Ugh

I already hate this week. I want to lift and lift heavy, dammit. Whenever I take time off from the gym (planned or unplanned), mentally I’m a wreck. I should be proud of the fact that I haven’t missed a workout in 12 weeks and I’m going to be better off because of the rest, but I get so pissed off when I can’t do anything. I don’t even think this will last through tomorrow, as I’ll go and do core/back strengthening or something. Bah.

Peppermint Mocha

If you haven’t tried Starbucks’ peppermint mocha latte, you’re missing out. It’s ridiculous. I had one yesterday and craving another today but opted to make a protein shake version instead. It turned out pretty good, here’s the recipe:

-1 cup milk

-1/2 cup plain yogurt (or cottage cheese)

-1.5 scoops chocolate protein powder

-1 tbsp instant espresso

-1 tbsp cocoa powder

-Splenda

-couple drops of peppermint extract (go easy, otherwise it will taste like mouthwash)

-ice if you want

Blend in the Magic Bullett, and enjoy.

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Now playing: Peter Reitzes and Eric Jackson – The Role of Genetics in Stuttering with Dr. Dennis Drayna (Episode 9)
via FoxyTunes

The past couple of weeks…

No posts in a while, I’ve been busy and lazy at the same time. Without getting into the details, training has been fair. Some decent numbers here and there, particularly with 2-board pressing (245 x 3 on separate occasions), but my various injuries are starting to add up and since this morning marked the end of Phase III, I’m going to take a week of prehab/rehab and just do basic, light lifting and shoulder stabilization stuff so I can fix this impingement and my other right-sided problems, including my lower back, both muscular and joint-related pains. My wife now says I have a leg length discrepancy in my right leg, which has caused ankle problems and lead to the chain of right-sided issues. She says that by lifting in flat-soled shoes for the past few months and using a greater load, I’ve aggravated it, whereas during the fat-loss workouts I had been used to, I was able to get away with it. This disappoints me because I’ve grown accustomed to doing dead lifts and squats in socks or Sambas, but the more I think of it, my ankle has been popping a LOT more since I started doing that. It flies in the face of everything I’ve been doing lately, but I’m going to give it a shot. And hey, a lot of what I’ve been doing lately has hurt. I’m going to get an insert for my shoe and see how it turns out. Otherwise I may need an orthodic.

As far as the shoulder goes, no more pressing for a while. Twice-a-week benching (in some form or another) has contributed to this I’m sure. I figured that with the reduced range of motion stuff like the floor press and the 2-board press (that by themselves didn’t cause any pain) would let me get away with lifting heavy but the amount of volume I’ve done the past 3 weeks has no doubt made it a little worse. I’ll stick to pulls, particularly shoulder blade stuff.

Once Prehab/Rehab Week is over, I’ll decide where to go from there. If I do Phase IV, I’ll probably herniate a disc or my shoulder will be torn out of its socket, so I’m not going to be stupid, no matter how much I want to stay on this program. It’s not worth being seriously injured because of it. I might go back to Phase I and re-do that, focusing more on technique, or I might do 4 weeks of hypertrophy (minus heavy deadlifts and squats) just to keep busy without re-aggravating my perpetually collapsing body.

I’m upset about all of this, but it makes sense. The muscles on my right side, including hamstring, glute, and quad, all feel more sore after training them compared to the left, including doing single-leg stuff. Those little things add up and I’m seeing the consequences.

In any case, maybe this will give me more time to read and take care of life’s other pressing matters. I’m still working my way through Bill Simmons’ Book of Basketball, and I was able to listen to Chuck Klosterman’s Eating the Dinosaur on audiobook, both of which are really good. Klosterman’s book is denser than his others and he deals with slightly more important issues compared with Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs.  The guy is just a great writer.

I’m going to relax today and play some NBA Live, then seeing A Christmas Carol later tonight.

Various injuries and enjoying time off…

Heavy box squats on the Friday after Thanksgiving, and while I hit a new personal record with 285 x 2, my wife says my pelvis went out of alignment, causing me some lower back pain. She set me back in place and I feel fine now, but it’s still discouraging. After all the sets of squats plus one set of lunges, I packed it in for the day.

