November 28, 2022 – Week 6, Day 1

Circus Dumbbell Clean and Presses (2 stage 3 second pauses)
26x3/3
58x3/3
58x3/3
58x3/3
58x3/3
58x3/3

Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Presses (back support)
40’sx5
70’sx10
70’sx10
70’sx10

Band Assisted Pull Ups (2-2-2-0 tempo, pin 15)
sbx10
sbx9
sbx8

Dumbbell Pullovers (3-3-1-0 tempo)
26x3
40x3
56x8

One Arm Overhead Band Triceps Extensions (0-3-0-3 tempo)
lbx12/12
lbx12/12
lbx12/12

Front Foot Elevated Split Squats (4”, 1-3-0-0 tempo)
25’sx3/3
56’sx10/10
56’sx10/10

Paused Side Bends (3 seconds, staggered stance)
25x3/3
50x15/15
50x15/15

Stretching
 
Comments: Starting to pepper in things more event specific at this point. Probably another 2 weeks of this off season training likely. More exercises and changes. Workout balance it didn’t make sense to do a split to the session like before. Also since not doing stuff in the street after work. I was getting decent sleep and food over the holiday break. But work usually sucks hard after any time off as work backs up and other people decide to take off longer than the paid holidays around just about any time there is a scheduled day off. So work had me working. And then upon waking up my right side QL area decided to be inflamed all day for what would appear to be no reason. Not anything I can really put a finger on. So that wasn’t comfortable but I’ve worked through that before. I didn’t want to be taking any anti-inflammatories or Icy Hot at this time. Did some stretching and soft tissue work but that was minimal improvement. So starting things off was circus dumbbell. Been over a year since last did these. I had high hopes last time these were in training for a show but then I decided to sprain my wrist and fracture my elbow a week into training. So hopefully no injuries and progress better and have this be more like how all pressing besides axle went this year. Starting up because event for PA Dutch (140lbs or 180lbs for reps, heavier worth more points) but funny enough this is one of the events for the Arnold (for max) so it does seem like I’ll be hitting most of the stuff for the Arnold prep with the two shows I’m actually signed up for. The setup for the day was to do light pause work with the circus dumbbell. As in 35-40% of what I felt my 1rm would be. I’m not too good with figuring that out by feel. So I decided to take my best push press as opposed to jerk with dumbbell since 2016 reboot (162lbs) and use that to gauge things. These were to be push presses with pauses for 2-3ct in the rack position and again at bottom of dip for leg drive. Since using light weight, this meant using the plateloaded handles since my circus bell is 130lbs empty. Previously, I’ve used my longer and heavier handle since it was similar in length to the actual implement. However, I’m trying out the shorter handle because it would be closer to the actual spacing for my hands and potentially get better distribution of actual feel on the shoulders. Warm up felt fine with smaller plates. The 25’s weren’t comfortable at the start. Shoulders were achy on the right side and elbow was achy on the left side that first set. Got a lot of rust and dust to shake off. As I went, it was clear that left side is a lot more comfortable for me. But need to work both sides. Some reps felt like I didn’t have power in the shoulders and others where everything was perfect and some where it was just ok all around. Quads were getting sore from doing the short explosive movements to launch overhead as well as pausing. Into the garage then to do the next thing. More shoulders. Back supported dumbbell pressing. 3x8-10 with 3-4RIR and advised to do them with control so as not to be relying on rebound. I felt that 70’s would work here. Not worry about plateloaded stuff first week. Use solid dumbbells and hopefully not need any wrist support to shoulder or press. These moved easy enough but my right shoulder was quite achy on these. Same feeling I’ve had on the one arm kneeling presses on that side. As I was going, probably go heavier. But also could’ve done more control on the reps. I think I wanted to make sure I got things done as been a bit since I’ve done these. I figured I’d be good since I’ve done 70’sx12 in the past and done them for 15 without back support during one of the past training preps. Back outside again. Change in the pull-up exercise but by no means easier. Band assisted pull-ups but to do them controlled. So not like I did last week. Suggested was 2-2-2-0 tempo which I knew would be terrible regardless of how much assistance I had. Plan here was 3x8-10 with 4RIR. Needed most band tension I could muster here. These were challenging at this pace. But these were necessary as far as getting full ROM and hitting parts missed with how I’d normally do pull-ups. Back into the garage for pullovers with tempo. Same tempo as last week with idea to be a top set of 8-12 with 2-3RIR, warming up in sets of 3. I was expecting to push these a bit more than I did on that top set but these don’t really feel like they are hitting the lats. Mostly just my triceps trying their best to stabilize. I stopped as I felt like my right triceps was going to cramp up hard if I kept going.  Seems lighter stuff is way to go if trying to get lat control (like band stuff last two cycles) or just mobility to open rib cage and shoulders. Pullover machine used to be a good one too but no place really has those. I got through these and it was back outside for the triceps. Same as last week. I figured I could get 3x12 this time around. Triceps felt sore from the pullovers at the start. There was a fox stalking my backyard and only noticed me when I stopped my set as the band relaxing caused the rack arm to creak loudly. Haven’t seen one around before. As has usually been the case with these band triceps, the left side seems to handle it better. Tempo FFE split squats were up next. Same tempo as last week with suggested another week of them. I had debated going to ssb but seeing as how squats and other things with it are coming back into the mix and grip work is always good in off season, stick to dumbbells. Easier to bail on and easier to setup. Only 2x10 this week here. Plan was to do 56lbs on these assuming stuff felt good after mobility stuff and warming up. If for some reason it felt really easy, then I may try 70lbs. Well not tonight. This was the first time these have truly felt challenging. For the left side, this felt heavy and needed to be careful with lowering to keep knee stable (this is the side that has instability issues still) and then had to make sure not overstretch right side and make sure the soreness I was feeling around the knee was from the circus dumbbell leg drive and not other stuff. I was kind of glad it was just two sets this time. Last thing was more oblique work. This was a bit different. No walking but not lying down stuff either. Side bends with control and holds but staggered stance. As if I were in midstride doing yoke. Plan was 2x10-15 with plenty of RIR and 3ct holds. But note was to use the least amount of resistance that I could feel my obliques working. So a bit of different parameters. To change things up, I used my plateloaded kettlebell handle for these so it was a bit different feel. Hopefully I did these right. These didn’t exacerbate my QL stiffness at least. Put stuff away and ate dinner before stretching out. I usually ice knees but didn’t because I tend to let muscle soreness do its thing and only for tendon aches do I ice things.

November 26, 2022 – Week 5, Day 4

Hip Airplanes (0-10-0-10 tempo)
bwx5/5
bwx5/5
bwx5/5

Safety Squat Bar Squats (beltless)
65x10
115x6
155x3
205x10
225x10
245x10

One Leg 15” Block Pulls (3-1-1-0 tempo)
75x3/3
105x3/3
135x3/3
165x8/8
165x8/8
165x8/8

Seated Safety Squat Bar Upper Back Goodmornings (5 seconds holds)
245x60 seconds
245x60 seconds

Backward Sled Drags (uphill)
505x100’
505x100’

Stretching
 
Comments: Thanksgiving has passed. For the past 9yrs, it kind of has been a period of time where I feel more depressed. Perhaps because less sunlight but I don’t think that is the case for me. There is a lot of pressure and social expectations that come with this time of year which I’d say goes from November to end of December. This was the first holiday season without any grandparents. Last year had been the first year that I hadn’t felt “loss” on the anniversary of Mike’s death and this year was similar to that. Probably helps that no traveling required so I get to rest from social excursions and eat good food with people I’m comfortable with. Feeling somewhat restless in the next upcoming contest. Again, maybe the Arnold. Entry for that won’t be posted for another week or so at the earliest and I’m only going if I get called up to it before the end of December. Going to wait a little longer to attempt to bug the promoter for PA Dutch again (would be the third time since October 31st) as need answers to some things for proper training approach and to find out if they are offering a certain division to see if my sister is able to compete. Also worried no one else has signed up and if not at least 3 people then there is no point in doing the show as it would only qualify for Regionals for 2023 which I already am and already signed up for. Need to continue to be patient as I can. Training for the day was a bit different from last week. Changes are coming with the gradual transition to competition season and Day 4 seems to be the most variable. Started things out setting up Christmas stuff inside. Provides some extra interior lighting. First thing was hip airplanes. This was the same as last week with it being 3x5. Similar to last week in that the lower leg stability issues weren’t so taxing that completely overshadowed the hip mobility component. Not trying to do these free standing with how much TUT there is on these as sets are taking over 2 minutes to do. There were some balance issues with the right leg anchoring on the second set (first and last rep that set). Walking at the creek is certainly a different feeling vs walking on the blacktop. Trying to keep watch on how things recover as I know from previous times where stuff was overstressed that it took a good bit of time for things to recover and feel better (over worked or over stretched). Order of exercise change had squats pop up next rather than the one legged pulls. Plan here was just to see how normal squats would feel being added back in and not to be super taxing. It has been 6 weeks since I’ve done a squat with the bar on my back in any way. Idea here was minimal support gear (so beltless) and do 3x8-10 with 3-5RIR. Further flavor text was that first set should be really easy and that by the third set it should start to feel like work. It was a little tricky to figure out what I was going to end up doing. I’ve not really pushed the beltless squatting and there is a noticeable difference between this ssb I have and the one at the strongman gym. Like this one is 10% harder. So doing some rough estimates came that 250ish would be about the range. So 2 plates on the bar really. So intent was warming up to that for the 3x8-10 depending on feel. But man are squats fatiguing. Not quite used to weight on the back just yet. I ended up reconsidering the plan with how things were feeling and electing to drop the weight to 205lbs and then increase 20lbs each set. Still some stiffness in the lower back on the left side from last week with the sandbag roll ups so my glute on that side was tense and I needed to make sure that was fine before continuing. Unrack of that first “work” set took me aback and I felt that maybe I needed to just use this weight for all the sets. But I know that sometimes the first set isn’t always the best set on things. So I stuck to that second plan of increasing 20lbs a set. This does seem to have been the fight approach as this was feeling better and still in the right effort range. 20lbs more to get the intended set weight and that went well enough too. Normally I put stuff away and move onto the next exercise but this setup was kind of needed for another exercise so I left it setup and got things ready for the next exercise, which was those single leg block pulls. This week had set weight planned here for 3x8. 10lbs more than last week’s top weight and same tempo. These were a good bit tougher after doing the squats first. Fatigue in the legs and possibly different spot in the garage floor might have had something to do with that. Only rep that I felt wasn’t up to par to standards was the last rep of the last set for the left side. It would appear another week of these and then I guess going from the floor. The next exercise I wasn’t expecting to see back, seated gms for the upper back. Timed sets and doing holds at extension. Suggested was 3-5ct. I’ve done 3ct before so went with the 5ct. So I could go lighter as again, not used to weight on my back just yet. I’ve gone decently heavy on these (360lbs) for twice the time as harder sets. 2 plates on the bar seemed about right here. I can definitely go heavier next time on these. Out into the street for the last thing; sled work. Plan here was 2 sets of 100’ at RPE 8. Little hard to gauge what would work here as I’ve been doing most of the sled work downhill to go with the uphill portion of the push for the past few weeks. And most sled work training has been at the strongman gym with turf or terrain that is equally uneven both ways. And since I know there is a marked gradient (like I can do double the distance with same weight downhill vs uphill with same time limit) that I’d need to reset the entire course between runs and try to be as efficient as I can with that. So warming up I did some backwards walking with the handtruck and empty sled. I’ve gone over 100’ with 555lbs uphill before but that was max effort for 75 seconds a few years ago. So I decided to take 50lbs off that and that should hopefully be the right effort needed. First set felt decent and second set felt better still. However, it took about 5 and half minutes to reset course, which was fine. I probably could’ve gone 20lbs heavier on these and still been in the right range. Maybe even 50lbs. Hard to tell with how long the set takes. Put stuff away and then did what should hopefully be the final leaf removal of the year. It made sense to do now as the tarp method would essentially require doing a drag to move the piles to the curb. I had intended to do it tomorrow but weather forecast would have it raining all day and that would’ve been no good. Stretched out before having family dinner. Iced my knees and left elbow before bed.

