July 21, 2024 - July 27, 2024 - Week 7

 July 22, 2024 – Week 7, Day 1

Dynamic Warm Up

Axle Strict Presses w/ Chains (+28lbs)
26x5
56x3
86x3
116x2
146x2
176x2
176x2
176x2
176x2
176x5

Band Assisted Pull-ups
sbx5 at pin 17
abx5 at pin 17
lbx5 at pin 17
lbx5 at pin 17

12” Log Incline Bench Presses w/ Bands (+5lbs/+25lbs)
92x8
122x5
152x3
182x2
212x5
212x5

Chin Up Holds
bwx37.37 seconds+13.67 seconds eccentric

Active Shoulder Hangs
bw+20x64 seconds+12 seconds relaxed

Stretching
 
Comments: I was not thrilled about coming back to work. As it had been a crazy week in the world while I was out. Sunday I was feeling nervous about work with the extra stress. I wasn’t able to sleep in as my neighbors apparently needed a tree removed and that started at like 6:30AM (according to my parents). I couldn’t tolerate it by 8:30AM or so. Seems weight is starting to drop now that I’ve removed the dairy products (milk and yogurt) as well as not trying to force two bowls of oatmeal in a day. So down 4lbs from last weigh-in two weeks prior. Work wasn’t completely terrible but it was a lot of work and catching up on things and vestigial things from the global system outages. I’ve been fairly lucky with the weather matching up with not being rainy or such when I have to do stuff outside. Which is generally every session with overhead lifting. It wasn’t storms when I was lifting but it varied between actually raining and just a fine misting during the session. I was a little nervous about how pressing would feel as sometimes my shoulders seem to get “achy” when I take time off. Warming up to start things off. Feeling ok here. Just keeping an eye on things and hoping that the rain would stop or let up before I needed to actually lift. But it never really did. It was raining and it was warm enough that when it wasn’t raining I was sweating a good bit. And this session was all outside stuff. I covered the weights I was using to anchor the power rack with towels to keep them as dry as I could. Axle strict pressing with chains to start things off. So like log, 10lbs more than last time and inverting the volume (2x5 to 5x2) but being allowed to go for 5 reps on the last set if feeling good. But really, that is always the goal. Another week of no support gear (besides I guess on front squats for the knees). Did 30lbs jumps and was able to start on the empty bar with the weight progression here. I was feeling a bit more comfortable with the unracking of the weight and not letting it mess with me with the weight feeling off. Glad that shoulders were feeling fine here. Definitely noticing the triceps. I figured that things would probably be similar ot the log from last time with it initially feeling a little slow/rough and then getting better and feeling really good by the end (but perhaps not as much as the log had). Things did seem to follow that. I do tend to notice that balance seems a bit more an issue compared to log on these. That is likely because bands can provide more of a grounding effect whereas chains do as well but it more “live”. My power seems to be more hip based than quad based on that initial movement for overhead stuff. The rain wasn’t helping with the grip here. I was feeling quite strong the last set but I got a little overzealous and the weight did get out of midline a bit so I had to slow things down for the last two reps. I was worried after that that I had only done a set of four reps. But good start back from vacation for the overhead stuff. Like didn’t miss a beat. So that went fairly well I think. Band assisted pull-ups after that. Advised to repeat what I did last time and just do it so it was better. The wetness wasn’t exactly helping here but I kept the bar section dry as I could. Warming up felt ok and not like it was going to be a struggle on the working sets like it sometimes feels like. Just watching the biceps to make sure ok as don’t need any sudden movements or slips on these. Applied liquid chalk to my hands just to make sure when it was time for the working set stuff. These felt fine and I’d say felt about the same for both sets. Which is good on the fatigue front with an explosive pull. Then incline log pressing. 2x5 with the bands from last time. But do 5lbs more weight on the working sets. I decided to modify the warm up a little so I wasn’t doing as many reps at the start. Even though things seemed to go well for the axle, was hopefully things would be good on the log benching as well. And they did. At least for the feeling ok part. The first set with the working weight I kept banging the log into my chin. I didn’t have that problem on the next set. Since the rest of the workout was me just “hanging around”, I decided I’d start prepping dinner as I needed to go to bed earlier than usual because of course I come back to work the week that I have to go into the office for a day for meetings. The chin up hold was first. It is one of the few things I seem to count fast on with holds and such. Last time I had gotten a little bit over 30 seconds. I was hopeful that I’d continue to improve on this as I like how this is working things in the upper body. Did my best to keep the rain slickness to a minimum. I think on the hold portion I’m getting like 3-4 seconds more time than what actually is the case. So about another 5 seconds gain from last time here and the eccentric time also increasing as well. I was able to control the eccentric even better this time around as well without getting nearly as tense and ab cramp holding this. I do like how this is working things while being relatively safe for the biceps. Last thing the active shoulder hang. I actually took a decent break here to get dinner ready so that I could be ready to eat once I finished training and putting stuff away. This hang I was advised to add weight if I get over a minute. I did that last time as well so I went with another 10lbs. This took a bit more setup and timing with rain and such to get ready. Grip wasn’t an issue on anything today with the rain and the liquid chalk. I was initially thinking that I wasn’t going to get over a minute today but I just got over the feeling of suck that is the first 20-30 seconds and kept going. I just seem to be slow counter as usual as I could’ve kept going but I just wanted to make sure I got a minute. I also apparently was slow with counting the lowering into relaxed position here. Lower back was feeling a little tight from the traction afterwards. It is interesting seeing the shoulder girdle strengthening exercises that have been added. Put stuff away and ate dinner before stretching out.