My shoulder was also in a lot of pain after sleeping on it wrong and putting it back in impingement, and once again Jaylynn to the rescue helping me with opening up the joint a bit. I’m skipping overhead presses for a while and substituting a neutral grip incline dumbbell press, which felt good yesterday. Also instead of the pin presses (which may or may not have hurt last week), I’m doing the two-board press (with the foam block), and it went really well yesterday. I had no pain even with 245 x 2 and 4 sets of 225 x 3.

Here’s what I did the past two days:

Friday:

A) Speed free squat 8 x 2, then  2 x 2 heavy box squats (up to 275 x 2 and 285 x 2)

B1) Rack pulls (only did one set of 135, back didn’t feel good, then quit)

(skipped wall ankle mobs)

C) Dumbell lunges off step (one set of 5, then quit)

Went home.

I was in a bad mood all yesterday, thinking i had crippled my back and shoulder again, thus ruining all my hard work from the past 2 months. Then my wife fixed me and I was back at it, feeling much better mentally and physically.

Saturday:

A) Speed two-board presses (substituted for pin presses) 8 x 3, then heavy for 4 sets (supposed to be 2 sets heavy but I felt inspired. Up to 245 x 2)

B1) Neutral grip incline db presses 3 x 5 (light), then 1 x 7 (light)

B2) Close grip cable rows 3 x 5, then 1 x 7

C1) Straight arm pulldowns 3 x 12 (light)

C2) Close grip push ups (substituted for lying db skullcrushers) 2 x 10

D) Chest-high wood chops 2 x 10/side (skipped on Friday, had to do at least one core exercise)

So, overall I feel good. Mentally I’m back to normal after a perceived setback, and to be safe I might keep it light the next week with anything lower back-related, including all dead lift variations. Better than crippling myself.

I love not working, this break is excellent. I’m working my way through ODST (which is decent, not really in love with it), getting some movies and reading out of the way (finally got to see Star Trek, which was awesome, and Transformers 2, which was stupid). Totally milking these next couple of days.

Happy Thanksgiving + Weird dreams

Happy Thanksgiving, everybody.

We’re looking at two meals today (well, maybe just me, Jaylynn is feeling pretty sick today…no flu no flu no flu…), one with my family, one with hers. As many of you know, I’m a big fan of eating, so I’m in a good mood. Not going to let a sick wife drag me down! Just kidding honey, I love you. Even though you don’t read my prestigious blog.

What better time to eat than after a heavy training day, and before another heavy training day. The past couple TGs I’ve been in fat-loss mode, which was really a pretty boneheaded idea to try and lose weight during the holiday season, but I’ve smartened up a bit, I think.

Upper-body from last night:

A) Floor press 4 x 2

B1) Band-resisted push ups 3 x 7, then 1 x 10

B2) Supine-grip cable rows 3 x 7, then 1 x 10

C1) Face-pulls with external rotation (pretty much just face pulls since I wasn’t sure how to do external rotations with these) 3 x 10

C2) Behind-the-neck band pull-aparts 3 x 12 (these are starting to hurt a bit on my right side, maybe going to cut those out)

Decent workout, though a little ambitious on the floor press. Once I barely got 225 for 2 reps, I tried for 230 and only hit one, then went back to 220 for the final two sets. Last week was 205 x 3, so I guess it’s still improvement. Cable rows seemed tougher this time, maybe I used a different bar? Or maybe my right shoulder is still hurting and that affected how well I could squeeze my shoulder blades. In any case, I don’t really care. I’m resorting to stretchy yoga band-things for the band-resisted push ups, and those aren’t exactly ideal. I can do a good 15-20 even with the band, so I’m just going to failure. Plus, they give me huge bruises on the backs of my arms. To make sure I’m getting the work I need, I threw on a couple extra sets of flat db bench with the 80lb-ers for 6 reps for good measure.

Overall the shoulder didn’t hurt that much, other than the band pull-aparts, which I might toss out in favor of something more comfortable. I did my rehab stuff that Jaylynn set up for me right before leaving.

