December 5, 2022 – Week 7, Day 1

Circus Dumbbell Clean and Presses (2 stage 3 second pauses)
26x3/3
46x3/3
68x3/3
68x3/3
68x3/3
68x3/3
68x3/3

Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Presses (back support)
40’sx5
60’sx3
80’sx8
80’sx8
80’sx8

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

Dumbbell Pullovers (3-3-1-0 tempo)
26x3
40x3
56x12 PR+4 reps

Lying Dumbbell Triceps Extensions
40’sx10
40’sx10
40’sx10

Paused Dumbbell Side Bends (3 seconds, staggered stance)
40x3/3
70x15/15
70x15/15

Stretching
 
Comments: Some things just for my own mental notes. One being that still got bursa swelling in the left elbow. That hasn’t gone away but I haven’t mentioned it because it hasn’t been painful, seemed to get noticeably worse or reduce ROM in anything. If it does, then there would be concern. May wait until my annual physical beginning of March to have it be assessed by PCP at that time. The main thing had been pain and reduced ROM when it first started. The other thing being just realizing that I kind of needed 6 weeks of this kind of training to really have some aches and such that were persisting in the second half of last year’s competitive season to abate. Just kind of reinforces that this is important for me to keep doing this as long as I want to and not only to as long as I can. It had been a risk to aim for all the shows I did this year to get to Nationals. But it was a learning lesson. It can be done but really not ideal and doesn’t lead to being at my best but more at enough to hang. Hamstrings feeling worked from the past few sessions. A little frustrated with there not being any other HW signed up at this time for the PA Dutch show. And I know two people from last year aren’t likely competing. Needs to be at least 3 people for it to be a show worth doing as far as qualifying for Nationals 2023. Promoter doesn’t really “promote” shows anymore (well hasn’t for a few years now). Kind of hoping on getting the call up for the Arnold. But time is kind of short to ensure time off available based on seniority. But that’s not stuff I can control right now. So on to training. So starting things off was circus dumbbell again. Appears the plan is a linear progression on these. So same thing as last week but with 10lbs more. There had been slight contact bruising from last week. They hadn’t felt super-duper last week. But generally I seem to get better at these kind of lifts with practice and familiarity. Sometimes it is frightening fast and other times it is kind of gradual. This was neither of those extremes. But crispness and comfort of the movement had definitely improved from the previous week. Less discomfort and quads and knees didn’t get as sore from the explosive movements as last time. It will be interesting to see how this progression goes as far as increasing weight with these multi-phase pauses. And switching to a jerk style press. Left side is still the better side on these. Into the garage for more shoulder work. Seated pressing again. Indication here was the 3x8 with 10lbs more than last week and report back RIR with the intent to build to a top set of 10 over the next few weeks and then merge into viking press (even if not doing Arnold, the show after this has viking press). So this was a little tricky and had to do some lateral thinking here. I got solid dumbbell pairs of 10’s, 40’s and 70’s and then single dumbbells of 80lbs and 95lbs. Everything else has to be plateloaded. My short handle pair is 6lbs empty so light and I only have enough weight using the smaller plates to get it about 70lbs. So that means using 25’s which can cut the ROM a good bit and make shouldering them tough too. But I had an idea to just put a 25’s on the one side. That way I could use the smaller plates for the side that would be hitting my shoulders and the larger plates on my thighs for comfort and more surface area to help kick up into position. Practice and theory different. It felt a little awkward but it appeared to work out of me. I accidentally took slightly shorter than recommended rests and perhaps undersold what I could do as far as RIR based on the videos. Right shoulder was achy again but not as bad as last week. But got it done. Back outside again for band assisted pull-ups. That 2-2-2-0 tempo was going to slow cook me again. Same plan here was 3x8-10 with 3RIR. These are deceptive and hit hard. The first few reps are so easy. I realized on the first set that was accidentally doing a 2 second pause in the bottom of the lift instead of moving right into the next one for the first two reps. I feel for the first two sets that I was sticking with the 3RIR (definitely the first set and close second set). Third set was definitely less than 3RIR (like 1-2RIR) but I think part of it was just trying to get 3x10 on these. The fatigue factor doesn’t feel easier here. Notes indicated adjustments to assistance and tempo if I got 3x10. As much as these are terrible, I think I’d like them to stick around a bit more as they are hitting stuff that normally I can’t hit or doesn’t get hit on regular pull-ups. I also was taking shorter rests than I thought I was like the dumbbell shoulder presses. Back into the garage for the rest of the workout. Pullovers with tempo again and again the idea to be a top set of 8-12 with 2-3RIR. So same weight as last week and try to get more reps. I feel that the pull ups were more reason stuff was sore. Trying my best to not have my right triceps feel like it was going to cramp up on these as I fatigued. Managed to push through that feeling to get 4 more reps this time around. So that was something. Triceps stuff changed to dumbbells. No bands, lying extensions. It has been a bit. I think since my first training cycle and that was with tempo and then after that with the rolling style. This was just regular with no tempo and plan being 3x10-15 with 3-4RIR. I figured I should be able to do 3x10 with 40’s at minimum with everything. It would be less a hassle to setup dumbbells. I’m out of practice on these kinds of extensions. Elbows were achy (more so the left one) and right shoulder as well. Started to feel a bit smoother as the sets progressed. Maybe I should’ve gone lighter and more reps here but results might have been the same as far as feeling. Or need to use even lighter stuff. I guess we’ll see what next week brings here. Last thing was more oblique work. No split squat stuff this week. I guess things are progressing more to each day being more focused on a set thing as opposed to the 3-4 days with everything. Same as last week as far as the plan of staggered stance with holds and such. But I went back to dumbbell just because it would be easier and I felt I needed more weight to really feel things. The left side has a harder time with these. That is the injured side from 2016 anyways. Grip was getting a workout by the end of this session coupled with the TUT on the pull-ups and then hold the dumbbell for these long sets. Put stuff away and stretched out before eating pot roast. Iced my left elbow and right knee before bed.