July 24, 2024 – Week 7, Day 2

Dynamic Warm Up

Front Squats w/ Chains (+28lbs)
No Chains
45x5
Add Chains
45x5
95x3
135x3
185x2
225x2
275x3
275x3
275x3

Hyper Extensions
bwx25

Hyper Extension Holds (Neck Harness & Plate)
20+65x30.43 seconds

Planks
bw+59x60 seconds

Side Planks
bwx60/60 seconds

Stretching
 
Comments: Work the day before had been in the office day, which was dumb, and then just continuing busy and stressful stuff with the new requirements. I feel pretty worn at the end of the day. I had to kind of just “zone out” for a bit after work today to just recenter. I felt it was ok to do that before training as this workout tends to be the shorter of the lower body sessions in the current training cycle. I had not been able to get in a walk the day before either. It was feeling muggy today so I put on just the little oscillating fan to get the air flow to be better. Warming up was feeling fine. Seemed to be moving fine and all. Could feel the shoulder and upper body work from the previous session. Starting things off with front squats with chains. I was up in the air on the knee sleeves but elected to keep them on for these again. This changed slightly from last time. So instead of 2x5 like it has been the last two sessions, it was now 3x3. I actually prefer lower reps for these, especially when doing them with chains and having to walk in and out the weight. Same warming up here. I was trying to unrack these in a way that wasn’t bothering the knees like it had when achy from the axle work. They weren’t feeling much from Monday and I think getting more under the weight rather than just trying to get up and out quick may be the trick here. I adjusted the placement of the chains so that I wasn’t having them make contact with the “feet” of my standing rack. That might have made the weight feel a little odd with it being out like it was. Plan was 275lbs for the triples. I noticed from last time that I essentially deload all the thick chains at the bottom and leader chain still in play so like 6lbs added at the bottom and about 28lbs at the top. These are tricky with how these feel beltless in the first place coupled with the iso holds and such that I do on Monday for the upper back and shoulders. But even so, this shouldn’t be an issue for me. Always feels so darn heavy on the unrack that first working set and I just have to tell myself that heavy doesn’t mean it won’t move well. Felt ok, just rushed putting it back in the rack. Second set it didn’t feel like crushing weight on the unrack so a bit more comfortable. Third set was feeling even better but a little forward on the second rep so I took a moment to collect my thoughts before finishing up the triple. These are pretty tough and it can be tricky to know when to push and when to pull back. Took some time putting things away to rehydrate as well as get ready for the rest of the session. From there on to the mid-section work with bracing exercises. Warming up for back extension holds with more reps. Increasing again by 5 reps (20-25) the range. I figured I’d keep going for the higher number if I could as that seems to feel good and I start to get some work in the hamstrings at that point. Also as a mobility blood flow thing. But I also remembered that I had felt a bit cooked last time after the front squats with chains that first time. So I took a bit of time with resting here to make sure I wasn’t rushing into doing the hold. So with the hold, I was advised I could push the weight as long as I was getting 30 seconds (while keeping 5 seconds in the tank). I was initially going to do 10lbs more to play it safe but I guess I got a wild hair and decided I’d do 20lbs more so that it was the same weight I had put when last told to go heavier (but with more weight on the neck harness). This was certainly a gamble as I mentioned last time that I seemed to have to fight much harder to get close to a time from the previous session that I hit with less effort. I could tell right away this was a heavy weight for this and what I was doing as far as a hold. This was the closest to that margin of error and I had been worried that I had fallen short of 30 seconds with the counting. But it was right at the line. So obviously no heavier until this gets comfortable for me (likely feeling more like 40 seconds with 5 left). I had started getting dinner ready at this point so that I could hopefully be eating by the time I was done with training. Planks were up next. Surprisingly, I was advised I could add a little more weight to the planks that I was doing. I was initially thinking like 11lbs more (so another chain in the back pack) but figured I’d just use the chains I had from front squats with all the attachments with another chain (I usually do 3 chains in the bag with 20lbs ankle weights) so it was 6lbs more. The added weight was noticed at least with getting the back pack on and off but felt about right when doing the hold. Getting sweaty now. Side planks felt pretty good with just body weight. A good day for those (as I’ve mentioned, sometimes these don’t feel as good). I do wonder if I will get to add weight to these at some point. Put stuff away and ate dinner before stretching.

July 27, 2024 – Week 7, Day 3

Dynamic Warm Up

Farmer’s Walk (Casual Pace)
75x50’
125x50’
175x50’
225x50’
275x50’
275x50’

Sandbag Carries
turns at 10’
225x20’ (load style)
225x20’ (bear hug style)
turns at 50’
275x255’ (load style)
275x225’ (bear hug style)

Sled Drags
35x100’
135x50’
225x50’
60 seconds rest
255x100’
255x100’
255x100’
255x100’
255x100’