November 25, 2022 – Week 5, Day 3

Swiss Bar Incline Bench Presses (3-1-X-0 tempo)
45x5
75x5
105x3
135x3
165x6
170x6
175x6
180x6

One Arm Standing/Braced Dumbbell Rows (3-3-X-0 tempo)
56x3/3
83x3/3
110x8/8
110x8/8
110x8/8

Push Ups on Kettlebells
bw+20x22
bw+20x16

Paused Band Face Pulls (2 seconds)
abx20
abx20
abx20

Dumbbell Zottman Curls
10’sx5
30’sx10
32’sx10
34.5’sx10

Stretching
 
Comments: Thanksgiving come and gone. Past few years there has been no traveling involved for it. In the past, it has been generally going to Virginia for gathering but with changes in the world and just the family in general, it has become a bit fractured into what is convenient for everyone. This year was kind of muted affair in that maybe half of who was here last year. Some couldn’t make it due to circumstances, some had plans for shared time and others no longer with us. But about the same in that family visits and I eat dinner earlier than I usually would and feel sleepy afterwards. Which gets the sleep cycle off. I’d be screwed if I had to work the day after as I took a sort of nap and then got a second wind at like 10PM so it was closer to like 1AM that I was able to doze off finally. But rested for training. Workout plan to be similar to last week in exercises and execution. Which has very much been a common refrain this training cycle. Really I think the only times that each week is about the same but “a little bit louder now” is during these off season periods. For whatever reason, this one has felt the most monotonous and I know that may not be factually correct if I go through trainings. Just maybe because nothing has stood out to me as needing special equipment or the strongman gym atmosphere. At this point, I’m sticking to no support gear besides straps and knee sleeves until my workouts no longer are designated as “pre hab”. Swiss bar incline bench with tempo worker again. As was the case for tempo based benching that one cycle, the plan here seems to be lowering the eccentric time to allow for weight increases. Plan here was to do 155-165x4x6 leaving 2-3RIR and then report back. I was hoping that I could do the top end here. I had every intention of listening to the weight suggested unlike the rdls on Wednesday. As I felt that I was closer to this being the case. So plan was 30lbs jumps working up in triples. But decided to do 2x5 and then 2x3 as far as working up. I think I was worried about 135lbs being too much before the top set since that was working weight two weeks ago. But I felt if I skimped there, then I had no business doing 165lbs. Got excited for this first set as 135lbs didn’t feel as easy as I wanted it to (it didn’t feel right compared to the previous jumps). And I blew it away. Like, wasn’t even close. So I decided to increase by 5lbs a set. Or at least until it felt like I may not be in the RIR range. That second set had me doubting that a little. But then the third set it felt really easy the first four reps. Felt good on that last set. Going up 30lbs from the previous week. I’m liking this bar for incline work. There was some achiness in the shoulders but it went away as I did more and more. This wasn’t the discomfort I was having with the barbell or axle. Triceps felt strong today. As was the case last week, cleaned up that stuff and it was into the garage for the rest of the workout. One arm rows again. Slight adjustment to the tempo. Plan was 3x8 on these. I elected to swap out the handle I was using for these to the shorter one just because it would be closer to what I wanted to use with both sets of my heavy 25’s on it as opposed to the longer handle. I felt that dropping two reps on these would allow me to make this jump planned to be in the right range finally. Got amped up for these as well. Definitely feel that I got the weight right for these after those tough two weeks of 10’s on these. Heavy stuff done and on to the lighter stuff.  Push ups again. Same as last week but advised ok to push the RIR a little higher. And that this was the last week of these. I was originally planning to do just bodyweight on these again but felt that I could get into the middle range with 20lbs added this time around. These went well enough. Band face pulls followed that up. After last week, plan was to get 3x20 with the average band or at the bare minimum improve the total reps over the three sets. But if I got 20 reps the first two sets, I was going to do my best to get 20 reps for that last set. Band face pulls feel good when you get the motion to feel smooth and the tension is just right. Too much or not ready for it and it pulls you out of position and tends to become more arms. Assuming these again next week, may move up to strong band and see how I handle that tension. Last thing was biceps. Switching to a style of curl that I’ve not done I think since 2015; Zottman curls. Palms up concentric and rotate at top so reverse curl position for the eccentric. Plan was 3x10 with 3-4RIRs and controlled motion. I’ve not really done much direct biceps stuff with weights and it has been sporadic. I had a feeling I could do more than the incline curls but I had to test out the movement to see how everything felt first and make sure nothing hurt or felt odd. Success with that. I assumed 40lbs would be too much today based off how warming up felt and knowing how my biceps tend to fatigue hard. But 30lbs turned out to be a bit too easy. I had used smaller plates as I was worried that the bigger diameter stuff would feel odd with the rotation aspect so doing jumps to test 40lbs for the last set weren’t really there or in the best interest right away. But definitely there for next time. Put stuff away but didn’t stretch right away as my sisters and my nephews wanted to go walk along the creek so I got in some walking around for 30-40 minutes as well before getting home to stretch out.

November 23, 2022 – Week 5, Day 2

Romanian Deadlifts (beltless, straps, 3-1-1-0 tempo)
95x3
135x3
185x3
225x3
275x3
315x3
355x8
355x8
355x8

Paused Chest Supported Barbell Rows (2 seconds, straps)
45x3
95x3
147x3
189x8
189x8
189x8

Dumbbell Lateral Lunges
15’sx3/3
40’sx3/3
70’sx10/10
70’sx10/10
70’sx10/10

Single Leg Seated Band Hamstring Curls
sbx30/30
sbx30/30

Sled Drags (alternating backwards/straight leg forwards)
165x10 minutes

Stretching
 
Comments: Temperatures still fluctuating drastically. Pick a lane already. Work was stressful with holiday so it was nice when the work day was finally over. Starting things off with tempo rdls again. I’m still doing these without a belt as I feel that makes the most sense still at this time. So plan here was to actually do 3x8 with 325-335lbs at RPE 7. Considering how last week felt, I felt that this was too low a weight to be that effort really. So unless I felt like crap, I was going heavier. Left side lower back was still feeling stiff from Saturday. I started out with 95lbs instead of the empty bar and that maybe had things feeling heavy at the start but proceeded as normal. Took about two sets in for stuff to feel good and warm in both the lower back and upper back. Shorter rests warming up with the 40-50lbs jumps. However long really it took to change the weights and then going. I’d then rest enough to feel recovered for the working weight. Put on 20lbs over the goal weight and got to work. I was right in that I was still improving. First set felt a little heavy but was still in the right range. Second set actually felt easier. Third set was good but not as easy as the second set. But again, still in the right range. Kind of crazy 20lbs jumps on this every week and still hitting the numbers. It’s definitely the most I’ve done beltless for tempo work (I’ve done more with just pauses). This seems to be boding well for pulls this coming competitive season coupled with how single leg work is progressing too. Row change up was next. My choice as far as bar to be used but doing paused chest supported stuff with 2 second holds. 3x8 at RPE 7. I knew that I’d need to not go so heavy here because I was really out of practice on this variation. Caveat with the bar choice was something that was different feeling from the other back work I was doing. Barbell made the most sense since most of the back stuff has been unilateral with bands or dumbbells. I also have an idea of what I can hit on this variation so a lot of figuring things out and guess work wasn’t needed. I had intended to start out heavier due to the heavy back work involved with the rdls but decided to do the empty bar to get a feel for the movement again. Took about 50lbs jumps. Before doing the working weight, I did the one traction exercise I do when my lower back is feeling compressed and that seemed to get things click in a way that while still stiff and sore, wasn’t feeling off. As has been the case with most of these rowing things, the left arm takes a few reps to chill out on the tendonitis. Even though I’ve done over 200lbs for these kinds of reps in the past, I went lower as I knew that it would be tougher the first time back. I was right. First set was the toughest of the sets despite being the freshest. First few reps felt easy and then started to fatigue hard. Second set there was fatigue but I seemed to feel the bar path in a better way this time around. And then last set felt the best of the sets. Which oddly enough is sometimes the case on these chest supported barbell rows. Not always but often enough. Lateral lunges were next on the agenda. No pauses this time. Options were to do them seamlessly in a flow motion or to elevate a side that I was lunging towards by 2” and do one side and then the other with rest. The elevated option didn’t seem like the best option with what I had at my disposal. The risk of landing weird or having stuff slide was too high. I ended up sweeping the garage floor of debris because of that potential risk as well. This was going to be interesting in that I’ve not done these without a pause this cycle and I was already using twice the weight I had been using when I was first doing these earlier this year in prep for Battle at the Bridge/Regionals. Sometimes pauses being removed do very little on some exercises whereas others it’s a big change. Tempo up and down also is generally a big change. I did some mobility stuff and then tested to see how just moving my body quickly worked. I then did a set with light weight to again see. The plan was RPE 7 with 3x10 so 20 reps really in a set. My thinking was that maybe if this wasn’t as easy due to the higher reps and the explosiveness in rep turnover would be exhausting. But I quickly found that the weight I was using last week was insufficient. Now I should’ve made plate loaded dumbbells as I kind of knew that jumping up 60lbs total was going to be a hard thing. The first set worked out well enough but I was really feeling it by the end and I was definitely breathing hard trying to get my air back. I did manage to get through all the sets and reps of this but it was really tough. I was thinking of just stopping during the last set about half way into it. I was also thinking of dropping down to the 40lbs dumbbells from the 70lbs for the other two sets after that first set. Lesson learned for next time. Band hamstrings next. Similar to last week but 2 sets of 20-30 reps this time. Sticking to the single leg work on these seated and the same band tension. Ended up with 2x30 on these. I was feeling beat in the lower body after this was done. Lower back, hamstrings, glutes, inner thighs and calves were all feeling it and I had one last thing to do. Sled work of 5-10 minutes of it at RPE 6 and the suggestion to do backwards, forwards (with the straight legs) or alternating. I elected to do the same thing I did last time which was alternating them and doing 10 minutes with 10lbs more than last time. Right leg popliteus or plantaris has been acting up on me for the past two weeks or so but seems to calm down after rest. Put stuff away and ate dinner before stretching. Iced knees and left elbow before bed.

