadlift fail had left me. Whew. Leg drive was pretty terrible today, maybe not doing floor deadlifts in awhile has screwed me. Will do them on squat day again and then go back up to 7 mats instead of resetting back to the top like I've been doing. I have a much better shot at actually having a successful cycle by taking one step back and two forward.

SSB squats
340 x 2 x 5

Overhead press
175 x 3
205 x 3
225 x 3

Weighed chin-ups
70 x 10, 10, 10, 10, 10, 10, 11

Incline bench press
215 x 10, 10, 10, 8, 8

Went on a hike in Oakland yesterday, easily the hardest one I've ever done. I feel like I say that everytime but it just means my hiking experience is always escalating, haha. Must have been 90% steeply uphill for several hours. Fell a few times coming back down but also had some hilarious Looney Tunes moments where I slid down really damn far somehow keeping balance. Not sore today which is a little surprising, but I guess my last hard hike is still recent enough.

My cardio held up great. The trek was challenging but never breaking.

Squats
310 x 5
355 x 5
405 x 6
First work-up set rekindled soreness from mat pulls and my back felt absolutely trashed through the rest of the session. Remembered to keep my chest up, something I haven't been consciously thinking of, and it made everything easier.

315 x 9, 8, 8

Gliding leg curls
3 x 10
Single-leg this time, figured out to avoid knee pain squeeze the leg inward rather than just think of lifting up.

Should be fine not doing deadlifts for reps every week, now that I THINK my form is dialed in.

Gonna be implementing more strongman training from now on. Called BevMo and they didn't have any busted kegs I could have, so I'm thinking of this deal instead:

Probably going to pass on the stone for now. It'd be great to have but when prioritizing I'd rather spend money on a keg and axle first since I'd get similar training from picking up and lapping the keg.

Bench press
235 x 5
272 x 5
312 x 4
Not what I wanted but an improvement from last cycle.

Band rows
20, 20, 20, 20, 20

Overhead press
165 x 10, 10, 10, 10

Dumbbell push press
120 x 0
110 x 4/0 (right/left)
100 x 6/3
Was pretty tired from the strict press, but I need to practice this more in general. I have to find a way to fatten the handle, too. Fat Gripz are too long.

Curls, face pulls, band pull-aparts

Mat pulls (7)
495 x 10
Birthday gift to myself. Aw, I shouldn't have! Weight is feeling very light. Hopefully this time I've ironed out my kinks for real and won't hit a dead end as I go lower. I recall last year having a deadlift day and failing at something like 435x5 so this is payback.

SSB squats
340 x 2 x 5
Gonna try out cutting a set and see if my recovery improves for squat day.

Neck crunches
45 x 2 x 10

Gliding leg curls

Decent exercise I got from Bret Contreras in want of a non-back loading way to isolate the hamstrings at home in lieu of a GHR machine. I tried single leg but it didn't feel good on the knee, maybe it'll come with practice. It also taxes my grip and gives a forearm pump.

Planks
25, 25, 25, 20, 20

Crush gripper #1
10, 10
#2
0
Whoa, actually JUST came short of closing the 2.

Weighed myself yesterday, 220 lbs. Going to get on with cutting to 200 again.

Overhead press
160 x 5
185 x 5
210 x 5

Weighted chin-ups
70 x 11, 10, 10, 10, 10, 10, 10

Incline bench press
212 x 5 x 10

Curls
135 x 10

Facepulls

Deload

Squat
190 x 5
235 x 5
280 x 5

215 x 8, 8
220 x 8

Deload

Bench press
145 x 5
180 x 5
220 x 5

Band rows
12, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12

Overhead press
110 x 10, 10 ,10, 10, 10

Everything felt so heavy, haha. I really needed this deload.

Deload

Mat pulls 8
405 x 5

SSB squats
240 x 3 x 5

Deload

Overhead press
102 x 5
122 x 5
147 x 5

Incline bench press
145 x 10, 10, 10, 10, 10

Chin-ups
10
70 x 5, 5, 5, 5

Squats
350 x 5
400 x 1
Whoa, legs locked up and I barely got out of the hole. Quads need to recover. Haven't deloaded since before the comp.