Stretching
 
Comments: Work continues to be stupid and stressful and while I’m kind of getting used to the new added stresses, it is possible I’m just not yet getting used to what will be coming down the pipeline. Got news Friday afternoon that apparently another person is being removed from the unit so now down to I think 5 people total that will get full caseload assignments. There is a serious lack of communication with things as it is obvious this was known to be happening over a week ago. But that would explain the influx of work that happened that seems to be stabilized near the end of the week. But not looking forward to that person’s cases being dispersed amongst those who remain. I ended up having to walk after work Friday due to stuff taking longer than I expected during Friday. I’m noticing that I kind of need a little bit of time to just “vegetate” after the work day to get on with my day. I was yawning a good bit on my Friday walk. I felt compelled to get that walk in since couldn’t do one Tuesday and my legs were feeling quite sore from the front squats with chains. Really is surprising how much they get sore (and noticeably more the right quad). It has me a little thankful with the current overhead work being no leg drive coupled with the very fatiguing sled work. With training for Saturday, there wasn’t really a rush to get out to train but I figured I should stick somewhat to my work time getting up in the event I end up being out there a long time. I’d likely be doing that as there are a fair number of people training for different upcoming events and one person is training for a comp with 8 events that drives further than myself to get access to train them. The drive out was mostly fine other than congestion at the usual spot. It was cooler and less humid this time around so that was nice as I wasn’t sweating to nothing. Warming up felt fine and good mostly. I might have missed of the exercises in warming up as I got distracted with all the people doing stuff and having to move around and such. But didn’t seem to be an issue with getting warmed up enough. I should note that I was taking fairly decent breaks between exercises themselves this date because of needing to share space as well as help people with setup and teardown. I should also note that my assistance with setup and teardown and providing tips was not mandatory but I felt like doing it. First thing for the day was farmer’s walk. To be done at the casual pace and no support gear. Of the exercises I’ve been doing this cycle without support gear, this is the one I’m feeling the need for the most as far a belt. But I did want to finish out this 4 week block this way and go from there. Same as it was last two times with doing 50’ runs up to the working weight with 2x5 at that. 275lbs this time so not as aggressive of jumps as the last two sessions. Grip wasn’t going to be an issue here. It was going to be the pick on the farmer’s that was going to be the hardest thing for me. And just know that it was going to be. The handles were a little off loaded to get it to be 75lbs to start as I didn’t want to be doing small plates and used bumper plates. 50lbs jumps and was feeling pretty good. Like I said, wasn’t sweating to death here. But I still felt it was a good idea to use liquid chalk for the working set to be on the safe side. With that first set of 275lbs (which was going to be a PR for casual pace farmer’s) I thought I was ready for the pick and brace. I was not. I felt myself lose the brace as I strained for a bit and there was more strain than I would’ve liked on lower back. So there was slight hesitation after the pick to get moving with how slow it felt and effort needed. I was slightly worried I was going to pass out but I was able to get things under control and do the walk as planned. For the second set, I took a little longer to rest here and correct what went wrong with the bracing for the pick. That worked and felt so much better and it was a comfortable finish here. I probably didn’t need to take as along as I did after that to do the next thing but I was cautious/dreading it. My left adductor and my right hamstring were feeling a little tight shortly after that and I was not sure if that was something telling me to stop for the day or if I just needed to be a little mindful. I think I get a little worried when I feel tightness or soreness in those spots (as well as biceps) compared to other areas because I’ve had injuries and the hamstring one is still something that is on my mind. The next thing was sandbag carries. Front carries I’m generally good at but oddly enough I’ve not really had them as an event to train for March of last year and that had been for a fairly light husafel carry. It is an event that comes back quick but can be a bit of a suckfest that first session or so back at it. Similar to stones. And as I get older, it is harder to know if the metric I use to gauge being “back” is as accurate with each passing year. The plan here was to do two sets of max distance carry with 250-275lbs sandbag with the first set being carried as if I was going to load the implement (horizontal) and the second set being in a bear hug style (vertical). I don’t have this as an event in this regard (the contest is carry 30’ and load over 48” then carry another 30’) but this is a good away to build up the muscles and breathing that will be taxed in it. A lot of time under tension. I had pretty much decided that I’d be doing the heavier bag option because the size difference between 250lbs and 275lbs would not be comparable going forward. The 275lbs to 325lbs are similar in size and closer to size of the competition bag size. Warming up was suggested to do some rows and picks. I felt that was not going to necessarily be the ideal way here. Perhaps if I was attempting to go fast with it being a timed event that would be a good idea. It was going to be more feeling comfortable with holding and walking and such. I got plenty of warming up pick wise with resetting power stairs (which also let me know my adductor and hamstring were fine). So for the actual warm up, I did 50lbs under the weight and took it for a short stroll in both styles. The pressure of the hold and where the bag sits is unique and just feeling that strain in the middle of the back kind of takes breath away so it was good I did that before the actual sets. As far as effort, I had asked for clarification on if these were until I was dead or if I was to leave something in the tank. I was advised not to leave much in the tank. I wasn’t too sure what I’d do here. I knew that I had to get at least 100’ for my pride despite how long it has been. No chalk or any support gear hear. I knew the picks were going to be a bit rough from the beltless farmer’s stuff. I was very surprised how far I got with the bag that first set. I wasn’t expecting over 200’ with how I was feeling honestly. And when I did get that distance, I wasn’t thinking I had another length. I always try to make it a habit to make the turn anytime I get a full length because it could matter come competition time. I took a long break here to get my air and make sure I was fully recovered before going at it bear hug style. As that was going to be the harder one for me. The pick is more taxing and the bag gets in the way more visually so I can’t really make as fine tune adjustments with moving. My first pick I failed as I wasn’t quite centered and it was a bit more of a grind than I was expecting so I dropped it to regroup. This bag is a bit under filled so the vertical style is a bit tricky with it. I came back and got it and I was off. Again, I wasn’t expecting 200’ or more but I got there. With both runs, I feel I left about 25’ in the tank. I essentially stopped when I got to the point where I was going to have to start shuffling and grinding out the steps rather than be able to keep normal walking gait. But pleasantly surprised that things went as well as they did. I guess the holds with hypers and planks coupled with the sled/prowler work has been keeping things somewhat on point. Again, I took my time after that to get things setup for the sled drag to finish things off. I was assisting with another event and I kind of wanted the fatigue in my legs after the sandbags to subside. I already had sore quads, didn’t need my hamstrings and glutes to be pumped up as well when it came to the sled drags. Same as it has been with warming up to 5 sets of 100’ with 60 seconds rest. The sled drags at least feel a bit more consistent compared to the prowlers stuff having to be on turf and broken into 2 implements with 50’/50’. Perhaps the straight shot in the sun just feels less taxing or perhaps going up 10lbs on something over 200lbs feels less arduous compared to something over 150lbs. Warming up felt fine here. Of the two exercises setup like this, I much prefer this. As per usual, the last set I hit that slowdown wall where I finish but it is a good bit slower than the previous sets. It ended up being a long day. Cooled down before putting stuff away and then eating the meal I brought and then driving home. I had to settle for bit at home too before eating once more and then stretching out.

