Got to spar yesterday. Officially it was "shadowbox sparring" but 2 out of my 3 partners ignored that.

First opponent was a young guy about my height. Constantly circled to his left so my rights kept intercepting. When he'd try to react and switch direction, he walked into my left hook. I was barely touching him because he was going appropriately light, so this was basically point sparring.

Second opponent was the big guy I've worked with before who definitely did not point spar, but while he made contact more solidly than the coach instructed, I didn't mind at all. They weren't asshole punches but around what I expect when we're supposed to go at 50%. He's the tallest guy I've ever sparred at around 6'4 and I was having trouble landing to his head. His jab was long but my guard was tight. Coach instructed me to hit the body more, which was a reminder I needed. I was hitting his body so easily at first that I tried to be "fair" while also challenging myself to go for his head, but I'd be better served in that goal precisely by hammering the body. The goal is to find openings: exploit them, don't be nice. I also need to extend my jab more when sparring, I have more reach to give. 

Third opponent was another young guy who was my height, but more skilled than the first partner and someone who also connected at around 50% so I matched him. Same tactic - he kept circling in the same direction and I kept intercepting. Thought I'd shaken the bad habit of asking people if they're OK but he totally ate a left hook that he moved into that prompted a check-up from me and I was conscious that we were supposed to point spar. He landed good ones of his own and kept a very good guard.

We switched partners after sparring to work on some simple drills: 1-2 to the body, then a 3 that we ducked, and afterwards, ducking left and right hooks in succession. 

Something that's been really bothering me are my sinuses. I'm having to blow my nose every break we get. Will look into natural remedies, meds, and nose strips, probably in that order.

 Yesterday morning I upgraded to 25 lb Turkish get-ups for 5 reps. After work, I did a 1-minute head hang for my achey shoulder and then some brief misery training yesterday. Breath restriction mask, 3 lb dumbbells, and a 4-minute shadowboxing round. Couldn't rip the mask off fast enough to get some air when the round was over and I stopped moving, although DURING the round I felt OK.

I debated for awhile before rebuying a mask and ultimately decided I benefit from it too much to ignore. I don't pretend it simulates elevation training or has an effect on red blood cells; it simply trains me to stay calm and psychologically deal with being gassed, which is invaluable in sparring. One of my bad habits, especially when rusty, is overreacting to the opponent and getting twitchy instead of staying calm.

I need to take a picture next time because I looked like a Mortal Kombat wannabe with my ninja mask and neon blue "tonfas" (hand weights). My edgelord 17-year-old self would have been proud (and then snapped pictures for Myspace).

Had plans for more rounds but hunger hit me and since this is a season of gaining, I went to eat some steak and rice instead. Went on a 45-minute walk afterwards. 

Squats

450 x 3 (low bar)

Drop-down to 405x3, 315x8, 225x8, 135x8 (high bar)

Single-leg reverse hyper curls

3 plates x 10, 15, 15

Russian twists

25 x 20

Hanging leg raises

15

Weighted crunches

25 x 15

450 went up easy. 405x3 with the high bar positioning was more of a struggle.

Did a good job with low bar shelving tonight after watching how Layne Norton squats. Figured out a configuration to relieve stress off the elbow by warming up with band pull-aparts and bringing my hands in close rather than farther out on the bar to get a really packed upper back. It creates a little more wrist strain for me so I wrapped my wrists up, but this is the first time I can remember that my elbow didn't hurt at all from squatting low bar. Bar  feels way more secure on my back with my hands in, too.

Switching to high bar on the fly continues to be interesting. I expected the sensation of falling forward this time and pushed back more from the start. Such a quad killer.

After training last night, I brought my 25 lb kettlebell in the living room and this morning I updated my

 2-board press

365 x 1

Weighted push-ups

105 x 4 x 10

Kroc rows

125 x 25

Did this after a hike. Very happy with pressing 365, hard as it was. Left shoulder was aching in the work-up sets of full ROM bench pressing (when board pressing, I typically bench until 275 before switching to the partial ROM), so rather than a bench variation for the assistance work I went with push-ups.

Boxing on Friday went well. Practiced on pushing a close or clinched opponent away with a shoulder shove. 

Saturday was a rest day. Felt crummy from bad sleep. I also spent this weekend dog sitting for a co-worker. The constant driving back-and-forth was annoying, but everytime I actually arrived at the destination I had a fun time with the dogs and got in some good agility training with the younger German shepherd.

The hike was at a wildlife refuge with lots of birds and wide open marshlands. Very different from a narrow forest trail hike. I felt all the stress from the week wash away during the trek.

Happy 20th anniversary to this training log! It was the 9/19, so even though I'm typing this on 9/20 the workout was done on the actual day. That's a long time. So far, my arms are well short of the 30-inch biceps I should have with this amount of lifting. For the next 20 years, my goal will be much more realistic: 40" biceps to signify 40 years of training.

Squats (high bar)

325 x 15

Incline bench press

185 x 10, 10, 7, 8

Super-set with lying dumbbell rows

115s x 4 x 8

Spider curls

50s x 3 x 12

Drove a lot for work today and back was feeling stiff. I had plans to reach 315 x 18, but adding reps really tests my back stability so I opted to lower it down to 15 and increase the weight instead. I was feeling tired and just a few reps in I felt ready to shut it down if my back started hurting, but as usual, I was able to keep going.

My left shoulder has been hurting a little so I reset the bench weight down to 185 to go for higher reps and an extra set. I've been doing Turkish get-ups with 15 lbs that I haven't been recording and they've been helping, but I should do dead hangs more consistently.

Monday:

Press

190 x 3

135 x 4 x 10

Pull-ups

Bw x 10

50 x 3 x 10

1-minute chin-up

20 axle curls (30 lbs) for elbow rehab

5 lb increase on that top set. Slowly getting stronger. Despite the increase in carbs, the scale says I haven't gained any weight. We'll see what these rib and ground beef Costco lasagnas have to say about that. I'm looking to gain for fall, but more slowly and with less sugar than last year. Whereas before I was eating 2 eggs in egg whites and bone broth for breakfast first thing in the morning and then 3 eggs in the same concoction for a mid-morning meal, today I had 5 eggs first thing and eggs mid-morning at the office. Thank goodness for Costco.