Bench press
275 x 3
315 x 2
345 x 1
350 x 1

Band rows
15, 20, 20, 20, 20, 20, 20

Overhead press
162 x 5 x 10

Kettlebell skulls
50 x 9, 8

Curls
135 x 10, 10
115 x 10

Facepulls
40

Band pull-aparts
50

Mat pulls (8)
495 x 10
6 more than last week. My set-up was solid today. I have the weight orchestrated diagonally on the flattest patch of ground I could find and it doesn't roll off anymore. I also initially considered not lifting because my legs and rear are sore from that hike but if anything I felt BETTER able to engage my glutes.

SSB squats
337 x 5, 5, 5

Neck crunches (forward and reverse)

SSB holds
510 x 15, 15
Missed the right stand when reracking on the second set and had to feel my way into it. Terrifying.

Planks
25, 25, 25, 25

Crush gripper #1
10, 10, 10, 10, 10

Reverse crunches and bicycles

Went on a hike in San Francisco yesterday. Objectively, it was the most difficult trek I've ever done, but I had no problem with it. Most of it was uphill, sometimes so steep that I felt like I was doing lunges in the gym (got a crazy leg pump). Six years ago, which was the last period when I did frequent hikes, this would have killed me, but my endurance capacity is very solid now.
The site was an abandoned missile silo from WW2 with the purpose of defending the coast from a Japanese invasion. Didn't see any invading forces, unfortunately, and I don't think they allow visitors to fire the missiles otherwise. Would have been fun to volley some at George as a prank.

 

Overhead press
182 × 5
207 × 3
232 × 2
Good progress. Got halfway up a third.

Weighted chin-ups
70 × 10, 10, 10, 10, 10, 10

Incline bench press
212 × 10, 10, 10, 10, 9

Chin-ups
40
All in one set but I'm dropping to my feet every rep. Eccentric would be bad for my pecs.

Tons of accessory work for chest, biceps, and rear delts. I go crazy on the third week.

Squats
330 x 3
375 x 3
420 x 3

315 x 3 x 8

Deadlifts
405 x 13

Bench press
237 x 5
272 x 5
312 x 3
Same as last week, oh well. Just gonna accept the loss and reset. Pecs felt way better today, hardly any pain.

Band rows
7 x 15

Overhead press
160 x 5 x 10

Kettlebell skullcrushers
50 x 9

Strap curls
115 x 11, 12, 13

Face pulls

Band pull-aparts

Mat pulls (8)
495 x 4, 1
Set-up sucked. Mats are at a slight incline so the bar kept rolling toward me. Made it impossible to do a rolling start because I had to push the weight up the mat until I was ready, and then it shot toward me. After this I intended to try again, only to have the bar roll right off the mats, meaning I had to unload a bunch of plates to put it back up. I found that it works better being on the other side so I have to pull the weight up against gravity which works well for pulling myself in toward the bar, but I'm really going to try another location first. Options are limited in my backyard, there's just one potential spot that might work that's occupied by a picnic table.

SSB squats
335 x 3 x 5

Overhead press
172 x 3
197 x 3
222 x 3
Didn't get this last time, but today it felt easy. Lost balance a few times which seems to happens either when I'm sick or haven't slept much.

Chin-ups
10, 10
70 x 10, 10, 10, 10, 10

Incline bench press
210 x 10, 10, 10, 10, 10
Pecs hurt at the end of a couple of sets, but not too badly. Hope I can heal while still doing horizontal pressing.

Curls
115 x 3 x 10

Band pull-aparts and face pulls

This cough and congestion will not quit, damn.

Short, easy jog and walk afterwards. Mostly just to get some activity in and sunlight absorbed while I'm recovering.

Squats
305 x 5
350 x 5
400 x 6

310 x 3 x 10

Deadlifts
405 x 5
Being sick left me with no gas to pull from the floor, so I did this as a deload.

Bench press
237 x 5
272 x 5
312 x 3
Still sick. Hit my goal exactly. Pleased with this for feeling terrible and having not benched in almost a month. Pec-tendons hurt, but are better than before. Will have to see if I can keep this up or not. Good thing about strongman is that it gives me plenty of overhead options to focus on if I can't bench press.