July 7, 2024 - July 20, 2024 - Week 5-6

 July 8, 2024 – Week 5, Day 1

Dynamic Warm Up

12” Log Strict Presses w/ Bands (+14lbs/+22llbs)
No Bands
87x5
Add Bands
90x3
120x2
140x2
160x2
180x2
180x2
180x2
180x2
180x5

Paused Chest Supported Barbell Rows
95x5
135x5
185x3
Added Straps, 2 seconds holds
225x5
225x5

Bench Presses w/ Chains (+22lbs)
No Chains
45x15
Add Chains
45x5
95x5
135x3
185x2
225x2
260x5
260x2 (misgrooved)
260x5

Band Face Pulls
lbx30
lbx30

Stretching
 
Comments: I wasn’t expecting the temps to be staying as high as they have been. But I guess I’m kind of used to it at this point. I had felt fine besides staying up late on Saturday (right knee was aching a bit). So Sunday was ok and getting things in order. Weight is down slightly. Plan is to drop some additional calories as I’m no longer trying to bulk. So dropping the milk and yogurt after I run out this week. This week’s training going to be a little different with the upcoming week of beach time. I wasn’t sure if I was going to be doing training while there or not and it seems the answer is not. I wasn’t sure because I had just deloaded for a contest and only four weeks back to training. But indication was the break would be good for me and I’ve been training consistently and hard even with the brief deload. So two workouts this week and then just one workout next week to get in a full three sessions of a normal week. I woke up to bad allergies for Monday. Which was not ideal with how much more hectic work has become with the new requirements. My supervisor is also out so it seems that other people are taking advantage of that to pull crap that wouldn’t be happening while they are here. Oh well. The allergies I can’t tell if allergies or if just a really weak cold. I’d rather not take all the meds because it can mask some things for recovery purposes as well as increase blood pressure (not ideal). I took some Dayquil in the afternoon as I was starting to get a sinus headache and I needed to focus on work. So feeling mostly ok when it was time to train. Warming up was ok. Nothing to really mention here. Starting off the actual training was log strict press. I was advised I could add support gear as needed to continue progressing. I think with how things are planned that I will attempt to do this block without anything and start using stuff next block on the stuff I feel I need it on. The log work was to be with the bands from last time and with 10lbs more than last time. But inverting the reps and sets. So 5x2 instead of 2x5. Similar to what I was doing with the axle and log stuff for Regionals prep out of the rack. As has been the case, I was given the option to rep out the last set up to 5 reps. I was initially going to just do 30lbs jumps but my right shoulder wasn’t feeling great and I switched to 20lbs. The blood pressure thing was noticeable here but I seemed to get better as I went. Things finally seemed to feel the right bit with everything by the fourth set. Then the last set. I was getting myself a little worked up here. This was the best set. I’m not sure what got things to click or be in the right spot but this felt perfect and the weight was feeling like something I could do like 10 more reps here. So I was happy with how that had gone. I’m always nervous that my shoulders are going to be sucky one of these sessions like what happened at the beginning of last prep with overtraining on the overhead supports and lockouts. Happy these continue to feel good and feel like there is improvement. From there, it was into the garage for chest supported barbell rows with pauses. Same as last time with it being 2x5 and the 2 second holds at contraction. But adjusting here as advised to only do the 2 second holds on the working set. Otherwise, just brief holds warming up. So slightly different warming up. I think I was not sure if that warming up would be sufficient for the expectation of the holds. Suggested was 5-10lbs more than last time. I figured I’d do 10lbs so that I was doing 225lbs. The first set felt ok and I think the second set actually felt better. So this also was good. Benching was up next. Same as last week but adding 5lbs. I figured I’d make some adjustments here as Mr. Westerling felt I wasn’t getting tight enough and that it could be the reason for some shoulder aches and that could put shoulder in less safe position. I researched a bit and I think it came down to how I was holding the bar not being as conducive to providing tension throughout the entire upper body (false grip) and that this “normal” width benching is not letting me stay tight. I was advised I could make adjustments to what feels comfortable. So I decided I’d bring my hands in (not quite my close grip bench) and see how that went. I also setup the chains a bit better I think. With the amount of time fiddling around with setup in the garage, I did turn on one of the three fans to cool things off a bit. This felt much better and I wasn’t feeling that sensation of “heavy” on my wrists like when I’d go up in weight. The changes in weight felt reasonable to me as I went up. I didn’t feel the need to add my wrist wraps for comfort here. I was however noticing my lower back was really tight on the left side. I feel this is likely from the farmer’s walk picks. But first noticing it on anything. So a little gingerly getting up. Time for the top sets. First set felt decent and I was feeling confident. Second set I setup slightly off and I kept misgrooving so I racked the weight after two reps. I took about 30 seconds to reassess and went back under the weight to get the second set. Not as crisp as the first (obvious after doing more reps). But I think I’m going to stick to this style going forward for my benching. Feels safe and I feel “stacked”. Triceps also feeling it. Last thing being face pulls with bands to finish up. Outside for these for ease of teardown. Reps increased to 25-30 for the two sets. I do like how these seem to light up this one spot on my shoulders and upper back in the first few reps. Like it is getting work done and is “reversing” the stress from the pressing. Doing 30 reps the first set I knew the second set would be tougher. Put stuff away before realizing that my roast I got wasn’t going to be edible and had to make a new dinner from scratch. Then stretched.

