Hardartery - Recreational Outrage

[Hardartery]

Sunday 1/29/23
Muscle Snatch
135 x 3 x 2 sets

Muscle Snatch to BTN Press Away
135 x 5 x 8? sets

Might have been more, I just kind of went with it. Press is pissing me off. These got progressively easier on every set and I got progressively forward with the head and neck and back with the hands and shoulders. The anterior/front of the medial delt area is stupid sore and being argumentative so I just wanted to avoid stressing any of it directly. The new stretch I've been doing is loosening everything up, but it's fast and I think that I may be causing mild damage. Not a big deal in the long run, just sucks right now. I think it's like when the Sumo wrestlers start training initially and are forced into a full split (Yeah, those guys are expected to be able to do a split) they get micro tears that they then have to heal from. It is just sore, sometimes like DOMS sometimes like a mild pull. This week is going to be upside down, I am rolling out of town for a few days for something so the training will be out the window for most of the week. I'm going to try and squeeze Squats in tomorrow morning and then everything gets a break until at least Friday. Maybe everything will heal itself up. It would be nice to put some weight on the bar for pressing again.

[Renascent]

I think it's like when the Sumo wrestlers start training initially and are forced into a full split (Yeah, those guys are expected to be able to do a split) they get micro tears that they then have to heal from.

Interesting.

By "heal," do you mean scarring? Or some kind of hypertrophic adaptation?

[Hardartery]

I think it's like when the Sumo wrestlers start training initially and are forced into a full split (Yeah, those guys are expected to be able to do a split) they get micro tears that they then have to heal from.

Interesting.

By "heal," do you mean scarring? Or some kind of hypertrophic adaptation?

I'm hoping for maybe the equivalent of stretch marks, but not actual scars. Scars on muscle tend to be calcifications that in turn let loose later and result in a tear. Ideally it would be some form of hypertrophic adaptation, it gets a little into gray area here for me. I know stretching elicits adaptation and improved flexibility, while actual tearing results in scarring and/or calcifications. Right now the stretching is doing a fair amount of damage and causing inflammation, probably some actual mild injury. Maybe I get a little tendonitis from it, hopefully not, hard to know at my age which way things will go honestly. I know that the flexibility is actually carrying over day to day and improving and I keep punishing it a little more each day to improve ROM. I'll do some mild stretching over the next few days out of town and hopefully not lifting will allow some recovery.

[Hardartery]

Monday 1/30/23
Squats
135 x 5
225 x 5
315 x 5
405 x 5
425 x 3 x 2 sets

Leg Curl - machine
130 x 10, 8, 8, 5

Time was up for today, the place was a litle crowded. I usually go a few hours later and it's empty but this time of day there was a pile of students. By which I mean several male trainers and a plethora of girls 20 y/o give or take 3 years doing endless leg stuff. It was a miracle I got the squat rack and I was working in with someone on the leg curls. She was maybe half my size so it's a good thing the machine is not plate loaded.

[Hardartery]

Saturday 2/4/23
Shoulder still tempermental, like a moron I forgot to take my band with me out of town and consequently couldn't really stretch it right (As in I didn't really stretch it at allfor several days). I payed for that. As soon as I got back and hit a stretch, better by light years but still not totally happy. I might have something strained in there as well as the impingement so I'm just taking it easy on the shoulder for a bit.

Deadlifts
225 x 5 - DOH
315 x 3
435 x 3 - remembered to add plates here this time and work the grip a little extra
525 x 3 - straps
615 x 3 x 2 sets

I felt like I really owned the weight this time. I have it now, I can muscle it and not rely on hitting the groove or it being a good day. Looking back, that is a big jump from last session, I thought I had hit 3 and then 2 last time but it was 2 and then a single. Excellent. It really felt like 4 was there if I wanted to grind on both sets, and I tried to really actually pause at the floor on the first set but I never let all of the tension out of the bar. Wish I had recorded that, but the phone I record with was dead. Whatever, the glutes are firing much better which I am giving the squats credit for. I guess I go for 4's next time around and then go up again.

[Hardartery]

Tuesday 2/7/23
Squawts
135 x 5
225 x 5
315 x 5
405 x 5
445 x 3 x 2 sets
405 x 4

Front Squats - BBer grip
225 x 3 x 3 sets

Shrugs
405 x 10 x 2 sets

Leg Curl - machine
130 x 7 x 4 sets

I felt absolutely nothing in the quads on anything, the front squats were hitting the hips more than anything and I was sinking them.



