Hardartery - Recreational Outrage

[MarkKO]

Thursday 12/14/23

Incline Bench
135 x 5
225 x 5
295 x 2 x 2
295 x 1
245 x 5 - paused reps

OHP - strict, from rack
135 x 5
205 x 1
205 x 2 x 2 sets

Lateral Raises
85 x 5 x 4 sets

Called it there. I went a little late and it was starting to fill up, there is a trainer there that was busy stealing all of the DB's under 40 lbs to set up for some group that apparently comes in and lifts together late afternoon on Thursday. My lower back didn't like pressing today, I am fairly certain my core has become a weak link with the fat loss because the reps really felt fine but stuff in the lower body was getting bitchy.

This definitely happened to me when I went from the mid 260s to mid 220s. Took a while to fix too.

[Hardartery]

Cut and pasted directly from Wikipedia to explain something I can't explain as neatly.
"The myosin head now binds to the actin myofilament. Energy in the head of the myosin myofilament moves the head, which slides the actin past; hence ADP is released.

ATP presents itself (as the presence of the calcium ions activates the myosin's ATPase), and the myosin heads disconnect from the actin to grab the ATP. The ATP is then broken down into ADP and phosphate. Energy is released and stored in the myosin head to utilize for later movement. The myosin heads now return to their upright relaxed position. If calcium is present, the process is repeated." - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myofibril

Hypocalcemia can result in uncontrolled muscles spasms or contractions. Thus two common diagnostics for evaluating hypocalcemia short of blood work are Trousseau's Sign (requires a blood cuff) and Chvostek's Sign (Tapping the facial nerve lightly with a finger) because they involve involuntary muscle contraction and are fairly consistent across the global population.

[Hardartery]

Friday 12/15/23
Seated Leg Extension
180 x 15
195 x 15 x 2 sets

JM Press - on a bench Power bar
135 x 5
205 x 4 x 2 sets

Glute Kickbacks
70 x 6 x 3 sets each foot

Forearms are weird now after the JM's. Whatever, it was entertaining.

[Hardartery]

Monday 12/18/23

This was a day to move some blood before I went to bed and not much else. I am still off schedule, what can you do, my anniversary is tomorrow and I know better than to go to the gym on my anniversary. So, this session was sad but true.

Muscle Clean to Strict Press Away
135 x 8 x 4 sets

KB Side Raises
35 x 15 per side

So, I did my level best to feel the movements and really squeeze the most out of what I was doing. The shoulders and triceps were doing weird things like they are just starting to wake up from a long nap. Maybe my range is finally kinda back and I'm close to my real natural groove on the press. No strain, but I felt every bit of the bar path distinctly as well as the transitions. I was also a little more upright than when I load up and try for something heavy. The raises were paused at top and bottom slightly. Not an eternity but controlled. It was what it was.

[Hardartery]

Wednesday 12/20/23

Squats
225 s 5
315 x 5
405 x 3
475 x 2, 1

405 x 2 x 2 sets - paused

Good Mornings
315 x 5 x 2 sets

Seated Leg Extensions - Atlantis
195 x 15 x 2 sets

I feel like it's going to take a few sessions to get back to where I was on Squats and this seemed like a good time to re-arrange things a little. I also was a little rushed because I arrived later than I wanted to and because a gaggle of girls was waiting for the rack. I am not impolite, and I was frankly getting overwhelmed by the perfume/product fragrance emanating from them. Still, better than the guy who smelled exactly like Porta-John chemicals the other day. I am pretty sure that was from a cologne he actually paid for and used intentionally, God help us all.

[MarkKO]

Wednesday 12/20/23

Squats
225 s 5
315 x 5
405 x 3
475 x 2, 1

405 x 2 x 2 sets - paused

Good Mornings
315 x 5 x 2 sets

Seated Leg Extensions - Atlantis
195 x 15 x 2 sets

I feel like it's going to take a few sessions to get back to where I was on Squats and this seemed like a good time to re-arrange things a little. I also was a little rushed because I arrived later than I wanted to and because a gaggle of girls was waiting for the rack. I am not impolite, and I was frankly getting overwhelmed by the perfume/product fragrance emanating from them. Still, better than the guy who smelled exactly like Porta-John chemicals the other day. I am pretty sure that was from a cologne he actually paid for and used intentionally, God help us all.

Those portable potty chemicals pack a punch. I have a terrible sense of smell and even I can smell them.

[Hardartery]

Wednesday 12/20/23

Squats
225 s 5
315 x 5
405 x 3
475 x 2, 1

405 x 2 x 2 sets - paused

Good Mornings
315 x 5 x 2 sets

Seated Leg Extensions - Atlantis
195 x 15 x 2 sets

I feel like it's going to take a few sessions to get back to where I was on Squats and this seemed like a good time to re-arrange things a little. I also was a little rushed because I arrived later than I wanted to and because a gaggle of girls was waiting for the rack. I am not impolite, and I was frankly getting overwhelmed by the perfume/product fragrance emanating from them. Still, better than the guy who smelled exactly like Porta-John chemicals the other day. I am pretty sure that was from a cologne he actually paid for and used intentionally, God help us all.

