August 18, 2020 – Week 1, Day 1

5 Minute Walk (.25 miles)
 
Mobility Prep
 
Axle Clean and Push Presses
45x1
65x1
85x1
105x1
125x1
145x1
165x1
185x1
 
Axle Push Presses
185x2
185x2
185x2
185x2
185x2
 
Seated Pulldowns
45x10
90x10
90x10
90x10
 
Incline Dumbbell Bench Presses
10’sx10
40’sx10
70’sx12
70’sx12
 
Stretching
 
Comments: I wasn’t liking who I was the past few weeks. Still not a fan but I at least made myself try to do stuff. Trying to get back on track. Still got issues. Made myself shave as it was getting ridiculous. So new plan of approach. Focusing on just USS Nats 2021. I got time. So light stuff and low volume to get back to what I need to be doing. Probably a month of this is going to be needed. Knees ached, body feeling sore and stiff. Warming up with the usual walk and mobility stuff felt good. So since log has been what I’ve been doing for weeks now, changing up with axle. First part of workout was singles with clean and press. 20lbs jumps. Work up to 60%. I figured since I was starting so light, I could work on technique. I wore the grip shirt as I was hoping that it then wouldn’t matter what kind of shirt I wore over it. Trying out doing the axle clean from the hang. I’ve pretty much done a slow down with the log where I stand up fully and then lap it. Same principle. Not sure how this will work at heavier stuff but seems ok. With this, hopefully less stress to the biceps and the starting height won’t matter so much with drive for the clean. Felt good until 185lbs when the axle was sliding down my shirt. I guess my choice of shirt will still matter with cleans and having chalk won’t hurt. This resulted in having to fidget a bit more. Right shoulder and biceps is tight. I really noticed that on the next exercise. Put the axle in the rack and then do 5 doubles with the weight I just finished at. Easy enough. This is stupid light. But it didn’t feel stupid light. Felt like 100lbs heavier that first set. Video says I was moving fast but I felt like I was struggling. I really hate how quick not doing stuff from the rack makes that feeling of heaviness come back when it has been only a month away from it. I know it will feel better next time. Knees were sore and achy. Felt like I was doing more hip then legs. Not that that is a problem. Just need to get things working together. Right arm and shoulder are definitely tighter. I guess I should’ve noticed with how my arms rack a log differently. I just had assumed it was due to the torn biceps muscle stuff. But even before then, that side has been tighter since like 2015 and I constantly have to “pop” shoulder and elbow due to tension. New exercise after the axle stuff. Trying out pulldowns with what I have. I’m too damn tall and the rack is short. Even when I’m sitting on the floor, still too tall for a proper pulldown. Idea for the day was to do 3 sets of 10 with a light weight. Not going to be a problem. So with how things were setup, I had to lean forward to try and have it pull like a pulldown to hit the lats that way as opposed to a row. Seemed to work as it was light, I could control it and I could feel the lat inserts under the arm pits. I think that I may just have to do stuff to control tempo and use lighter weights for the back stuff and do event stuff for the heavier things. Last item of the day was dumbbell incline bench. Been a few months. I didn’t think the plan of my heaviest pair of dumbbells for reps was going too bad considering the reppage I’ve been getting in with the 40lbs on triceps stuff. I forgot until I was to the heavier set that I used crash pads for these haha. Shoulders were tight. Pecs were tight. Felt better as I did them. Easy stuff other than the axle at 185lbs feeling ridiculously heavy. Stretched and iced my knees and arms while eating a hearty dinner.