Edited to change link.
I have no idea what is going on with Youtube. It is suddenly distorting all of my uploads, making everything squashed down and wide. Same phone, same process, suddenly all of the videos are screwed up looking once they get to Youtube. Anybody know why?

[MarkKO]

Tuesday 2/7/23
Squawts
135 x 5
225 x 5
315 x 5
405 x 5
445 x 3 x 2 sets
405 x 4

Front Squats - BBer grip
225 x 3 x 3 sets

Shrugs
405 x 10 x 2 sets

Leg Curl - machine
130 x 7 x 4 sets

I felt absolutely nothing in the quads on anything, the front squats were hitting the hips more than anything and I was sinking them.



Edited to change link.
I have no idea what is going on with Youtube. It is suddenly distorting all of my uploads, making everything squashed down and wide. Same phone, same process, suddenly all of the videos are screwed up looking once they get to Youtube. Anybody know why?

Same, front squats never did hit my quads.

Don't know about the YT issue.

[Skid]

Tuesday 2/7/23
Squawts
135 x 5
225 x 5
315 x 5
405 x 5
445 x 3 x 2 sets
405 x 4

Front Squats - BBer grip
225 x 3 x 3 sets

Shrugs
405 x 10 x 2 sets

Leg Curl - machine
130 x 7 x 4 sets

I felt absolutely nothing in the quads on anything, the front squats were hitting the hips more than anything and I was sinking them.



Edited to change link.
I have no idea what is going on with Youtube. It is suddenly distorting all of my uploads, making everything squashed down and wide. Same phone, same process, suddenly all of the videos are screwed up looking once they get to Youtube. Anybody know why?

Nice squats, especially beltless/sleeveless! My phone/computers are always doing weird things too. Sometimes I get pissed off at all this technology, but maybe that's the old fart in me.

[Hardartery]

Tuesday 2/7/23
Squawts
135 x 5
225 x 5
315 x 5
405 x 5
445 x 3 x 2 sets
405 x 4

Front Squats - BBer grip
225 x 3 x 3 sets

Shrugs
405 x 10 x 2 sets

Leg Curl - machine
130 x 7 x 4 sets

I felt absolutely nothing in the quads on anything, the front squats were hitting the hips more than anything and I was sinking them.


Edited to change link.
I have no idea what is going on with Youtube. It is suddenly distorting all of my uploads, making everything squashed down and wide. Same phone, same process, suddenly all of the videos are screwed up looking once they get to Youtube. Anybody know why?

Nice squats, especially beltless/sleeveless! My phone/computers are always doing weird things too. Sometimes I get pissed off at all this technology, but maybe that's the old fart in me.

Thanks. I discovered that if I change it to a "Short" it looks more normal. It was doing that automatically before, and I didn't realize they had changed something. I've been shooting with the phone upright, maybe if I shoot with it sideways it comes out normal? I can't believe I now old enough to get irritated by technology and pissed off at trying to figure out whatever the hell new thing has been done.

[cgeorg]

Thanks. I discovered that if I change it to a "Short" it looks more normal. It was doing that automatically before, and I didn't realize they had changed something. I've been shooting with the phone upright, maybe if I shoot with it sideways it comes out normal? I can't believe I now old enough to get irritated by technology and pissed off at trying to figure out whatever the hell new thing has been done.

I've been taking some vertical videos for my golf swing, and yeah, they look better on youtube as a short, BUT then it seems you can't really control playback very well, which sucks. I hate that all of these services are getting away from their core competencies to push competition with some other platform (youtube shorts = trying to be insta/tiktok, insta taking over your timeline with stuff that you didn't ask for to be tiktok, insta adding reels to be tiktok, insta adding stories to be snapchat, snapchat adding perma-vids to be insta). I don't know what the better alternative is but sometimes (often) I really question capitalism as currently implemented. Then I remind myself that every 40 y.o. has seen imminent collapse due to whatever is happening when they're 40.

---

Have you been doing any specific rear shoulder / lower trap work? PT says mine is subacromial impingement likely due to strength imbalance pulling the humerus forward. Looking through your last few entries I see upper trap and side-delt work, but nothing for the rear? We'll be starting into actual specific exercises tomorrow, but I imagine it's going to involve stuff like face pulls, rows, etc.