July 10, 2024 – Week 5, Day 2

Dynamic Warm Up

Deadlifts w/ Bands (straps)
No Bands
135x5
Add Bands (+7lbs/+42lbs)
135x3
185x3
225x2
275x2
315x1
365x1
405x5
405x5

Step Ups (18”)
bwx25 L
bwx25 R

Single Leg Wall Sits
bwx40 seconds L
bwx40 seconds R

Crunches
bw+35x35

Paused Hanging Knee Raises (1 second)
bw+20x20

Stretching
 
Comments: Work continues to get worse with the stress being added. Received an e-mail from management with less than 30 minutes left in the day (Tuesday) indicating that a process that has been in place since before I started working here (over 12yrs) is changing effective the following day (Wednesday). Apparently meeting with the one supervisor here as team tomorrow to discuss the change and field questions/concerns. Which doesn’t really matter as rarely do things revert back just because we say it doesn’t work. It just all seems to be happening when the other supervisor is out… Just more work and stress. Very tempted to call of sick the rest of day today and tomorrow. But I’m not. Allergies were at least back under control. Been staying hot and humid. I didn’t want full blast fans on but I felt it made sense to have the one oscillating fan like I did Monday for benching on for some air flow with how humid it was. Again this workout seems to line up with a storm coming through but at least this time I wouldn’t be worrying about rain until after the workout. But it was getting a bit gusty. Warming up felt fine. Just keeping an eye on everything. Up first was deadlifts. Same as last time with it being with bands and for 2x5. Not required to be beltless but I wanted to keep it that way at least for this session and possibly the next to finish out this block of training that way. Plan being same warming up with it being 40-50lbs jumps with the weight to be 405lbs. Same bands as last time. Attempting the same form as suggested last time with trying to have the knees forward more. I can certainly say lower back was feeling a little stiff. Some knee aches too. This could just be high stress stuff with work and hopefully I can relax all next week. I feel it might have been present last time but it felt more apparent this time with how the first rep feels vs the subsequent reps with this style. The last single with 365lbs had me a little concerned with how these sets would go. Possibly fatigue from Saturday farmer’s walks. Just not feeling like everything it “tight” that first rep. That first rep with 405lbs did not feel smooth and fast to me. I was kind of worried about how it went but then the other reps were like it should. Seems to be the stretch reflex with this style works well and consistent. The second set that first rep felt a lot better and the rest of it felt fairly consistent. I kind of hoped these would feel a little easier than they did but this has been a 90lbs increase in a month (not including the bands added). Looks to be just one set next time. The humidity was definitely increasing the sweat factor and I was needing a towel. I ended up turning on a big fan in the sunroom/patio area for more air flow. Didn’t make sense to turn on more fans in the garage since the rest of the workout wasn’t going to be in there. Outside for step ups. Still doing bodyweight on these but more reps. It sounds like next time weights will be added and more volume. I had mentioned last time that my knees were feeling fairly good and I had been tempted to do these without last time. I decided I’d do that this time and thankfully there was no issues here. Set of 25 reps each side. The additional 5 reps was noticed. It is kind of funny that this number of reps on these are what I had worked up to when I had to rehab things back in 2016 to get back to some form of training. But that had been 50 reps total alternating legs and going with not specific control or intent like here (fast up, controlled down). More sweating and on to the next thing. I had taken some breaks last time to space things out to make sure that I wasn’t lifting while it was raining. I figured this time that I wanted to get through these a little quicker so that I wasn’t doing them when the rain hit (and get to dinner prep sooner). Wall sits were next. Single leg and advised to keep at bodyweight. Goal to add 5-10 seconds to last time for the progression. 30 seconds had felt tough but that was the first week and I didn’t set a timer to really be focused on so just went with 30 seconds. I set the timer for 40 seconds so that I had that option there if I made it without issue. The added 10 seconds was noticed here too haha. Really any time after 30 seconds felt about the same. Core work after that. Weighted crunches. I went with the metal plate this time around. Rep range was increased to up to 35 reps. Reverted back to breaking the reps mentally in chunks of 5 reps. Felt my mid section feel like it was going to cramp but it didn’t. No hip flexor tightness this time around. Hanging knee raises to end things. This is where I kind of accept a break has to happen to get the stuff outside setup. This time I was to add weight to the movement. Still doing them with holds. Suggested had been to either secure weight to my thighs or hold a weight between my thighs. I asked if I could use the leg/ankle weights I had instead and that was given a go. The 20lbs weights definitely pull me down a bit so I have even less clearance unweighted on these. I wasn’t sure what to expect as far as difficulty here but was pleasantly surprised that I could get 20 reps with some in the tank. Put stuff away and got dinner ready while attempting to dry off and keep cool from the sweat and heat. Stretched later in the evening.

July 20, 2024 – Week 6, Day 3

Dynamic Warm Up

Yoke (Casual Pace)
200x50’
300x50’
400x50’
500x50’
600x50’
600x50’

Sandbag Loads (57“)
175x2
225x2
275x5

Sled Pushes (turf)
75x50’
(60 seconds rest)
185x50’/185x50’
185x50’/185x50’
185x50’/185x50’
185x50’/185x50’
185x50’/185x50’

