Wednesday, May 4, 2022

May 3, 2022 – Week 8, Day 2

Mobility Prep

Paused 1+1/2 Deadlifts (3 seconds, 3” below knees, straps)
155x2
205x2
245x2
295x2
345x2
395x3
395x3
395x3
395x3
395x3

Titan Fitness Frame Deadlifts (16” pick, straps)
295x2
385x2
475x1
565x1
635x3
635x3
635x3
575x6

Offset Dumbbell Bulgarian Split Squats (3-1-3-X tempo, barefoot)
10x12/12
10x12/12
10x12/12

Copenhagen Planks
bwx30/30 seconds
bwx30/30 seconds
bwx30/30 seconds

Seated Band Hamstring Curls (band each leg, 5 second hold every 5 reps)
ab’sx25
ab’sx25
ab’sx25

Stretching
  
Comments: I think I finally realized I was stressed out waking up this day. I had slept but I woke up and I didn’t want to get out of bed to go to work. I wanted to sleep more. Got the usual soreness from hard work but also the right knee acting up on me. More so than usual after the misstep on yoke on Saturday. Paranoid that it will give out on me and I’ll be out for who knows how long. Yesterday had been upper body with only stress coming from putting weight on my knees from doing strict press. This would be all direct stuff with lower body. I was not feeling it today. Mobility stuff felt fine at least. No squats this workout. Perhaps reducing squat volume as peak for show. So right into the deadlifting. The 1.5 deadlifts were the thing today. Same as it was two weeks ago accept 10lbs heavier and another set so 67.5% for 5x3. Warming up I realized that I was going to have to put the fans on or I wasn’t making it through this workout. Trying to not think about the right knee on these. I did remember from last time to treat each 1.5 rep with pause as a separate rep and rebrace after each to keep from having the last rep be a struggle. These felt hard but video says I’m being a baby about it as far as bar speed. I was feeling these as my lower back was stiff. I had about 2 minutes rest at the start but as fatigue built and I was sweating and breathing heavier, it was about 3 minutes for the last set (though that was actually more to do with bracing so hard getting ready that I popped my hard belt loose and had to reset). I was feeling like not doing any of these reps after that first set and I’m kind of surprised that I was able to do these with how I was feeling. Probably not helping matters that I feel like I should be stronger than I aim or what I’m displaying. Always comes back to an over fixation on overhead and deadlift. I shouldn’t be struggling with under 70% of my supposed max (even if a variation). I know that things like tempo and pauses mask what I can do. But stress and other things make lose sight of things. I’m just not happy or content with the best I have at the moment but that is a me problem. From there it was on to frame deadlifts. I really wish I hadn’t made it look so easy last week as this was the heavy week and I was in no mood for this. Plan here was to do 30lbs more than my top set of 5 two weeks prior and do it for 3x3 and then take off 60lbs for a set of 6 reps. I was really hoping my right knee would hold up on these. At least I could slide the sleeves on for this. Knee was definitely feeling tender, more so on controlling the negative. With how I was feeling, I wasn’t going to be too surprised if the weight would feel stapled to the floor. I was muttering to myself that I’d just call it for the day if I missed a rep or a lift. A compromise to keep me going knowing I could have an out. But I didn’t need it. These felt tough but I felt that I could do 5 reps on each set and probably more as I tend to be able to grind out these kinds of lifts if I can get it started. I did fake myself out on the last one as I kept changing the position of the camera and I wasn’t 100% sure I had it recording so I had to check. Last set felt like the first rep was the hardest of the reps across all sets but the last rep was the easiest. Just telling myself that this setup I have will be harder than the show, similar to how I don’t use a deadlift bar or suit straps all the way down. Let me train hard but not overdo it. The rep set was to be easy and it was but it also sucked. My right strap the Velcro came undone so I was strapped in my left hand and was pretty much holding leather and the handle with my other hand. Dropping would be a bad idea as I wasn’t sure how much of the Velcro had let go on that side. So thankfully I have a good grip and held it together. So some of these reps were a little hesitant with securing my grip and I thought I heard a plate jump off on one of the drops so that also made me hesitate. Oh well, I got the work done and now it was the lighter fare as far as exercises after that. Bulgarian split squats with the tempo and the breathing and barefoot and embracing my chakras (kidding). But same fun as last week. 3 sets of 8-12 reps with 3-4RIR. I was told to keep the weight the same as last week and focus on that. Fine by me. I wasn’t sure how my knees would feel on these today. I really wanted to not be needing the firm knee sleeves if I could muster it. And I was able to. I was surprised that my upper quads were tight. I thought I was done with the DOMS and that the teardrop squats would’ve stretched that out good. Guess not. I was definitely feeling these hard today. I wasn’t really able to drink much fluids with all the bracing focus on the deadlifts and with it being warmer, I was feeling a bit burpy too.  I ended up just having straight water with no BCAAs to cool my mouth. Not sure what happened after the second set but I had to take a much longer breather to get back into the frame of mind for these. Breathing hard and feeling my heart beat in my head kind of feeling. So about a minute extra rest was what was needed and then back on track. Copenhagen planks followed that. 3 sets of 30 seconds each side. I remember to film this time. Had to take a little more rest between sides due to the burps and just staying cool. I noticed at this point that my upper body was feeling worn from the heavy frame pulls in the shoulder girdle and neck. Just from supporting my body up for these planks. Finished up with seated band leg curls. Same plan as last week but I decided to adjust things. The RPE had been higher than I would’ve liked for what I was to do and with just one band for both legs, the ROM gets a bit limited and resistance hits hard at contraction. I elected to do a band each leg so that I might have a bit better flow or quality of movement, have the legs work in concert but separate and hopefully get a better contraction. That does seem to be the case as these felt better and felt like I was getting really explosive reps and good, solid holds. Put stuff away as I cooked up dinner. Stretched and iced my right knee twice before bed.


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