Tuesday boxing:

Noticed one bigger guy being very intense during shadowboxing and throwing hard punches, so I asked him to partner up during drills. One person would stay against the wall and defend while the striker throws any 4 shots, pivots to either side, and throws a hook. After some variations on this, we held mitts and donned the shield. Dude had great power but slowed down very dramatically. Credit to him for not being one of those people who stop to catch their breath, though. 

Afterwards he goes "Not gonna lie, your punches made my shoulders hurt from holding for you" and I told him "You say it, I'll say it: mine too!" We had a laugh and he asked me how I "get veins to show", which is something people fixate on far more than arm size.

 This update is basically going to cover the work week.

Returned to the boxing gym on Tuesday after a 1-week hiatus. After 3 rounds of shadowboxing, we partnered up for several drills. The one I remember: 1 person throws jabs, other defends and occasionally counters with a 1-2, original striker responds with 1-2-3 when that happens. I partnered with someone I have a good rapport with and has a powerful right hand. This hyped me up to really blast the mitts and later the shield when it was my turn. Felt tired but didn't slow down. 

Returned for Wednesday's class, which was shadowboxing, rounds on the bag, and a fitness circuit including battle ropes, med ball slams, kettlebell squats, and more. No partner work.

Felt surprisingly sore in my hamstrings from those 100 kb swings earlier in the week. Back has also been hurting this week, but as of Friday it's feeling a lot better.

Despite back pain, I was able to squat without issue last night.

Squats (high bar)

315 x 17

Kb pullovers

25 x 20

Incline bench press

200 x 7, 8, 7

Pull-ups

Bodyweight x 12

50 x 8, 8

Spider curls

50s x 3 x 12, 12, 10

Rewatched the Muhammad Ali documentary When We Were Kings afterwards before bed. Old favorite.

Also got some training stuff in the mail: 2 new bands and a couple of 3 lb hand weights for shadowboxing.

 Ended up having a total rest day yesterday except in the morning before work: 50 band pull-aparts and 5 Turkish get-ups. Also did some yoga and banded reverse hypers using the couch as an anchor for an exercise band in the evening. Just felt like I needed to rest and recuperate. I trained hard Friday night and Saturday morning, got little sleep over the weekend due to my internal clock not allowing me to sleep past 8am, and I've been experiencing headaches in the back of my skull as a result. 

Went to bed early last night and got very good sleep, then went out in the gym at about 6:40 am.

1-minute dead hang

100 swings with 50 lb kettlebell

10 ab wheel reps (5 lying, 5 standing)

Feeling refreshed and ready for boxing.

2-board press

360 x 1

Swiss bar incline bench press 

195x3x7, 1x6

Lying dumbbell rows 

115s x 4 x 9

Incline skullcrushers 

50s x 2 x 7

35s x 10

Spider curls

50s x 4 x 10

Pressing 360 was easy. I've been eating more carbs so I figured I've gained some weight this past week, but the scale says I'm the same. I haven't been slacking on the cardio and it's only been a week, but the strength gains are noticeable. 

Back to the boxing gym next week. For today, I'm about to hit the beach to end the weekend.

 Damn, what a night. Was on my feet at work all day and was feeling tired, so I half-heartedly got set-up to squat at 8pm ready to post-pone it until the next day but the lure of the iron won out tonight.

Squats
440 x 3
Drop-down to 405 x 3, 315 x 8, 225 x 8, 135 x 8

This felt so much easier than 430 x 3 last time. Used low bar for the top set and high bar for everything else. Very interesting experience. Felt like I was going to fall forward when I switched to high bar. Low bar felt more secure than last time (no sensation of the bar about to fall off my back), but elbow still hurts when I walk the bar back and unrack. Trying really hard not to press my hands into the weight, which feels like the problem for my elbow, but to pull the bar down into me instead. Haven't got it 100% yet. High bar gives my elbow a total break.

Very happy to be getting stronger in the squat again.

Mat pulls (3 mats)

500 x 5

Romanian deadlifts 

315 x 2 x 8

Bulgarian split-squats

80 x 3 x 10

Barbell shrugs

315 x 20

Reverse hyper

200 x 3 x 12

Russian twists

25 x 3 x 20

15 hanging leg raises

Deadlifted in the garage for the first time. The flat ground made it feel like I was cheating. Still capping reps at 5 to keep my back feeling healthy, but I had more in me.

Going to be spending more time today cleaning the space and working on my hybrid indoor/outdoor set-up.

Bench press 

225 x 3

275 x 3

300 x 3

Close-grip bench press 

235 x 8, 8, 8

Meadows rows

90 x 10, 10, 10, 10

Incline dumbbell press 

80s x 10, 10

Keg curls

160 x 12, 12

 

I'm at a point where I really know my body well and am picking loads that I know for a fact I can hit. 300 was the perfect amount for where I'm at right now. I wanted to go with 315 but reasoned I haven't earned that yet and the way to get there is work back up. 

Still feeling under-the-weather. Was in San Francisco with family yesterday for my cousin's wedding party and I opted to cancel my desire to go out around town afterwards because of my congestion and head pressure. Ate so much high calorie junk food. When we arrived, I scarfed down pizza and Chinese food. People were laughing at how badly my paper plate was sagging from the weight of my portions. Afterwards, we stopped and got steak burritos.

Post-workout shot. Those shorts used to be tight on me.

Squats

315 x 17

Kettlebell pull-overs

25 x 20

Incline Swiss bar bench press

185 x 8, 9, 9

Super-set with dumbbell rows 

115s x 3 x 8

1-minute chin-up

Feeling sick and wasn't sure if I would train today. Got set-up and felt pretty dead in my warm-ups. Lately I've been pretty mature about walking away and saving it for the next day, but I just had too much fire burning in me and ended up having a good workout. Felt better afterwards, not depleted. Back is also feeling a bit better.