November 21, 2022 – Week 5, Day 1

One Arm Half Kneeling Dumbbell Strict Presses (3-1-1-0 tempo)
12x6/6
32x4/4
52x2/2
72x10/10
65x10/10
65x10/10

Pull Ups
bwx10
bwx8

Dumbbell Pullovers (3-3-1-0 tempo)
40x10
40x10

One Arm Overhead Band Triceps Extensions (0-3-0-3 tempo)
lbx10/10
lbx10/10
lbx10/10

Front Foot Elevated Split Squats (4”, 1-3-0-0 tempo)
15’sx3/3
46’sx10/10
48.5’sx10/10
51’sx10/10

Paused Side Plank Lifts (5 seconds)
15x10/10
15x10/10

Stretching
 
Comments: A month of off season training down. Glutes weren’t anywhere near as sore as they were compared to how things were after the last Saturday training. Like not even noticing it. The sandbag roll ups had gotten me a little nervous about the back as there were some “adjustments” that happened during that but other than some stiffness, seems ok. Right biceps was a little tender as well. It seems to pop up later than I’d expect it to really. It had been fine last week but there were some changes to the session. Stuff added and stuff dropped. Working through today as nothing really needing me to speed up the day for after work for training. Nothing planned for in the street. Can’t say the same for the next workout but since only 3 day work week not really an issue there either. It gets pitch black at 5:00PM at this point. First thing as has been the case was the single arm strict presses while in the half kneel stance. This would appear to be the last week of these. Not entirely sure what would be next. Maybe stuff for viking press, circus dumbbell or both or none. The session plan was to work up to a top set of 6-10 with 1-2RIR and then take off 10% for 2 matching rep sets. Would allow me to kind of pick my weight. Going for 80lbs would’ve been nice but I felt that lower than that was best. Aim to get the more reps while I can and since I’m kind of on this no support kick until things start to ramp up, I went with something that would be using my loaded handle and not have it so I’d switch from a fixed dumbbell to the handle. Keep things consistent. Shoulders were quite achy on these. Like struggling to get 6 reps kind of aches on the right side. But pushed through. These are getting odd for me as the right side feels tougher but I’m able to keep at it but the left side it feel easier at the start but fatigues hard. So decently surprised to get this weight for 10 reps and not being an absolute max with tempo. I didn’t expect the only 7lbs drop to feel that much lighter but it did. Then got tough again with the reps, especially since I was doing sets with 7lbs more than last week’s top weight. Same issue as last week with the last rep of the last set on the left side needing a reclean to get it. So not as cut and dry it would seem. Strength the left side, endurance the right side when it comes to these presses it would seem. So that was done and then it was outside. I was warmed up a good bit so even though kind of frigid, I was good to go. So the change in the lat based exercise was to switch to pull ups. I could adjust the tempo how I wanted to feel best for my elbow tendonitis. Which would be just no tempo really. I was nervous here because of the right biceps being sore. I’ve not done pull ups in a bit here. Goal was two sets of 2-3RIR or so with bodyweight. I knew I couldn’t just jump into these so I did some hanging, scap shrugs and even jump assisted to get the motion feeling good, stuff taking whatever strain and such. I’m out of practice on these. I felt best thing would be to just do the reps I could in a clip without having to hang in dead hang to resettle. I can usually get a few more reps when I do that so that should leave me at the right RIR. First set was starting fine but on the ninth rep I should’ve stopped as my timing was off on the tenth rep. My right lat didn’t seem to fire right (I get issues with the obliques/ribs sometimes). I didn’t have that issue on the second set. Just kind of spooks you. These will improve. So usually move on to triceps stuff but the next exercise beckoned me back into the garage. Pullovers with tempo. Ugh. Light weight for these as this was going to be challenging. Focus was to not let tension really off the lats. However, my triceps were working hard stabilizing things on these with where they tie into the lats. I got through these and it was back outside for the triceps. Same scenario as last week but option to increase the stretch and holds to 3 seconds. I figured to do that since 3x10 would be more TUT compared to 3x13 with the 2ct. And seeing as how the pullovers were stressing the triceps as well, lower reps would probably be where I was at. Maybe I could’ve pushed these but this was still in the right range with the effort already put in today on things. Triceps weren’t twitching as much. Tempo FFE split squats were up next. Alteration to the tempo from before. No more slow negative or concentric. I mean, those had been my choice. Now these were more of pausing for longer time vs the metronome pace. In the past, I’ve done these with the ssb to not I guess worry about hitting the ground or fatiguing the grip too much. I think part of that too was that I used to just do one side and then try and do the other rather than resting like it was a set between sides. So it becomes a lot more manageable. I am considering using the ssb but I wonder if the grip based is more beneficial for what I have for the next potential shows (and easier setup) and if the idea is not to load the upper back with something since nothing else has been that this prehab/off season stuff. I knew that adjusting the tempo would mean and increase in the weight. I wanted to take slow-ish. Go from where I stopped on this past variation. I felt this needed more than just mobility stuff so did some reps with lighter weight as well. After the first set, I felt I could keep going up in weight. Only set that felt like it was something added that was challenging was that last set. Could be the uneven dumbbell loading or just fatigue from doing decent weight for single leg work. Then it was time for the last thing of the session, oblique/core work. No suitcase carries. This time side plank lift and holds. Now this was a little tricky because of the elbow. Had to do some trial and error to get a good setup that wasn’t altering things too much for ROM but wasn’t applying pressure to the bursitis in the elbow. Luckily it wasn’t difficult and just a couch pillow worked fine. I had expected to use heavier weight based on when I was doing these with a throwing sandbag but I realized that I may need to start light. It was a good call. The left side definitely is the side that is lagging on these. Got through these and put stuff away before eating dinner. Stretched and iced knees before bed.

November 19, 2022 – Week 4, Day 4

Hip Airplanes (0-10-0-10 tempo)
bwx5/5
bwx5/5
bwx5/5

One Leg 15” Block Pulls (3-1-1-0 tempo)
65x5/5
105x3/3
135x10/10
145x10/10
155x10/10

Paused Heel Elevated Sandbag Squats (2”, 2 seconds)
112x3
112x3
175x15

Paused Sandbag Roll-up (2 seconds, on toes)
112x3
175x15

Sled Pushes to Backwards Drags
505x50’/50’
505x50’/50’
505x50’/50’

Stretching
 
Comments: Felt rested but was slow to get moving. I think partly trying to figure out if I wanted to watch strongman contests happening or correct someone on the internet (never worth it lol). Not that I didn’t have the argument ready. Like writing a letter and never sending it. Doesn’t matter and I got things that do matter to me. Colder out compared to last weekend. First thing was hip airplanes. Same as last week in that low reps but high amounts of time in the max internal and external rotation with holds. 3x5 vs 2x6 last week. With balance stuff, I seem to progress well enough but then have periods of relapse after the initial success. I didn’t bother with trying to do these free standing considering how challenging just doing them for this amount of time was. Get good at doing them again and then worry about that stuff if needed. Only had balance issues on one or two reps total even with the assistance. I had to check to make sure I didn’t miss a rep about halfway through on video. I get paranoid like that sometimes with all the counting needed with reps and tempo stuff. Things were less taxing on my lower legs so I was able to actually feel the hips in those positions as actually doing something. From there I had another balance related exercise; those single leg block pulls. I felt that this week I could use 135lbs so I wasn’t going to use the jack stands this time. Plan was 3x8-10 with 3-4RIR. Hopefully I’d be progressing on these quick with getting used to the movement. Intent was to build these up to PRs and have it help with moving events. Always working on things to be a better strength athlete. Both parts of that need work and some people forget that. One thing I do like with tempo work during the colder months is that only need a few reps on sets to get nice and warm and not need the warm-ups later on. Good song on at the start and made my planned weight feel light. Light enough that I took bigger jumps for weights to get to more appropriate weight by the end of it. My aloofness did result in balance struggles on the second set for my left leg but I got it back under control eventually. I wasn’t expecting to be going up almost 30lbs from last workout. I guess shouldn’t be too surprising with how things tend to go up during off season for me, especially lower body stuff. Always feels like 4-5 weeks of off season training has me ready to start focus on competing. Whether I’m to stick to it for more weeks or not it up to coaching/programming. Already been here for a long time and good time, would like to continue you that so it becomes longer time and gooder time. Moving on to more event related things. And by that I mean odd objects and moving stuff. So up first was sandbag squats. This was changed a bit with it being work up to a set of 10-15 reps with 1-2ct holds. Warm up as needed with triples. But still indicating a light sandbag. I don’t have quite the selection at home compared to the strongman gym and I wasn’t sure what exactly I’d need. Sandbags go 112lbs and then 175lbs followed by 225lbs and then 363ish. I was debating 112lbs and 175lbs. I figured I’d see how 112lbs felt with shorter pauses and go from there. It felt easy but I didn’t think a single set of 3 was enough for that size jump. 175lbs was actually quite easy. Sandbag was big enough that it was resting on my thighs (like a stone would) so it was similar to a zercher squat in that I didn’t need to go all the way down but still do to get that full ROM. As I will need that for big and heavy stones I want to lift in March. So I know for next time to do 225lbs here. Then the reason I guess for just one set was that adding another sandbag exercise in the form of roll-ups. So just the extensions. I’ve been thinking about sandbags a little lately even though not likely to be at any shows I’m doing (SC allegedly wants nothing to do with them after this year and the hassle haha). But thinking that I may need to work the bear hug style a bit more as to have it be a viable option if I encounter similar situation to Nats this year. Anyways, plan was same as the squats with one top set with 1-2ct holds. But this was a lot harder because of what I was trying to do. See, I generally don’t get up on my toes for extension. I tend to rely on my hips and back to be the mobility. My ankles and lower legs aren’t up to par. Long feet makes great balance but terrible leverages. I was aiming to get up on my toes on these and that was the difficult part. I guess not that much but holding it certainly was. As I tend to extend up and out for a load rather than in place so I was getting off balance. A lot. I actually ended up dropping the sandbag about halfway in getting too far forward. So that was frustrating but a needed lesson. This is the time to work on those things. Out into the street for the last thing; sled work again. Same as last week with three sets of 50’ down and back but set weight. 30lbs more than the second set was last week. Maybe I should’ve done some warming up here but I kind of felt like it would take more effort warming up truly and time then just going and getting warm while I was going. I went 10lbs heavier than listed only because it was easier plate math with my sled so I could just worry about 45lbs plates. Plan here was 2 minute rests but judging from what I actually did, it was 90 seconds rest. I didn’t want to go back inside so I just walked to the stop sign and back and took like 15 seconds after that to go. Only paused for a little before the last set because I wasn’t sure where the mailperson was going after dropping off a bunch of junk and bills. As is usually the case for me on sled work, I got faster each set despite feeling the fatigue and breathing heavy. Put stuff away, had a protein shake and stretched out. I was planning to ice my knees but ended up not. I thought it would cause me issues sleeping not doing that but it didn’t.

