December 21, 2017 – Week 4, Day 2

5 Minutes Percor AMT

Leaning Calf Raises
BWx30

Sumo Box Touches (12” Box)
BWx15

16” Box Squats
BWx15

Regular Box Touches (12” Box)
BWx15

Band Rows
MMBx20

Push-ups
BWx10

Hip Airplanes (supported)
BWx5/5

Deadlifts
135x1
185x1
Added Suit
225x1
275x1
315x1
365x1
405x1
455x1
495x1
545x1
585x1

16” Rack Pulls (straps/suit)
185x1
275x1
365x1
455x1
545x1
635x1
725x0,0
675x1

Barbell Shrugs
365x18
Added Straps
455x22

Stretching

Comments: Cold like symptoms aren’t letting up. Getting maybe six hours of sleep a night. Lots of work stress and just trying my best to manage. Body felt a little beat from the log and pulldowns. Warmed up on the AMT. Up to 152bpm. Machine felt like it wasn’t moving as efficiently as it should but not enough to make me change machines. Calf raise work after that. They are still pretty tight. Box touches with a wide stance after that. Nice and easy. Feeling good. Then regular body weight box squats. Also good, some knee aches. Then regular stance box touches. Still have some getting used to on them to have them be as good as the wide stance variation. Band rows and push ups were good. Still light pressure in the hands and fingers. Hip airplanes were needed again. Little tougher on the right side as far as balance. Then on to the workout. Pretty much the same workout as three weeks ago. Starting off with deadlift to a single. Plan being a conservative max single. But throwing in the deadlift suit. I’ve used it before but only for elevated pulls and really not much practice. Like I’ve used it fives before tonight and two of those times were in contest. I’d rather not use one but it is allowed at the contest and I need any edge I can to make up on points for the event. Even if it only ends up being 20lbs more. I was advised to start using it at two plates a side. Same idea as last time deadlifts were on the menu with plate-quarter-plate jumps. Suit is tricky to figure out with the adjustable Velcro straps. I think my first mistake was assuming that I could get fully set without doing the goofy hanging from a bar thing to get it all the way up the leg and hips. Really trial and error. Too tight and I would be barely touching the bar with my finger tips and too loose and the straps would fall off my shoulders at lockout. I’m able to keep a better back position without the suit. I proceeded to make the straps tighter each set. No issues with my grip other than it was an effort to get my hands on the bar and be able to lift. I honestly lost track of which hand was over and under each set. 315lbs the bar cut open my shin and I just pulled my socks up over it. 405lbs felt like death at the bottom. It was no fun. Frustrating how it was feeling. The bar was moving fast. Doesn’t make it lighter or easier, I’m just able to do it. Overloading I guess. Then add a belt to the mix and it becomes something else. Suit too tight it makes the midsection stick out more and harder to get the belt on. I got the bright idea to use the smith machine to hang the straps on to get more into the suit. This in turn made the straps looser and I felt better able to get my normal deadlift position. I then proceeded to make the straps a little tighter after that. Goal for the day had been 550lbs and if that felt easy, go for 585lbs. I didn’t feel easy but it moved very well so I went for 585lbs. The bar hesitated for a moment and I thought oh crap but then it broke the floor and glided to knee level before it felt tough again and locked it out. I’m definitely getting something out of the suit but it remains to be seen if it is worth it to keep trying for the contest with how hard it is to get into position (and my back isn’t in the best position) and if just going raw with straps (I plan to use straps with the suit too, just haven’t gotten heavy enough yet and I want to keep building) makes the most sense. I don’t think 635lbs to 655lbs is out of the question if I keep at it at the show. Then on to rack pulls. Already had the suit on so advised to keep going. Singles with 90lbs jumps up to a 1rm. No holding back this time. I’m much better at using the suit for elevated pulls. Able to keep better back position and really get it tight. Lots of pressure but I knew what to expect. 635lbs hesitated and felt heavy. I watched the video and it looked like it flew up so I thought I could do another 90lbs. But I was wrong. Couldn’t budge it off the pins and I gave it two good tries in the span of about a minute or two. I didn’t want to end it there as 635lbs was too easy so I went for 675lbs. That was hard but I got it. I had to wait a bit to find someplace to take off the darn suit as I didn’t want/need it for shrugs. I had gone too light on these last time. But I was playing it safe. So I went up 90lbs on the first set. Still not 100% with the right hand as my grip in the pinky and ring fingers weren’t up to snuff. Ended up getting just 18 reps. May need to wear the wrist wrap next time just to be on the safe side. Added another 90lbs and put on the straps. Did 22 reps here before my tarps got too tired to do the movement right. The suit stuff made essentially the same workout much longer. But it was still good work and I got some more suit experience. Home to stretch, eat recovery burritos and maybe fall asleep.