I didn’t realize that the gym closed at 6 the night before Thanksgiving, so when I left at 6:05 I was confused about why the place was a ghost town. I wasn’t the only one there (a few other guys in the locker room), but I wish I had seen the sign beforehand.

Anyway, I’ve got 5 good days off which I’m using to spend time with family, but more importantly, play Halo 3: ODST. I played about an hour last night and it’s pretty good. No Master Chief in this one, so I don’t kick quite as much ass, but the game play is the same. I’m hoping to have it beat by Monday night.

Speaking of Monday night, I have NO confidence in the Patriots. None. Zero. Beat a good team and the we’ll talk, but as of right now they are useless.  (NOTE: These statements aren’t necessarily my real feelings. This is a self-preservation mechanism I use to keep my heart from being broken again.)

One more thing. I stated taking a magnesium supplement ($4 Nature Made at CVS) before bed for better sleep, and WOW does it give me some dreams. Last night was a 8-hour zombie battle royale, and it was terrifying. The night before was about working at the golf course, which was less scary but equally vivid. So far I can’t match this one I found on a forum thread about ZMA dreams (ZMA is a zinc-magnesium supplement for improved rest and recovery, I’m taking the cheap way out):

“John Laraquette, my father, is leaving us. I look at him, very seriously, and say, ‘Sir, at any point over the next five to ten years… any time… if you feel like one of those boxes of pasta (containing some kind of sentimental value) is getting… stale, then feel free to drop one off here. Good bye sir.’ And we shook hands. I went to the stairwell and started to cry because he was leaving us…”

So far after two nights and two dreams, I am sleeping like a rock.

Happy Thanksgiving, everybody. Plenty to give thanks for this year.

Week 10

Week 10 begins (or Week 2 of Phase III), and I was a man without a workout last night, as I left my log sheet and book at home. Luckily I remembered the gist of the workout and was able to complete it, but my reps on the snatch-grip dead lifts (which I did as rack pulls) were way off. Not a big deal considering. Any of my dead lift variations have sucked, I have no confidence that I’m doing it right.  Luckily my squat and bench have improved.

Here goes:

A1) Snatch-gruip dead lifts 3 x 3, then 1 x 5 (supposed to be 4 x 2, then 2 x 4)

A2) Seated 90/90 stretch 4 x 15s/side

B) Speed dead lifts 8 x 1 @ 60% 1RM (I’m pretty sure I wrote 60% last week but I think I did 50%)

C) Walking dumbbell lunges 3 x 5, then 1 x 10

D1) Dragon flags 3 x 12

D2) Suitcase dead lifts 3 x 10/side

Weights definitely increased across the board. Happy about using 60lb dumbells for walking lunges. As stated, still upset about dead lifts. I think I might just do rack pulls for anything other than speed work until I get a good assessment. I can’t tell what the hell is going on. Nothing feels right.

A really bad weekend for eating. Since I’ve given myself license to eat over the past 9 weeks, this is the first I feel like I’ve gained some fat. Harvard/Yale was a great time (ate some burgers and dogs, drank some cider & brandy, smoked a cigar, watched some football), but the rest of the time was bad for the old physique.  From baked ziti to french toast casserole to a basic sausage-egg-and-cheese at Dunkin, I felt like shit by the beginning of the week.

But I keep getting bigger and stronger, and that’s all that matters right now.

Ouch, Part II

Upper-body today, and I’m hurting.  I should not have done any kind of over-head pressing, because my currently impinged right shoulder is in pain.  After getting some exercises from my wife about how to remedy this last week, I’ve been working hard on my traps and rotator cuffs, doing a lot of I’s, T’s and Y’s, as well as properly performing external rotations, and while it’s been feeling better and my upper-body day went fine on Tuesday, it was stupid to attempt shoulders today. I stopped after one set and did all my rehab/prehab stuff in place of dumbell push presses and I’m going to give them a rest. No uppers till next Wednesday anyway.

A) Speed pin press 10 x 3

B1) Close grip cable rows 3 x 5, then 2 x 7

B2) Dumbbell push press 3 x 5, then 2 x 7 (quit after one set)

C1) Straight arm press downs 3 x 12

C2) Dumbell skull crushers 2 x 10

Off to Harvard/Yale and not training for a few days.