November 18, 2022 – Week 4, Day 3

Swiss Bar Incline Bench Presses (4-1-1-0 tempo)
40x5
40x5
90x3
120x3
150x8
150x8
150x8

One Arm Standing/Braced Dumbbell Rows (3-3-1-0 tempo)
62x3/3
82x3/3
102x10/10
102x10/10
102x10/10

Push Ups on Kettlebells
bwx25
bwx20

Paused Band Face Pulls (2 seconds)
abx20
abx17
abx15

Seated Incline Dumbbell Curls w/ Fat Gripz Extremes (3-1-1-0 tempo)
20’sx12
21’sx12
22’sx12

Stretching
 
Comments: As has been the case, work was unnecessarily stressful at times. It’s just dumb. It didn’t make sense to do a workout at lunch and finish up after work since I didn’t have to wake up early tomorrow. But it would be a bit different from last week in that I’d be training after work rather than there being a holiday (which November is weird as Friday off last week and will have Friday off this coming week). Workout plan to be similar to last week in exercises and execution. Dark and cold so wore warm up initially since outside to start things off. Swiss bar incline bench with tempo worker again. These were to be working up to 3x6-8 with plenty RIRs and tempo. Just less RIRs left. By only a little bit. The eccentrics were lowered from 5 to 4 seconds. I had a better understanding of how these would feel compared to last time so I felt I was able to take larger jumps and more weight since less time under tension for the eccentrics. Odd jumps so I did the empty bar for two sets before making the jumps. Adding weight I was feeling a lot of wobble/rocking of the bar in my hands. Not side to side, more back and forth. I was worried that first set that I did more than 8 reps and had to check to make sure. I had done 8. I guess I was confused on how the last two reps got so tough compared to the preceding reps. I felt like this weight was good for all sets as I got it right difficulty wise. Cleaned up that stuff and it was into the garage for the rest of the workout. One arm row variation again. I had overestimated what I could do on these last week with the tempo. I didn’t want to do the same weight so I just went for 2lbs more from last time (which would’ve been what I was going to do with the 12lbs handle and weights added). Seeing as how last time that while some discomfort in the left forearm from the tendonitis, it was the right side that was fatiguing faster so started with that side. These were challenging to finish again. Second set on the right side I gripped the dumbbell in a way that I thought would make things feel better but I was wrong. Too far back and weights jiggling and more pressure on the pointer and middle fingers. So had to readjust grip for the last two reps I think. Forearms fatigue hard on these and I think I’m understanding why. The tempo and contractions require more effort vs the passive nature I try to use with my grip. You flex and stuff fatigues. So this makes me do that to hold on and keep the holds at the disadvantaged points. Sneaky. That was that for the heavier things for the session. Time for more push ups again. Plan was higher reps and less sets than last week. 15-25 reps. Push ups my choice and I’m sticking with what I like. Just bodyweight as I felt this variation was challenging enough to get the top range here (factoring in fatigue). Hit 25 reps that first set and then aim for like 20 reps the second set. Which is how things worked out. Band face pulls followed that up. I had gotten 3x20 with light band last week with the holds. Same as last week with it being holds and 3x15-20 reps with RIRs. I figured that average band would work for 3x15. The tension through me off that first rep of the first set and then I got into a flow. I wasn’t expecting 20 reps to feel so easy. But I also knew with how fatigue builds and light band was challenging to get the last set for 20 reps that I’d be just aiming to keep the remaining sets at 15 or above. Just a few reps dropping off each set. Then last thing was the incline biceps. Thick grips and tempo. Last time I did a warm up set with empty handles more to get used to the movement after not doing anything like it for quite some time. I wasn’t going to forget that from last week so I felt I could go right into it with the other stuff getting warm from the rows and face pulls. Just a little bit more than the top set last time (I had gone up 1lbs jumps). Still was feeling decent so I did the sneaky 1lbs increases each set. Getting closer to 26lbs. Tricky to gauge with these as I know my biceps fatigue hard when they hit the wall. Right side is definitely the lagging side on these. Shoulder felt tight too so I was actively trying to relax my shoulders/biceps in the stretch. Put stuff away, ate dinner and stretched.

November 16, 2022 – Week 4, Day 2

Romanian Deadlifts (beltless, straps, 3-1-1-0 tempo)
65x3
115x3
155x3
205x3
245x3
295x3
335x10
345x10

Paused Inverted Ring Rows (2 seconds)
bwx12
bwx12
bwx10

Kettlebell Windmills (5-1-1-0 tempo)
30x3/3
60x5/5
60x5/5
60x5/5

Paused Dumbbell Lateral Lunges (3 seconds)
10’sx3/3
40’sx8/8
40’sx8/8
40’sx8/8

Single Leg Seated Band Hamstring Curls
sbx25/25
sbx25/25
sbx25/25

Sled Drags (alternating backwards/straight leg forwards)
155x10 minutes

Stretching
 
Comments: There were some of the same sensations/feelings from the previous workout like last week but not as much and I think realizing that they didn’t hamper me last week that they won’t this week. Out of sight, out of mind. Work has decided to continue being stressful this week. Down another coworker. It’s ridiculous. Weather yesterday was coldest it has been the past few months and got ice pellets. Ice and frost this morning. I had planned to split workout into lunch break and after work here because of the plan for the end of the workout. But even if I wasn’t, I probably would’ve been tempted to do that today as I really was getting agitated and needed to do something for that. But didn’t really require it and work was stressful and kept me busy. Starting things off with tempo rdls. Same as last week as far as tempo but reducing to 2x10 and trying to have it be 2-3RIR. I did 40-50lbs jumps for triples warming up. I figured that 20lbs jumps from last week would get me close to where I needed to be but I was feeling pretty decent working up so I figured that I’d do 335lbs for the first set and see how I felt to decide if I went heavier. As far as weight, this felt noticeable but was moving well. My muscles were feeling good as far as continuing to do what I was asking by the end but I was certainly feeling fatigue and needing to catch my breath a bit. So I went with a 10lbs jump in weight. I’m getting more comfortable with these again. Still feel like I left too many RIRs here. Not a bad thing I guess going up in weight and still having things be beltless. Allegedly going to 3x8 for next week. Next up was inverted ring rows. 3x10-12 with 1-2ct holds. No weight was going to be needed here trying to get 3x12 on these. Hopefully I didn’t fatigue hard like last week in the forearms and biceps. Biceps were still feeling some DOMS from last week (mostly the right one). But also couldn’t dilly dally here on my lunch break. First set went well enough. Second set I hesitated slightly at 11 reps and then did another. Last set was a struggle again to get 10 reps. Had to rest pause the last two reps. The first two sets felt easier compared to last time and I got 2 more reps total overall. So progressing slowly here but still good. I don’t need to be doing a lot of weight on this really to get the effect desired. Then it was on to tempo kettlebell windmills. Same as last week. I preset things for the top set to be 60lbs for ease of going through things. And hoping this was within the parameters for effort. Only did a single warm up set with my two 15lbs kettlebells and then it was go time. Balance is the tricky part for my shoulders on these. More so the left side vs the right side. The stretch and the mobility is there and it actually feels easy in my midsection and lower body. But the control needed for the stability in the shoulders is where the difficulty and effort seem to lie for me. Weight is also getting a little tougher to get into position with the low ceiling. Dismount as well haha. So put stuff away and got back to work. 4hrs later and back into the garage. Seeing as taking a bit of break, did some minor mobility stuff to get my legs feeling somewhat warmed up. Lateral lunges with pauses were up next. As it has been. I got a wild idea to push these up a lot based on how these felt last week and just thinking I could do it and still meet the effort criteria. However, didn’t want to jump into that weight right away and did some reps with the weight I did that very first week of these. Then the 40lbs dumbbells. A good bit more exhausting with this kind of weight but movement still seems to be of decent quality. Of course I can always make it better with time. But this is an almost 30lbs increase from last week which had already been about 30lbs from the week before. I can really focus on what I’m doing when my knees don’t’ seem to be complaining as much. Feel the shifting of weight. I think this is a good weight to stick at for now. Shortly after feeling some glute soreness. Band hamstrings next. Same as last week here. So just doing the single legs with the strong band for sets of 25 reps. Fast and quick pump reps. Usually finish up with walking but not today. Sled work back again and plan was 5-10 minutes of it at RPE 6. Suggested was to do backwards, forwards (with the straight legs) or alternating. Depending on what I felt needed work (quad or hammies). I elected to alternate uphill/downhill. Thankfully it wasn’t that cold or that much precipitation on the ground that I had to worry about footing. The straight legs style of the forward drags is a lot harder compared to regular style. But it adds a certain change up and lets me use less weight to set things up and get sufficient work in. Put stuff away and stretched waiting for roast to finish. Iced right knee before bed.