Snapped a shirtless pic after the squats and a shot of my training partner:

Ended up having crazy vivid dreams from taking 2 ZMA capsules when I woke-up at midnight to use the bathroom. I've taken the stuff off and on for almost 2 decades and my dream responses to it vary from normal to yeah that was a little more intense than usual, but man, it was like experiencing movies all night long this time. The most memorable: I was a hacker and ISIS was operating in my town so I broke into the electronics of their vehicles and made one of their convoys crash and explode on the freeway. Reviewing footage of the crash, however, revealed my last name in the filename of the executable I used to hack them flashing onscreen (it only made sense in the dream) and I was worried they'd find my identity. I woke-up and had to take several minutes to accept that no part of that was real. 

 Tuesday: Worked with an inexperienced partner at boxing and it was a very low-intensity session of trading combos both with gloves and later with mitts, which benefits me being able to slow way down and polish my technique. 

We ended with bagwork and my punching bag ended up falling off of the rafters when the carabiner exploded from a heavy right hand I threw. Coach had me ground-n-pound for the rest of the round MMA-style. I wanted to low kick it so bad. Having a target low to the ground shifted something in my brain to go from boxing to Muay Thai.

Came home and felt the spark to do 3 rounds of hill sprints up Heart Attack Hill. Haven't done these in awhile and my calves were sore the next day.

Wednesday: Similar to Tuesday with another slow but technical session. Trained pivots and angles by throwing a right to the body, left to the body, left to the head that we duck under, then circling around while throwing a double jab. Eventually added a cross after the jabs. Finished with bag work.

Left shoulder is still tender but feeling a little better than last week. Going to see how much difference the Swiss bar makes instead of straight bar incline benching today. Back has also been in pain this week, but better today after consistent walking and opting for laying down vs chair or couch sitting at home and during my lunch break. Also experiencing a runny nose and mild sore throat.

Press

195 x 1

Push press

205 x 1

Press

145 x 3 x 8

Overhead shrugs

145 x 2 x 8

Neutral-grip chin-ups

Bodyweight x 10

60 x 3 x 8

Dumbbell curls

50s x 3 x 10

Heavy band pressdowns

2 x 10

Hit exactly what I aimed for on everything. 195 felt very heavy, but was surprised that 145 felt so light. It was what I was working with when I was much heavier and stronger.

Left work early yesterday and headed to the boxing gym for my physical to get cleared for sparring. The doctor had me do some simple tests for vision and shoulder health. I assumed the final test would be a fight, but he never even attacked me. I then realized the genius in this: sometimes the toughest fights are the ones that don't exist at all. By wanting to fight, I would not truly be fighting by fighting. Walking away was the true fight. Or something.

Boxing on Friday evening was pretty standard for that session with dumbbells, push-ups, simple combo-trading, and bagwork. Returned the next morning and registered to get my physical taken by the gym's physician on Monday so I can start sparring.

Squats
430 x 3
Drop-down to 385x5, 315x8, 225x8, 135x8

Single-leg curls
200 x 3 x 10

Abs:
Banded ab twists x 10 each side
Hanging leg raises x 8
Ab wheel x 12 (5 kneeling, 7 standing

Legs are feeling incredibly strong but my back was the dark horse here. I went to see Alien Romulus (which kicked ass) last night and even though the theater had lounge seats, my back got stiff lying in position for so long. It didn't feel great going in but it held up. About to go on a walk to downtown for lunch and that should do me good. The positive thing is that the most uncomfortable back days I have now are far better than how painful it used to be.

Boxing was low intensity combo trading with a partner on Wednesday, which was good for my hips. Twisting when throwing hooks was a little uncomfortable but not too bad. Ended with bag work. Had the most difficulty training abs at the end because keeping my legs elevated in the air was painful so I kept my feet planted for crunches.

Woke-up on Thursday feeling better; still a little pain if I lift either leg up, but was able to squat with a closer stance no problem.

Squats (high bar)

315 x 17

20 kettlebell pull-overs with 25 lbs

Incline bench press

195 x 7, 7, 7, 8

Super-set with lying dumbbell rows

115s x 4 x 8

Poundstone curls

30 x 100

Left shoulder is hurting. Throwing power jabs and lifting are taking their toll together. Managed to incline bench OK but will change the movement if shoulder hasn't improved next week. Will add in more bar hangs and reintroduce Turkish get-ups. Also haven't done band pull-aparts or facepulls in a minute. 

On the plus side, got 2 more squat reps than last time. 17th rep is when the grind started and I had to really squeeze my abs tight to keep my back from folding over and there was a little bit of a good morning effect. Woke-up with my back feeling great despite that. 

This morning before work I did 50 band pull-aparts and 3 Turkish get-ups with the 15 kettlebell. Hips continue to feel better; can raise my legs without any pain today.

Monday was largely a rest day. Went on a 15-minute jog in the evening for fun. indulged in leftover bison burritos from the weekend and went to bed early. Passed out hard and got 9 hours of sleep. 

Boxing yesterday was awesome. I got there early and noticed I was 1 of 2 people skipping rope when the coach called it out. He said what's up to me and mentioned people seem to be confused about the class location, which was in a different area than normal but the other room was locked so people shouldn't have been confused (when I saw the door was locked, I came right over to room 2). I saw some regulars to this class milling about in the gym, taking their time getting wrapped or just wandering around while I jump-roped. What the hell, people? Show the coach and your class some respect. 

After shadowboxing, we partnered-up and the coach paired with me. Had me throw two jabs, a feint, and a 1-2-3, eventually adding a roll to the end and rising up with a 3-2. We switched and I held for him before repeating. He kept challenging me to not step in when throwing the jab for this session and use my reach. Felt some difficulty whipping my jab out because my left shoulder in particular was sore and I had to fight a tendency like pulling my hand in for recoil before throwing it. Also got told to keep my right up higher when throwing the hook. It was by my chin but coach wanted it closer to my brow. Finally, I need to plant my feet a bit more when throwing. I used to be too flat-footed in Muay Thai and now I'm overcompensating.

After class, coach took me aside to review some of the tweaks to my form we went over today and then told me he felt my power when holding mitts. 

