May 15, 2018 – Week 2, Day 1

5 Minutes Expresso Interactive Upright Exercise Bike

Leaning Calf Raises
BWx30

16” Box Squats
BWx25

Shoestring Romanian Deadlifts
45x20

Band Rows
MMBx20

Push-ups
BWx15

Bodyweight Plank
20 Seconds

Biceps Stretches
20 Seconds
20 Seconds

Front to Back Hip Swings
BWx10/10

Side to Side Hip Swings
BWx10/10

12” Log Clean and Push Presses
90x1
110x1
130x1
150x1
170x1
190x1
210x1
230x1
250x1
270x1
290x1

Neutral Grip Pulldowns
110x10
130x10
150x10
170x10
190x10

Dead Floor Presses
45x10
95x5
145x3
195x2
245x1
295x8
3 Second Pause On Pins
245x8

Wide Grip Hang
bwx58.29 seconds PR+8.08 seconds

Stretching

Comments: This weather is torturous. The humidity with the heat is what is getting to me. Not including work related stress. Doing my best to “let off steam”. But sleep is suffering. Maybe 6hrs a night. Joints are achy. It got up to 90 and then a tornado warning and high winds knocked out the power at my job. No issues at the gym. Other than it being super muggy in the weight area. The temperature is ok but no air is circulating and it feels like a the air is “thick”. The fancy bike was open so I used that one again. Heart rate got up to 149bpm this time. Then downstairs in the muggy gym for the rest of the workout. On to the warm-ups. Calf raise stuff was ok. Calves were tight. Box squats still ok then followed by the RDLs. Not having the immediate soreness anymore so I think I’m getting better at adapting to it. My knees were achy on both though. But I had done a lot of prowler work on turf. Band rows were easy and pushups felt ok too. Easy plank set and then biceps stretching. The benches were in use so I had to do a different setup to stretch. Went out into the hallway for the hip swings. More air circulation and less crowded in the stairwell area. I think I’m getting better at these. On to the meat and potatoes. Log clean and push press up to a top single, with it being like the other pressing stuff with a conservative single or contest weight (315lbs) whichever came first. Seeing as how I’d missed 300lbs twice in a row (last heavy training and contest) contest weight wasn’t even a thought today. Empty log going up by 20lbs I really wanted to get 290lbs as the top single for the day. It was just so humid. I ended up using my spare shirt as a towel to wipe my face and arms. Knees were really achy on the first set with the empty log. But that is usually the case. It wasn’t feeling too bad as I was pulling the log into my body on the clean so even with the sweat it was still going up fine. A little lightheaded as I got up in weight. Breathing is key. So many things to be focusing on with log and the log making it hard to breath makes it tougher than axle or dumbbell to get things settled. Left forearm and shoulder was starting to feel beat as I got up to 230lbs. I started adding stuff on bit by bit. 270lbs the pick up to the lap was tougher than expected. My grip was slipping due to sweat. Probably would’ve been a rep to stop at but I don’t like thinking I have so much ground to catch up on with the overhead despite working on it so much. Chalked up my hands and my shirt for 290lbs. Shirt was soaked so chalk was sticking in clumps despite my best efforts. I would look really stupid if I missed this lift. Clean was ok, felt alright on my chest. Log actually went up and back this time. That might be a first. Little shaky at lockout. Close to a max. Easier than 295lbs was on axle last week so I guess that is something. Pulldowns next. These were a staple last cycle. This time it was with a neutral grip that was shoulder width. Same plan as rows from last week but obviously smaller jumps. I had to wait a little before I could use the one pulldown machine. Took a set or two get used to pulling with this attachment compared to a straight bar. Usually the neutral grip stuff is narrower. Might have underestimated myself on these. Grip and forearms were sore after these. Then floor pressing. Well not exactly. I had to wait about 30 minutes to use the power rack. Someone else was over there and I had left my chalk container and they accidentally dropped a bumper plate on it and launched chalk everywhere. On the floor, on the chair, on the walls. Took him, myself and another gym goer a bit to clean up that mess. I had more chalk haha. So floor pressing. Dead stop style. The new power rack has it maybe 2” higher than the old one does so it is a bit tougher to get the weight started and feel how best to break it off the pins. I figured that I wouldn’t be so tired this time from not digging a garden that the same weight I did for bench would work this time here. Definitely a close one that. Much closer to failure than this same weight for bench was. Underestimating how tough this variation is and overestimating how much I’ve improved in a week. The pause set was good. A little hard to pause this on the chest with the pins so I let it deload and let most of the stretch reflex dissipate before doing the next rep. This got tiring quick but felt good. Wide grip hang again to end the session. A callus on my hand from gardening had come off and my forearms were feeling toasty from the pulldowns. But “Footloose” came on the radio so I had to put in my best effort haha. Grip felt good. But I was counting faster than last time I guess. I knew I had beaten my time from last week but I assumed that it was well over a minute. Turns out it was just shy of a minute. So not yet to be able to move up in weight. But I do like how these feel. Got home to the new Power Keg that I’ll be taking to the gym this weekend. No more taping stuff to the heavy keg to get a heavier keg. Stretching, meatloaf and massage before going to bed.