May 24, 2018 – Week 3, Day 2

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

Deadlifts (suit/straps)
Straps Down
135x5
225x3
315x2
Straps Up
405x1
495x1
495x1
495x1

Stretching

Comments: Still feeling down on myself. Just not as bad. I had done chores at home rather than go for a walk after work. This too shall pass. Body is feeling pretty beat. Shoulders tight, triceps twitching, lower back and hamstrings getting tight. I look at the stuff I’m doing as far as the workouts and I don’t feel like this should be wearing me down so much. The fancy bike was available this time again. Rather than keep it at the training section where I just pedal with nothing, I picked a course. The course was better as the program had “other riders” and had fun overtaking them and deliberately riding the bike towards them. I know, childish but it made it interesting. Calves were tight but felt ok. Less wrist pressure this time. Regular box squats after that. Some knee ache but pretty much the best these have felt on this day during the week. Usually the roughest day. Right into the RDLs with a barbell. Knees were much more achy on these. More so than squats. Band rows were great. Push-ups were also good and transitioned right into the plank hold from there. Then the biceps stretches. Hip swings to get things moving. There is a discrepancy between the sides but it’s hard to say what. Workout was heavily modified from what was planned. Body is beat, not enough of a return after the brutally heavy contest in April. Body is rebelling. After rage quitting the last workout (quite rage but still rage) this week and next week’s workouts got changed to adjust the peak of the waves I’m riding. So today was stripped down to just one exercise; deadlift. I was to do deadlift today but parameters were changed. Suit, straps and belt on every set. So I had to do a little shimmying to get in the darn thing. Straps down to start. It’s been straps up this whole time. I’ve done strap down work before when I first got the suit. But it is awkward to have on the belt with just 135lbs on the bar. Plate jumps was the plan up to 495lbs After that was where I’d reach a crossroads. I was a little concerned about my hamstrings as they have felt tight and sore on and off. 135lbs felt easy. 225lbs was a little bit more heft to it. 315lbs definitely some heft to it. Straps up with 405lbs. It is really unpleasant getting to the bar and setting up with the deadlift suit fully on. With 405lbs, I pretty much had my answer where I was going but still had to see how 495lbs felt first. Maybe I’d get better as it got serious. 495lbs felt substantial. Now it was nowhere near a max. Suit doesn’t make stuff feel any lighter, just makes it move faster. My options had been to either stay at this weight for some singles or go up a jump or two if I felt strong. I had asked for clarification on how strong as I can be stubborn and I could probably get the next jump even on a bad day. Determination was more Jim Croce singing about Big Jim then feeling up like my usual tired after work day strong. So option 1 it was. Singles to keep working the suit with 495lbs. Goal was 2-4 additional singles. Again, caution to not overdo it. Just enough to get by. Each set I got the straps a little tighter as I was trying to see it that helped. Hard to say. Don’t know if I was putting myself in a harder start position or if I was just getting tired. Last one the suit was painful on my legs at the bottom of the lift. After that one I called it there. Hit the minimum and go home to stretch. Got burritos and then home for the night.