Both of my hip flexors began hurting from moving around. This seems to have started last week when I squatted heavy Tuesday and did sprint and bear-crawl races in Wednesday's class. They hurt until the weekend, got better, and now the pain is back. I'll try to avoid aggravating them in class today, possibly by adopting a narrower stance. 

Went on a hike Saturday and scouted out a good camping spot. Booked the location for October.
2-board press
315 x 1
335 x 1
350 x 1

Seated overhead dumbbell press
80s x 6, 8, 7, 7
Super-set with T-bar rows and weighted chin-ups
Rows: 5 plates x 8, 8, 8
Weighted chin-ups: 50 x 8

Dumbbell skullcrushers: 50s x 7, 8
Super-set with alternating dumbbell curls: 50s x 20, 20

Wasn't expecting 350 to feel so light even with a board press, but the bar absolutely shot up. Last weekend I grinded out 315x3, although that was paused and this was touch-and-go.

I also boxed less during the last week and I think the results of that were clear on this day, but I'm back to the boxing gym 3 days this week.

Having a great weekend so far and am taking time to record on the same day rather than catch-up at work on Monday.

Mat pulls (4 mats)
500 x 5

Romanian deadlifts
315 x 8, 8
225 x 10 + 10 shrugs

Barbell shrugs
225 x 2 x 15

Belt squats
6 plates + human x 3 x 12

 

Weighted decline twist crunches
25 x 20
50 x 20

Today's my diet break day. Going to stuff myself all day and likely go on a hike soon.

 Incline bench press

190 x 8, 8, 8, 7

Super-set with lying dumbbell rows

115s x 8, 8, 8, 8

Reverse hyper

200 x 8, 10, 15

1-minute chin-up

Was originally going to combine hamstring work into this via Romanian deadlifts, but I felt very low-energy. Decided to post-pone pulls and do heavy deadlifts on Saturday.

Despite feeling sluggish, benching felt light. My pressing strength is going up while I'm maintaining a low bodyweight. Been off creatine for a month, too, although I never notice a difference on or off it.

Really fun boxing class yesterday. Partnered-up with the tallest guy in class again and it's just blatant how we always pick each other now. Took turns throwing simple combos and defending. Got to practice actual shovel hooks this time by drilling a 6 to the body, 5 to the body, and ending with a 3 that we ducked under. The hook to the body followed by the head shot on the same side always makes me think of Tyson. This guy doesn't have the best cardio and tends to slow down, but I appreciate that he never stops the action and keeps pushing. 

Because I'm usually facing against guys smaller than me, staying close to this partner while throwing to the body made me think holy shit, there's so much target for me to hit if this were a fight. Not a feeling I'm used to. I just need to find a big guy who also moves fast.

We ended doing some P.E.-style team races. Formed 2 lines outside and bear crawled, side shuffled, and sprinted against the other team's opponent. I exploded out of the gate bear crawling and my abs suddenly got attacked by a massive cramping episode from the squats and ab work I did yesterday, which made me lose the round. Won the rest of the rounds without incident or trouble. I was WAY ahead of my opponent during the sprint, which I've always been good at. I'm built like a cheetah but trying to be a lion.

Worked the heavy bag at home for 3 minutes across 3 rounds on Monday, then had a friend who I was letting use my gym throw punches at me while I could only defend for 2 rounds of 2 minutes. Wanted to go on a run afterwards but opted to start winding down for bed to get a lot of sleep.

Yesterday:

Yukon bar squats

420 x 3

Drop-down to 370 x 5, 320 x 8, 230 x 8, 140 x 8

20 Russian twists

Ab wheel

5 lying + 5 standing

5 standing

420 felt heavier than I expected. Was aiming for 5 but was content with 3. Had some difficulty with the low-bar placement today. I started by experimenting with high bar in the work-up sets but with this curved bar, it wasn't happening by 320. Switching mid-workout and finding the positioning was surprisingly tricky.

 Press

185 x 3

145 x 3 x 8

8 overhead shrugs at the last press rep of every set.

Behind-the-neck press

115 x 6, 6

Chin-ups

Bodyweight x 10

50 x 4 x 8

Dumbbell skullcrushers

50s x 5 -> drop-down to 35s x 6

35s x 9

Axle preacher curls

70 x 2 x 10

Keg curls

160 x 15

39-second chin-up 

Biceps were fried; no way was a 1-minute chin-up happening. Pleased that my press is rebounding. I've put 10 lbs on it in a month while my bodyweight has remained steady in the low 190s. 

Chin-ups and preacher curls were quite uncomfortable on the elbow this time. It'd be a good idea to do this workout at the gym so I can do some really heavy machine rows without aggravating the elbow.

Had a fairly standard Friday boxing session with the usual rounds of calisthenics and bag work. We don't usually work with partners on Fridays, but this time we partnered up to practice what the coach thought were shovel hooks. I really like this coach on a personal level but occasionally he ponders out loud what he's teaching and admits he's not sure and to ask another coach. He did that with shovel hooks this time while showing what was a straight to the body but with the wrist kept sideways and the thumb facing up (I.e. not rotating the fist). 

Got set-up to squat yesterday after work, felt like I had no energy just moving the empty bar, and made the call to rest and wake-up early in the morning to lift instead, giving me a full rest day followed by a lifting and boxing day. Absolutely the right call. Got to go to bed early and woke-up an hour before my normal alarm to eat a light morning snack of a mini hummus cup, half an RX bar (they're small so this was literally one bite), the rest of my Metabolic Drive shake from the night before, and some coffee before training 10 minutes later.

High-bar squats
315 x 15

Incline bench press
185 x 3 x 6

Lying dumbbell rows
80s x 3 x 10

Axle curls
30 x 50

Including the warm-up sets for my knees and back, got this done in 40 minutes. Left a couple reps in the tank on squats and bench, knowing I'll be killing myself with bodyweight exercises in boxing today. Light weight on the rows really allowed me to get an extreme squeeze at the top and the ROM almost resembled a lateral raise.

Felt AWESOME to lift before work and head to the office after getting that done. Going to see if this positively impacts my recovery and make it more common if it does.

