October 15, 2020 – Week 9, Day 2

5 Minute Walk (.25 miles)

Mobility Prep

Goblet Squats to Box (15”)
40x15
40x15

3” Platform Deadlifts w/ bands
No Bands
45x10
135x5
Added Bands (+32lbs bottom/+162lbs top)

65x1
115x1
155x1
205x1
245x1
295x1
Added Straps

340x1
340x1
340x1
340x1
340x1

Ab Wheel
bwx22

Paused Side Plank Raises
bwx25/25

Stretching

Comments: Still seem to be not hating myself when it comes to training at least. Emotions running high and have to let them out. Trying to distract with television/movies and burying myself into my work. I feel like I’m on the moon most of the time. Lower back still tight and stiff. Knees and aches aching. Hip aches on the left side but I know that is more from the disc compression. Comes and goes. I can still do everything. But it is annoying. Like a constant reminder I’m fragile. Physically and mentally. Little late start. Some of it motivation wise and other bit just behind on eating my meals during the day and wanting to not throw up during training. My abdominals were feeling a little crampy getting ready. Warm up stuff felt mostly good. Lower back was stiff during most of my workout. Goblet squats at least got some blood flow into the back. Knees were a little achy. Hamstrings have been tight. Especially the left one. My right forearm felt like it was going to cramp up on me too. Bodies are weird. I had gotten the deadlift area setup so this didn’t take long to move on to deadlifts. Knees achy here too and lower back really stiff. Oof. So start of another round of the band and platform cycle for deadlifts. Advised to go with 5-10lbs for the progressions this run through. Fatigue is building. Moving events are going up 20lbs each time and volume is increasing on assistance lifts. Just hoping that training is good and doesn’t injury me. Weight without the bands felt heavy and my back was so stiff and pumped. Since I know have the 10lbs bumper plates, I can start lighter with the high band tension as far as weight. Previously, it would be up to 225lbs without weight before adding the bands, otherwise it would be a big jump from no bands to bands. That light of weight against that band tension felt weird. Been a while since I’ve had the chance to warm-up with nearly and empty bar against bands. A long while. Since the 10lbs don’t really fit that great on the barbell, I kept them out a bit and then just added weight. Seemed to work fine. Back and hips seemed ok with the pulls today. Almost like these were making me correct the posture. My last pull without straps was tougher than I thought it would be. I had to put it down right away due to grip going. I realize now that it was 20lbs jump over what I’ve done previously warming up with this tension and the past times I had a hard belt on. So I went with 10lbs jumps for today. My thinking is that this is the lightest feeling of the pulls so I should be good with a 10lbs jump. Probably do 5lbs for the other weeks. Have to see. Almost regretted adding 10lbs to last time weight with that first pull. It was a kind of shift to one side after for the left. I had that issue with last week on two of my lifts. My thinking was my stance was too narrow to allow my hips and knees to track right. I was a little gun shy with initiating the pull the next set but it went how it should as far as a straight pull. No funny business. I’ve been trying to make it a point to do these working set singles with music that I’ve attached meaning to. To keep me focused on what I’m trying to do. Last three pulls felt good. I took my time as I usually do after the deadlifting. I don’t like drinking stuff while pulling because of my stomach. This was a longer break for 2 reasons. 1 was I wanted to keep the lower back brace on longer to keep my back warm and keep it happy and 2, get my dinner ready. I had waited too long for setting up a roast for the evening.  Wasn’t sure how the abdominal work was going to go with how wrecked they felt just putting on my deadlift socks. Aim was just another rep on the ab wheel. Got that easy enough. Paused reps on the side plank raises doesn’t get much easier. Especially with that many reps. It’s like I’m doing a minute side plank while moving with how the supporting arm and shoulders feel. Big dinner right after training and then stretched. I’ll need to make sure I do icing and soft tissue work tomorrow.