Took a week off lifting due to travel. Feeling fat, weak, and lumpy. Squats today.
I’m going to try the Starr 5x5, as opposed to the 5x5 I was doing.
Felt wiped out like I had done a hard hour in the gym just after my first warmups. 
I was sick for a week and not sleeping well due to travel, but damn, I had nothing.
I’ve started taking ZMA the last few days. No clear signs of anything yet.
I was about to bemoan my weakness and sluggosity when I see that I’m not as wiped as I was after Wednesday’s session, so maybe I’m getting back :rolleyes:
Weakness and sluggishness continues. Don’t know what’s up. The only change has been adding ZMA. Hard to imagine that’s what’s causing it. I’m guessing that being sick, and not eating or sleeping quite right during my travel week is to blame, but it’s been a week back and I’m just slow, weak, and have no stamina. The bitch is that I am now going to lose strength due to not being able to do any decent session! I’ll push through today’s squats and build back up.
I’m going to have to slog through some reps and build up some stamina at least, since the strength seems to be gone I can barely push 225 in the bench, down from 275 a few weeks ago. Squats were sloooooow. I finished off with rack pulls, which felt okay at super-low weight. I don’t know why I’m so weak, but I’ll just squat maybe 5x6 Monday and see about moving the weight up slowly after that.
Took extra days off just because I was lazy, but: I was clearly stronger and had more in the tank in today’s squat session. So maybe my recovery is even more limited than I think it is? Actually almost equalled my SQ PR, but not as many reps, 4 instead of 5. I haven’t worked up to a 1rm, since I’m not strong enough to hit any meaningful number. My 5 rep counts for my max for now.
Have been taking ZMA for 2 weeks and have not noticed anything except for falling asleep faster and maybe more vivid dreams.
Am still stuck at a lower weight in BP than I had 6 weeks ago?? I struggled to do 225x2x5, I’m going to think some about both finding a new gym (unrelated to my progress) and making a new plan.
I don’t know about ZMA. I’m writing this at 4:56 am becasue 10 minutes ago I was blasted awake by the train in my dream that was about to hit me. Thing is, when I have one like that it’s a real experience – the shock doesn’t go away once I wake up. I sometimes have one like that, but not 2 in 3 weeks usually. Going straight back to sleep was out, but maybe I can now that I’ve shaken it off a bit.
Threw up a huge PR today – details at 11.
Congrats! The training is doing well for ya…
Thanks Evan, I have to force myself to go sometimes, but when I see myself in the mirror after a session like that, I see a person who is much more focused, clear, and generally alive that I am at almost any other time. Can’t fake that sense of accomplishment, either to yourself or other people. Right now I’m feeling like The Man, and as anyone who reads this knows, that ain’t generally the case.
I have been bitching about weakness but upon reading someone’s warmup recommendations over at Power & Bulk I decided to do that instead of my usual warmup. My usual SQ warmup is (I realize these are low numbers, I’m ashamed of that but at least they’re going up)
Lifecycle 5 min, level 4
bar x 10
95 x 5
135 x 5
155 x 5
then whatever my work was going to be, usually 175 x 5 for 2 sets.
Today I did (last SQ was Thursday)
Lifecycle same
bar x 5 (also testing height of the pins in power rack)
95 x 3
135 x 2
155 x 1
175 x 1
which made me realize 185 was there (previous max was 175, but for 5) which I smoked, then figured 205 was reasonable to attempt, and it went strongly, then then I had an “F it, I’m going to go for 225” wave come on. I filled my lungs and held my breath on this one (usually don’t hold breath but had on the 205) and gutted up a limit ATF high bar lift with a some lean and a hard push.
Yay me. I realize that I haven’t been training for strength.5s are fine but it was time to switch up. As Dan John says, nothing works forever and I was stale at 5s. I have to see if this applies to BP as well. I still have 300 in my sights.
I know a lot more people who work out and can’t do a legit ATG 225 squat than people who can, so I’d say it’s something to be proud of accomplishing.
That bench looks nice by the way (wouldn’t mind being there myself a few months down the road)–what is your bodyweight if you don’t mind me asking?