[Hardartery]

Thanks. I discovered that if I change it to a "Short" it looks more normal. It was doing that automatically before, and I didn't realize they had changed something. I've been shooting with the phone upright, maybe if I shoot with it sideways it comes out normal? I can't believe I now old enough to get irritated by technology and pissed off at trying to figure out whatever the hell new thing has been done.

I've been taking some vertical videos for my golf swing, and yeah, they look better on youtube as a short, BUT then it seems you can't really control playback very well, which sucks. I hate that all of these services are getting away from their core competencies to push competition with some other platform (youtube shorts = trying to be insta/tiktok, insta taking over your timeline with stuff that you didn't ask for to be tiktok, insta adding reels to be tiktok, insta adding stories to be snapchat, snapchat adding perma-vids to be insta). I don't know what the better alternative is but sometimes (often) I really question capitalism as currently implemented. Then I remind myself that every 40 y.o. has seen imminent collapse due to whatever is happening when they're 40.

---

Have you been doing any specific rear shoulder / lower trap work? PT says mine is subacromial impingement likely due to strength imbalance pulling the humerus forward. Looking through your last few entries I see upper trap and side-delt work, but nothing for the rear? We'll be starting into actual specific exercises tomorrow, but I imagine it's going to involve stuff like face pulls, rows, etc.

Yeah, I don't always log everything, especially rehab stuff. I have been doing some Reverse Flyes with a red band around a post, basically doing the stretching and then turning around and doing the reverse flyes. I have done some Y raises off and on, some reverse flyes with DB's, and I have started doing some seated rows at the gym officially but I had a couple of not normal weeks so I haven't done everything as planned. I have added the shrugs after squats because I have never done any direct trap work in my life. I also have been doing a thing involving a bucket and rotating my arm backwards, like arm wrestling but in the opposite direction. The straight arm pull downs and pull backs are also meant to hit some of those muscles.
I found that doing the stuff the PT gave me did not accomplish a lot, at least for me. It loosened things up a little, but not even close to enough. My approach with the band has quickly loosened things up to the point of giving me the flexibility of of 15 years ago in the space of a week or so. I am paying for it a little bit in the issues I had trying to bench and do flyes the other week but I think that will quickly pass and I will be much better off after a few weeks as opposed to 6 months of the other work.

[cgeorg]

I found that doing the stuff the PT gave me did not accomplish a lot, at least for me. It loosened things up a little, but not even close to enough. My approach with the band has quickly loosened things up to the point of giving me the flexibility of of 15 years ago in the space of a week or so. I am paying for it a little bit in the issues I had trying to bench and do flyes the other week but I think that will quickly pass and I will be much better off after a few weeks as opposed to 6 months of the other work.

That does sound like a lot of good direct work, and you seem to making progress so that's good. I wonder if I'll end up with a similar prescription as you. I got the vibe that this PT will try to keep strength gains progressing and not leave me in band hell, hoping that wasn't a misread. I'll be curious once I get my initial set of exercises how much overlap there is with what you got.

[Hardartery]

I found that doing the stuff the PT gave me did not accomplish a lot, at least for me. It loosened things up a little, but not even close to enough. My approach with the band has quickly loosened things up to the point of giving me the flexibility of of 15 years ago in the space of a week or so. I am paying for it a little bit in the issues I had trying to bench and do flyes the other week but I think that will quickly pass and I will be much better off after a few weeks as opposed to 6 months of the other work.

That does sound like a lot of good direct work, and you seem to making progress so that's good. I wonder if I'll end up with a similar prescription as you. I got the vibe that this PT will try to keep strength gains progressing and not leave me in band hell, hoping that wasn't a misread. I'll be curious once I get my initial set of exercises how much overlap there is with what you got.

The band was my idea, the PT had me doing a million different things that frankly were not improving anything but are exactly what I see everywhere as the standard treatment. I was buying a bunch of mini bands to try with deadlifting, so I threw in a regular red band to hit whatever the number was that I needed for shipping or something because it was more cost effective than paying shipping. That band has been magical, I don't think that the low power standard ones would be as useful. If you look at any videos of high level strongmen training at some point they are tugging on a red band or using it to stretch - even if it's just going on in the background during something else it seems to go on in every video involving overhead. I took that as a sign. The thing that seems to be working hurt like hell at first, and the stuff from the PT did not. That stupid band is probably the best thing I have ever bought for lifting and rehab.
I don't use it every day at this point, btw, and will probably only be hitting it occasionally as time goes by. My walking around shoulder flexibility is currently almost as good as it was in my early thirties, I got the bar down to my posterioir delts first set yesterday, and had my hands with pointer finger on the rings by the second set. That is nuts to me. 3 weeks ago my hands weren't getting that narrow on squats at any point no matter what I did. Now we'll see what happens with my press.

