Try One More

DEADS:
95lb x3 
125lb x3
155lb x3
185lb x5
195lb x1
205lb x1
210lb  FAIL 
155lb x3
125lb x3 
95lb x3 
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SINGLE LEG RDL:
25lb plate x20 ea leg 
35lb plate x10 ea leg 
50lb DB x5 ea leg 
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GRAPPLER LUNGES (ON TOES)
25lb plate x10 ea leg 
35lb Plate x5 ea leg 
45lb plate x3 ea leg 
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Welp, I wanted to get some deads in and I did, so I'm happy about that. I'm also happy that tonight I managed the 185lb all in one set of 5 instead of broken up into doubles and singles. Also done with no belt and no sleeves. I felt pretty good so that's when I put the belt and sleeves on and went for what my max is, I figured I might as well try one more.  I'm disappointed that I missed the 210lb.  That makes me 25lb off of my previous max of 230lb. I know, though, that it's not going to take me long to not only get back there, but surpass it. 

I Don't Regret It

50lb DB shrugs x50
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BENCH / 50LB DB ROWS
Bar (4/1) x10 (no rows)
65lb x3 / rows x5 ea 
85lb x3 / rows x5 ea 
95lb x3 / rows x5 ea 
[105lb x5 no rows] 5x 
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BAR MAX REPS
Wide grip x25
Mid grip x20
Narrow grip x25
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35lb Plate Overhead pull / press x10
25lb plate  overhead pull / press x15
10lb plate overhead pull / press x20
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I wasn't going to train tonight. My training  has been sporadic lately, at best and getting out of a routine sucks. It's something I know but sometimes life needs to remind me of the consequences to getting lazy. I've lost strength and drive and positivity and I can't let that continue. So I dragged my ass downstairs and benched. And of course, I don't regret it, at all. I want, with all my being, to deadlift tomorrow so I will. How I'm going to do that I'm not sure. The basement has become our "sorting room" so to speak so the space that was cleared is cluttered again. Not an excuse, just a statement of the hurdle that needs to be jumped. So....it looks like, weather permitting, I'm lugging everything outside. Sigh...I won't regret it. 

What Are You Making Yourself?

     I was having a discussion with a friend the other day and as anyone who knows me knows, discussions with me can lead to all sorts of tangents. This particular talk spring boarded me to thinking about what we make of ourselves. Allow me to indulge my brain here for a few minutes. 
     What I've noticed about people lately is that they (and I include myself here) tend to make a whole lot of excuses as to why they are the way they are. As if their personality and character is but a mere result of other peoples' actions. They say that they can't do a particular thing because they were never taught how to properly do it. Or they behave in a certain way because they have a character flaw that's the result of mistreatment at the hands of another. They take their lives and make it a total victim scenario. 
     What I've learned in my 40 years on this planet is that this attitude and way of thinking is completely wrong and detrimental to any sort of positive, progressive life. Our pasts most definitely play a role in who we are. We learn from mistakes we've made and mistakes that others have made. Our personalities, to a certain extent reflect the experiences we've had. But overall, I firmly believe that we have to step up and take control over our own destinies. We can sit back on our laurels and whine about how difficult it is for us to lose weight because x, y, and z medical ailments or we step up and say "I'll be damned if I'm going to let these health issues hold me back!"  We can say that we treat people unfairly because of the unfair way that someone has treated us or we can act honorably and say that we will treat others fairly in spite of how we were treated. We can say that we cannot do this thing because we were slighted and never taught the skills or we can say that we will learn the skills needed and excel at that thing. You see? It's all within our power. Everything we want to achieve is within our grasp if we change our mindsets. 
     I always had a vision in my mind of the person that I wanted to be, the image that I wanted to portray (yes, we all want to portray some sort of image, don't kid yourself into thinking that we don't). I had resigned myself to the fact that I would have to live with that image being purely a mental one. Until one day I decided that I would no longer accept that. So I changed how I acted. I changed how I lived. I started becoming this character in my head and began bringing that mental image to life. I was expressing and living what my soul was screaming that it wanted to be. Some people, I'm sure, thought I was changing who I was for the worse. They saw that because they had never truly known me to begin with, hel, I had hardly even known me! But their thoughts and feelings really aren't my concern. As long as I am living my life in a way that makes me happy, and keeps my daughter safe and happy, then everyone else just needs to stay on the sidelines with their feelings because this isn't their life, it's mine. I will make of it what I will.
     Believe me, people will talk as you begin to make your life your own. They will gossip and nay-say and badmouth who you are and your actions. Let them. Most of the time, they are the people who are too weak to take responsibility for their own lives. They are the constant victims, crying about what circumstances have done to them; whining about how bad of a deal they got. While they whine about the cards they've been dealt, we'll be the ones taking and setting the cards on fire because we refuse to play this nonsensical game any longer! 
     So I ask you this: what do you want to be and why have you waited so long?
     