November 14, 2022 – Week 4, Day 1

One Arm Half Kneeling Dumbbell Strict Presses (3-1-1-0 tempo)
15x5/5
35x3/3
55x10/10
56x10/10
57x10/10
58x10/10

Paused One Arm Half Kneeling Band Lat Pulldowns (3 seconds)
sb+mmbx12/12
sb+mmb+mbx12/12
sb+lbx12/12

One Arm Overhead Band Triceps Extensions (0-2-0-2 tempo)
lbx13/13
lbx13/13
lbx13/13

Front Foot Elevated Split Squats (4”, 3-0-3-0 tempo)
26’sx10/10
33.5’sx10/10
40’sx10/10

Suitcase Carries (10 second holds at start)
145x50’/50’
145x50’/50’
145x50’/50’

Stretching
 
Comments: Seemed to get decent rest over the three day weekend. But of course all that goes out the window as soon as I start working on Monday and all the people that are out and the day trying cram in the day off of work into it as well. Did find out the events for PA Regional show and entry form should be posted by next Sunday evening. As luck would have it, there are some event crossover between Arnold and PA Dutch. Good events for me too for the most part. It is later by a week so honestly, I may entertain doing that show and then take a two week beach vacation to make up for missing last year. I got the leave and seniority. With the newer exercises, of course I was dealing with DOMS in those areas. Namely the glutes from the one leg rack pulls and biceps from the incline thick grip curls. Both with tempo as well. To be expected. Shouldn’t hamper training as never let soreness that was recoverable be a factor anyways. Just noticing. Since it got really cold just in the past day and probably going to be cold for a good bit now, I decided that as well as the work stress that was going to happen to split the workout again. Upper body stuff during lunch break and the lower body stuff after work. Didn’t have to sweep up stuff this time but did need to wear my warm-ups with the temps. This workout was pretty much exact repeat of last week with intent to increase weights/effort range on everything. Single arm strict presses while in the half kneel stance again. Allegedly one more week of these and then a switch. Same as last week with it being 4x8-10 and the tempo but aiming for less RIR compared to last time. My aim was only a slight increase in weight. The jump had come from the changes in the TUT with the tempo shift so can’t expect that kind of progress each time. So just a small jump and maybe if things were feeling ok (fatigue in shoulders builds quickly on these, like a slow cooker) I could add a tiny bit of weight with the fractionals so that it’s like the same weight every set anyways. Left side was feeling comfortable after the first set aches and whatnot were done. Right side had some still but less compared to last week I feel. Getting more comfortable. May need to switch back to that being the side that is lagging going forward with how these feel. Only hesitation with that was on the last set for the left side that I made a mistake and misgrooved and didn’t have breathing right and I was struggling for the last rep and stopped. I set it down, took a breath and reshouldered it and pressed it easy. This exercise can feel so difficult if I get off balance and I think I forget that since I can usually keep my balance quite well on things like this. Next was one arm lat pulls again. These will probably be changing next week. Maybe. Same as last week. I knew I could push these up again and still be ok effort wise. More tension and less discomfort in the elbows. I wasn’t exactly expecting to be going up in band tension every set like I did with the overhead stuff today but it just felt right. Similarly, I may need to start with the right side first going forward as well on these. Don’t mind the cold or training in it if it’s not windy or really dark out. Moving right on to the triceps stuff. Again, same as last week but indication was to increase the effort a good bit and I knew I’d need to essentially double the tension to get within the right range based off last week. The band tension was right but not able to get 15 reps each set like last week. Band tension was a lot harder for the right side to complete compared to the left side. I already start on the right side for these anyways. Triceps twitching like last week but didn’t last as long. Back to the grind and then it was time to train after about 4hrs later. Tempo FFE split squats were up next. With last week, I felt maybe that I didn’t get myself warmed enough to do these and that might have hampered things as far as weights and just how my right leg felt emphasizing the stretch. So I did some additional movements that seemed to get things feeling right. The coldness in the garage as well as the heat/moisture I had given off made my foot platform slick if I went barefoot so I wore my converse shoes instead. Pretty close to that really. With how 25lbs had felt last week, I was expecting to do 26lbs for all sets. But it ended up being pretty easy. Enough so that I felt I could do the 40lbs dumbbells. But needed to do a set in between that rather than trying to go heavier than that. I hadn’t planned to so I just put all the weight on the one side of the dumbbells that had the easier to remove collars on. Really surprised how comfortable 40’s were feeling here. It is baffling to me how things will feel difficult and then suddenly shoot up. Last thing for the session was the suitcase carries. Of course outside in the darkness. Had to setup lights and course. Street sweeper came a day early so no debris (because there is expected to be bad weather tomorrow). Again (ad nauseum) same as last week with the sets and such. This was the only one that indicated a specific increase of 5-10%. These have been pretty easy for me so I went with the 10% increase. Holds were ok. These are getting a lot less taxing on me. Also feeling like I can move quicker as well. Put stuff away and stretched before eating pot roast. Iced knees twice before bed.

November 12, 2022 – Week 3, Day 4

Hip Airplanes (0-10-0-10 tempo)
bwx6/6
bwx6/6

One Leg 15” Block Pulls (3-1-1-0 tempo)
Crash Pads
65x3/3
85x3/3
105x3/3
Jack Stands
127x10/10
127x10/10
127x10/10

Paused Sandbag Heel Elevated Goblet Squats (2”, 3 seconds)
112x10
112x10
112x10

Sled Pushes to Backwards Drags
375x50’/50’
465x50’/50’
555x50’/50’

Stretching
 
Comments: So back to a four-day rotation. Since off work Friday, I was able to workout earlier in the day rather than after the work day so making training on this day feel like enough of a break from that day and this one. Only slight soreness in my arms around brachialis. Not a bad sore. In the event weather was still bad today, I was going to drive out to Lancaster but forecast had it being decent and dry so stayed home. Save where I can at this point. I am signed up for a competition in March but this is still early. Didn’t start doing event specific stuff for a show until December last year for when I did a show in October and then next show was March for this year. It also could change if I get Arnold call-up timely. Also hopefully Regional events for PA get announced tomorrow evening. But plan seems to be to ease back to 4 days and increase intensity on this 4th day. So not a lot going on for today but by no means easy stuff. Day 3 had been a mash-up of things the first two weeks and now is more focused on the upper body part of things. So this workout would be kind of expanding on the stuff missed. First thing was hip airplanes. Haven’t done them since PA’s Strongest prep finished up this year (early August). So these were back and altered. Last time there was just holds at max hip external rotation for 5 seconds. I had been proud with getting to do these sets unassisted for balance. Reps were lowered here but adding holds at max hip internal rotation as well. And giving the option to extend the hold position time up to 10 seconds (5-10ct range). Well you know me, usually going for the longer hold time. Had a feeling that I’d need to balance with assistance because been over 3 months since last did these and it was going to be longer holds. I wasn’t expecting the inner rotation hold to be that challenging. Less about the hip movement and more the balancer requirement for my lower legs on these. Really having the calves, tibs and feet working hard here in both positions. Probably because balancing on one leg for 2.5-3 minutes each set. Not sure if these were intent but this was helpful with getting things to wake up. Hit the lower legs in different ways. They got to support the rest of me. Had a rep or two that I got off balance, even with hands out. Tried to limit the amount I was doing. Sometimes the whole palm was needed and other times just a finger. This was not all of the balance nonsense for the session. A progression on the b-stance rdls by having me do single leg rack pulls. I was not sure how these would go as far as weight. I had wanted to either use enough to use the Jack Stands or that I was using the bumper plates for the top set. Plan was 3x8-10 with 4-5RIR so I had to err on the side of caution. This was a new one for me as far as movement and that’s not including the tempo. Started out with plates on crash pads. Initiating the lift with my left side was odd at first. Right side didn’t seem to have that problem. I couldn’t confidentially say that I could do 135lbs for 3x10 with a lot of RIR but felt it was best to switch to the Jack Stands as the crash pads can get uneven and things would probably be wonky with just the thin bumper plates and weights added. I feel I was able to stay in the parameters here with the selected weight. Fatigue made balance tricky on some reps. As well as grip. While each side got rest, the grip was going every set. Not overly taxing but noticeable after the tempo row work and thick grip dumbbell curls the day before. It’s a good starting point I think. Will be interesting to see how these progress. Moving on to sandbag squats. Plan was just 3x8-10 with a lot of RIRs like the one leg rack pulls. Use a light bag and pause 2-3ct. Optional to raise the heels. I decided to just keep the heels raised because did that the past two weeks. I felt that I knew what to expect here considering two weeks of similar vs no weeks for the one leg rack pulls. The pause definitely was stressing the hips (in a good way). Trying to get the hips open and knees forward. Soft lockouts here as well. Trying to stay upright in the hole on these. Mimic bottom position of a deep stone lap. These were fairly comfortable considering things. Out into the street for the last thing; sled work. Heavier this time. It has been light stuff at casual pace the past two weeks. Push 100’, rest and then drag 100’ and repeat it. This time distance cut in half and going from one right into the other. So 50’ down and back in a set. That’s more like it haha. Indication here was to do the RPE based on the effort to push the sled and just keep same weight for the drag and expect it to be easier because of how the street is sloped. I wasn’t expecting to go as heavy as I ended up doing but just seeing how last week that weight had been as easy as it was had me think I needed more weight to get into higher RPEs needed for today. 90lbs jumps would probably be the ticket. Plan was 2-3 minutes rests and going RPE 6,7,8 of the sets. Light out finally for when I’m doing this kind of stuff so moved debris around and swept as many acorns away as I could. First set would be a test. The course I set up wasn’t bad but the end of it on the push section got tough the last 3-5’ due to the manhole cover and damp ground. Which was fine, just meant that the end was tougher for the push and getting the sled started for the drag back too a little umph to get it going. I thought I was taking longer breaks than I was here (I put weights on from the garage one at a time) but turns out I was on the lower end of the suggested rest period. Similar to the tempo stuff, going casual pace does seem to let me use less weight and build up strength and conditioning on the targeted movements. This is the most weight I’ve attempt to sled push at home on this and I had plenty more. Put stuff away and stretched out. Catch up on people competing today.

