Dunlops Disease

One week ago i climbed, and it was good. The intervening week has not been kind. i climbed again yesterday and it proved that. i'm a solid 5 lbs heavier than i was last week. Haven't et that much nutrient-free garbage in that concentrated a spell in many, many moons. i think i've overeaten at every single meal for the last 6 or so days. And when i was not busy stuffing glucose down the craw, i was pouring it down in beer and generally not doing anything active. Amazing how fat and sedentary it's possible to be. Amazing and irritating. It takes me months to drop 5 lbs, and less than a week to pack it on.

Last night was a fine example. We went to an aunt's for yet another christmas dinner. She brings out a crab bisque. i'm like Sweet! A nice light meal for once! so i had a second bowl and i felt swell. A meal well done. Then she says, "Well is everybody ready to eat?" and brings out the roast and potatoes and carrot souffle. And dessert. i kinda squinted an eye, and was like Really?! i didn't eat much more, but i felt like a jerk. i just couldn't believe how much food we were expected to eat.

Bleeeeeeeh. Nobody's force-feeding me, i realize. But there's been some social pressure.'Fraid there's no waiting for a new year for some resolution.

On a brighter note i did climb; and even if it wasn't my best work, it was movement and construction. And i got a new max on bench at 245. That'll add some spice to the coming week's session. And i'm going to run if i'm given the chance today.

workouts

Tuesday i did nothing. Seems like we worked till 2330 or so. Wednesday i went in for the sole purpose of hitting a new max on deads. But i didn't. Got through the 5/3/1 thang all-righty-roo: something like 5x380ish, 3x405, then a single with 430. i think i could'a' pulled a double with 430, but i wanted to go heavier (as noted above). But then i stacked 30lbs more on and invaginated. 'Nother one o' them days when i couldn't get the air outta my guts. It just hurt. Didn't even really go down fighting. i dropped to to 455 and it was even worse. Don't think i made it past my socks. Then i was beaten so i cursed and heaped ashes upon my head. And i stripped the bar.

So to punish me, i did the full pullup program too. i did 5x75, 3x85, and 1x95, then realized i hadn't changed the weights to reflect the new max. So i strapped on 115 and locked it out. That made me feel better. Then i a set of 12 with 135 on BB rows, then 2 x 6 x 185. Then 2 or 3 sets of 12 with 115ish on good-mornings. Then 3 x 30 straight leg raises.

Yesterday i did bench. Got 'em all on 3/3/3 day with 190, 200 and 210. Then 4x12xbw on dips, and a bunch of db flyes. Then i swam a li'l bit. Now my gym membership's up, so it's just playing on the hangboard for the next week.

i'll be bringing the belt down for christmas. Methinks we'll be doing deads at yer house.

shoulders

5/3/1 day on OH press. Think it was 120, 135, and 155. Got a double with 155. Tried for a new max with 165, but it didn't happen. i'm gunna blame it on the gay music and general lack of focus. Deads are coming like a freight train, and i want a new max. i can smell it. i'm concentrating on knitting my erector spinae back together as i write. Just read an article on deadlift, and i'm focusing on forgetting all that and ripping a quarter ton off the floor. (Or, you know, closer to a quarter ton than i've yet locked out).

Then i swam some. Now to sleep. Peace.

Friday last

Did a bench workout on friday. It was 5/5/5 day on bench, which i usually dread. i went up a modicum in weight, 'cuz of the shiny new max. i historically fail on 5/5/5 day with lighter weight, so i had low expectations. But i got 'em all. It was 180, 190, and 200. Not horrible for a guy with no pectoral muscles. Then I did some accessory back work. Then i swam a bit. Then i drove home 'cuz my very nice preceptor gave me the weekend off. Very nice to make it home for the anniversary. Breath of oxygen, that was.

i'm hoping for some new PRs this coming week. i'm really looking forward to deads. Really, really looking forward to it.

Peace to you on your monday. :)

Deads

Didn't get off work till 1230 this morning, but I snuck away for an hour to do deads. 3/3/3 day. Got'em all with 360, 385, and 405. Little wobbly on the last rep, but not too bad. Didn't have time for the rest of the workout. But that was the important bit.

P'lups

Did p'lups yesterday evening. 3/3/3 day with 90, 95, and 100. Can't say I really locked out that last rep with 100, but it wasn't a bad workout. Didn't get of work till 2000, and has to be in bed by 2200, so that's all I did. Sposed to do deads tonight, so I'll hopefully finish the back work today.

lull

i, uh, got my hangboards put up today finally. That was something. It was 7 degrees here when i left for work. Don't know how hot it was when i put the boards up this "evening" (at 1600), but i couldn't feel my hands if i took off my gloves for more than a few seconds. It doesn't take long to get enough of that kind of winter. i realize it gets much colder in, say, north dakota; but i can't for the life of me think why a human would intentionally go to or remain in such a place. i didn't go to the pool today 'cuz i am depressed.

i found out i'm on call this weekend, so it's somewhat doubtful that i'll get to go home. Which sucks, 'cuz it's our anniversary. And it'll have been three weeks since i've seen my family if i don't go. i want to break something just at the moment. And the really amusing part is, i probably won't get called in even if i stay. Veeeeery bummed. Mighty bummed. Super bummed.