Monday:

Paused 2-board press

315 x 3, 3

Close-grip incline bench

175 x 9, 8, 8, 9

Weighted wide-grip pull-ups

50 x 4 x 8

Keg curls

160 x 20

Dumbbell curls 

35s x 10

Opted for board pressing because my shoulders were still sore on Monday from Friday's class.

Went to boxing Tuesday and Wednesday. Got to work 1-on-1 with the coach on Tuesday, taking turns throwing combos and blocking or slipping. Wednesday was a HUGE class but few people want to go in the boxing ring for some reason despite the coach's urging, so I was able to spend most of my time in there with reasonable space. Did a lot of partner shadowboxing with different people, which I love doing in the absence of real sparring (more on that later...). Ended with bag work, hitting the shield by coming forward with 1-2s and then retreating with 1-3s, and then medicine ball conditioning. Shoulders are wrecked.

Lost my paperwork to sign-up for sparring so I got a new set on the way out. Requires a doctor's sign-off, which I've been dragging my feet over, but I want to make it happen finally.

Stopped by the gym on the way home and did a 39-second dead hang for my shoulders. The gym pull-up bars are covered in very slick rubber. It's comfortable and soft on the hands but harder to grip than metal. I appreciate the grip challenge. Afterwards, took a brief shower and sat in the cold plunge for 3 minutes and then the sauna for 8. Went in the steam room on my walk back to the locker room and some jackass sitting behind me broke the silence by shouting "HEY!" several times which made his 2 buddies laugh. Then he got down and started loudly telling a little kid behind the glass door that he needs his dad to come in with him. He then announced to his friends that he was hitting the cold plunge, so I'm glad I missed him there.  Great experience overall though. Walked out feeling refreshed.

Monday:

Yukon bar squats

410 x 5

Strip-sets of 320 x 8, 230 x 8, 140 x 8

Romanian deadlifts

275 x 3 x 10

Barbell shrugs

275 x 2 x 10

Reverse-hyper

200 x 2 x 10

Russian twists

25 x 2 x 20

Hanging leg raises x 15

Climbing back up. Squatted a little wider in a deliberate move to boost my squat numbers for a few weeks. I'm really enjoying switching stances, bars, angles, and grip placement around. Not avoiding what I'm weak at, but occasionally going back to what I'm strong at so my body stays used to heavier weight.

After recently training with the safety squat bar, my back felt like iron and handled the deadlifts just fine after squats. Abs were really feeling it during the leg raises after the ab twists.

Tuesday: 

Spent a looong time in traffic coming back to the office from a field visit and ended up leaving work 45 minutes late. Was annoyed on the road and my back was bothering me even with a lumbar cushion due to the rigid vehicle seats that don't recline, but once I got back to the office I scarfed down a Dave's Killer Bread sandwich with Nuttzo butter and the rest of my protein shake, which was just perfect enough for boxing 30 minutes later to feel neither hungry or too full. It all worked out.

Boxing was tough. Was very sore from those 2 intense lifting days, especially traps, shoulders, and legs. Body and conditioning held-up, though. Even with sore legs, I had the stamina to move well in the ring as long as I didn't talk myself into being weak. Threw hard combos at the mitts and body shield, finishing-up with bag work that alternated between speed and power depending on the coach's callout. Shoulders and legs felt like lead when I walked out. Took a bath at home and played Metal Gear Solid afterwards. Was craving carbs, but stuck to a dinner of chicken, steak, and stir-fry vegetables, with the usual Metabolic Drive before bed.

Plan on making today a rest day. Haven't decided if I feel like going on a jog or not, but walking and stretching will definitely happen.

Friday boxing was almost all calisthenics after the usual rounds of skipping rope and shadowboxing. Alternated between many rounds of medicine ball burpees, plyo push-ups, and dumbbell lateral holds. My shoulders are STILL sore today from that. I'll always prefer classes where I actually learn how to box, but I think it's good for me to suffer through something I don't want to do and I signed up for the same Friday class this week, along with 2 other technique days. Ended the class doing bagwork, which is always a good challenge to push through after exhausting the muscles. 

Saturday was a rest day. Went out for a bomb Italian restaurant dinner.

Sunday:

Mat pulls (5)

500 x 5

Walked to the gym immediately after:

Leg press

4, 5, 6, 7 plates x 10

Lying leg curls

130 x 3 x 10

Leg extension

130 x 12

200 x 10

Hanging leg raises

2 x 10

Cable ab twists x 20

Press

135 x 5

155 x 5

175 x 4

140 x 8, 8, 8, 9

Random sets of overhead shrugs at the end of most sets

Super-set with chin-ups 

Bodyweight x 3 x 8

50 x 4 x 8

Skullcrushers

35s x 12

50s x 5 -> drop-down to 35s x 4

Super-set with keg curls

160 x 20, 15

Done at the end of a very restorative weekend with family. Went go-karting for my niece's birthday on Friday but badly felt like I needed to crash afterwards. Went home and fell in a coma for an hour and a half before heading to boxing. Made myself not touch a weight the next day and took another nap before a Costco trip amidst eating a lot of high calorie, carb-heavy food for my cheat day. Finally, by Sunday I felt alive again.

I also caught myself looking in the mirror on Friday, the end of a strict diet week, and thought I looked very skinny. At the end of Saturday after eating pizza all day, I looked big. Night and day difference. 

Food and rest did me well. Got twice as many reps on 175 as last time when I was aiming for 3. Felt like I had power while pressing overhead again.

Also want to mention that I FINALLY got around to watching 2008's Punisher: War Zone on Saturday night. Saw it in a VR movie theater with a Quest 2 headset. I loved the 2004 movie with Thomas Jane back in the day and have been meaning to see this one for years. Very fun watch but incredibly silly and left less of an impact than its predecessor. 

 Boxing was a way bigger class than normal for Tuesdays. After shadowboxing we partnered up and took turns throwing 1-2s, then 1-2-3s, then some other combos before repeating on the mitts. Partner commented that I have a "shitload of power".

I have imposter syndrome going on when I hear comments like this because in my fickle mind, I'm usually larger and more muscular than whoever is complimenting me so of course I seem strong to THIS person; that's the bare minimum of standards. One of my coaches said the same thing to me, though, and he's a figure competitor with arms about as big or bigger than mine.

