Start Up Cash In Sell Out Bro Down

[chromoly]

I don't care what happens this week, because next week I am going back to Texas.

I read this and thought, "fuck does this mean we won't get to train together?!" And then I realized you meant you were going to start Texas Method again. Sorry you're sick. Have lots of chicken soup (turkey soup?)!

[xng]

I don't care what happens this week, because next week I am going back to Texas.

I read this and thought, "fuck does this mean we won't get to train together?!" And then I realized you meant you were going to start Texas Method again. Sorry you're sick. Have lots of chicken soup (turkey soup?)!

No way, we get to train together on the 2nd or 3rd! Texas is a state of mind.

[xng]

2017-11-26

sq 245x5x5
dl 255x5x2
pr 95x5x2
lpd (pronated grip) 140x8, 150x5
tricep pushdown 40x10, 50x2, 42.5x8
db curl 30x3, 25x8

My lungs are still trying to cough themselves up, so breathing was hard, but this went pretty OK, with the help of @chromoly's exhortations. It turns out I can actually stay tight in the hole if I pay attention and try hard.

Four-day Texas is supposed to get me out of the gym faster on work days, but on the weekend there is time for extra presses and brocessories. I might throw in a few more light squats in a different part of the week.

[xng]

2017-11-28

pr 105x5,5,5,3+f, 100x2,5
bp 125x5x3

Okay, 105 was too much for 5x5. The brocessories last time might be partly to blame.

I can't remember why I was supposed to bench light. If I'm benching twice a week, then I should probably just Texas it, with extra back-off sets on ID. I wonder if doing press volume and bench volume on the same day is a terrible idea. It would be cool to do all my long volume slogs during the weekend.

Oh God the DOMS from Sunday. I haven't been this sore since February. I haven't taken a full week off since February, either. I wonder if staying real tight during the eccentric contraction makes DOMS worse.

[xng]

2017-11-30

sq 275x5
dl 315x5

Ugly squats! The last couple reps got into a really bad forward position that required some hideous grinding to salvage. I was clearly strong enough to squat it correctly, or I would have just failed when I got out of balance, so it was a character issue.

A gym employee, seeing my warmup, shared some cool feedback: I should stop holding my breath, because my neck veins are popping out and I'm going to have a stroke. Makes u think

[chromoly]

A gym employee, seeing my warmup, shared some cool feedback: I should stop holding my breath, because my neck veins are popping out and I'm going to have a stroke. Makes u think

Join me at my gym instead. You won't get unsolicited feedback from gym employees.

[xng]

A gym employee, seeing my warmup, shared some cool feedback: I should stop holding my breath, because my neck veins are popping out and I'm going to have a stroke. Makes u think

Join me at my gym instead. You won't get unsolicited feedback from gym employees.

Some innocent gym employee is going to get a faceful of Well Actually one of these days, but my gaskets are still holding.

Can I join you at your gym tomorrow for Upper Body Extravaganza?

[xng]

2017-12-02

Upper Body Extravaganza!

sq 185x5 just to remember what a squat is
pr 115x3, 100x5x5
bp 140x4+f, 125x5, 120x5x4
lpd 145x8 (pronated, hard), 145x8 (supinated, easy)

Switching around volume and intensity days for the presses, so this was a little bit of both. It is very pleasant to do volume on the weekend, rested and unhurried, instead of after a ten-hour workday.

I benched 140x5x3 less than a month ago, so that's unfortunate, but now that I'm benching twice a week, we might see a little more class mobility for Comrade Bench. 125 didn't feel super possible for 5x5, so I went down to lmao120.

Received (solicited, desired) advice to advance my chin-up jihad by doing pulldowns for sets of 6-8, assisted chins for sets of 10, and hanging practice.

[xng]

2017-12-03

Lower body extravaganza!

sq 247.5x5x5
dl 260x5x2

The squat was MUCH improved by thinking about pulling my elbows into my ribs. That seemed to prevent the dreaded upward elbow reach that ruins my upper back. Why my elbows love the ceiling and want to go there I don't understand. The other thing at issue was making sure to push the knees out early, to not let them bounce in the bottom, and to keep pushing them out on the way up.

I can feel yesterday's volume in my upper body, and it feels great. My joints do this special extra-juicy crack when I have done mad volume. Looking forward to the noises my hips and tailbone will do later because of today.

Got my program fixed a little: really need to squat 3x/week or I'll forget how; moar presses; triples on ID. Staying married to Upper Body Extravaganza on Saturday instead of the eminently more sensible "ID one and VD the other," because I hate doing 5x5 on weekdays.

Saturday
pr 5x5
bp 5x5

Sunday
sq 5x5
dl 5x2 light

Tuesday
sq 5x3 @ 80% of Sunday
pr 3x2 + 5x2
bp 5rm

Thursday
sq 3x2 + 5 @ 80% of that
dl 5rm
pr 5x2 light

[Wilhelm]

That's good squattin, @xng!

