I just read back to see if my memory was correct and yes, last night’s bend was only a 1 inch PR. Which is surprising since it seems to me that I have a lot more easy ROM than I did then. That’s why we measure things – so as to make sure perception does not get mistaken for reality.
I can get at least another 2 inches with this method so I’ll hit it again Monday night if it feels good. It feels fine now – usually I’m swollen like mad after a bend but it’s not bad at all.
Watched the Faber-Brown war from WEC 41 while bending. Weak preparation pushed me way back timewise but I got to a new PR, which I couldn’t measure but is about 5 IFA or maybe less.
Tooled. Sleep. Will do extensions Thursday.
Just did a PR of 4 1/2 IFA. It took a long time to get the rig set up so I got quite swollen before I got into the deep water. At 4 1/2 I suddenly knew it was time to stop so I did. It’s way easier if I ease off slowly so that’s incorporated now. I’m better at the setup and overall protocol too so next time the target is a solid 4. I have taken a long time between lifts, especially leg work so I’ll do a good one Monday and alternate bends and leg days which should probably be everything day considering my recovery situation.
Just BP and DL tonight. I’ll do clean & press before DL from now on. BP was just some singles with 225. DL was 4x165. I’ll start moving the weight up on conventional DL and back off RDLs since I need to focus more on quad strength. Towards that end I’ll do extensions during warmup since those work when I do them consistently.
I think what makes sense is to alternate DLs with hard bends, working something every other day. Probably some light cleans and BP will serve as warmup for bends while not leaving too long between lifts.
Oh, and I added some pinch gripping before DLs which seems a good place for them. If I don’t find a good place for something I tend to not do it.
After/during endless fucking around with the rig (a cheap POS rachet strap from Wally World) I got a solid 4 IFA and maybe it was 3 1/2. I’m inclined to say it was. I spent some good time, 5 min plus, on two reps so hopefully this will reflect in the EBA which hasn’t improved since my new round of bending.
Contact improv last night went well. Swelling as always but not bad.
High CNS sessions tool me too much. I did DLs last week and some intense juggling Sunday and both times I was flatlined hard all day. Will keep intensity lower from now on – being that cooked is not only unpleasant, it’s very dangerous – I could barely drive after doing some good runs w/ 4 club triples, which is near the highest level I was practicing at previously.
Just some deadlifts after work and putting in a new alternator belt –
DL 215 x1
185 x3
Hard bends are going well but I really need to focus on strength, especially quad strength, right now. And I am bagging the long walks since they’ve done what they were going to and at this point they aren’t doing my leg or head any good. Bike rides instead this week.
Hard Bend tonight went well. Possible PR.
Will evaluate squatting in 2 days (when I recoup from the bending).
Flat as always the day after a bend but no excessive swelling or stiffness.
I will try box squats next w/o. That is probably the answer to how to move some weight without risk to the tendon, etc.
Was able to work through a horribly dark mood while bending. I’m a bit surprised I was so fearful and dark but I pushed through it and made some progress. I still need to work harder and more consistently.
Bottom up squats from 5th pin down – 135x5
BP 205x3 after epic fail w/ 255
DL 185 felt tired from the squats
C&P 125 CNS said enough, a bit too much actually
I need every other day frequency and to avoid max efforts since my CNS can’t take it. 300 BP is close if I work regularly. Yes I know I just failed 255 but with steady work it will come.
Hard Bend tonight. Equalled my best but could have gotten more. I will now do the second rep much faster since circulation and swelling make time a big factor. Which I knew already but it’s much easier to let time slip away with the new method since there’s more stuff to mess with.
I am streamlining this further and setting up everything beforehand so I can knock it out. I set up most of it but every second counts and I wasted way way too much time with bullshit I should have already set up. Completely. Not 90% and fuck around with the other 10% and waste minutes when I have only about a 20 minute window to really dig in before the leg has had enough.
I’m going to start putting down when the next w/o is going to be so I can focus on that and be consistent. So next one is
Wednesday – UB and maybe light squat. Will go heavy Friday.
Tried cleans first but had nothing, as in nothing, off the floor. So skipped that and just did BP –
225 for 1,2,3
Could have done more but I have to watch my nerves. I get fried easily and this weight is enough to zap me if I’m not careful.
I like the ladder idea and we’ll see if my body likes it. The reps were slow as molasses though. I had no speed at all and didn’t even feel like I was able to attempt to move fast, like I could only move so fast (slow) and that’s it. I’ll have to include some explosive-type thing that doesn’t eat into my energy or CNS. Med ball throws come to mind.