Overhead press
160 x 4 x 10

Iron Woody band rows (unilateral)
5 x 15
Man, I've had these for so long now. 2007 I think?

Went pretty easy on volume and training time. Still felt awful afterwards and threw-up a tiny bit, then felt fine again 20 minutes later. My sick protocol is to train heavy, short, low volume, at least a day of rest after every session, and with lots of food.

Still sick. Made a disgusting smoothie upon waking up of spinach, garlic, ginger, strawberries, cucumber, and whey protein and it seriously made my throat feel better the rest of the day. Actually managed to do a little foam rolling and yoga tonight, keep that up. My back felt good from it.

Yesterday.

Mat pulls, 9
495 x 8
Trained sick, but did well. High reps are still a relative weak point.

SSB squats
335 x 5, 5, 5
Hise shrugs x 20
Pain in right lat, lower left back, and left knee, haha. Belted up for second set and felt fine. It's just plain wrong when people outright say belts don't protect the back. I don't think one should purchase a belt for that purpose or that it's anything more than a Band-Aid on a bigger issue. I have also read Dr. Stuart McGill writing that to maximize the effectiveness of a belt, less-than-ideal form is required by way of rounding the lumbar. But a thick brace still clearly shields the back from some load bearing and that can make a difference between pain and gain if I gotta finish my sets.

Neck crunches
After some fooling around with my water bottle strap on a dumbbell handle I finally figured out that a simple plate works best for what I have.

Night workout: 5x5 with the Crush gripper and some abs

Overhead press
160 x 5
182 x 5
207 x 5

Chin-ups
10, 10, 15, 15, 15, 15

Incline bench press
205 x 10, 10, 10, 10
45 x lots of reps
Pecs felt much better. Still holding off on flat benching, though.

Light skullcrushers and curls

Had my first strongman meet yesterday. It was a blast and an incredible learning experience.

For my second competitive experience I again had a scrappy attitude about going in without much task-specific training and...well, I got what I paid for. I did even better than I anticipated at the deadlift and rather hopeless on everything else except the tire flip.

Got about 4 and a half hours of sleep. I went to bed early enough to get around 6 but I couldn't stay dead. I'd slept 9 hours every night for weeks before so I woke up feeling energetic. Had an awesome breakfast at a restaurant right next to the hotel: meat omelet, potatoes, and 4 pieces of toast.

 

I finally met Jared/Emevas in person as I was signing up. Quite a few years removed from the first time we tried to arrange a sparring session and he was concerned that me being a minor might be a problem.

First event was the press medley with a 250 axle, 130 lb circus dumbbell, a fire hydrant, and 190 lb keg. I suffered for not practicing cleans in so long when I got the axle up high but nowhere near my chest to shelf it. It was basically a high pull. Who knows if I would have gotten closer by continental cleaning (probably not).

The circus dumbbell surprised me with how hard it was to hold stably. I stupidly kept rolling it around in my hand trying to find some imaginary sweet spot rather than just gripping it tighter and throwing it up. I got it over me but couldn't lockout, so I just dashed over to the fire hydrant, which was very easy but the likes of which I forgot to hold the lockout of in my hustle. Next, the keg. I had NO idea what to do with my hands so I basically wrestled around with it for the remainder of the time, trying to feel my way into a position that I could press. All in all, one actual implement successfully lifted.

The tire deadlift event was next. Some kinda meet magic happened here. I shot up with 480, 500, 520, 560, and then, astonishingly, pulled 600. Even considering the extra height this was a massive PR. Couldn't break 640, though.

After what felt like several weeks later it was time for the 610 yoke walk of fail. This was soul crushing and the hardest event by far. Although my footwork should have been better it was mostly my body simply not being strong enough. I wobbled and dropped my way down to the end somehow, which I'm at least thankful for. After I crossed the line I turned around to fight my way back only for the time to run out.