[Hardartery]

Thursday 2/9/23
Bench - I was not thinking bench when I started walking to the gym but someone was in the rack I wanted
135 x 10
225 x 5
265 x 5 x 2 sets
275 x 3

Reverse Grip Bench
225 x 5

Straight Arm Push Downs - plate loaded cable
190 x 8, 7, 7, 3

Lateral Raises - DB
65 x 8 x 4 sets

DB Flyes - on a bench
50 x 5 x 3 sets

I was feeling out the bench, keeping the my inner meathead in check. Only minor niggles at 265, nothing at 275 but I didn't want to push my luck and do anything grindy. They say slow and steady wins the race, but that Damn the torpedoes! urge is always there. I was going to just do over head today out of the rack and work up some push presses, but there was some chick doing a leg routine in the rack and I absolutely do not have time to wait on that.
Bright note, the ongoing saga of Gym Kid (As posted int eh Places You Can Bro thread). The walking meme was knocking out sets of flyes on the bench next to me today. I would go, then she would go with her little pink DB's. She especially enjoyed dropping/throwing them down after each set, much to the irritation of her grandma.

[Hardartery]

Saturday 2/11/23
Well, that didn't go as planned.

Deadlift - Conventional
225 x 3 - DOH
315 x 3
445 x 3
535 x 2 - Straps
625 x 1
535 x 5

The plan was not to go up today, it was to stay at the previous weight and bump reps. Then I got stupid and bumped up and of course it looked and felt like that was pretty much all there was in the tank today. I might have had the second rep but it was honestly iffy and I absolutely did not want a miss anywhere. If I had gone for it and hit it I would be happy about it, but there was absolutely not a third in the tank so I would have been breaking my own rule for no reason. I talked myself into long term thinking at the top of that rep, somehow. Probably a changeup to the routine starting next week. I've got some insanity planned, I don't know how or if it will work out. The down set at the end tapped me pretty good, my calcium was absolutely tanked, had trouble unloading the bar. The bonus was hitting a triple DOH with no chalk and a clean bar with pretend knurling.

[MarkKO]

Saturday 2/11/23
Well, that didn't go as planned.

Deadlift - Conventional
225 x 3 - DOH
315 x 3
445 x 3
535 x 2 - Straps
625 x 1
535 x 5

The plan was not to go up today, it was to stay at the previous weight and bump reps. Then I got stupid and bumped up and of course it looked and felt like that was pretty much all there was in the tank today. I might have had the second rep but it was honestly iffy and I absolutely did not want a miss anywhere. If I had gone for it and hit it I would be happy about it, but there was absolutely not a third in the tank so I would have been breaking my own rule for no reason. I talked myself into long term thinking at the top of that rep, somehow. Probably a changeup to the routine starting next week. I've got some insanity planned, I don't know how or if it will work out. The down set at the end tapped me pretty good, my calcium was absolutely tanked, had trouble unloading the bar. The bonus was hitting a triple DOH with no chalk and a clean bar with pretend knurling.

I usually end up somewhat regretting not sticking to the plan either. Yet periodically I do it anyway.

[Hardartery]

Saturday 2/11/23
Well, that didn't go as planned.

Deadlift - Conventional
225 x 3 - DOH
315 x 3
445 x 3
535 x 2 - Straps
625 x 1
535 x 5

The plan was not to go up today, it was to stay at the previous weight and bump reps. Then I got stupid and bumped up and of course it looked and felt like that was pretty much all there was in the tank today. I might have had the second rep but it was honestly iffy and I absolutely did not want a miss anywhere. If I had gone for it and hit it I would be happy about it, but there was absolutely not a third in the tank so I would have been breaking my own rule for no reason. I talked myself into long term thinking at the top of that rep, somehow. Probably a changeup to the routine starting next week. I've got some insanity planned, I don't know how or if it will work out. The down set at the end tapped me pretty good, my calcium was absolutely tanked, had trouble unloading the bar. The bonus was hitting a triple DOH with no chalk and a clean bar with pretend knurling.

I usually end up somewhat regretting not sticking to the plan either. Yet periodically I do it anyway.

