Interesting thing from yesterday’s lift: There was a guy in his 50s, looking kind of surly, in the weight room when I got there. He ignored me completely (after casting a dark look in my direction) until I had done a few sets of squats in the power rack. He was by the way doing some strange lifting that to me showed he probably didn’t know much, but he was working hard and had some muscle. After my 3rd set he spoke up and offered to move out of the Smith machine so I could squat there -“it’s a hell of a lot safer”. :rolleyes: I said “no thanks, I prefer the rack” [do not try to educate people, esp. in the weight room], and that was all we said till he said see ya when he left, but it seemed to me that he was blowing me off as yet another weightroom wanker till he saw that I was moving real weight in a disciplined manner and actually putting out effort, at which point I became a fellow trainee.
The session itself–well, I admit I kind of wussed it. I worked up to 185 easily, then was going to do sets of 3 with that, then changed my mind and tried doubles with 205, but then kind of psyched myself out being too conscious of the pins that I had put in just in case that I lost my quickness and got pined. Then I decided I was too tired (sleep-wise) to really push it so I stopped there. Should have done the triples. There was a great article in Men’s Health, believe it or not, which I’ll write more about next time. Right now I’m having to figure out how to play aa frelling ISO file.
I knew I had nothing right from loading the bar, when the 45 felt like 70. So BP was nowhere, but I did some OK work with flyes, pushdowns, seated press and DB rowing. This after juggling. I am making a push for 6 clubs for the fest at the end of the month. I don’t really expect to juggle it by then but I would like to get somewhere. I won’t post that in detail since I’m sick of obsessing about it and there’s not much to say until I succeed anyway.
Fell asleep okay but then woke up after 3 hours so juggling was aborted after the warmup.
Felt weak warming up for BP, 225 was uggghhhh, so instead did
pec deck
pushdowns
DB rows
DB OH press
for a pretty good session. Now to fix the overall slowness and weakness. My weights in the above are moving up, but loading the bar the 45s felt heavy and benching was slow and harder than it should be at those weights.
Friday I had a crappy practice followed by a crappy lift, so of course I got wasted Friday night, leading to not sleeping, thus I was slam out of business yesterday AND not fully ready for a good training today. I’ll do it, but it probably won’t be as good. :mad:
I also “blew” $$ on supps: ZMA, Whey, Creatine, and some herbal crap that I’ve tried before that I think gives me more energy. This on the heels of deciding to make some significant dietary changes to lose the extra fat. I already wasn’t doing much “bad” so couldn’t understand why I’m still so fat, but it’s high time to insist that my body shed fat, not just ask it to.
Also realized I’ve been a weak whiny bitch about 6 clubs. I have been complaining to myself too much and fixing things not enough. I’m digging out some electrical tape from the Pit of Doom that is the mess in my car and altering my clubs to make them better for me.
Just did a crappy practice due to fatigue, still, from Friday night plus the 91F humid day. Got tape for the clubs so that plus practicing inside plus living right will lead to me doing 6 clubs.
Was ultra weak in the weight room today. I actually bagged it before I got started when the 45s felt heavier than ever. I mean they felt like 100s. I had nothing. I’ll focus on eating and sleeping better and try tomorrow.
Felt good for practice and lifting. Practice sucked, then SQ warmup felt good enought to where I decided to try a max for a mood elevator after juggling, so warmed up for it, and between the time I decided to go for it and when I was ready (warmup sets, setting the pins in the rack, etc.) 4 more people came in and it got a lot noisier, plus people wanted to watch the news :mad: If you watch the news in the weightroom you suck, unless you’re the only one there. So my energy was sucked out of me and I only got one attempt in. On my attempt of 235 something strange happened: I was nearly stuck coming up, when I kind of instinctively took my right hand off the bar :eek: and pushed on the pin to push myself up. Strange thing to do, kind of an emergency bailout kind of move. I realized I shouldn’t do that afterwards and I never even thought about doing that before. I feel strangely inhibited by the pins. I know I’m good for more, maybe much more, but the fear of missing also inhibits my best go.
Good weights today Warmup for BP went fairly well. Tried 285 but missed, then did 265 slowly enough to where I knew further heavy reps were not fruitful. Did 225x2 where the first rep blew right up but the second was slow. Then did
pec deck
DB rows
DB press
pushdowns
pulldowns
curls
and that was it. Contrast shower, whey/casein, creatine (small dose), and then food. Weights in the above have been moving up, so the 300+ BP is within range again.
This just in: I think I’ll do warm up with DBs, then hit the bench.
