Distraction

i'm supposed to be writing my CV presently, but it's giving me heartburn and an anxiety attack, so i'm actually doing everything but working on it. So i thought i'd waste some time and scribble some workouts. i went climbing on saturday (i think) to see how the boys'd do freed, as it were, from some of their moorings, and a couple grams lighter to boot. During the warmup i realized that climbing wasn't going badly, but dropping to the ground was a bit jarring, and just generally a very unwelcome experience. So i sent this "v6" i'd been flailing on for several sessions prior, and i sent it first try. Crazy how the threat of pain can motivate a brutha to get in the zone.

Today i went back. i have--in addition to nearly rupturing a hamstring and electively taking on some iatrogenic pain--seriously jacked up my shoulder. For a while there it hurt to put it most positions above my head. For the last couple of days it's been hurting me to think of putting it in those positions. But i climbed. And it turned out to not be a horrible session. i got a "v5" that i'd failed out a few times before. For the record, i don't really think either route was actually up to the grade on the tape, but i still pulled out better climbing sessions post-surg than pre. But my shoulder buggeth. On the other hand, it was kinda refreshing for something besides my finger joints to be the weakest link in the chain. Getting old is for the birds.

elderly, but respiring

In a fit of exasperated irritation, i went to the gym for some dead liftin'. i really thought not to do it today, 'cuz i jacked my left hamstring just yesterday. And it was 5/3/1 day today, so i figured it could only go south. But i was, as i say, exasperated, and i went in to burn off some steam. Workout called for 360, 410 and 460. Put on the belt for the 460 lift and got a double, although i was mighty unsure how that was gonna feel on the dorsum. But i didn't pop anything, so i tried for the PR lift with 480. And she locked out for me. Very happy feeling, that. And having pulled a PR after 3 months of trying with a badly strained hamstring made the whole sport seem... unpredictable. No sense to it whatever. Maybe the messed-up shoulder'll get me a fresh bench PR. Be hard to publish an article on that sort of thing.

Tomorrow morning i go under the knife to end the expansion of my empire. i have to say i do not look forward to this at all. But i s'pose the threat of it helped fetch me a new PR. And i should have plenty of time to study, what with the sitting about o'er the next few days.

Second verse

Climbed again yesterday. This time i did some toe touches first. But before i could jump on the proj, i ran into a friend and got talked into leading some routes. That's fun. i have no endurance at all. But it was fun. Then i got on that route i'd hurt myself on a few days ago. i tested my hamstring lightly and it felt like it should hold. So i raced through the first bits of the route, dropped into that heel-hook boldly, and i actually heard (and felt) something crunch. i'm pretty sure i didn't completely rupture the 'string, 'cuz it doesn't hurt enough, but it's mighty stiff and sore today. i can straighten it out, so it can't be that bad, but i might just skip the deads this week. And that bums me out like crazy. i've really been feeling like i have another pr on the horizon. And i feel like i've chucked it in the toilet. And on top of it, my shoulder feels much like i dislocated it. Haven't figured that one out just yet, but i can't lift my arm above my head. i'm planning on doing back, so i'm going to try some deads to see how it feels--probably tomorrow. So who knows? But i can't wait 'til wednesday 'cuz i have a certain dead-lift-limiting procedure scheduled for that very morning. Now to go ride mountain bikes for three hours with a mauled hamstring.

Bleh.

i'm tired of being in limbo here. i think i need a job and a kind of routine.

Unscrewing the pooch

You know those moments where you think back into the almost immediate past, and wish you could maybe do something just ever so slightly different? i had one of those moments today. i went climbing, and--while a li'l on the foggy side of life--was actually looking at having an above average day of it. i warmed up on some v2ish thing. i did several pullups. i taped up my less stable fingers. Then i saw this "v6" that looked doable, so i jumped on it, nearly flashed, and came pretty darn close to shearing a hamstring loose. As i was dropping through the air, i thought Maybe if i'd have just done some toe touches first...

i gotta say that the quality of my climbing spiraled downward thereafter. Came to find out experimentally that every heel-hook in the gym is, in fact, a left heel-hook--left side bearing that hamstring i attempted to free from its moorings.

i can't help but think maybe this is gonna negatively affect next week's deads. But there's no point worrying 'bout that yet. It might not be as bad as it seemed.

Also i'm gonna say that Monday's combined shoulder/ chest workout was a li'l excessive, and my left shoulder is in a bad way.

i think i'm mostly just getting old. And i'm tired of it. Maybe i'll go run if i get the chance...see if the aged leg will support me in that endeavor.

But i'm done with school! (Yay for the home team!) So about that Man Trip...

back again

Did deads yesterday. 3/3/3 day with 385, 410, and 435. i got 5 with 435. i was pretty pleased about that. i've taken on some new rules for deads day. No carbonated water and very little to eat before. That seems to stave off the mediastinal bubbles. And i'm gunna conjecture that the active deload week worked better than sitting on the couch. i also got in some BB rows before i had to leave. i'm hoping to get some more in today. i feel more like taking a nap though. Vamos a ver.

percreta

Clumb before leaving town sunday. It didn't go too badly. It didn't go too goodly; but it didn't go too badly. Mostly, i didn't hurt just everywhere for the first time in a long while. That was nice. i'll happily attribute that to the couple of runs/ detox i did last week. i warmed up with some pullups, and my brachioradialis muscles didn't feel like they were about to pop. i cranked into some two-finger pocket hangs, and my joints didn't try to disavow association with one another. i came very close to flashing another v5. That was kinda cool. But my project didn't go. i did lots of warm up for it. i did lots of warm up around it. i refused to make eye contact with it. (i've gotten nearly superstitious about the thing). Then i jumped on the crux and sent from there first go. But i couldn't stick The Move. Couldn't. Could. Not. This i attribute to the pint of Scotch i had the night prior.

But i did some otherwise really quite solid climbing. And i didn't hurt.

Yea.

Today i smooshed together the benching i was supposed to do last friday with the usual OH press workout. 5/3/1 on bench (finally). It was 185, 210, and 235. This time i conscripted a spotter, got one with 235, but couldn't quite lock out the second. But it was a better workout. Spotters are worth every cent of the $0.00 i pay 'em. Then OH press was 3/3/3 day. 140, 145, and 155. i got 'em all, but locking out that last rep took some hitching, and generally hoping that the spring clips didn't slide off the bar. Li'l harder after heavy bench, methinks. Then i did dips: 4 x 12 with bw. Then DB militaries supersetted with lateral flyes. Those started just sucking. Also did some cable pressdowns. That's a different deal stacking shoulders in with chest/ tris, but i really liked it. Made for a very meaty workout, and i was still outta the gym in about an hour.

On a happier note, tomorrow's my last day of schoo', and She seems very interested in jobs all over 'Raddy. That makes me really glad. And i'll go home to my happy li'l strip-mall gym with a new appreciation for how never-at-all do they have Sexual Chocolate on the playlist. Now to get that resume in sendable condition.