Stretching
 
Comments: A week away at the beach with family. This is something I’ve only been doing more recently as I had to go all the time when I was younger and then when I didn’t I didn’t. But since 2021, I’ve made it a point to do it. 2022 I got overly stressed with things and ended up getting a bit sick with stress so I cancelled. But last year went well and I feel like this year did as well. There are things I enjoy about it but I can’t be stress free away from the comforts of home and routine. My lower back felt tight the entire time and eased up on me on the drive back home. Last year, I had done bodyweight and band workouts. I was told to do none of that this time around and that was probably for the best honestly. I attempted to get 2 mile walks on the beach and/or swim in the ocean and/or pool every day besides the first and last day. I wasn’t too sure how things would feel after taking a week off essentially and jumping right back in as if nothing happened. I forgot I had set my alarm and hour early so I reset it and slept for another hour. Drive out wasn’t bad. Lot of cloud cover and seemed to be cooler than it had been. I wasn’t really expecting much and just went through the motions with the warming up stuff. Good bit of people now that other people are back from deload and getting closer to the late summer/early fall shows. The humidity was noticeable today so I was sweating a good bit. Starting things off was yoke. Plan here was 600x2x50’ at casual pace and about 2 minutes or so rest between sets. Continuing with no support gear of any kind as well. I thankfully didn’t have to move too much stuff around for training today. 100lbs jumps and just going as I felt. I was keeping an eye on my lower back as that had been tight all this week. The casual pace coupled with doing without support gear seems like the smart thing right now with how things were feeling. A little bit of knee aches but nothing major. I felt like the second set I felt better as far as the sensation of weight on my body and being able to control how I was moving with it. Next was sandbag loads. Really sweaty so took my time without stripping down the yoke. A bit of nerves as I was feeling gassy with this working up. Plan was to do one notch higher as far as the loading height (so 57-58”) since that would be closer to what a good extension height would be and no longer doing atlas stones for right now so don’t have to match the heights. Suggested was to do 250-275lbs for just one set of 5. I could repeat the same weight and go to the higher load height. But I’d rather just get it over with on the 275lbs bag. The sooner I get done with it, the sooner I can get to the fuller bags above that weight. The 275lbs bag as I mentioned is underfilled by like 25lbs so it is quite loose for the size and weight of the bag. So it isn’t a quick pick up type thing. And it is the bag I tore/strained the right hamstring on earlier this year. 50lbs jumps warming up with doubles. I also lapped and walked the bags over besides the top weight bag. The picking up of the 275lbs bag was going to be the part of this that required effort as the loading and such wasn’t going to be so bad. As expected, I did have to take my time with getting the bag secured before lifting. So it didn’t make sense to run around like a loon here. Of course, I’d have liked for the pick to lap to be easier and quicker but work with what I can and what I got. I wasn’t really able to “take my time with putting stuff away” after that as someone needed the lanes but I did still needed to setup for the sled work. I was not looking forward to this. Continuing to be 5 sets of 100’ with 60 seconds rest. With the pushes, 50’ with two sleds with the space available is the best option here. Have to use 10-20lbs more than last time. Last time, I had not felt like the weight was moving fast that first set like I was hoping so I kind of was prepared for that to be the case this time around. As has been the case, last set of these I’m really dragging. Each set I was getting slower by like 2 seconds with the last one being a good bit more than that. I could tell this was going to be rough on the second set but kept pushing. Almost retched in my mouth after I was done with this. Despite how I feel, it does seem that I recover from the ordeal fairly quick. Ate the food I brought with me and put away stuff and helped out before driving home to stretch out.

June 30, 2024 - July 6, 2024 - Week 4

 July 1, 2024 – Week 4, Day 1

Dynamic Warm Up

Axle Strict Presses w/ Chains (+28lbs)
46x5
76x5
106x5
136x5
166x5
166x5

Band Assisted Pull-ups
sbx5 at pin 17
abx5 at pin 17
lbx5 at pin 17
lbx5 at pin 17

12” Log Incline Bench Presses w/ Bands (+5lbs/+25lbs)
87x10
117x5
147x3
177x2
207x5
207x5

Chin Up Holds
bwx32.44 seconds+12 seconds eccentric

Active Shoulder Hangs
bw+10x68 seconds+10 seconds relaxed

Stretching
 
Comments: I was feeling a bit under the weather Sunday and I was worried I had caught something. But I think it was a combination of allergens in the air exacerbating allergies as well as just feeling very stressed with the new requirements at work. As well as just other things. Even things looking forward to that can create stress because deviation from the schedule and require a lot of effort to shuffle things around. But often the case is just taking some meds and getting good bit of food and resting. And trying to do that as far as resting. And resting sometimes leads to getting a breather from the hustle and bustle to figure out what I want to actually be doing. Monday was about as dumb as I was expecting things to go with the work changes. Even with things that were going to be there tomorrow to handle, I had to put that out of my mind so that I could do what I wanted to do and train. By this time, my wrists were feeling mostly good. It really does seem to be a delay with joint aches and then just seemingly going away. Warming up to start things off. Most of the workout was going to be outside anyways so no fans. I could tell I was a little stuffy with breathing. But thankfully it wasn’t as humid as it was on the weekend. I was keeping my eye on everything and it all seemed to be good. Starting things off was axle pressing. Strict out of rack. With log, I had gone with bands as the resistance. I wanted to do chains here instead. I used to do a lot of chain axle pressing that seemed to be beneficial. But same thing it was for log with plan being use the same weights as the first workout but with the added accommodating resistance. I did increase the pick height by one to see if that was less stressful on the knees with the unracking of weights. I think this did help with that some. I did have to move some things around as this is the first time I’ve done chain pressing overhead since I’ve gone to home gym setup. Feels like I remember it. Did 30lbs jumps. I was noticing some triceps fatigue here with the added weight but I was decently happy that I wasn’t feeling like the weight was too heavy on my shoulders and that feeling of overtraining. I was also feeling crispy and powerful with the hip power and mobility. The triceps were definitely noticing the chains here. So that went fairly well I think. Band assisted pull-ups after that. So progression on these is a little weird as the plan is still 2x5 with a band assistance that lets me pull fast and with full ROM explosively but to make that harder. I don’t really want to use a thinner band because anything less than the light band tends to dig/cut into my shins. So that would mean next option would be to lower the pin catch height so that the assistance is still same bands but less at the top of the movement. I was a little worried like usual on these as the first two working up sets don’t have me feeling like the working set assistance is going to be the right difficulty. It feels like I’ll be struggling to make it how it should but then I do it and it is like why were you worried. So I’ve come to kind of expect both things here. Unlike say last time, I didn’t notice that much fatigue between the sets. Then incline log pressing. Also 2x5. I elected to do bands here as I’ve done bands before on this and it felt good and I kind of wanted to have the pressing be a different resistance between the standing and prone. I needed to check and see what worked with bands as it has been a bit and I didn’t want to use as much band tension as I’ve used before. So it was a bit of trial and error to get things worked out. But I seemed to get it figured out. Same weight as last time but with the bands. Definitely noticed the bands at lockout. Certainly feels more comfortable compared to regular benching. Not to say this isn’t challenging. Have to move fast. And there was definitely a slow down compared to last time. But that is to be expected with adding resistance. I’m glad that this felt mostly good and not feeling like my shoulders are weak (sign when overdoing it recover wise). That was that for the usual things. As mentioned, this end of workout is a bit different compared to the alternating week. I knew what to expect with the chin up hold. I knew that I wasn’t going to have any issues. Just hop up there and hold. And try like hell to get over 30 seconds this time. This is one of those few things were I apparently count too fast but I made sure I did like 5 seconds more than last time. I was able to control the eccentric even better this time around as well without getting nearly as tense and ab cramp holding this. I do like how this is working things while being relatively safe for the biceps. Last thing the active shoulder hang. I was advised I could add 10lbs to this since I got over a minute. I had to mess around with dip belt setup a little to make sure I had clearance for weight. I ended up miscounting a little. I really wanted to get a minute again here and also make sure I lowered slowly into the relaxed state. This was tough but it turns out I must have missed about 5-10 seconds somewhere in my head. Put stuff away and made dinner before stretching out. Got to see what Tuesday brings as far as answers for some things.