At this point my back was seriously starting to worry me. Pain in my side from those blasted standing dumbbell rows months ago had been present after the press medley but the yoke really made me feel it. Hurt to breathe and couldn't bend over without wheezing. Jared kindly took me to his car and gave me some Motrin and an Icy-Hot application. I still felt in pain but was inclined not to let him or Shaquille O'Neal down, so I had a go at the tire flip next. THIS was fun and I felt I did okay with the 640 lb tire. I was slow but determined and could have kept going after the clock ran out. Ended up making it about a third of the way down, maybe a little less. My back even felt better from it.

Last were the stones. About 90% of my effort went into applying the tacky I was lent and the rest failing to get the first stone up on the platform (I believe it was 270).

I was stunned at how long this lasted, almost 11 hours from the time I first stepped into the gym. Munching on walnuts throughout the day staved off hunger perfectly well, though. From here on out, I want to actually take meet training (whatever the sport) more seriously and make a competitive showing instead of just showing up to wing it. I'm also going to gradually resume the weight drop after a week or so of rest and ample eating.

I'm incredibly glad I didn't call it quits early because of my back. Perseverence for the future is definitely something I took home with me. That and some gnarly arms.

Deload
Continental overhead press
95 x 5
115 x 5
135 x 5
145 x 5

105 x 5 x 10

Chin-ups
5 x 12

SSB squats
310 x 10, 8, 8

Overhead press
157 x 10, 10, 10, 10, 10

Lying dumbbell rows
150 x 10, 10, 10
130 x 15

Chin-ups
12
> Just until my tendons hurt. Probably shouldn't have tried this at all.

Curls, skullcrushers

Really good pump today.

Push press
225 x 3
255 x 3
275 x 0

Felt mentally held back from fear of dropping the barbell onto the concrete patio. Should have done this in the dirt. 255 is fine though.

Doing full body accessory stuff tomorrow. Very bodybuilding-like to take advantage of my caloric increase. Will also practice continental cleans in the evening.

Best lower body session in a year.

Squats
350 x 5
395 x 3
440 x 1

Deadlifts
455 x 5
405 x 12
Refreshed by watching Emevas' deadlift tutorial and then hit it. Narrow stance is working great. Also added a small roll today. Everything felt crazy light.

Going out for dinner with my cousin and then a videogame night with George afterwards so I'm going to save accessory squats for Sunday. That'll make for three training days, rest, two deload days, two days of rest, and then gameday.

Had a good New Year's drinking and corresponding with the gf through an online game night. I'm a huge dork so I prepared some low carb homemade pizzas beforehand to have healthy meals ready during drunkness.

Today I tested my mile for the first time in 10 years and got seriously humbled. Was aiming for 5-something and may or may not have gotten 8:02. My last recording in 2005 was 6:25. In my defense, I have two broken legs, Ebola, and a cute cat I saw weakened my quads.

Dumbbell push press
80 x 2
100 x 2
110 x 2
120 x 3
Didn't feel too bad, though like always my right is much better.

Overhead press
157 x 10, 10, 10, 10

Lying dumbbell rows
150 x 8, 8, 10, 8

Curls and band pull-aparts

Squats
345 x 5
390 x 3
435 x 1

Dumbbell push press
80 x 3, 3
100 x 3
110 x 5, 4 (left side)
Harder to keep balance on my left. Part of that is the dumbbell I'm using, but awkwardness is a good thing here.

SSB squats
305 x 10, 10

Wide bench press
35 x 73, 40, 50
Pec rehab. Trying to get a chest pump.

Fun little punch-the-clock workout.

Friend had to cancel the trip for personal reasons, so I'm back to training Tuesday as usual. Holding off a deload until comp week.

Bench press
Up to 185
Pec tendons hurt really bad.

Incline bench
Up to 225
Same deal. Called it quits here.

Went back down in the yard 10 minutes later and messed around with some dumbbell push presses. Felt great. Gonna make these my staple. Plan on maxing them out tomorrow with squats for one crazy training sessions before two days of rest on my trip.

Hill sprints 3x and then the usual 10 minute jog afterwards. Having fun with cooking today. Tonight's dinner are low-carb portobella mushroom pizzas: http://www.muscleandfitness.com/nutrition/healthy-recipes/portobello-pizzas

Not cheat day tomorrow. I'm leaving Sunday night to spend two days with a friend up north and want a splurge day then.