But there's no damaging myself too badly over it: it's pullups tomorrow. And i can't afford the proper poison anyway. Guess i'll stay healthy. Ish. Healthy and enraged. bleh.

Weekend, shoulders

See here...ummm, swam on saturday and sunday. Think I got over 1,000 units in on one of those days. Yesterday I did OH press. 3/3/3 day, it was. I felt guilty for rounding down, so I didn't. Think it worked out to be 130, 140, and 145. Got four with 145 though. That was a nice feeling. Then superSetted db militaries and lateral raises. Getting a touch stronger at those. Then I swam. Swimming after shoulders is a really really enjoyable experience. Was just getting in to get some blood flowing, but a bunch of other people came in and got my competitive juices flowing and it turned into a 12,000m sprint. That was just refreshing.

Portal Venous Shunting

Going home is looking a li'l bit bleak for the snowy weekend, and i've got a ton of time-consuming tick marks to put in li'l meaningless boxes for school with which to occupy it. So instead i'm gun' post up on the week's workouts.

Seems like i got as far as tuesday with the last post. So wednesday, i did p'lups. Got a new max with 110 the week before, so that tweaked my workouts in a dreadful direction for 5/5/5 day. And the cheap, naxty chinese food at lunch didn't help at all. It was supposed to be 85, 90, and 95lbs. i got 'em all with 85, but there was an ill portent--some je ne sais quios about the set. Maybe it was the gangrene swelling in my gut...but i'll get to that. i got through 4 with 90 before i had to drop and jump back on. Didn't even bother with 95. i just snagged another 3 with 90, then cheated up 2 more to make 3 sets of 5. i guess i didn't feel bad about it seeing as my one rep max was 100# three weeks prior. But i also didn't feel super psyched. It's also funny to think i pretty surely gained 4 or 5 lbs over the holiday since i'd fetched that shiny new max.

Anyhow, then i had the genius idea that i'd just combine that with a 5/5/5 day of deads. (This is where the pneumoperitoneum became important.) Thing is, i don't wanna lose ground on deads or p'lups, so it seems like a fair enough combo, seeing as they don't precisely work against one another. Did a nice long workup, then strapped on the belt for the pain. i think i got the first set with 340 when i got something like air trapped in my chest. Hurt like hell, and i couldn't belch. Figured i'd either dissected an aneurysm, or given me new esophageal varices. Gave it a few minutes and tried the second set with 360, and i think i got one before i let 'er go and went home in defeat. Could not get the air out of my whatever. Funny thing was that the weight didn't seem that bad; just hurt to bear down in the Inzer.

So i went back yesterday to see if i could get 'em sans the Broccoli Beef and sparkling mineral water. And they went like butta' --5/5/5 with 340, 360, and 385. In fact, it didn't feel nearly as hard as i remember it feeling last time. Seems like last time i did the 5/5/5 day with those weights i nearly blew an eyeball out of my skull, and i couldn't hear correctly for a few days. And this made me kinda ecstatic because i tweaked my low back something mildly heinous last week doing SL deads--wasn't a bit sure 5/5/5 day was gonna be a go. So i'm visualizing a new pr in the future. Finished that off with bent o'er BB rows: 1 x 10 x 135, then 2 x 6 x 185. i think that's all i did 'cuz i was outta time.

Today i did chest n triceps. This was 5/3/1 day because i missed a day of it a few weeks ago. Called for 5 x 175, 3 x 200, then 1 with 220; but i made it 225 'cuz the two big plates look cooler. That went up easily enough, so i put 10 more on and got a new max of 235. Tried with 240, but failed. And i feel like it was a purely mental fail. Whatever J Lo song they had cranked up on "Defined TV" not only failed to do it for me, but actually sucked the motive force right outta my nostrils. Ah well: it's a new max after many, many months of no forward progress whatsoever. Finished this up with dips and some triceps press outs. Wanted to do flys, but absolutely every bench was taken. So i did straight leg raises instead. Those hurt, so i swam. And that was nice.

Oh, and there were some guys came in and did squats with chains, you'll be happy to know. Reminded me of yous guys. They lifted in full hoodies. First i was thinking Oooo...these guys must be strong, 'cuz why else would they lift in hoodies with their hoods on? But then out came the chains. They had upwards of 185 pounds of steel on the rack already, then lashed chain on that could have easily anchored a motivated, hungry pit bull to its back yard. This was not stuff you could probably get at K-Mart. This was the stuff you'd have to go to Home Depot for. i mean, at the top of every rep they probably added more than one--several--pounds to the lift. That moved me. That there's how you train to squat more than i squat.