March 15, 2011 - ME LB

Dynamic Warm-ups

Sumo Deadlifts
135x5
185x3
225x3
275x3
315x3
365x3
405x1
455x1
495x1
Added Straps
525x1
555x0
555x1 (hitch)
500x3

Zercher Harness Rack Lifts w/ Light Bands dbl (+170lbs)
195x3
235x3
285x1 (suck)

Safety Squat Bar Goodmornings
65x3
115x3

Glute Ham Raises
bwx8 (5 ugly, 3 negatives)
bwx8 (negatives)
bwx8 (negatives)
bwx6 (good)
bwx8 (good)

Reverse Hyperextensions
230x12
230x12
230x12

35 Minutes of Stretching

Comments: Still fighting this cold. I think it is getting better. Usually when this happens (winter becoming spring messes with my sinuses) I end up with an infection but not this time. While I got over the first cold fast and this second one came in, it could have been worse as my lil sister may have been the originator and she was vomitting and also got Strep throat. Perhaps my immune system is getting stronger. Anyways, on to lifting. I was hoping for some good numbers on sumo deadlifting, even with the cold. Worked up to 495lbs with a double overhand grip before bringing out the straps. 525lbs went up pretty easy so I was quite surprised when I barely got 555lbs up off the ground. I chalked it up to feeling bad and my leg perhaps not recovered and prepared to do my down set. But I got angry at my weakness and put the weights back on and gave it another shot. Ugly and hitched but I got it. Felt like my head was going to explode but I wasn't going to put it down. Technicially a PR in that it is the most I have done with a sumo stance but I was expecting more as this was just 5lbs more than my PR with a wider stance and somewhat stiff legs. Did my down set with 500lbs and got three. Couldn't break a fourth off the ground. Every time I set the bar down, it sounded like a gunshot. The left side of my upper back didn't appreciate it. I tried doing my zercher stuff but the pain back was just too much and I stopped in frustration. I was lost in thought, trying to reorganize my workout (hence the ssb gm's) but figured I should just move on with my workout and save the thinking for another time. The upper back thing has been there on and off since January of last year but this time it's been persistant since Christmas. Going to need to have that assessed when I'm fully over my sickness. Obviously, I wasn't mentally there for the next exercise and I was getting frustrated and tired. I felt like throwing in the towel after three ugly reps but I knew I had to push the glute ham raises, even if they were ugly. I switched to negatives. I made some adjustments to the settings on the ghr and found that I could do "good" reps. I did six. Rather than call it there, I went for another set. I rationalized that since I had skimped on the secondary exercise, I could do more reps on the ghr's. Got psyched and focused and got eight good reps. Highlight of the night for me getting back to doing good reps with bodyweight on these. Went on to do reverse hypers (tough) and got all my reps in for those. Quite beat. Went home to stretch. Now I got to think of some way to work around this back thing to the best of my abilities.