November 11, 2022 – Week 3, Day 3

Swiss Bar Incline Bench Presses (5-1-1-0 tempo)
40x4
60x4
80x4
100x4
120x8
130x8
140x8

One Arm Standing/Braced Dumbbell Rows (3-3-1-0 tempo)
62x3/3
82x3/3
100x10/10
100x10/10
100x10/10

Push Ups on Kettlebells
bwx5
bw+20x15
bw+20x15
bw+20x15

Paused Band Face Pulls (2 seconds)
lbx20
lbx20
lbx20

Seated Incline Dumbbell Curls w/ Fat Gripz Extremes (3-1-1-0 tempo)
6’sx6
16’sx12
17’sx12
18’sx12

Stretching
 
Comments: November is one of those weird months in that it has a lot holidays pretty close together. Which can make things as hectic at work as December and January. Especially coupled with a seasonal program becoming open at that time which is emergency based. Trying to keep things afloat but can only do so much. Also a little concerned with the left elbow as it seems a bit more puffy than it has been since returning to training. Still not nearly as bad as it was when I had to go get it drained but still concerning. Not painful but just keeping (fixating) on what was said about if it fills up (the bursa) in less than a month, surgery would most likely be needed to remove it. I don’t like thinking about that. Temperature fluctuating daily could also be impacting things as far as my joints and such. I know I get a little “water on the knee” but it’s not nearly as noticeable as the elbow situation. Maybe because I already have large knee joints from Osgood-Schlatters and I’ve had bursitis in the right knee when I wrestled in junior high. Having off work let me sleep in and hopefully that was restorative. Still elbow seemed puffier but less so than the day before. Seems to be more so the day following training rather during training. Maybe this just ends up being a thing I have going forward. Hurricane down south means a lot of rain up here. Rarely do I see the weather predictions list 100% chance of rain but they did for today. This workout seemed to resemble a bit more in line with what I usually see as the workouts for training when a 4 day week with more focus on upper vs lower rather than the full body they’ve been so far. I could do all of today’s workout in the garage but I was kind of hoping to use the outside rack for the first exercise. Reason being I think was kind of knowing that the new bar should fit in that one and wasn’t sure about my older floppy rack. Finally got a new swiss bar after not having one since I switched to home gym in 2020. I mean I guess I still have on that I donated to the gym I used to go to but it wasn’t worth pulling it. So plan was swiss bar incline bench. Or really any incline benching that didn’t bother my neck/shoulders. I know log is good but tricky to setup and ROM is shorter. Incline not great if I use my axle clean and press grip. And I seem to struggle a good bit with straight bar on incline. So I wanted to do full ROM with same grip as log and see if that worked. Would be a $170 question to answer. These were to be working up to 3x6-8 with plenty RIRs and tempo. Similar to the b-stance rdls in that 3-5 for the eccentrics. Of course doing the 5 seconds. I was initially thinking about 135lbs would be what I should be using here. Bar odd weight so added fractional plates to get it to be 40lbs. Break in the rain to get this done. First set didn’t feel the best using the wide grip. It’s the wide handles but really it is about the width of a log handles give or take an 1”. That last bit of ROM wasn’t feeling great so I moved to the middle handles. That worked great. This is just to do an exercise, not necessarily a log. We know log is fine at that width and to 6” above chest. However, that initial discomfort did make me a bit more conservative with my plans here. I did 20lbs jumps instead of 30lbs but did start to feel good as I got up in weight. I decided since I could always increase weight, that I’d do 120lbs for the first set with the plan to add weight each set if feeling good. Hard to tell with fatigue from these long eccentric sets for this many reps. Definitely feeling like each set was getting tougher but ended up averaging about the bar plus 90lbs which is where I felt I would be at here. Finished up with the outside and moved stuff in just as it was starting to rain a little bit. Garage for the rest of the workout. First thing was a one arm row variation. More upright style and bracing with posting up the non-lifting arm on my incline bench and taking a power stance for added stability. I was thinking I could do a good bit more than the birddog rows with added stability. Even with the planned tempo of 3 seconds holds and 3 second lowering. I was thinking like 116lbs or so but realized I needed to leave a good bit of reps on these like most things and plan was to do 102lbs. However, I realized it was feeling tougher than I liked and went with 100lbs. Honestly, I probably should’ve gone with like 90lbs or something on these as the tempo work really fatigued me. Left side takes a bit to feel comfortable with the tendonitis but seems stronger now. Right side has no issues at the start but seems to fatigue quicker. I feel that I was able to keep to the planned effort level for the first set both sides and the second set the right but definitely was pushing it by the second half. Especially the last set for the right side. Oh well. Push ups again. No tempo this time and plan was to use the same variation I did last week for my choice. Shoulders didn’t feel as bad compared to last week. I was thinking more weight but seeing as I was to leave more RIR compared to last week, I just went with the same weight as last time. Which seemed to work out well enough. It was feeling too easy the first set until the last rep when I started to feel fatigue in the triceps. Fatigue on these has a funny way of catching up. Things fatigue and balance gets trickier. Last set I got a little off balance on the right side and had the kettlebell rock a little so had to collect myself and then get the last 3 reps for that set. Almost done with the workout. Band face pulls back again. Plan was lot of RIRs and doing 3x15-20 with 1-2ct holds. I felt that longer holds and higher reps were the ticket for today. Haven’t had to push these much in the last bit so I went with a lighter band tension that I knew would probably end up tougher than it should. That upper back fatigue happens quick. Definitely was easy enough the first rep for sure and fatigue made things tough for the last set. But I felt it was ok for that set. Last thing was direct biceps work. Not upset about that, I was actually interested in it because it was tempo work (shocker) and was looking at more prehab health. Also indicated to use my Fat Gripz on the dumbbells. Doing isometric and tempo stuff for my forearms with wrist extensions and flexion and imagining holding something like a can of beans has provided some relief when tendonitis symptoms have flared up. I wasn’t expecting a lot of weight on these with no true direct biceps work isolation movements in a long time (I don’t feel like the band curls count) and just how my biceps seem to fatigue quickly with stuff involving tempo. I did a little sneaky pushing up the weight by using the fractional plates to add 1lbs a set here. Put stuff away and stretched before icing my left elbow.

November 9, 2022 – Week 3, Day 2

Romanian Deadlifts (beltless, straps, 3-1-1-0 tempo)
45x3
95x3
135x3
185x3
225x3
275x3
315x10
315x10
315x10

Paused Inverted Ring Rows (2 seconds)
bwx12
bwx10
bwx10

Kettlebell Windmills (5-1-1-0 tempo)
15x2/2
30x2/2
45x5/5
50x5/5
55x5/5

Paused Dumbbell Lateral Lunges (3 seconds)
15’sx8/8
21’sx8/8
26’sx8/8

Single Leg Seated Band Hamstring Curls
sbx25/25
sbx25/25
sbx25/25

Walk
15 minutes

Stretching
 
Comments: Was feeling a little bit of stress. It creeps up on you and I try to catch it and try to divert it from boiling over. Take breaks and relax. My right knee was feeling a little off. Not exactly knee but around that. The main thing was the backside of the knee, top of calf, bottom or hamstring. And inside part of knee feeling like there is something in there. Not pain, just something feels like it’s not muscle or bone. Could very well be those things but most care related stuff is just going to do the bare minimum and be like nothing beyond the normal and just on your way. GOMER (get out of my emergency room). I think it had to do with pushing the split squats a bit more this past session and trying to get mobility better. And potentially slips walking because of all those damn acorns. I was tempted to do similar to last workout and do stuff at lunch and finish up afterwards. But didn’t really require it and work was stressful and kept me busy. So kind of hoped that things would feel fine for training. Similar but different workout for this week. Modifications to stuff I was doing and adding stuff. Starting things off with tempo rdls. Swapping to regular grip. Tempo changed like the one arm kneeling presses with it being 3-1-1-0. Plan was 3x10 with 3-4RIR. Using the regular width grip would allow me to use my rack to setup rather than the sawhorses. So walking out and walking back would be much smoother and I’d be able to go into the next exercise after these were done. Not indicated to be but I kept things beltless. Just feeling like it. Trying to be naked on stuff besides when needed to keep things happy (knee sleeves) or not the part really being worked (straps for tempo lower body stuff).  I did 40-50lbs jumps for triples warming up. I felt that assuming it wasn’t too much a shock, that 315lbs would be fine here as I tend to be able to use a lot more compared to snatch grip. Thankfully no real knee or calf issues here. Longer rests and made sure I took those rests rather than just rushing back in for the next one. Last set I was to keep track of RIR. I feel I went light but 115lbs jump in exercise is pretty rough. I know I can go up a good bit next week on these. I felt like I was doing work this time. Maybe I was thinking about moving an atlas stone subconsciously and that helped with a mindset. Next up was inverted ring rows. 3x10-12 with 1-2ct holds. Add weight if I felt I could with 3RIR. I was going to do 2 seconds and my best is bodyweight for 12 reps so I knew unlikely that I’d be using weight. Just shows how much pauses drop the weight I can use on these. I made the mistake of pushing for 3RIR on that first set as I did get 12 reps but I could feel the fatigue in my arms. I got the second set for 10 reps and knew that I’d probably need to leave less RIR to get the minimum of 10 reps. It was less than 3RIR for sure with having to do little rest pause to get the last three reps or so I think. These are just so darn tough with higher reps and holds. Then it was on to tempo kettlebell windmills. Modified to be like how b-stance rdls were last week with 3-5ct for the eccentric and then pause and regular concentric. 3x5 this time. I figured that I could probably do a bit more than last time but didn’t want to overdo it. My QLs were really stiff and sore last time when I went up 15lbs and I was planning for 10lbs more than that this time. Low reps to work up. Didn’t seem to be that much an issue for my shoulders. Left shoulder was the one that was tight last time. The weight for that first set ended up being too easy so I decided to go up in weight. I didn’t intend to do 5lbs jumps but with the loaded handle setup, it wasn’t too conducive to smaller jumps with the space on it. 50lbs felt tougher and left shoulder was feeling funky. But 55lbs felt similar to the first set. This does appear to be the max I can put on this handle with the 5lbs plates so will need to adjust the setup going forward if going heavier. Lateral lunges with pauses were up next. Same as it has been as far as 3 second pauses and alternating sides during the set for 3x8. Indication seemed to be to increase the difficulty and add weight vs last week just being the same and working on better quality reps. I was thinking 15lbs would be a good enough jump but it was quite obvious that it wasn’t. I had not planned on increasing weights so much on these exercises this session. So this also ended up being something where I was increasing the weight each set and still being in the parameters. I was surprised my knees weren’t really barking at me on these. Kind of like these to be honest. So usually this would be the end and go for a walk but band stuff for the hamstrings added. Plan was 3x15-25 with decent RIRs for pump reps. My choice of leg curl exercise or really anything that hit them so could be pullthrus or gms. I was going to initially do seated leg curls with both legs working together but I felt that it was better to do single leg like I’ve been doing with a lot of things so far this training cycle. It would allow me to give more direct attention, use more band tension, and get a little rest between sides. These seemed to go decently. Walking I got out the flashlight hat so that I could make sure I didn’t step in leaf piles or roll my ankle on some acorns. Home to put stuff away and stretch before eating a big pot roast.