Back Again

BACK SQUATS:
Bar x10
65lb x3 
85lb x3
115lb x3
[125lb x5] 5x 
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I got a late start tonight so I didn't do as much of a workout as I wanted. I was determined, however, to get in my standard 5x5 and I did.
I'm super pleased that I'm back at 125. I belted up and put my knee sleeves on, but I have absolutely no lower back pain and no hip pain! NONE!
The weight seemed to.move fairly easily. One thing I noticed was that I tried to move too fast and that's when my form slips.  That's the drawback of being by myself at times - I have no one to correct me as I go. I have to be aware enough to correct myself and although that sounds easy, sometimes it really isn't. 
With that, I'm counting tonight as a success and I'm looking forward to hitting 135lb next week!

Not Too Much Lost

Bar Medley:
Front Squat / RDL / Upright Row
1-5 ladder, 5-1 Ladder 
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PRESS (Strict and Push)
Bar x10
65lb x3
75lb x3
[85lb 5x] 5x 
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BENT KB ROWS / KB SNATCH (20LB )
20lb x15 ea arm / x5 ea arm 
35lb x6 ea /x5 ea
55lb x3 ea / x5 ea.
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10lb T &Y x10 ea
5lb T &Y x10ea 
10lb Front raise / squeeze x10
5lb Front raise / squeeze x10
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RENEGADE ROWS
5lb plate x10 ea side
10lb plate x10 ea side
20lb KB x10 ea side
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I was going to play it safe and only add 5 lbs onto my totals from the last press day, but that seemed stupid to me. So I added 10lbs. I want to say my old PR on presses was either 95lb or 100lbs, so I'm creeping closer.  Tonight they were a mixture of push and strict presses, but I'll still take it. So, I guess I haven't lost too much of my strength. 

Plush Sucks

DEADS:
95lb x3
125lb x3
155lb x3
185lb x2, x1, x1, x1
155lb x3
125lb x3
95lb x15
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SINGLE LEG RDL:
20lb KB x20 ea leg
35lb KB x10 ea leg
50lb DB x5 ea leg
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CALF RAISES:
10lb plate ea hand x50
25lb plates x25
45lb plates x10
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I wanted to do some barbell hip thrusters but it was too tight of a space in the basement so I had to scratch them.
Tonight wasn't a true 5x5, but I'm happy I got 5 reps @185lb. That was also without a belt. I tried wearing a belt, but it kept moving every time I got into position and it was piss ing me off so I took it off. I had no pain or discomfort and no cramping. 
As a side note, plush carpeting sucks. In many ways it doth suck, but under my feet for deads and squats it doth suck the most. Haha, anyhoo...

Enter The Machine

50lb DB shrugs x50 
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BENCH / UPRIGHT KB ROWS (35LB)
bar 4/1 x10  / rows x5 
65lb x3 / rows x5
85lb x3 / rows x5
[100lb x5 / rows x5 ] 5x 
I tried 110lb,  but I couldn't do it without lifting my ass, so I kept the weight at 100lb. 
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INCLINED BENCH (highest position)
Bar x20
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Then I played around with one of the cable machines that we have, doing inclined bench, but I'm not going to count that as anything 
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[60lb cable tricep pull downs x10 ] 3x 
35lb Plate overhead pull / press x10
15lb DB bench x20
Barbell curls (bar) x20
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I was pissed when I tried to do an inclined bench on the machine and could only do 60lbs. I'm not really liking the machines. Maybe I just need to get used to them. I was also ticked off that I couldn't bench the 110lb without lifting my ass. I've lost so much strength, it's disgusting. It was just one of those nights where I just couldn't stomach myself, so I won't keep rambling. I suppose it's a positive that I benched 5 lbs more than last time.  