Oh, yeah, the leg feels just a little – the word soft comes to mind – from the last bend which is not unusual. I thought I might not be able to squat today and that was the case. Strength and ROM are both muy importante so I’ll probably alternate, doing one hard bend and one good squat or DL each week. More than that would be asking too much from both the leg and my nerves. I am aaaaaaaaaalllllllllll used up after a bend and a little flat the next day.
Next one is
Friday – UB and squats if my leg feels right for it.
Screwed up my sleeping so am flat today. I thought I’d do a ladder w/ 235 but no – 2 singles of that were all I had. Nerves feel frayed from bad sleep. I really need to have some damn discipline and focus regarding sleep. I bagged squats since my coordination is off and I’ve hurt myself before that way.
One positive thing is that I used my last warmup to fire a fast one w/ 205 and that went up all right.
I need to pick up some washers or something next time I’m at Home Depot since 10 lb. jumps seem too much.
Next one is
Sunday – Squats and BP
I could say that things derailed me this week but that would be crap. I allowed things to mess me up. I can and will schedule and plan training such that I do what need to do physically regardless of what else ensues.
Today was a prime example. I didn’t have much energy left after other stuff so just worked up to a single w/ 245. I really need to keep up my frequency since I lose things so quickly.
Oh, yeah – next one is
Friday – Squats
I realized tonight that I was starting to do exactly what I knew I’d want to and said I wouldn’t so I won’t: go down the rabbit hole of a bigger bench. 245 is enough, or at least it isn’t a glaring weakness. I need to not use any energy or focus or time on anything other than the essentials.
Tonight was one set of below parallel squats with – wait for it – a whopping 95. It’s a new movement really doing them again and the knee was feeling it. I’ll evaluate tomorrow but I think I can increase that along with bending aggressively. Quad strength, bend angle, mobility/agility and stairs are what needs attention now, and lots of it.
Next training is
Sunday – hard bend
I don’t mean to sound sappy, but I’d like to tell you, “Good job, and keep it up.”
I can only guess how taking so long to recover from an injury feels, but you’re doing very well and you need to just keep on plugging. Things will get better.
Keep pressing yourself, Juggler.
In theory I should be completely better by now. And I should be, because even though the injury and surgery gutted my energy, I have not taken care of my business the way I need to. I do some hard work but also slack too much and don’t do everything I need to do. I’ve been doing some of it and hoping for the rest to just come. I am running out of time before I have to move so I am going to be pushing it harder this week and continuing.
One thing I realized is that progress is bogus. Progress is something I’ve used to mask failure for way too long. It does not matter that there is progress, that I do everything better now than even 2 months ago – that is BS. What matters is: am I there? If not then I’m not there and need to work more. I’ve tracked progress and told myself I was doing better. Which I have been, but if success is coming that slowly it’s really failing.
Hard bend. Not sure if I got to new territory. I cut it a little short to be less tooled tomorrow. I need to accelarate the rehab greatly. I’ve got to push it. I realize I sound like I contradicted myself but hard hard days take way too much out of me.
I am focusing very specifically on one important aspect this week. I really think it is a major key. This will get [SIZE=“7”]done this week.[/SIZE]
Also, Feldenkrais is essential. So is foam rolling. So is stretching. These are things that will help me move a lot better without too much of a hit on my limited recovery abilty. I’ve been slacking major on all of these. I however have very limited ability to focus on tasks so in the real world, epsom salt baths will have to do the job of these for the most part. Ideal? No. But what I can really do? Yes. It is not the best possible way, but it is the best way possible.
Tonight was short range high rep max effort partials supersetted with iso holds.
That was the James Smith version of: I pushed my car across the street. Broke down. First assessment is distributor.
Life sucks, I suck, everything sucks, and I realize that my mood is darkened by my lack of fish oil. I’ll attack this hard but first I need to chill a bit.
It’s a damn good thing this didn’t happen yesterday when I was way up in the middle of nowhere. So much to prepare for, so much to do.
I’m getting booted from my place soon and winter is coming. I hated hated hated last winter which was looooooooooooonnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnggggggggggggggg and miserable. I’ve been thinking about going to Thailand. I want to go somewhere that’s cheap, warm, interesting and not highly stressful. Research continues.
Started to squat but I could feel the nerves and energy taking a hit probably due to bad sleep. I’ll sleep early and lift something Friday. I’ll need to blow off steam after work, which even when people aren’t asshats is still a big load on the nerves.
I think I will stick to the singles thing since I feel less tooled afterward and that’s important for all the stuff I have to do, like cleaning out the basement.