Those portable potty chemicals pack a punch. I have a terrible sense of smell and even I can smell them.

It was tough to concentrate with that wafting around. It happened a couple of times but thankfully I seem to be on a different schedule than the guy now. How bad do you have to smell to think that's a good choice of cover-up?

[MarkKO]

Wednesday 12/20/23

Squats
225 s 5
315 x 5
405 x 3
475 x 2, 1

405 x 2 x 2 sets - paused

Good Mornings
315 x 5 x 2 sets

Seated Leg Extensions - Atlantis
195 x 15 x 2 sets

I feel like it's going to take a few sessions to get back to where I was on Squats and this seemed like a good time to re-arrange things a little. I also was a little rushed because I arrived later than I wanted to and because a gaggle of girls was waiting for the rack. I am not impolite, and I was frankly getting overwhelmed by the perfume/product fragrance emanating from them. Still, better than the guy who smelled exactly like Porta-John chemicals the other day. I am pretty sure that was from a cologne he actually paid for and used intentionally, God help us all.

Those portable potty chemicals pack a punch. I have a terrible sense of smell and even I can smell them.

It was tough to concentrate with that wafting around. It happened a couple of times but thankfully I seem to be on a different schedule than the guy now. How bad do you have to smell to think that's a good choice of cover-up?

Bad enough skunks find you disgusting?

[Hardartery]

Friday 12/22/23

Incline Bench
135 x 5
225 x 5
295 x 2 x 3 sets
245 x 5, 4, 2 - paused.

The double at the end was for the missed rep on the second set plus a penalty rep.

Lateral Raises
85 x 5
85 x 6 x 2 sets

****top of range only reps
30 x 8 x 2 sets

I felt that I had at least 1 RIR on the work sets but the plan was doubles today, some triples next time. So, I was patient and did the doubles.

[Hardartery]

Tuesday 12/26/23

Squats
225 x 5
315 x 5
405 x 3
475 x 2
475 x 1 x 2 sets

405 x 3 x 2 sets - paused

Good Mornings
315 x 5 x 2 sets

Seated Leg Extensions
210 x 13 x 2 sets

Rep 3 of set 2 on GM's the fireworks started. It seemed to be localized and not general hypocalcemia. Like little lightning bolts in the forearms and back, almost couldn't finish the set. It felt like electricity jumping around all over the back and forearms, like it should have been visible or something. So, didn't take any calcium before I left for the gym, but at least I had some with me. I chewed two pills up and did the leg extensions while my body moved around what it needed to move around. Squats still suck, the hip shift is visible on the first rep in the video. We'll see, pause squats may not be working my weak point but it has been a long time since I did them so we'll see.

[Hardartery]

Wednesday 12/27/23

Incline Bench
135 x 5
225 x 5
295 x 3 x 2 sets
295 x 2

245 x 5, 4, 2 - paused

Lateral Raises
85 x 6 x 3 sets

Stopped there, just did an anti-parasite treatment that finished this morning and I had bowel shaking tremors and doubt at the gym, decided to stop short of remorse. Whatever, the triples were actually easy even though the weight felt heavy. Most of the other things I might have done were problematic, there were a couple of ladies occupying the squat rack (Although using DB's to do nothing that required being in literally the ONLY squat rack in the gym) and a gaggle of annoying young men desperate to look like they have muscle blocking up the entire area in front of the DB rack because that's where the mirror is. Peasants. I was in a mood I guess, some guy held me up because he was in his own world fondling the different 10 lb plate variation on the weight tree. I mean, I am a gym bro and all that, but he seemed to be exercising some special niche fetish in public and I really just wanted to get some change plates and get on with life.

[DCR]

decided to stop short of remorse

Stealing this phrase. (Whether I’ll ever live by it is a different matter.)

[Hardartery]

Tuesday 1/2/24
Much better day.

Squats
225 x 5
315 x 3
405 x 3
475 x 2
475 x 1 x 2 sets - both of these were buried and semi-paused, the last single was definitely 1 RIR
405 x 3 x 2 sets - paused

Good Morning's
325 x 5

Seated Leg Extensions - Atlantis
210 x 13, 15

Stopped at one set of GM's because my low back was feeling it, which is weird. Also, I don't know what I'm doing Thursday and Friday yet. There are two largish projects under way here that we are pushing hard to complete so I went to one of them last week for Thursday and Friday. I though I was finishing sheetrock (Plycem technically) but as it turned out that wasn't ready and I ended up working concrete for two days - both of them until after dark. Me and a super long day doing concrete are not really on speaking terms at this point in my life so I am actually still feeling it. Mind you, the entire thing was contracted out to a third party but it became apparent that they were in over their heads pretty quickly and so I was hand floating edges and then running a finisher for many hours. I like running the finisher, but I do not enjoy having to essentially screed the concrete with the finisher because the contractor did that poor of a job. I was beat up from having to muscle the damn thing the whole time, it's supposed to be a job that you can do while drinking beer with the other hand.

Aside from that rant, the session felt really good, I really felt like I hit the groove again and it will go up from here. The extension were too easy, time to up the weight. Admission. I am only doing them for vanity. My quads look small and DYEL, I don't care what the tape measure number is.