I Want To Quit

SQUATS:
Front Squats:
Bar x10
Back Squats:
Bar x10
65lb x3
95lb x3
[115lb x5] 5x 
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WALKING LUNGES:
All done with plates
25lb x10 ea leg
50lb (25lb plate ea hand) x5 ea leg
70lb  (25lb + 10lb plate ea hand) x5 ea leg
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[25lb plate raises x10 / reactive hops x20 ] 3x 
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95lb barbell calf raises x25
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Throughout the day: 
20 pushups every half hour for a total of 300 push ups
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It was a tough one tonight. I had to bring everything outside, so 2 saw horses,  the 45lb bar, 2 25lb plates, 2 10lb plates and 2 5 lb plates all had to come up 13 steps, through the house, then down 8 steps. Then I trained and then it all had to go back. But even before that, the squats were feeling much heavier than 115lb.  Halfway through the big set, I told Em that I felt like quitting. But I wouldn't.  And I didn't.  I bulled my way through and I'm glad I did. I wanted to do more calf raises but I was being attacked by biting flies. Ahh, the joys of outdoor training! 
The usual chaos of life was still thundering around me and while this was not an ideal session, it was a good 5x5 that will make me stronger in the long run. Using the saw horses as a squat rack is still a pain in the ass and it's awkward and difficult to lift the bar off from a partial squat, but I've done it before with heavier weights and I'll do it again. 

Still Pluggin'

Throught the day, I was doing 15 push ups every 30 minutes. I totaled 225 pushups with the last 60 being done in 2 sets of 30. 
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KETTLEBELLS
[35lb swings x10 / Goblet squat x3] 3x 
[55lb swings x10 / goblet squats x3] 3x 
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20lb snatch x10 ea. arm, 3x
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55lb swing x15, 3x
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Certainly nothing to write home about, but it was better than doing nothing. Nothing is what I've been doing a lot of lately and I hate it. In my defense, however,my sleep has been hovering around 4 interrupted hours each night which makes me less than enthusiastic about training. As always, there are no excuses, so I just need to do better.
Justin has given me the opportunity to train people at the gym. I'm giving classes for free, to start , but eventually I'll charge a small price and hopefully.build a clientele and gain some knowledge and experience too. I'm also deciding on a certification to study for. I'm not sure how I'm going to manage all that, keep working 8 hours a day, train, and take care of my family. Overwhelmed is an understatement for what I feel. Also scared, nervous, excited and proud. And tired. Don't forget that one. 
Ahh well, as of tonight I'm still plugging along so I have that going for me, at any rate. Off to shower, then bed. 

Cramped

BENCH / ROWS
Bar x10 4/1 / 45lb DB rows x5  ea
65lb x3 / Rows
85lb x3 / Rows 
95lb x3 / Rows 
95lb 5x5 /Rows after ea set
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Bar wide x15
Bar mid x15
Bar narrow x15
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[Bench Dips x5 / Eccentric Bench PU x5] 3x 
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There was myself, Frank, Emily and Butch (the dog) all trying to occupy the same 10 square foot space in the basement tonight. Certainly less than ideal conditions, but I got in a solid 5x5 nonetheless.  I didn't get the core work in as I had hoped, but there just isn't room and I didn't feel like dragging myself outside to do it. Things are straightening out, slowly, but I'm no stranger to adverse conditions. As always, it's adapt and overcome or fail.
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Addendum:
While Frank isn't really on a specific training program (yet...hehehehe), I wanted to add his weights to my blog as well. I think he truly underestimates what he's capable of, much like myself. I know it was helpful to me to see my progress in black and white. With that being said:
BENCH:
135lbs x20
205lbs x10
260lbs x5
then he stopped and started cleaning the basement haha. 
His raw strength is undeniable and I'd love to see him on a progressive loading program and get him doing odd ball strongman lifts. maybe with a little persuasion...wink wink