Ended with some footwork drills. 

I really like that Tuesdays are so meticulous and technical despite going over the basics a lot. Fatigue is kept to a minimum with no calisthenics so we can concentrate on boxing. I do enjoy having the challenge of conditioning thrown in on other days but it's good to have a technique day.

Been going 3 times a week and will increase that to 4 and 5 once sparring starts. I rarely, if ever, made it to Muay Thai 3 times a week when I trained that. Need to find the sparring paperwork I took home or ask for another if I can't find it.

Went for a leisure swim when I got home to cool off from the heat and resisted an urge to eat some fried macaroni and cheese bites from Trader Joe's after ingesting an edible and getting the munchies. Dinner was instead numerous small portions: a bison sausage, 2 eggs with some egg whites and bone broth, some grass-fed steak strips with a few mixed vegetables, and Metabolic Drive.

Press

165 x 5

135 x 4 x 8

Super-set with weighted chin-ups

50 x 4 x 8

Skullcrushers

35s x 8, 11

Super-set with keg curls

160 x 20, 15

Knowing that my pressing power is down, I picked what I figured I can get for 5. I was right to go with 165, but the 5th was one helluva fight to get lockout. No belt or wraps, as I didn't feel justified using them on weight this low.

Recently developed an abscess on my upper-back, near the teres minor, that is tender to touch and resembles a spider bite. Going to take a picture and monitor its progress daily to make sure it's not staph. As unlikely as that is at a boxing gym, my skin does come into contact with the floor when we do ab exercises so better safe than sorry.

Friday boxing was a good session. Coach Hashim says he sees a lot of good power coming from me but I need to be more consistent twisting my upper-body more when throwing straights. He also mentioned after class that he was watching me hit the bag and noticed that I tend to come up on my toes too much with left hooks and uppercuts sometimes, throwing my balance off. Reminds me of when I've been told in Muay Thai not too jump into my high kicks. 

Took Saturday completely off. Was feeling beat to hell after boxing on Friday. Not because the session was particularly hard, but I hadn't slept well and training fatigue from the week felt like it had been accumulating. Also felt like my body was fighting off illness - throat was a little sore and chest felt inflamed. Intended to relax at night playing PSO but could barely stay awake and crashed at 11pm. Slept in until 10 the next morning and got around to relaxing with some videogames and doing housework. Went to George's in the PM and watched The Beekeeper, which was ridiculous but good fun. Wasn't done when I came home at 3am: I booted up Metal Gear Solid and reveled in the nostalgia and just how damn good it still is.

Sunday:

Matt pulls (6)

500 x 5

Deadlifts

315 x 10

SSB squats

240 x 2 x 10

Hise shrugs

290 x 2 x 10

Reverse-hyper

200 x 2 x 10

Russian twists x 3 x 20

Ab wheel

10 standing reps

I’ve been doing more twisting ab exercises per Jamie Lewis’ recommendation that they’re good for back health. They help train punching power, too. My back has continued to feel excellent and I kept the supplemental exercises light to keep it that way.

Weighed 191.7 in the morning, about 4 lbs more than my dehydrated weight at the end of a hot day after boxing.

 Breathing squats

315 x 14

20 pull-overs with 25 lb kettlebell

Swiss bar pause bench

250 x 4

235 x 2 x 5

Super-set with T-bar rows

4 plates x 8, 8, 10

Squatted high bar for the second time in 5 years. Whereas last time I couldn't get a good feel for the positioning and kept the weight light, this time it just suddenly came back to me. Much easier on my shoulders and elbows and didn't have to worry about the bar slipping from sweat.

I've been pausing my bench reps lately and going slower on the descent, as well. Just something I've drifted toward now that I'm no longer obsessing over my maxes. We did a lot of bodyweight squats and push-ups in boxing the day before so I was satisfied with what I put up in this workout.

Took a few physique shots to mark where my body composition is currently at.

 Different boxing coach yesterday. I've seen him coaching sparring matches before. We donned chest protectors and took turns throwing partner combos. My partner seemed like he was putting everything he had in throwing hard shots but then had to stop and catch his breath after every combo. I wish people would just keep going when they gas and hit softer rather than stop the flow to gasp for air.

Afterwards, I stopped by the gym on the way home with a bag in my trunk packed with skull sandals (necessary detail) and swimshorts. Spent 10 minutes on the elliptical at a moderate intensity while watching the ending of Terminator 2 on the machine's screen and then did a 1-minute dead hang before spending about 8 minutes in the sauna and 3 minutes in the cold plunge. Left due to time, not discomfort - the cold plunge was quite comfortable and not quite as cold as I was expecting, but good enough to have the intended effect. I could definitely make a chillier ice bath at hme, though.

Felt superb walking out. Had a big protein-rich dinner at home of 3 eggs in bone broth, whites, and pickle juice + a plate of veggies and rotisserie chicken and grass-fed steak strips. Metabolic Drive with egg whites about 30-minutes before bed.

I may quit the gym in the coming months. I'm paying the full mortgage now whereas before my dad and I were splitting it 50/50. It's making things too tight for me. I'm enjoying my time there, but also feel like I've scratched the itch to some extent and wouldn't miss it TOO much. I'll evaluate after reviewing my written budget.

Worked on long combo strings with partners yesterday. The guy I was paired with had a handle on decent boxing form, but acted like he was half-asleep and ignored the combos we were supposed to throw even though we started out dead simple. I wonder if he came in stoned or something.

Woke-up this morning with some left hip pain, which was surprising because it's been almost a week since I felt hip discomfort from SSB squats and it was gone the day after. There's a good chance my nightly stretches have aggravated it. When I do dishes, I stretch my hips and hamstrings by sticking one leg up on the countertop and rolling the leg, something I learned from a Muay Thai coach online. I also held various split positions on the ground Monday night. Stretching my hips and hamstrings makes my back feel good, but all of the above has probably been adding up after that squat session. 