November 7, 2022 – Week 3, Day 1

One Arm Half Kneeling Dumbbell Strict Presses (3-1-1-0 tempo)
12x5/5
32x3/3
52x10/10
52x10/10
52x10/10
52x10/10

Paused One Arm Half Kneeling Band Lat Pulldowns (3 seconds)
sbx12/12
sbx12/12
sbx12/12

One Arm Overhead Band Triceps Extensions (0-2-0-2 tempo)
mmbx15/15
mmbx15/15
mmbx15/15

Front Foot Elevated Split Squats (4”, 3-0-3-0 tempo)
15’sx10/10
20’sx10/10
25’sx10/10

Suitcase Carries (10 second holds at start)
132x50’/50’
132x50’/50’
132x50’/50’

Stretching
 
Comments: A little miffed about not having the events for PA Regional show lie I was expecting to but I guess another week is fine (considering not for over 7 months). I guess it was just something to think about implementing into the plan. Curious to see if overlap between things (Arnold and PA Dutch). Switching to four workouts a week but not on the typical days as the 4th day is going to be least amount of volume and work. So Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. Eventually I guess back to doing Monday, Tuesday, Thursday Saturday when time for serious training. This is training right now and necessary to get things feeling right again and recover from the past year of training. Longer off season seems to be best for me as I felt like I was my most prepared and ready for PA Dutch this year after competing in October and then taking break. So similar thing here. But not every trying cycle is the same as new things are noticed and need to be addressed. And sometimes the big money stuff might hamper things. But good lord can this training be boring. Leaving plenty of RIR on stuff and consistency. Not going for broke. Even though no worry about trick or treat this week, I figured it was best to do the workout early and then rest of the workout after work because of the switch back to standard time as now it was dark pretty much right as work was finished. So this might be a thing on those days when I got training that requires moving distance and not just going for a walk. Feeling a good bit of aches in the shoulders and neck on the left side. The side that has been a bit like that ever since I fell doing box jumps last year. Also keeping track of the elbow issues (golfer’s and tennis). Plan was to get the upper body stuff done during lunch and then the lower body stuff after work. Being able to move through things faster, it made sense to accommodate that by having stuff setup for outside rather than do an exercise and then have to setup the next one. Been a few weeks since I’ve done training on the patio so I had to sweep off a bunch of leaves before getting things setup. Single arm strict presses while in the half kneel stance again. A lot of this very similar to previous weeks’ training with minor changes. Sometimes adding an exercise, replacing one or dropping one. So for these, the tempo was adjusted and sets were increased. Still 3 second eccentric and pause but not forced slow concentric so fatigue would be greatly reduced. I should be able to do more weight for the reps and leave plenty RIR. I felt that 12lbs jump would work out here to get 4x10 done. Plateloaded dumbbell sits a little different from the solid dumbbells. These felt fine enough. There was some shoulder tightness and biceps tightness at times. But power seemed good off the shoulder even if it felt not great getting it up to the shoulder that first rep each set. Almost missing axle pressing. Almost. I got at least two more weeks of this. Next was one arm lat pulls again. Same hold time but set reps per set rather than time. Knowing that, I knew I could bump up the band tension considerable. It was nice to get outside in the sun for this part of the workout, rather than it being darkness. This exercise has been a staple for me and kind of funny that band pulldowns have been a part of what built up things for the best arm-over-arm puller in the nation this year. Funny enough not really pushed during the last cycle and haven’t really pushed the tension hard lately. I’ll get used to these again. I feel able to push these a little bit more by taking breaks between sides. Need to realize that doing so isn’t showing a conditioning weakness; it is allowing both sides to get the work while having a slight fatigue going for the rest of the body that is bracing. I had mentioned changes and triceps exercise was a change. This had been the main reason I had elected to use outside for setup for both the band lat pulls and the triceps stuff. Plan was 3x12-15 with the inverted tempo that emphasizes the stretch and contraction. With elbows and such I went lighter just to make sure on these. I thought maybe too light initially but I could feel things tensing as I was doing these to stabilize the bands. Kind of crazy how much my triceps were twitching after I was done. Perhaps this needs to be worked some more. So that was what I got done before having to get back to work and save the remaining stuff for the after work. Kind of split nicely into upper body and lower body. So the tempo FFE split squats were up next. Same stuff been doing but decrease in reps. Barefoot feels like the way to go. Knees took a little bit to feel warm again after the break. I had not planned to keep pushing the weight up on these but I guess 2 less reps per set made things much more manageable. Continuing with trying to get things feeling good. Knees start off achy but eventually I’m able to get stuff moving well and with control. Honestly, doing exercises that require minimum weight but I can make them tough with tempo control is probably the best thing for me getting joints and muscles ready to start pushing the weights again. Last thing for the session was the suitcase carries. Had to setup lights and course. Lot of acorns and leaves in the street and I tried to avoid them for the setup. Plan was to do 3 sets of 50’ with 10lbs more this time. 10 second holds as well. Less time for the hold but more sets. Wasn’t specified but I assumed the 10 second holds at the start this time around to fatigue before moving rather than moving and then holding. Other than it being dark out and having to watch slipping on debris, these were decent. Put stuff away and stretched before eating a roast. No icing this time.

November 4, 2022 – Week 2, Day 3

Chaos Band Push Ups
bwx15
bwx15

Push Ups on Kettlebells (3-1-1-0 tempo)
bw+20x10
bw+20x10

Paused Birddog Dumbbell Rows (2 seconds)
60x10/10
70x10/10
80x10/10

B-Stance Romanian Deadlifts (5-1-1-0 tempo)
60x12/12
65x12/12
70x12/12

Sandbag Heel Elevated Goblet Squats (2”)
112x20
112x20

Sled Pushes to Backwards Drags (casual pace)
345x100’ push
345x100’ drag
345x100’ push
345x100’ drag
345x100’ push
345x100’ drag

Stretching
 
Comments: Woke up Thursday with very stiff and sore QLs from the windmills. Also lower back stiff from the tempo work on the rdls with snatch grip. Slight panic as it felt like disc compression symptoms but I knew it wasn’t that, just that my muscles were worked hard and slightly inflamed, adding pressure to stuff. Tempted to take antiflammatories but I knew it would go away with movement and sleep. Work got a bit more stressful this week compared to last week. Deviation from my usual meals for what I thought would be good meal ended up not being as good as I was expecting. Odd stress related dreams too. Oh well, need to be aware of that and take steps to not have it become a big thing like it was earlier this year with competing at Nats or going on vacation. Nothing is really up yet until March and probably not switching to competition style stuff until next month anyways. But thinking about contest stuff already. Somewhat concerned that I’m not immediately my strongest at everything at all times and I know that is irrational. I get where I need to be in time most cases. Training does appear to be switching back to four days a week after this week. On to training and that meant starting things off with chaos band push ups. Plan was 2x10-15 with plenty of RIR and lowish RPE. Somewhat like last week but these were to be treated more as a warm-up for the next exercise. Same setup as last time with bands and feet on the ground. Left shoulder was feeling stiff and tight compared to the right one. Been feeling a little like that since Wednesday workout with the increased weight on the windmills. Positives here was that there didn’t seem to be a discrepancy in fatigue in between sides with the triceps like last week. Golfer’s elbow stuff is still very much present on the left side. Not sure if it is directly the forearm or from somewhere higher up (don’t think overly tight lats per testing). So next was a push up exercise of my choice. Something that was still challenging but more stability. So weighted stuff, bands or close grip. Plan was 2x10-15 with 2-3RIR and a 3-1-1-0 tempo. I wanted to use something besides bodyweight but knew that tempo on push ups would bring that down a good bit. Probably be pushing the lower rep range. I went with the one that I liked for opening up the shoulders which was the on kettlebell ones. First set was decently tough and I knew with fatigue on these with the tempo and stretch that I’d be having a tough time getting the matching reps on the second set. Almost miscounted that set. Definitely pushing these with 2RIR being like an absolute max for me. Pressing stuff was done for this part of the workout. Paused birddog rows were next. Same as last time but hold time dropped to 2ct instead of 3ct and RPE increased. I had figured that I’d improve on these and need to go up a bit, especially since last week I felt I may have gone too light on these. So 20lbs increase felt about right. I was wrong. It was too easy. Adding weight did add to the difficulty but less as far as the actual rowing and more the balance and bracing difficulty increasing with the heavier weights. I was not expecting to be matching my weight I used on these with no pauses last time these were cycled in. So that is something. Then it was time for tempo work again. The b-stance rdls. Mercy given in that the concentric tempo wasn’t accentuated like last time. Adjustments to that tend to be the hardest for me. Same tempo situation as the push ups but given option to increase the eccentric to up to 5ct. I went with that of course. I felt that I could do 60lbs for these compared to 40lbs from last week. The 40lbs had felt tougher compared to how they felt with rows last week and considering I did 20lbs easy with that add then this should be within the ballpark. I could adjust as needed like I did with the rows. That first set with these felt really easy but I figured I’d just go up 5lbs because fatigue hit hard on these last time. That seems to have been the right call as these got pretty darn tough as I went. So 5lbs jumps each set. Grip was getting fatigued with time under tension as well with this weight. Hopefully my QLs don’t get overworked on these with the increased weight and rotation aspect. Then it was time for the “goblet” squats. Same as last week with it being dumbbell or sandbag and heels elevated. Soft lockouts with knees and 2x15-20 with plenty of RIR. I wasn’t looking too forward to these with how these had felt exhausting last time. Grip felt better on the sandbag despite my knees felt achy and making a lot of noise on that first set. Got 20 reps comfortably. Second set my lower body was definitely feeling the fatigue, which I often don’t get to with this exercise because upper body gets too fatigued first. Felt better on knees second set. So 10 rep improvement over the two sets from last week and managing to cut my rest period down by 30 seconds so that is definitely progress here. So that was it for the garage work and then into the street for the last of the workout. I don’t like how dark it gets outside right now. Plan was same as last week with alternating push and drags with the sled. Push 100’ and then rest and do 100’ backwards drag. Casual pace on these. Plan was to do either 5 sets with pushing the weight for the last set (push) or same weight and do 3 pairs. With it being dark out, I had to setup a good bit of stuff for the course and lights. I also didn’t feel like changing weights on sets. RPE on these was to be higher. I went with 110lbs more than last week with hope this would get me in the right range. I’m kind of surprised that this is feeling as easy as it is considering all the debris in the street. I didn’t want to add more weight as there were tons of acorns that had me get stuck twice during the sets. I’d probably need another 50lbs I think to truly have it be RPE 7 on these, which would be kind of surprising considering that would be just 90lbs shy of the most I’ve attempted to push uphill with this sled. Put stuff away and ate pot roast before stretching.