A fat 240 or so, ugh. I am now feeling good enough to really lean up. I started moving in that direction a while ago but haven’t made much progress. I already don’t do much “bad” so I’m a little puzzled why I’m still so fat. How I got that way is a long story, but now that my lifts are improving, I can get smaller without feeling like I’m a skinny scrawny runt again, which I was for most of my life.
I decided to duplicate my SQ w/u from the other day to BP today.
3 min Lifecycle
SQ 95 x 6
BPs
135 x 5
155 x 1
175 x 1
225 x 1
245 x 1 fast and not hard
265 x 1 was slow and hard so I would have stopped there, also I felt a little, not even a twinge, just a blip in my shoulder so I bagged bench right there, but then did 4 rounds of
front raise w/ 45 plate x 5
machine flyes x 6
cable pushdowns x 5
then a recovery shower, which I kind of had to argue with the grumpy woman at the rec center to get into the locker room. I know she kind of wants me to do something “wrong” to justify her horrible attitude, whereas I am one step away from complaining to the center director about her. Straight out of Atlas Shrugged – people don’t want to do their freakin job, and if they do they’re all surly and act like they’re doing you some big favor.
I’m going to try the above, basically, for the next few sessions to see how it goes. Oh, yeah, I super setted DB rows w/ benches. Am using the heaviest DBs on the rack! lol, that’s the weenie rack, the heavy DBs are on the other wall.
I realized, finally, that I was just not getting there w/ 6 clubs and bagged it a few months ago. A day or two ago I got the crazy notion to try for 5 torches. Crazy, since I barely do 5 clubs, but it would be nice to hit it and training for it might be good for me. Or it might not, time and energy wise.
Squats tomorrow. Will do basically the same as last time.
Ugh. Wolf hour just rolled in. Think I’ll go to sleep instead.
Tried and failed w/ 245, then missed 225, probably for reasons related to my weekend :rolleyes:
Threw 5 clubs and flashed it without much problem after having not tried it in 6 months. I may go for 5 torches. I’ll do some calculating on that to see how realistic that is.
What kind of metabolic work are you doing to lean up?
I like walking on the treadmill at a slight incline and decent speed (for walking–usually 4-4.5) while watching Sportscenter. 20-25mins and you get a good sweat and you burn a fair amount of calories.
Torches… wow. How exactly does one go about getting into something like that?
Warmed up w/ a little juggling, but damn, I am always over-optimistic about what results I’ll actually get so I just don’t think training for 5 torches is really going to be worth it.
On to lifting. Today I warmed up for a max BP using basically the same protocol as last time. I missed 285, then made 275. I then did the same assistance work as last time, only heavier, doing sets of 3 instead of 5 or 6.
Squats tomorrow. Goal is 245-265.
As I have said before, training seems to be required for me to practice any self discipline and to not do bad things, health and fitnesswise, as well as lifewise too. Juggling just didn’t yield benefits but lifting does, and getting less fat will too. So I renew my quest for steady progress in the weight room, not only as a desirable thing in itself but also so I will force myself to do the right thing. Part of this is finding the healthy, right substitute for the bad habits, rather than trying to shut off that part of my brain. For example, if I have a hankerin for poker, I can at least play limit draw, which I win at, rather than NLHE, which makes me nuts. The list goes on, but the point is that unless I am feeling pretty good already, I tend to make the bad choices, and don’t do or even think of doing the good things.
Tried to work up to a big BP yesterday but didn’t have it. Today I was feeling really flat so I did squats thusly –
95x5
135x5
135x5
185x5
95x5
took 245 out of rack and put it right back. Had no pop for heavy anything. Finished with 135x7.
I’m feeling both speeded up and cooked from these maxes I’ve been doing. Time to back off a bit on weight. I’ve been thinking to add quarter squats to help with my vert. I want to learn the standing back tuck, and I need a little more hops to feel safe.
Today I did the “PR” warmup then realized I have to ease off heavy benching for a bit when 225 felt heavy. I instead did
pec deck
pushdowns
DB rows
OH press
3 times around on the guitar, then ran slam out of steam and bagged it.
I am issuing a fatwa against the mess in my apartment. I have a busy day Saturday, but Sunday I will smite the unholy mess that has overtaken my kitchen.
“You won’t train like a champ if you live like a chump” – me