Press
135 x 5
155 x 5

175 x 3

Chin-ups: 20, 15, 12

One-arm standing dumbbell press
80 x 4/3 (right hand, left hand)
50 x 12, 12, 15

Incline dumbbell skullcrushers
35s x 8, 10

Felt pain in my sternum on 155 that got worse on 175 so I shut it down, not that I had much left in me anyways as my pressing strength is way down. Hurt to breathe afterwards and couldn't complete a chin-up when I tried. Found this very interesting. Used to experience pain like this early in my lifting days when I went heavy on weighted dips, but have never had it happen from overhead pressing. Gotta be something to do with not having barbell overhead pressed in a minute combined with a dramatically lower bodyweight.

The pain was intense at first and then dissipated after 10 minutes. Was able to do chin-ups fine after that and I have no pain the next day, thankfully.

In the realm of good news, my elbow pain was all but gone during everything, even the skullcrushers. I felt a little something on the 20th chin-up rep but that was it. Major improvement.

 Mat pulls off a stack of 7 mats

500 x 1, 1 (mixed grip)

500 x 5 (straps)

Romanian deadlifts

225 x 2 x 10 + 10, 15 shrugs at the end

Belt squats

6 plates x 10

6 plates + friend sitting on the plates x 10

Russian twists

25 x 20 each direction

Ab wheel

5 from floor + 5 standing

Figured out a positioning issue that's been tripping me up. I've been standing too close to the bar with the bar pressed against my shins and it's been causing my shoulders to start well in front of it, causing me to pitch forward. This is what injured me last month. This time I lined up the bar to my toe knuckles and was able to lean back with the bar as it broke off the ground. I remember learning this exact pointer and working to get it right after watching a Google Video Diesel Crew tutorial vid in the 2000s.

Despite that, I was extremely gunshy moving the weight at first. Went ahead and donned straps after 2 singles so I could get my head game focused on moving the weight, but I'm liking this recent trend of using grip power as much as possible.

Walked to the gym later. Did a 1-minute dead hang and then 10 minutes on the elliptical at max resistance (level 25 on this particular machine). Afterwards, I sat in the steam room but it didn't seem to be working, checked-out the cold plunges and both were occupied, squeezed into the crowded outdoor sauna for about 5 minutes, and then sat in the infrared sauna for another 5. Too crowded for my liking but I'm still learning what peak hours are on the weekend. Earlier in the day or close to closing might be better.

Went to a very tough early Saturday morning boxing session, sweated a gallon, got on the scale without clothes after getting out of the shower out of curiosity, and weighed in at 187.5. 

Weighed myself again in the afternoon. Despite drinking a lot of water throughout the heat today, I weighed 191.2! If that's accurate, it's amazing how much water I sweated out throughout the day. I have not been ceasing my lunch break walks in the triple-digit weather. 

If I break into the 180s, it'll be the first time since my teens.

Paused bench press 

305 x 2

275 x 4

Wide-grip bench 

235 x 8, 7

Super-set with dumbbell rows 

125 x 8, 8

Close-grip bench

245 x 6

225 x 8

Super-set with dumbbell rows 

125 x 8, 8

 SSB squats

380 x 5, 4, 3

Hise shrugs

380 x 2 x 10 (done at the end of first and last squat set)

SSB front squats

240 x 10

Russian twists

45 x 10 for each direction

Whew, happy with this. Felt like a ton at this bodyweight but despite the awfulness, I forced a lot of explosiveness out of the bottom. Could have grinded out more reps with ugly form but experience told me it wasn't worth risking my back.

Squatting narrower than I used to with this bar, which made it a surprise when I noticed my left hip was hurting when I lay down to sleep. Seems better the next day after a night of sleep. Lower back is VERY sore but not in an injurious way. Can still move and bend fine. Such a different feeling from last month's back injury.

Weighed 195.2 this morning.

Went to boxing again on Wednesday. Going to keep increasing my attendance from a norm of 2 days a week to 3-4. Making 4 the standard will be the minimum I need to be competitive.

Very big class size, typical for Wednesdays, but I like the busy environment. Space isn't a problem because this coach is good about breaking up people into groups and putting half on the bags and the other half out in the open. Also seems like a lot of people don't want to step up into the boxing ring, so I tend to shadowbox up there.

3 rounds skipping rope

3 rounds shadowboxing

3 rounds freestyle on the heavybag

1 round partner shoulder-tagging drill

2 rounds of blocking, slipping and rolling with partner throwing 1-2-3s and 3-4s, alternating between dodging and attacking after each combo

Ab work and stretches

I was happy to work with the tallest guy in the gym once again, who usually comes up and asks if I want to partner up. 

Boxing class yesterday:

3 rounds of shadowboxing consisting of splitting up two different combos with a slip
2 rounds of partner striking, taking turns throwing 1-2, slip, 2-3-2 with the defender blocking
2 rounds of the same but ending with 3-2-3 instead and adding slips and rolls
4 rounds of the same combos but with one partner holding mitts and alternating roles
Ended with 1 long round on the heavy bag, alternating between speed and power work per coach’s callout

Stopped by my dad’s resting site on the way home. Always such a meditative experience. Feels like I’m spiritually refreshed going there.

Walked to the gym yesterday after finding a copy of God of War Ascension sitting in my PlayStation 3 library and not remembering that I bought it cheap off eBay a while ago. Pregamed for the gym with it and raised my testosterone levels by murdering massive, screen-filling Greek gods and monsters with brute strength.

Arnold press: 80s x 7, 6, 5

Incline dumbbell press: 80s x 7, 6

Chin-ups: 12

Machine chest press: 185 x 3 x 10

Super-set with machine high-angle rows: 185 x 3 x 10

Cable chest flyes: 15, 12, 12

1-minute dead hang

Cable pressdowns:20

Machine preacher curls: 65 x 10, 10

45 x 12

I'm having a really fun time using the machines and getting a pump. Although my elbow aches a little using the dumbbells and during curls, I'm giving it more of a break than I would training at home with machine rows and pressing. Need to remember to make note of machine weight settings, though, as I don't remember what I used with flyes and pressdowns but it was light weight. 