[Hardartery]

Wednesday 1/3/24

Incline Bench
135 x 5 - index on ring
225 x 5
295 x 4, 3, 2
245 x 6 - paused
245 x 3 - paused, pinkie inside ring

Lateral Raises
85 x 6 x 3 sets
Top ROM only 35 x 4 - stopped, forearm was saying no. I have a couple of really pissed off tendons atm.

JM Presses
205 x 3 x 3 sets
135 x 10

I am happy that the first set of 295 was a no issues 4, the plan was at least 3 all the way through. So, next time it will either be 5 on the first set or I'll get 3-4 on every set.
I have decided that I am not being considered a person at the gym, which is to say I am more like a monument or something. After the first set of pause squats yesterday a kid bounded up to inspect the plates and do the math on how much was on the bar, but he did not acknowledge me in the process at all. I tend to only have women working out near me, the guys flee the vicinity. I am a fairly quiet lifter, no yelling or histrionics, I smile at people, but somehow I do not seem to come off as approachable. I have discovered that if I initiate any kind of conversation, they seem quite happy to talk to me and thereafter are sure to greet me.

So, all of that said, I took it upon myself to coach someone today a little. I couldn't take it anymore, he looked like a cat that fell in the water while he was trying to use the Incline Bench. Not unrelated to my lifting I am guessing, he and his buddy made for the other incline bench as I was finishing on my inclines after watching me fairly openly for most of my sets. I went over, made him sit up, and taught him to brace his upper back. His buddy paid close attention, they looked a lot less like an injury in progress afterwards. I generally just let the little gym bros flail, figuratively, but this kid really looked like a danger to himself or others.

[DCR]

After the first set of pause squats yesterday a kid bounded up to inspect the plates and do the math on how much was on the bar, but he did not acknowledge me in the process at all.

I laughed out loud at this.

[Hardartery]

After the first set of pause squats yesterday a kid bounded up to inspect the plates and do the math on how much was on the bar, but he did not acknowledge me in the process at all.

I laughed out loud at this.

I wonder if it's what it feels like to be a middle aged woman?

[Hardartery]

Tuesday 1/9/24

Sqwaats
225 x 5
315 x 3
405 x 3
475 x 1
485 x 1
475 x 1

Good Mornings
325 x 5 x 2 sets

Seated Leg Extension - Atlantis
225 x 15, 13

So, it just wasn't there today really. I really did not feel confident in the second rep so I upped the weight for the second set, I find for me it's easier to up the weight than add a rep - probably a fibre type thing I don't really know. Anyway, I was early for reasons beyond my control but the real problem was I was running on one coffee and two cheese sticks instead of actual food and I am at this point used to having eggs in my stomach when I lift at the gym. It could just be an off day. Who knows.

Apart from all of that, I have now started doing a thing as a pre-workout sort of thing. I have started taking calcium (Citrate, raw powder) because I need to apparently, but I have also been taking some creatine with it and I am considering having a couple of gummy bears or something at the gym. It sounds like a retarded BS intra-workout thing, but I have managed to not crash my calcium since starting this whereas I was still able manage to crash it before with just calcium. I did not do any mad-scientist autistic level work to arrive at the idea, I got it from watching a Ryan Humiston video. So, BBers are actually good for something every once in a while, the guinea pigs that they tend to be.

[DCR]

So, BBers are actually good for something every once in a while, the guinea pigs that they tend to be.

Ha! True. Absolutely nothing they won’t take for a spin, which is why, when I hear about some alleged new shit that I’ve never heard of any bodybuilder ever doing with success, I immediately dismiss it. If it worked, they’d already know about it and be doing it.

[Hardartery]

Thursday 1/11/24
Incline BP
135 x 5
225 x 5
295 x 3 x 2 sets
295 x 2
245 x 5 x 2 sets - very paused reps

Lateral Raises
85 x 7 x 2 sets
65 x 10 x 2 sets

MP - from the rack
135 x 5 - strict
155 x 3
185 x 2
205 x 1
190 x 3 - push/muscle press

So, the 190 was a misload. I apparently only put the 5 lb plate on the left side when I pulled the 10's to do the push press finisher. So, the weak side had more weight on it, which makes sense of how the bar sat in my front rack position. I could see it was a little lopsided looking and I guess it was. The strict presses were disappointing but technically they were just supposed to be triceps assistance to finish the session so I will console myself with that. It really felt light out of the rack so I'm hoping if I do a bit of a peak I can push a sort of acceptable number maybe. The laterals have been stagnant so I switched it up a little, I could really feel the delts dying by the end so maybe the right move.

[Hardartery]

Tuesday 1/16/2024

Squats
225 x 5
315 x 5
405 x 3
475 x 2
485 x 1

Pause Squats
415 x 3, 2

GM's
325 x 5 x 2 sets

Seated Leg Extension - Atlantis
225 x 15, 14

I prefer to have the towel on the bar for GM's, it lets me go lower without the bar rolling onto my neck. Which it did on rep 3 of the first set but I managed to get the rest of the reps anyway. I had a hip shift on the top single, but to the left instead of the right this time.