I see 347 listed in your first entry. I'm assuming that's your current PR.
I'm looking forward to how things go for you now you are dialing it in even more. +++

I'm not sure what it would take to get me to squat 3 times a week.
Something dire, that's certain.

[xng]

That's good squattin, @xng!

I see 347 listed in your first entry. I'm assuming that's your current PR.
I'm looking forward to how things go for you now you are dialing it in even more. +++

I'm not sure what it would take to get me to squat 3 times a week.
Something dire, that's certain.

My best squat is 335. I am also looking forward to finding out how it responds. This is quite a bit more volume and tonnage than the triple-based Texas I was doing in the fall. More dakka! Got to stay strong in the hammock and at the dinner table also. Trying to get less huge was a mistake.

275x5 was so ugly last week that I repented of trying to get away with 2x/week. I hope someday to forget more slowly how to squat, but I'm not there yet.

[xng]

2017-12-05

sq 200x5x3
pr 115x3x2, 95x5x2
bp 140x5

This felt awesome and took less than an hour. YES.

[xng]

2017-12-07

pr 95x5x2
sq 285x3

Bad times, long day, squats felt real ugly. I was in Oakland, trying to be quick because I thought I could do my workout and still be on time to the movie. But I could not, so I just stopped halfway through.

2017-12-08

sq 285x3, 230x5
dl 320x3x2, 215x5 double overhand

I know that 3 yesterday and 3 today is not the same thing as the prescribed 3x2, but whatever, I'm just glad I did it at all. Couple short nights, lungs mad at me because of my decisions. I did not feel good today, and I felt a temptation to skip or re-postpone the rest of this workout, but that was clearly bullshit.

These squats felt a bit better than yesterday's. The deadlifts were supposed to be 5, but it didn't seem like it was going to happen, so I did 3x2 instead.

After the squats, my lower back felt tight and angry, and when I put on my belt for my last warm-up deadlift, a nasty sensation radiated down my leg. So I stretched a little bit, did my last warm-up, and hit the erectors with the foam roller for a minute. After that I felt fine, no more problems.

[xng]

2017-12-09

pr 102.5x5x5
bp 122.5x5x5
lpd 150x7 (pro), 150x8 (sup)

Tweaked my right neck/trap during the first set of presses. I have tweaked myself this way before, but only on the left, and only by sleeping on it wrong or tensing my shoulders with my head in the wrong position. I don't think I was doing any of that, but it went click and now it hurts. It didn't get worse, so I kept going. Everything was pretty manageable, the bench press maybe still too easy.

[Wilhelm]

Do you have a day off now @xng ?

I'm not sure how this works for you, but i use my "broomstick" across my shoulders for side to side neck stretches.

Keep up the strong work.
You are clearly very dedicated.

[xng]

2017-12-10

sq 250x5x5
dl 255x5x2

I went a bit lighter on the deadlifts, since they've been inching up past 80% of 5rm.

Do you have a day off now @xng ?

I'm not sure how this works for you, but i use my "broomstick" across my shoulders for side to side neck stretches.

Keep up the strong work.
You are clearly very dedicated.

I would have had Friday off, if I had done on Thursday everything I was supposed to. Four consecutive days in the gym felt like a lot, even though the amount of work was normal.

This recurring neck tweak is mysterious to me. I even thought that strengthening my shoulders had dispelled it forever, but I was wrong. Things that definitely don't help: doing a bridge, having someone jerk on my arm, cracking my neck. Things that might help: heat, relaxation, the passage of time. I will try some broomstick stretching.

Thank you for the encouragement!

[xng]

2017-12-13

sq 200x5x3
pr 117.5x3,1+f+1+f, 95x5x2
bp 145x5*

What a mess. I didn't have my shoes and belt, so I squatted in my sandals and pressed with a piece of webbing wrapped around my waist. Oakland doesn't have 1.25# plates, so I loaded the bar asymmetrically to press. Then, on the second set, I forgot to offset my grip to compensate. My spotter was touching the bar the whole time I was benching, and I didn't have the heart to tell her to stop it. Sorry mom sorry dad sorry college

[xng]

2017-12-15

sq 290x3x2, 230x5
pr 95x5x2
dl 325x5, 217.5x5 double overhand

Much better than last week. Sleep has not been ideal, and I've been ignoring what I eat except to slam huge protons four times a day, but this was finally a heavy workout that didn't hurt my feelings.

I attribute this success to 1) the wonderful Berkeley Y, 2) taking my sweet time and resting plenty even between warmups, and 3) Starbucks VIA® Instant.

[Wilhelm]

I'm a big fan of taking my time.

It's good to see you're feeling better.

[xng]

2017-12-16

pr 105x5x5
bp 125x5x5

ezpz, skipped brocessories because of stuff to do. My chins are getting weaker, must do something.