July 3, 2024 – Week 4, Day 2

Dynamic Warm Up

Front Squats w/ Chains (+28lbs)
No Chains
45x5
Add Chains
45x5
95x3
135x3
185x2
225x2
250x5
250x5

Hyper Extensions
bwx20

Hyper Extension Holds (Neck Harness & Plate)
20+45x45 seconds

Planks
bw+53x60 seconds

Side Planks
bwx60/60 seconds

Stretching
 
Comments: So lets start with how dumb a day Tuesday was. Stressful with the work. Gastro appointment was at 9:45AM and I didn’t see the doctor until 11:00AM. Given no reason but I was already vibrating with range at this point. Also told that I needed new blood work (apparently the April ones are recent enough) and a new ultrasound (that I got a little over a year ago). The appointment could’ve just been an e-mail or phone call. Why not have me scheduled for that stuff prior to this appointment? I had taken 2hrs of leave from work expecting things to be done in an hour so had to take more leave and be behind by over 20 minutes on my already busy schedule. I didn’t want to deal with any more medical crap until after vacation so August is when I’m getting the ultrasound and the follow up. The podcast with the new owner of SC was a nothing burger and it honestly sounds like more stuff for weight classed athletes and likely making things harder for the Regional shows and Pro/Ams. So not really a fan of that. But have to wait and see I guess. I had blood drawn at the appointment and it seemed like a good amount of it but thankfully I didn’t feel like I was low energy or anything from that. Hardly any bruising either. My jaw on the left side has felt stiff and that is possibly just from stress stuff. But maybe the active shoulder hangs. But know I need rest. At this point, I’m like 99% certain on what I’m doing as far as competing with upcoming shows. With one big a pretty abrupt change. Because I want to do stuff that gets me to the next thing but also do stuff that is fun. Wednesday was thankfully a little less hectic but still very busy. I rarely have looked forward to getting off work for holidays (especially in the middle of the week) but my mental wellbeing was banking on being off for the 4th so I could recover and catch up. Warming up was feeling fine. I’d say slightly more knee aches compared to past few sessions. But kind of expected considering that the unrack of axle tends to be just as stressful (sometimes more so) than unracking weight for front squats. So while some knee aches, my shoulders felt pretty darn dandy on stuff which is sometimes not the case. I did notice the music felt “louder” than usual, which is usually a sign of stress for me. So speaking of front squats, front squats to start things off. This is one of the few exercises where I’m using supportive gear. It is literally these, step ups (and tempted to not next time) and bench press (wrist wraps). Because the knees. Which are feeling happier compared to points in the last cycle (especially last week leading up to Regionals and Regionals itself). So like the analogous exercise of deadlifts, I was to do these with more weight than last time and with accommodating resistance. I had done bands (since that is what was dictated) for the deadlift so I figured I’d do chains here. I’ve done bands on front squats a good bit and I think knowing that perhaps not firing on all cylinders at the moment that chains would be a nice break and feel more like “live weight” for overhead. It apparently has been almost 5yrs since I last did front squats of any kind with chain weight. I knew this was going to be the toughest thing of the session for me. Front squats are a lot harder for me without belt(s) and it was noticeable with last session on 225lbs. Especially with the efforts from the previous stuff. I guess one plus was my upper back wasn’t as sore from training as it was last time coming into this workout. Right hip was feeling a little achy but nothing concerning as it didn’t get worse as things progressed. The chain weight added was certainly noticeable. I had to remind myself that just because it feels heavy on the shoulders doesn’t mean I can’t move it (similar to feelings with rack work for push press/jerks). I knew that I had to let things settle walking out the weight with the chains. First set I felt like it was heavy but trusted myself and was moving it decently. The chains letting up can throw things off a little and I got a little pitched forward and had to stop for a brief moment to make sure I was stable before resuming. I didn’t have that issue with the second set. Took some time putting things away to rehydrate as well as get ready for the rest of the session. From there on to the mid-section work with bracing exercises. The back extension hold had suggested increasing the reps of the bodyweight extensions further from last time. So 15-20 reps. So 5 rep increase if I wanted to (and doubling what I had been doing). I figured it was a good idea to do more reps as written to get myself moving. No belts has definitely been required my midsection and back to be working harder. My hamstrings were getting a decent pump (I forget they can when doing these higher rep) and I was wondering if that would take away from the hold. The bracing for front squats no belt and axle press no belt definitely leading to some fatigue. The hold was the same weight as last time (20lbs on the neck harness and 45lbs held in the row position) with the max time but stop 5 seconds short of failure. I could tell this might not be a PR day for me on this with how things felt locking out. This was a struggle and I ended up being a second short of last time with less in the tank. This isn’t unexpected really as last time I was pretty fresh whereas this time I’ve increased the weights on everything lower body by 10% or more (not including bands/chains). As long as I’m doing 40 seconds or more on this, I’m good. With that done, it was time to finish up with the abdominal bracing. The standbys of weighted plank and bodyweight side planks. No changes but I guess why mess with what is perfect? Put away some more stuff to kind of recover a little before just doing these. I felt that both variations took less out of me compared to the last session. I noticed I was able to do better braced breathing on the weighted plank. After that was finished, I loaded up the power keg into my car so I can drop it off at the gym on Saturday (lending it for show in September). Cooked up dinner before stretching.