November 2, 2022 – Week 2, Day 2

Snatch Grip Romanian Deadlifts (beltless, straps, 3-1-3-0 tempo)
65x3
115x3
155x3
205x8
205x8
205x8
205x8

Paused Inverted Ring Rows (1 second)
bwx13
bwx10
bwx10

Kettlebell Windmills (3-1-3-0 tempo)
15x3/3
15x3/3
35x6/6
35x6/6
35x6/6

Paused Dumbbell Lateral Lunges (3 seconds)
10’sx8/8
10’sx8/8
10’sx8/8

Walk
15 minutes

Stretching
 
Comments: Felt some stress from the work day unfortunately but didn’t figure it would affect me much at all. I’ve been relatively low stress since Nationals concluded. And not for a lack of trying by myself or my work haha. Anxious to do some “real” training again but know the lid needs to stay on for at least a month to be safely ready to put my body through the rigors of a tough competition season. Plan revised a little. Arnold isn’t definite and I’m a good bit away from a spot in the rankings from Nationals. If I don’t find out by Christmas, that is a no go just because of stress reasons with getting ready and securing things (like hotel since that is pain during the Arnold). So the PA Dutch show is happening again this year and has really good events for me. Like I can win it because of how the events are. I had no say in picking events for this show despite home gym (promoter didn’t even answer me if it was happening this year). Then it does appear that PA will have a regional show middle of June. So may just repeat last year with doing shows in PA. I don’t know events for that show yet but hopefully will know by Monday next week. Hopefully they are good events (not even for me, just stuff that doesn’t suck or are boring). The only other Regional I know about isn’t really a good spot to get to with other things going on but still 2 others that I don’t know when or where (1 PA, 1 AL and 1 CA).  Time to workout again. As mentioned last time, this is pretty much a repeat of last week with more weight or added stuff to make things that were too easy tougher. RDLs with snatch grip again. Plan was to 4x8 with 10-20lbs more than last time and leave 3-4RIR and note RIR on last set. Advised to take a little longer rests. Tempo work on these is rough. I felt that lower reps and being prepared for things this time around that I could more accurately assess what I had left in the tank. No belt on these. Sounds like I’ll be switching to a different variation next time because of how hard these are on the upper body. Even with straps on, these tax my forearms as well as my pinkies and ring fingers. I realized that some of the difficulty and hesitation may be from distraction of worry that the straps will slip and I’ll drop it. I made sure to chalk up my hands and the straps and that seemed to resolve that. Sometimes the less approach is not the best approach depending on the focus and intent. But I’m doing things without the copper sleeves for knees or arms and no belt right now so the fact things feel fine enough without that is good sign. I know I’ll rely on them more as I get further into getting back up to speed. Next up was inverted ring rows. I must have made these look too sloppy as I got a pause penalty added to these. But really it is just another way to use same weight but make tougher. Control and pauses on rowing really cuts down what I can do but pays dividends when I get allowed to do things with a bit of swing to it. Which is why I can use like 90lbs for stricter things and then need like twice that when allowed to use my body. With like a week between to catch up if needed. Things felt really good that first set. I was to do the same 3x10-15 with 3-4RIR with the pause. I stopped myself as I felt that I might fatigue hard after that first set and I was right. Those two sets of 10 reps after that really easy set of 13 reps were a good bit harder. From there to the tempo kettlebell windmills. Same as last time but indicated to warm up so that I was using my top weight or so as working sets. I had been hesitant last time since not really sure what I could do and stuff was kind of stiff. I ended up doing two sets with the 15lbs kettlebell to feel good and then got the heavier stuff. I purchased a kettlebell handle that I can load up with weight. But it is long so kind of have to be careful with getting it to the overhead. Also with the metal plates and how they jut out, I felt it was best to wear some kind of forearm padding. My elbow sleeves seemed to fit the bill. These seemed to go pretty well. Left side shoulder felt tighter, right side hamstrings felt tighter. Hopefully I didn’t make too big a jump here. It felt tougher but manageable. Next was the last thing with weights for the evening and it was dumbbell lateral lunges with pauses. Last thing besides the scheduled walk was those lateral lunges with pauses. Dumbbells again and 3 second pauses with alternating sides. I was worried these would make my knees ache like last time. Same weight as last time as instructions were to have better quality of movement and reps. I think I accomplished that as the movement felt more flowy. More natural. Less aches in the knees too. Put stuff away and went for a short walk as instructed to finish things up. Ate dinner, stretched and iced my knees and left elbow before bed (have to realize with the elbow that it isn’t just pressing but rowing that stress things).

October 31, 2022 – Week 2, Day 1

One Arm Half Kneeling Dumbbell Strict Presses (3-1-3-0 tempo)
10x3/3
40x10/10
40x9/9
40x9/9

Paused One Arm Half Kneeling Band Lat Pulldowns (2 seconds, 30 second sets)
abx13/13
abx13/13
abx12/12

Front Foot Elevated Split Squats (4”, 3-0-3-0 tempo)
10’sx12/12
10’sx12/12
10’sx12/12

Suitcase Carries (turns at 50’, 15 second holds)
122x100’/100’
122x100’/100’

Forwards Sled Drags (straight leg, heel emphasis)
180x4 minutes
180x4 minutes

Alternating Sled Rows/Pullthroughs
180x4.5 minutes

Stretching
 
Comments: Still on three days a week. Not that saying “still” when it has only been a week of training after a rough competition season. Even if it wasn’t a three day week for training, I’d still have to train on Monday. Which was trick or treat for this neighborhood. Normally not an issue but each of these workouts has had me doing some moving in the streets at the end of the workout so I had to plan accordingly. So plan was to get as much of the workout done during lunch break and hopefully that would just leave the work in the street stuff (or part of it) for right after work. Which would give me an hour to get it done and put away before the kids were out and about. No one needs to be seeing me doing sled work with blinking lights while spooks and probably a hulk or two. So the two known workouts for this week are much the same as last week. Either added stuff to make things tougher or slight increases. Single arm strict presses while in the half kneel stance. Same weight and tempo as last time with plan being more reps overall than last time (3-4RIR). I had felt that last time that my right triceps was lagging behind so planned to start with that arm. I was a little nervous that I’d not improve here because of how sore my shoulders and chest were from those push-ups on Friday. Those push ups and those rows had me the most sore of anything I did last week. Things started off real good that first set and 10 reps was no problem for the right side. Left side it was tougher. Then it started to feel like it did last week for the sets after that. But still managed to get more reps overall. Next was one arm lat pulls again. Advised to add pauses so that reps were 15-20 range but higher RPE. 30 second sets too. I forgot to film that first set. I had kept the same band tension and pauses really dropped the number of reps I got but only because of the time needed for the pauses and not difficulty. I made a note of that as I could go heavier for RPE if needed. At this point I noticed that my left elbow/forearm area wasn’t feeling as stiff or clicking like it had been last week. So that is hopefully a good sign. Time running short so I knew I only had time for one more exercise before having to take a few hour break. Tempo FFE split squats were up next. Advised to aim for a little weight added and do 3x12. I’ve done these with weight before with the ssb but not with tempo. So I know I can do weight but still a little daunting. Made sure to stretch out before doing these. Other thing was I went barefoot so as to have my feet working harder and to get them involved with the movement and grounding, rather than just being something I walk with. Things went surprisingly well. Left side has better ROM/flexibility but right side is stronger. I got things setup for the next thing but had to get back to work. So 4hr break until back to lifting with the moving stuff. I had kind of hoped I got to these first and just had the more longer duration stuff to go but it is what it is. First moving exercise was suitcase carries. Same as last time as far as the setup with it being 50’ down and back each side for each set. Indication was to add a little weight but could also add a 5-15 second hold standing upright at the end to progress. Of course I did both those things. First thing I noticed was that both sides felt about the same this time around. The other was how much tougher the hold was on the obliques compared to just walking with it. Did 15 seconds for each. I was a little worried it would be too much after that first set as it was a bit of shock to the system but I got used to it. Last thing was more sled dragging for a long time. Similar to last week but not quite. Last time had been walking like a I had no knees on my heels for two sets of 5 minutes with 2 minutes rest. This time it was three sets of 4 minutes (though the 3rd set was special). More weight than last time. And it was slick due to rain. I feel I did better this time around. Less soreness in my shins. I think I either matched or was just shy of the distance on the first set compared to last week with more time and less weight. I was short on the way back but still. The last set was to be either pullthroughs for explosive rows. I figured I’d do both and keep out of the street as much as I could. So on the driveway. Up it for rows and down it for pullthroughs. I forgot to start the timer hence doing 30 seconds extra (which was fine since I had to take longer rest than 2 minutes to get things setup). Put stuff away and stretched before eating pot roast. Iced the left elbow and right knee before bed.