Turbulence slows things down and makes things bumpy but it
won’t stop you in your tracks. An obstacle will stop you…..for a little while
atleast. In his book, The Obstacle Is
The Way - Ryan Holiday wrote about Stoicism and using those obstacles in your
own favor.
Don’t woe as me because you can’t easily get what you want.
Embrace it and accept the challenge. You control your actions and that is about
it. You can’t control that someone else is a jerk or a relative got sick. You on the other hand CAN control the time you spend with the sick relative and how you
respond to said jerk.
When that obstacle presents itself and you start to get down
know that this challenge will make you stronger in the future. Control what is controllable. You can’t do anything else about the other
stuff. Worrying and stressing won’t help either. Just take action. Some of you won't know what action to take. In that case take a baby step toward where you want to be. Enough baby steps and you will eventually gain momentum and reach your destination.
The last few months have been very stressful and that stress is culminating as I move into a new chapter of my life. My training has been my companion, my savior, my void. I have pushed it as hard as I ever have and my body is responding. Things have not been idea so my sleep and recovery have been off but I continue to move forward in a positive direction.
I have been focused on my nutrition while stress has been high and this has been a great thing for me. I am still under eating but keeping as much mass as I can. If all works out I will lift at 220 in July.
5/12 dynamic effort lower
Roller hypers and roller leg curls
70 4 sets of 10 hypers and 10 leg curls
Box squat - Not as speedy as I would like but it is what it is.
255 5x2
Back was out some so I skipped deadlifts
Goblet squat 1.5's on ramp - Occluded (2 sets) 30x15,15,12
A1 - Occluded TKE 2x25, 1x25 5 second hold on multiples of 5
A2 leg raises 2x20
5/13 Dynamic effort upper
Elitefts shoulder saver bench press - 320, 340, 365x5
Speed bench w/ 1 chain 185 3x5, 205 3x5, 225 3x5, single at 255 and 275
A1 - Low incline dumbbell fly - 5 second lower 15x12, 20x12, 25x12
A2 - overhead rope pushdown 20x15 w/10 sec hold on last, 40 2x15 w/ 10 sec hold.
5/14 Upper assistance
A1 - reverse hyper rows 200 4x12
A2 hammer curls across body 25, 35x12, 40 2x12
B1 Incline curls 20x12, 25 2x12
B2 6 way 12 3x6
B3 spider walk 3x 3 up and down
5/15 Max effort lower
I want's planning on doing anything heavy today but thanks to Aaron who is helping me deal with my stress by pushing me in the gym. Without him there I would have gone through the motions.
Deficit deadlift on 3 small mats
315x2, 365, 415, 455, 505, 545, 585, 615x1, 500x8 - Not sure that is a PR but it has been a while since I pulled over 600 raw conventional. This are working.
GHR ladders x8,7,7 super set with keg carry 3x distance
rolling dumbell extension on incline 50 4x10, then a drop set 45, 40, 35x 10
5/7 upper assistance
Tbar rows work to a hard 10 190x10
straight arm grenade pulldowns 60x12, 60 2x12
pull ups with band assistance 3xfail (20, 12, 12)
side raises to heavy 8 - 40x8
Ahrens press - 30 3x15
bradford press+1 muscle round 85 miss on set 5 rep 4, rest 20 set get 3 more reps.
band pull aparts monster mini 2x50
barbell curls 3 sec up and 3 down - 65 x12, 10, 8
light band pushdown x100
db preacher curl 20 x12, 10, 10
5/8 Max effort lower
short strap hypers 205 3x12
pulldown abs 4x12
alternating leg curl with iso hold on opposite leg - org 4x10
Yoke bar Anderson squat + chain 405, 435, 455x1, strip set 235x10, 185x10, 135x10
leg extension with 5 second lower 3x12
single leg hypers 250 2x8
5/10 Max effort upper
BW 238.5
Floor press 273x5, 311x5, 354x2, 379x1, 409x1
Took too big of a jump with no hand out. I got greedy and should have played it smart. Dumbell press on 4 inch incline 70, 100x12 130x12,12,9
Started doing Fat DD pulldows to upper abs inbetween dumbells and continued into next set of exercises. 130 5x12
Barbell extension to neck 135 4x6 superset with dips 5x15 and a few sets of pulldowns Hex dumbbell press together low incline 20x12, high 20x12 superset with alternating dumbell curls 25 2x12
Alternating dumbbell curls 3x12, facepulls orange 3x20, band upright rows 3x20 orange triset Trifecta (rear, side front raise without putting down dumbbell 12x20/20/20, 15/15/15, 12/12/12
Stress has been tough and training has been tougher. I needed a week to recover but allow my training to catch up so I can continue to push forward. Body weight is all over the place. From 241 down to 237. Working to get my eating in order to keep recovering.
4/21
Superset 20/15/10 reps
A1 Glute ham raise
A2 short strap reverse hypers 205
Front squat continuous pump sets. I tried to not lock these
out 105x25, 115x20
deadlift against 120# of chain
365x3, 405x3, 455x3 500x1
Ran out of time before a client got there.
Took a 75 minute break before finishing.
long strap hyper
7 1/2 plates 3x8
Then the worst decision I have ever made.
the 100 rep drop set. (10sets of 10)
9 1/2 plates down to 1.
That concluded my week. Because I caught the stomach bug my kids brought home the very next day. This left me on the couch for 8 hours on Saturday before heading to bed for another 8 hours. I am still sore and achy.
8/18 REP lower
knee was still swollen from the weekend so I cut down on the reps I would do. I am not rethinking my squatting up to the meet. I am not sure I can handle so many heavy loads on my back. Time will tell.
band leg curls 3x10
Box squat 265x8
yoke bar good morning
135 2x5, 185x5
A1 band leg ext (5 second lower)
orange x10, greyx10