“The Rise of the Gym Douche Bags”

Great blog post by Nate Green at The Nate Green Experience about a certain type of person at the gym, and the troops are restless in comments section.

Granted, since my epiphany a couple of weeks ago about my lack of knowledge regarding health and fitness, along with reading The Four-Hour Work Week and putting myself on an information diet, I’ve tried to stay away from forums and blog comments sections, but this one is pretty interesting.

Nate’s post about “gym douche bags” is thought-provoking about the way people go about their training, including what they wear and what they do/don’t do during their time at the gym. Hot topics such as cut-off t-shirts (“sleeve monsters” to my audience), iPod arm bands, hair gel, and curling in the squat rack were discussed, and views from both sides were expressed.

My feelings at the moment are mixed, because while I’ll make fun of someone curling in the squat rack, it’s hard to criticize when the person is curling 135 pounds. Or the guy standing on the Bosu ball doing dumbell curls is built like a Men’s Health cover model. Or the guy dropping plates and grunting while trap bar deadlifting 405 pounds like air.  People (myself included) need to look in the mirror before criticizing anybody else’s methods.

The 45-year-old guy reading the paper while on the recline bike doesn’t have the same goals that I do. He’s just trying to get some “exercise” and be active, and there’s nothing wrong with that.

Anyway without further ado, here’s two workouts for your punk asses:

Tuesday’s upper body session:

A) Floor press 3 x 3

B1) Band-resisted push-ups 3 x 5, then 1 x 7

B2) Supinated grip cable rows 3 x 5, then 1 x 7

C1) Face-pulls with external rotation 3 x 12

C2) Behind-the-neck band pull-aparts 3 x 10

Not nearly as tough as the lower body day, and the floor presses were fun. Up to 205 x 4 on the last set of those.

And tonight:

A) Speed free squats 10 x 2

B1) Rack pulls 3 x 5, then 2 x 7

B2) Wall ankle mobilization 4 x 8

C) Reverse lunges from step 3 x 5, 1 x 7

D1) Chest-high wood chops 3 x 10

D2) Bulgarian split squat ISO holds 2 x 30s/side

Much more difficult, as lower-body days tend to go. The free squats went as well as they could go, considering I haven’t done anything without a box in a while. Rack pulls pretty much sucked even with chalk, and later with straps. Much weaker than during Phase I, and not sure why other than I haven’t done them. Maybe I’m using better form this time so I’m not lifting as heavy. The lunges from the step were brutal, but I was steady and strong on those. The ISO holds were horribly difficult. I much prefer sets of 4 to anything lasting 30 seconds.

Tomorrow is the last workout of the week, then off to CT for Harvard v. Yale.

Ouch.

I am totally beat from tonight. Totally beat. Started Phase III (“Growth”) and it’s going to be a doozy.

A1) Snatch-grip dead lift 3 x 3, then 2 x 5 (had to do these off blocks due to my inflexibility)

A2) Seated 90/90 stretch 15s/side

B) Speed dead lift 8 x 1 @ 60% 1RM

C) Walking dumbbell lunges 3 x 7, then 1 x 10

D1) Dragon flags 3 x 12

D2) Suitcase dead lifts 3 x 10/side

Just brutal. Almost had to throw up on the ride home. Finished it off with a big whey/carbs shake and two monster turkey tacos in whole wheat wraps.

Due to my schedule this week I’m working out again tomorrow, then Thursday and Friday.

250

Max-Out Day couldn’t have gone any better this morning:

A) Speed bench 5 x 3 @ 55% 1RM, then worked my way up to 250 x 1 for a personal record

B1) Close-grip bench 2 x 5

B2) Neutral-grip chest-supported rows 2 x 5

C1) Inverted rows 3 x 10

C2) Scapular push-ups 3 x 15

Really happy about this, I’ve never even come close to putting that up before. Prior to this program I had never legitimately benched more than 220 in my life, and 8 weeks into Maximum Strength I’m already 30 pounds beyond that. Can’t believe there are 8 more weeks to go! 275 here I come!