I just realized I never responded to this so I will in case Davan’s reading. Haven’t been doing enough metabolic work although I did do the treadmill thing you suggested. Treadmill during PTI might be the thing. I’m re-learning how to ride a unicycle. Once I get that I’ll be riding a lot. As far as torches go, they’re not hard. There’s enough of a difference to where 5 would be much harder than 5 clubs, but 3 torches is trivially harder than 3 clubs. Maybe it’s a 20% increase in difficulty.
Dumbass me burned my dinner, thus I’m still awake at this ungodly hour after stewing for an hour and finally deciding to go to the store and get more food. So some slob asked me for a ride way the hell up to North Raleigh and I gave him one, mostly as karmic payback since I’ve had people help me out when I was stuck (I’ve also had people shit all over me, but that will happen regardless, but the good mojo probably won’t happen if you don’t pass along some yourself).
I keep screwing up PR attempts. :mad: I have to make smaller jumps, plus maybe do some lockouts with BP and SQ so the weight doesn’t “feel” as heavy. I have to work at a strange time tomorrow so I didn’t push as hard as I could have. I’ll get after it Thursday.
Did some OK work with squats. Ran out of steam for UB work so I bagged it. I have to work a long-ass day tomorrow so no big deal about not lifting much; I probably should have planned an easy one anyway. I do think significant progress in SQ is close, and I kind of think all I need at this point to pop 300 bench is to feel right on the right day.
Today I felt strong at first but no stamina, none. I maybe shouldn’t have cut it short, but I’ll see if I have more steam tomorrow?? I suppose I could have powered throught it but I didn’t seem to have the gas for a really good session. OTOH, my work capacity won’t increase with time off, so maybe I just have to push through on days like that. Anyway, I’ll hit it tomorrow and work hard however it goes.
I realize that I let myself down far, far too much. I am going to do everything that can be done to nail that 300 lb. BP ASAP, and lose fat too. I have been too much of a slug. Slugness ends now.
I am just going to have to take the approach of many alcoholics: I will do the right things today. I can simply eat right, train right, and live right today. I look back at this journal, and I’ve said many times that I’m going to do better but I have regressed many times. I’ll just take it one day at a time, and at least do right today.
Training plans:
1 – Get clubs taped right to hit 6 and flash 7 in September, while it’s warm enough to practice outside. Qualify 6/Flash 7 = retired from practice with an accomplishment under my belt.
2 – Hit that 300 Bench already, damn it!!
After I get the 3, top training priority is losing fat and lots of it. I can start by eliminating some bad things now.
A guy who I hang out with bought a bunch of weight stuff and has given me a key to his apartment to lift whenever. I’m going to coach him a little on proper lifting technique and some basic programming. I fooled around with what he has tonight instead of going to the gym. I’ll still need the gym for squats, deads, etc. but can do an upper body one at his place once we get a few more plates.
I’ve decided to test this week whether there is any point in taking another shot at 6 with my newly taped clubs. If I can’t do 6 catches in a week, then 12 in a months is unlikey, to say the least. I will not half-ass any warmups; I will not “do a quick one”; I’ll approach every practice as my chance to set a PR. Which it is. I’ll also see, just see, how 7 feels – if there’s any chance at all. I’ve never tried 7, and I may be insane to even think it can work, but at least the attempts will help with 6.
I want to be done with this damn practice thing. I will feel better if I get it, but if I can’t I have to admit it and be done with this. As I type this, I’m even feeling why bother. The clubs are close to perfect, or close enough as doesn’t much matter. There is only me between now and flashing 6. Once I flash it, if I do, then I will consider whether to continue.
I’m also going to structure my weights so as to maximize the ability to bench 300 ASAP. I know this isn’t a good long term approach, and yes it’s “just a number”, but it’s one that has begun to matter to me.
Tired today but felt like 6 catches w/ the new tape job is “possibly possible”. Weights were nowhere due to sleep-related tiredness so I tried something: I just did my first 2 warmup sets in both SQ and BP and left. I’ll lift tomorrow instead, but rather than blowing it off completely, I surmised that maybe just a little might prime the pump for tomorrow. We’ll see.
:mad: If you watch the news in the weightroom you suck, unless you’re the only one there. So my energy was sucked out of me and I only got one attempt in. On my attempt of 235 something strange happened: I was nearly stuck coming up, when I kind of instinctively took my right hand off the bar :eek: and pushed on the pin to push myself up. Strange thing to do, kind of an emergency bailout kind of move. I realized I shouldn’t do that afterwards and I never even thought about doing that before. I feel strangely inhibited by the pins. I know I’m good for more, maybe much more, but the fear of missing also inhibits my best go.
Warmup for BP went fairly well. Tried 285 but missed, then did 265 slowly enough to where I knew further heavy reps were not fruitful. Did 225x2 where the first rep blew right up but the second was slow.