Fuark! Not a good workout So tired. Legs sore. Heavy weight

Squats 45x10, 75x5, 105x5, 135x3
155x3x5 (felt like 180...)

EMOTM x6
Strict assisted pull-ups (alternating between pronated and supinated grip) -> noted as approx assist(lbs)xreps
100x5, 85x5, 100x5, 85x5, 85x4, 70x3(.5)

4 rounds of (2KB @20)
- Russian Snatch x5
- Push press x5
- Drop lunge (farmer hold x3, front rack last round) x5/leg
- power clean x5

EMOTM x6
- Sumo deadlift pop squat x4 (30lbs KB)
- Squat thrust R.A.T. (9/6/6/7/7/7 - total: 35)

Going on 2 days off, I believe. I'll need the rest and the mobility work...

Trainer day
Activation and core stuff
Front squats 80# 3x5
Walking lunges with 50# many many
Plank the kind where they try to push you over
Cable rows
Dumbell rows
Isohold push-ups
More core

Tonight some easy spinning at 60-65% MHR.

Good workout. Everything felt heavy, but form was good.

Squat - 3x5 at 130 lbs. So close to getting those big girl plates back on there.
OHP - 3x5 at 60 lbs. This the probably the solid-est I have done these at 60 lbs. I am really trying to get that shelf thing, and it is helping that I concentrate on pulling my shoulder blades down and together at the bottom of each rep.
DL - 1x5 at 170 lbs. I need to get my chalk again for the next one I think.

Pull ups - 3x4. First time I have gotten 4 all 3 sets.
Row - 3x5 at 75 lbs
Close grip BP - 3x8 at 65 lbs
Barbell curls - 3x10 at 40 lbs
Cable crunches - 3x10 at 55 lbs - definitely getting easier.
Hip Thrusts - 8,10,10 at 115 lbs. Had issues with bar placement for the first set and it was moving around too much.

Oh, and this gym only has 2 sets of 2.5 lb plates, and they are hard to find as the weight room is very big. Finally found a couple before squats. Then, eventually spotted two - buried under several 45s on the leg press?!?!? Who is using 2.5 lb plates on the leg press?!?! This is the meat head gym!

Day off from work so I sat a lot in attempt to write but I'm still very behind. But I've gotten a couple of chapters written and am a few thousand words further in the novel than before. I also went to the gym. Tried the pants I got from shopko and they worked fine but don't trust them for any lower body days. Forgot my water in the car, which was a slight nuisance. Also, tried the running shoes that are needing replaced cause planned to jog at the end and figured it wouldn't matter much for upper body day. Well, my right foot had other thoughts and I had to go shoeless for a few lifts as it kept getting achy and cramps for no reason. But it was fine while I jogged in the shoes on the treadmill...

27 - upper hyper

incline bench press 4x10 @ 65 - did okay but starts to feel a tad struggle at the very end
db fly 4x10 @ 12.5 - also did wrist curls with 10 lb db 3x10 in between sets
seated row 4x10 @ 70 - though i changed machines half way, the second set on the one oddly felt like the resistance changed, got more difficult, and not sure why
one db row 4x10 @ 25 - okay but had foot cramping issues during these, was rather odd
lat raise 12.5 3x8 - challenging, as usual
cable bicep curls 3x9 @ 50 - cause i didn't like the seated db ones, i am doing these instead
cable tricep extension 3x10 @ 60

Cardio - 30 minute jog with 5 minute warm up and cool down.

Now more writing then sleep.

Gym was busy so my order was all messed up today, felt super super weird not starting with squats

OHP warm up: 1x5 15kg had to use the women's oly barbell as all the other ones were being used, also had to clean it up at the start of each set
OHP: 3x5 30kg - so what the hell was the problem at 27.5kg that I missed 2 sessions in a row?!
DL warm up: 1x5 35kg, 1x5 55kg, 1x3 65kg
DL: 1x4 75kg - felt my back round on the 4th rep so didn't attempt the 5th
Squat warm up (the oly bar became free) so I could get in the cage: 1x5 40kg
Squat: 3x5 57.5kg - this felt weird, I think my legs were shot from the DL. Also seemed to be squatting really low and bouncing out of the hole, I am not sure why!

did workout b, more or less. kind of a placeholder session more than a real one. my squat form has me confused again bleh.

squats 85. i'm being manic about keeping a tight back. it's throwing everything else off from my balance to my valgus collapses to idk what else besides. so i stuck here and i guess i'll just keep seeing how things work out.

deadlift 135. i've been slopping it with deadlifts and have come to know it. so. back to the thing about doing it in two pulls - first one just engaging traps/lats/erectors and grabbing the 'slack' out of the bar, and then the second one being the actual pull. the bar was just flying up with 85 and 105 when i did do that first pull properly. but i did so many whee-this-is-fun reps that by the time i got up to 135 i had kind of gassed myself out. so 135 was HEAVY. too heavy for 5 reps, in fact. still, definitely the way forward.

ohp. small breakthrough maybe. my upper back gets so tight that just holding the bar for ohp can be more like a stretching exercise than the first part of a lift. however, two things that have come back to me and may be big help. 1. squeezing the bar. i've actually been pressing with my fingers loose and the bar just sitting on the heel of my hands with the thumbs holding it there. 2. engaging triceps while making that shelf. wow, what a difference from doing that. i mixed it up between 45 and 55 because i wasn't seriously Doing A Workout today, i guess.


pretty soon will have to stop futzing around, pick specific weights for each lift and concentrate on those as my working weight. but my strength fluctuates quite a bit between workouts so bleh.

Session tonight working at 3x12 for sets for hypertrophy up from 8s so had to drop weight temporarily.

DL 3x12 40kg probably could have done 50 kg
Front Squat W/up 25 kg, 3x12 30kg
Bench w/up 25kg, 3x12 27.5kg
Seated row 3x12 33kg
Lat pulldown 3x12 33kg
Triceps pulldown 3x12 12.5kg
Preacher curl 3x12 12.5kg
Leg curl 3x12 12.5kg
Leg extensions 3x12 10kg

Had measurements taken and best bit bf 24.6% I'm thrilled

It has been a very long time since I checked in here. I am hoping that this will help keep my lifting more regular.

DL - 1x5x145, 1x4x165, 1x3x165
OHP - Not great because I was a little tired from the DL. 3x5x45
BP - 3x4x60
Squats - 3x8x75

I am going light with more reps on the squats for the next little while. I have been told that squats aren't good for me knees (arthritis) but I enjoy them to much and they don't hurt so what the hell I will continue doing them.

bluefish86 wrote: »

ar9179 wrote: »

Totally agree. This has been a years long issue with me. I stretch all of the time, but STILL have tight chest muscles. My chiropractor reminds me about the stretches every time I see him for an issue between my shoulder blades...something I have to address this week, again.

I went to yoga today. Felt really tight after lazing around all weekend.

Just a tip... try lying with a yoga mat rolled up vertically under your spine so that the mat and you spine are parallel, and your arms are in a cactus position. If you can do this 5-10 minutes a day it's a great stretch for your pecs and will also help with upper back pain (particularly behind the shoulder blades).

Can you explain cactus position? I'm thinking where the arms are straight out from the shoulders and the fore arm bent upward? I think I also need to do this type of stretch.

Rest day for me. I'm starting to appreciate the importance of these''