Went in the steam room afterwards, doing a few stretches in there for my sore hamstrings. Then went to the pool area and sat in the sauna before sitting poolside reading a Michael Crichton novel with my protein shake. After my swimsuit got dry, I went upstairs to try out their cafe. Sadly, they don't have much meat options which is such a missed opportunity, but enjoyed my "protein toast" with eggs, avocado, and balsamic vinegar on sourdough for what it was while fantasizing about a gym that sells barbecue and then vowing to make my home gym exactly that, except I get a VIP discount by making it free after I buy it from the store. Walked home and ate some lamb and rice after the cafe snack.

I also had elk for the first time that I can remember yesterday (I may have had an elk stick before but I can't remember if it was actually venison, and it was processed and spiced to the point that it tasted like any beef stick). It was delicious just from pan frying with a rich, "dark" taste. The cat is also eating deer these days (see below) and I made ground bison bowls for my work lunch. 

Got in a lot of walking throughout the rest of the afternoon and a final one at night.

 Had a great boxing session yesterday with a substitute coach. Did some partner shadowboxing and got scratched in the face (sidenote: this guy happens to be the uncle of my old Muay Thai coach). During this, the coach singled me out and asked me to only jab so my partners could keep up. Donned gloves and did some rounds of trading simple combos with a partner, choosing to block, parry, or slip. One training partner who I've developed a good rapport with asked me to partner up in the ring and we spent the round pushing against each other trading upper-cuts and hooks.

Happy to report that my back has been doing well. Got in a squat session today.

SSB squats
330 x 7, 8, 7

SSB front squats
200 x 10

Romanian deadlifts
225 x 8, 10

Hanging leg raises
10, 15

Ab wheel
5 reps kneeling, 3 standing

Felt drained going into boxing on Wednesday. The heat didn't help after being in a hot office all day, but started feeling more energetic the more we trained. 

3x 3-minute rounds of skipping rope

3x 3-minute rounds of shadowboxing with 4lb dumbbells

2x 3-minute rounds of freestyle heavy bag work

2x 3-minute rounds of footwork drills via jabbing in and out of the plastic floor rings and slipping to the side, eventually adding a hook

2 rounds of trading 1-2s with partner and slipping, eventually adding a hook

Light stretches

I also found my Cerberus belt sitting in the equipment area and I took that back home. Going to submit paperwork next week to get into the sparring classes. 

Had a great 4th of July. Went to the beach in the morning and overpacked food so I didn't hit up any of the quaint beachside restaurants as was planned, but that's a good problem to have. Left around 4pm once heavy fog started rolling in. 

Yesterday evening:

SSB squats

150, 200, 240 x 10

Ab wheel x 25

Super-set with reverse crunches x 8

Exceeded my goal of squatting 150, but made myself stop at 240. It's improved by leaps and bounds from last week but under load, it feels tender at the bottom of the squat. Still, excited to have weight on my back again. The simple things in life...

Ab wheel was done lying down rather than standing, also to go easy on my back. 

Food note: I've been buying quail eggs to use with my morning bone broth and they suit this purpose better than big chicken eggs. Easier to drink down and they don't get stuck to the bottom of the porcelain. I've avoided them before because they can be annoying to crack (rubbery shell) and require a high volume when pan frying to fill a plate, but for drinking, definitely going to keep buying them from Costco.

Went to boxing on Friday and my back was able to handle everything except ab work at the very end. Skipping rope and medicine ball burpees felt fine, although I made sure not to move ballistically on the burpees. Coach asked me if I can duck and roll and after starting slow I pretty had it down.

Unfortunately I left my Cerberus belt at the boxing gym. My next class is Wednesday but if I have time I'll swing by and grab it today. 

By the end of class my back felt great, but I still wasn't ready for large amounts of load-bearing like heavy squats. Luckily, the onboarding rep who was handling my trial week at the gym extended my access period until Monday when she found out I wasn't able to make use of it the past week. I was able to go on Saturday and had a fantastic machine session. Hit cable flyes, seated cable rows, preacher curls, leg press, and lying leg curls. Had a limp afterwards from pushing the leg curls. Went in the steam room afterwards, swam laps in the pool, and then the sauna before walking back home.

Sunday: 20 minute jog followed by untimed shadowboxing rounds.

Before work this morning I hit 20 burpees and 50 jumping-jacks. Going to cautiously squat 150 with the SSB today.

Back is more or less the same as the past few days: still painful with limited bending ability, but I can walk, get up, and turn over in bed efficiently. 

Decided to go to boxing tonight while letting the coach know about my state of things. Going to don my Cerberus soft lifting belt.

Was able to move the 45 plates around without additional pain yesterday, so hit the iron.

Paused incline bench: 205 x 5, 6, 4+1 (rest paused)

185 x 6, 6 -> dropdown to 135 x 8

Super-set with wide pull-ups: 5 x 10

Axle preacher curls: 35 x 30

10 minute jog afterwards

Back is still in pain when I wake-up to use the restroom at night or in the morning, but improved enough that I can turn in bed or get up without extended agony. Switched beds in the middle of the night again and will go explore some mattress options this weekend.

I've been keeping up my lunchbreak walks all this week and yesterday was the first time I was walking with a normal gait. I'll attend boxing tomorrow while letting the coach know I have to go easy on stuff like medicine ball throws, ab work, and bobbing and weaving.

 Back is still in a painful state during and after bedrest but gets noticeably better later in the day. Switching between two different beds to see which yields the least amount of pain in the morning. I slept on the firmer one last night (memory foam unfortunately) and woke-up in the middle of the night astonished at how much pain I was still in. I have a Lumbair inflatable back rest that's a lifesaver for sitting down that I'll take home from work and experiment with while sleeping on my back.

My default posture seems to be rectifying itself. Torso was crooked and slanted to the left before. Using the Cerberus soft belt as a back brace during the day. 

Unfortunately, had to cancel mid-week boxing for the second time in a row. Last week was due to being sick with a fever.

Got in a no-iron workout yesterday:

10 dips

10 band rows

10 Hatfield squats

Done in 10 rounds, making 100 total reps of each.

I was actually able to move pretty efficiently and do some light shadowboxing last night. Going to do a bench press workout this evening after cautiously testing if I can move the 45s around. If not, I'll either do a push-up workout or go to the gym and use the machines.