It hits Brothirty on the clock every once in a while and I do this kind of thing. Sometimes I pleasantly surprise myself, but I should definitely have known better this time. My head was absolutely not in it, so I guess it's good I got the lift anyway but my head WAS actually in it after the crappy top single. I could have gone whole meathead on the down set and really gound out some reps, or banged out at least another set of 5 on sheer muscling it up. It would have done me in with my calcium already starting to crash, and probably would not have been worth it. But, I am changing up this week I think. Weird new plan incoming.

[MarkKO]

Saturday 2/11/23
Well, that didn't go as planned.

Deadlift - Conventional
225 x 3 - DOH
315 x 3
445 x 3
535 x 2 - Straps
625 x 1
535 x 5

The plan was not to go up today, it was to stay at the previous weight and bump reps. Then I got stupid and bumped up and of course it looked and felt like that was pretty much all there was in the tank today. I might have had the second rep but it was honestly iffy and I absolutely did not want a miss anywhere. If I had gone for it and hit it I would be happy about it, but there was absolutely not a third in the tank so I would have been breaking my own rule for no reason. I talked myself into long term thinking at the top of that rep, somehow. Probably a changeup to the routine starting next week. I've got some insanity planned, I don't know how or if it will work out. The down set at the end tapped me pretty good, my calcium was absolutely tanked, had trouble unloading the bar. The bonus was hitting a triple DOH with no chalk and a clean bar with pretend knurling.

I usually end up somewhat regretting not sticking to the plan either. Yet periodically I do it anyway.

It hits Brothirty on the clock every once in a while and I do this kind of thing. Sometimes I pleasantly surprise myself, but I should definitely have known better this time. My head was absolutely not in it, so I guess it's good I got the lift anyway but my head WAS actually in it after the crappy top single. I could have gone whole meathead on the down set and really gound out some reps, or banged out at least another set of 5 on sheer muscling it up. It would have done me in with my calcium already starting to crash, and probably would not have been worth it. But, I am changing up this week I think. Weird new plan incoming.

These little detours into Broland aren't unknown to me either. I usually get lucky and return to normality without any unwelcome souvenirs.

[Hardartery]

Tuesday 2/14/23
Squats
135 x 5
225 x 5
315 x 5
405 x 5
455 x 2, 1
405 x 3

Front Squats
225 x 5, 3
I had many reps left, but I was sweating way too much and I was cramping trying to keep the bar racked. I should have been wearing a shirt with sleeves for front squats.

Shrugs
405 x 10
495 x 5 x 3 sets

Leg Extensions
3 plates x 8 x 3 sets -one leg at a time
6 plates x 15 - both legs

Seated Row
280 lbs in plates x 5 x 3 sets - neutral grip

Lat Pulldown Machine thingie - whatever the hell the Cybex thing is called
2 plates per side x 8 x 3 sets

I decided that Leg Curls weren't actually doing anything for me that I need to do. They are not going to help me Squat or Deadlif better and I don't give a rip about hamstring aesthetics so they are out for now. Two legged extensions were not plausible with given equipment, so that is just a burnout set at the end. The Squats look WAAAAYYY faster than they felt. I wasn't going to go up on weight, but I couldn't find the 20lb Jack Lalanne plates I used last time so it was 25's today. I am wondering if the diet is impacting me, I know that the left glute was screaming throughout the squats.



Edit to put an actual full video up. I don't know what is up with Youtube, but it took 5 damn tries to get the thing up in viewable format and all 44 seconds of it. You have one jobe Youtube, ONE JOB!

[Hardartery]

Thursday 2/16/23
Bench
135 x 10
225 x 5
295 x 2 x 2 sets
225 x 10
It felt fairly light, it's just telling myself that it's only pain, nothing is going to tear. Hard to adjust, honestly, but it hurt less this time than last time. The stretches are helping a lot with the impingement, I can even put my arm across the back of the couch for more than 2 minutes without it gointo sleep.

Lateral Raises - DB
65 x 9 x 3 sets
50 x 10

Flyes - DB
50 x 7 x 3 sets

Gym Kid was knocking out the reps next to the front desk, watching the woman on the nearby bench and matching her rep for rep on DB Press and DB Flyes. Grandma had her on a short leash today, so she was limited in her interaction with the rest of the gym. She had on the sandals with the squeaker in the heel, so her one foray was pretty funny, especially because she was playing hide and seek with her grandma and grandma was not playing hide and seek.