July 6, 2024 – Week 4, Day 3

Dynamic Warm Up

Farmer’s Walk (Casual Pace)
50x50’
100x50’
150x50’
200x50’
250x50’
250x50’

Atlas Stone Loads (55“, tacky)
235x1
285x5

Sled Drags
135x50’
235x50’
60 seconds rest
245x100’
245x100’
245x100’
245x100’
245x100’

Stretching
 
Comments: The work week was fairly dumb but I think I was expecting it to be more stressful than it ended up being. Albeit end of the day Friday I got some of the expected crap I was expecting but that will have to wait until Monday. Having off Thursday was helpful and needed I think for me to kind of get stress levels down. The jaw tension on the left side went away overnight. Will need to keep an eye on things with this heat like dry skin as starting to notice that in the heels again after it not being an issue for a good bit. I was anticipating what the next block of training would be leading up to today after making some decisions on the next competition. Drive out was how I prefer it to be with not much in the way of congestion getting through Harrisburg. I was kind of surprised by that with the holiday weekend but I’m assuming people left earlier in the week and took off. I guess Sunday would be the busier day. I think that I got used to the expectation of heat that I didn’t bother to see how hot it was going to be today as the sun was brutally hot once I got out of the car and the humidity was such that you could tell when one of the fans wasn’t working properly in the gym. Some new people at the gym as well as some regulars. Not everyone considering three had competed the week before. I had received some messages that I reviewed from Mr. Westerling before I started warming up about the upcoming training plan. I had mentioned I was like 99% sure on the next competitions and had started to accrue things for it but not committed (like entry fee, leave, etc.) until I got the go ahead essentially. One of those shows was a Pro/Am in the deep south in 9 weeks that had odd events that I should excel at but had a lot of baggage attached to it. I had initially ruled it out in late March but came back to it last week after making some tweaks and seeing somethings a little more favorable. But that could also be attributed to finally feeling some mental recovery from Regionals. It would’ve required a lot of firsts for me and not being able to have access or assistance from family due to other things going on at that time. My parents and my coach both weighing in and thinking it wasn’t worth it pretty much told me that I should reconsider so I did. So offseason will continue with plan for January. Warming up felt fine and good mostly. My right knee was feeling a little achy but I feel that was more an accumulation of stress from the axle and front squats. Noticeable but not to the point of concern. I was essentially drenched in sweat by this point. First thing for the day was farmer’s walk. To be done at the casual pace and no support gear. Farmer’s walk was having a bit more aggressive increase compared to yoke from last time. Yoke had gone up 50lbs whereas this was to go up 50lbs per hand. I had asked about this leading up to last week’s Day 3 session so I understood the reasoning. I was only concerned with the effort of the pick at 250lbs with no belt. Initially I had things set for the one lane so that I could avoid having to move equipment and not tempt fate with the hamstring thing again. But not meant to be. One of my training friends has a competition coming up and they have to train 8 events for it with it being a championship and overseas. I have always been of the mind that when training with a group or in the place with several people that priority goes to the person with the more important or closer competition. At least for me. Seeing as I was doing just offseason training and they were prepping for a world championship in 7 weeks and we had both started warming up, I decided to move into the other lane and move equipment for that. I had no issues this week with doing that. I felt fine with the farmer’s walk. I did use liquid chalk for the sets at 250lbs because of the sweat factor being so bad. First set the pick felt awful and the second set it felt expected. Weight didn’t feel challenging in my hands and I felt that I had much better control of the implements and didn’t experience the side to side wobble like last time. So that is a good sign and just a reminder that I can still return to form on farmer’s walks fairly quick.  I took my time putting stuff back where I got it before moving on to the next thing; stones. I wanted to make sure that I was keeping hydrated and giving myself enough time that I wasn’t having a lot of liquid in my stomach before I started pushing things hard. So like sandbag loads last week, I was to only do 1x5 with the weight that was to be 250lbs. But as mentioned last week, I went 35lbs heavier than what was suggested. I was feeling a little more motivated for the stones with thinking about a pro/am show in March with them but now that plans are more solidified with the January show, it would appear no more stones after this week (as show doesn’t have stones). So feeling a little deflated on that front. But it does mean on the plus side that I won’t have to deal with tacky clean up and using up my athletic tape or having to train them in the summer with how much I sweat. Since I wasn’t really going to be going beyond this for the foreseeable future, I elected to just stick to smaller diameter stones and do a 50lbs jump as intended from last time. So that meant a single with 235lbs and then do 285lbs (it might now be 290lbs) for the working set. I did manage to wrap my arms better this time around so that it wasn’t too tight and cutting off circulation to my hands. I’ve not really used the new stone setup that much as last time had been stone of steel on the other side. But the stones this time were initially picking up the rubber matting so there was some added resistance. There isn’t much to say here other than it was pretty routine and I don’t really like the smaller diameter stones. It does seem based off this that in the future, I may need to expect two sessions on stones to start feeling like I’ve shaken the rust off things. Clean up thankfully wasn’t too arduous, same as last time. I didn’t use a ton of tacky. Taking my time after that to get things setup for the sled drag to finish things off. I had been taking my time between things because of the heat as well as to make sure things settled in my stomach before doing the next thing. I was also helping with setting up things for two training friends for their upcoming competitions. I’m always going to do that if people need it. It was just as hot outside as it was last time I did the sled drag. I at least knew what I’d be doing after the rude awakening of those first two weeks getting these short rest runs of sled work. I at least know that I’m getting slightly better with my recovery and pacing myself. 10lbs added as I knew how much this was going to suck and I want to keep progress going. I knew this was doable from last time. As is usually the case, the second set I got faster and then there was drop off after that a little bit with a big one for that last set. But no stopping and still going. Took a bit for me to cool off and put stuff away before consuming the meal I brought and then driving home. I needed the A/C on the whole time in the car driving back. Stretched when I got home.