Making Tracks To Strongville USA

     We got off of our normal schedule due to snowstorms but we're back on track - I think. Last night we went to Bench Town and tonight the track brought us to Squatsville. Here's what got done over the past two days:

••••••••••

THURSDAY 1/29

BENCH:

85lb x10

95lb x10

115lb x6

(125lb x3) 5x

DB INCLINE PRESS:

25lb x10

30lb x8

40lb x4

40lb x5

40lb x3

DB FLY:

20lb x5

*I did this first set and then decided I wanted to add something in with it.

DB NARROW PRESS / FLY:

(20lb x10 / x5) 2x

SEATED CABLE FLY:

(No grip - palms only)

(70lb x10) 3x

ASSISTED DIPS:

60lb x5

60lb x4

60lb x3

SEATED DIPS:

(90lb x10) 3x

FRIDAY 1/30

OUTER THIGH:

SQUAT POSITION (not seated)

50lb x10

80lb x10

100lb x5

SEATED - LOW FEET

70lb x10

MID FEET

70lb x10

HIGH FEET

60lb x10

INNER THIGH:

(50lb x10) 2x

50lb x8

BACK SQUAT:

65lb x10 wide

95lb x10 normal

135lb x4

Bar 1.5 reps x10

65lb 1.5 reps x8

85lb 1.5 reps x4

45° LEG PRESS:

CALF RAISES

(190lb x10) 3x

LEG PRESS:

190lb x10

280lb x7

370lb x1

BULGARIAN BAG WALKING LUNGES:

(26lb x3 ea. Leg) 4x

••••••••••

     I'm inching my way closer to going up in weight on the bench. I got a solid 5 sets of 3. Next week I should be able to get 3 sets of 5. I'm also very happy with the inclines at 40lb a hand. Getting stronger makes me happy. The squats though, well, I'm not so happy with. This cold weather is just wrecking my knees. They ache constantly. I was feeling just OK when I started but the 135lb proved too much for my left knee and it protested loudly. SO I decided to lighten it up and do reps instead. I'm surprised I even got that one rep at 380lb on the leg press. One was enough though!

Chat GPT has me unevenly loaded!

   I think we should be good to go for a regular schedule next week. We're supposed to get another storm this weekend but not nearly as bad as last week - only about 3" this go 'round instead of 20". Here's to hoping my knees hold out. They're beginning to make me worry. 

It's Been A Decade Since I Did This

     It's my favorite day of the week and I didn't miss it! I got some good stuff done. Take a look:

••••••••••

BACK SQUAT:

Bar x10

95lb x10

135lb x8

155lb x4

155lb x5

155lb x3

(135lb x5) 2x

LEG EXTENSIONS / BACK RAISE W/TWIST:

(90lb x10 (slow) / x10) 3x

*I had initially started with 120lbs and got 5 reps, but my right knee was beginning to protest. I lightened the weight substantially and did slow, deliberate reps instead.

LAYING HAMSTRING CURLS:

(80lb x10) 3x

CALF RAISES (SEATED LEG PRESS MACHINE):

(100lb x10) 3x

*I also was going to do some leg presses, but decided against it after feeling some pain. 

MULTI HIP MACHINE:

INNER:

29lb x12 ea.

35lb x10 ea.

41lb x8 ea.

OUTER:

(35lb x8) 3x ea.

••••••••••

     It has been 10 years since I've done that weight for reps. I may not have gotten a full 3 sets of 5, but I'm so proud of what I did get! They felt good, and stable. The last couple were a little shaky, but I'll still take it. Now, that being said, my right knee is a wee bit upset. I'll baby it this weekend and it should be good to go.

     We will probably be missing Monday's session because a big snow storm is expected for Sunday through Monday. We're looking at about 20" and I LOVE IT! In any case, it'll give me and extra day to rest my knee lol.

Smoldering Shoulders

     My goal tonight was to hit my shoulders and show them who's boss. Here's how I tried to do it:

••••••••••

DB SEATED O.H. PRESS:

25lb x10

30lb x7

35lb x2

(30lb x5) 3x

EZ BAR SKULL CRUSHERS:

30lb x10

(40lb x8) 2x

DB PULLOVER:

(35lb x10) 3x

     The idea for the next two exercises came from a video that I found today. You can watch it below.

SUPER ROM REAR FLY:

20lb x5

(15lb x10) 3x

SUPER ROM FIZED BAR FRONT RAISE:

(20lb x10) 3x

ISOLATERAL SHOULDER PRESS:

(+10lb x8) 2x

REVERSE PEC DEC:
60lb x10

60lb x8

60lb x5

••••••••••

     I was toasted by those last flys. I was going to do the cross body cable Y that was in that video as well, but I just didn't have it in me. Nothing earth-shattering tonight, but I'm pleased; I guess.

     We went out for sushi last night to celebrate our anniversary, I didn't overeat but I know that it totally busted my macros. Then we had a cupcake for dessert. I'm not beating myself up for it - it was our anniversary for God's sake. I got back on the macro train today but the ride sucked and I want to complain to the owner of the railroad. I'm not able to hit the targets, I'm just not. I'm starting to really hate this even though I know it's what I should be doing. I'm hoping this is just a speed bump that I'll get over soon. 

     The gym was super busy when we got there and then all of a sudden -poof! All of the people cleared out. I swear, people seem to be doing like, 5 reps and calling it a night. Maybe they're right and I'm doing too much? I dunno. I might be, but I find it enjoyable so I like to do a lot. 

     Tomorrow is squat day. Here's to hoping my knees hold out. 

No Irritation

     The gym was busy tonight with a lot of new people. I hope they stick with their new routines, I know how hard it can be. For us, it wasn't too difficult to get some benching done. Here's what we did:

••••••••••

INCLINED BENCH:

55lb x12

65lb x8

(95lb x3) 3x

DECLINED BENCH:

95lb x10

FLAT BENCH:

95lb x10

115lb x3

(125lb x5 w/4.5" block) 3x

135lb x3 w/4.5" block

145lb x3 w/4.5" block

*My plan was to start with flat bench to try and get a full 3 dets of 5 with the 125lb. All the benches were taken though, forcing us to start with incline. By the time a bench opened up, I was already tired and I knew I wouldn't be able to hit the 125lb. That's why I threw the block on there. 

ISOLATERAL SEATED ROWS:

30lb x12

40lb x12

(50lb x5) 3x

SINGLE ARM:

30lb x12

35lb x8

LAT PRAYERS:

35lb x12

(45lb x5) 3x

SEATED CHEST FLYS:

90lb x10

100lb x5

SINGLE ARM:

60lb x12 ea.

••••••••••

     There was a time, in the not so distant past, that any disruption to my scheduled session would've sent me over the edge. I'm happy to say, that it didn't really affect me tonight. It started to. I was kind of irritated that I had basically worn myself out before my working sets and that I wasn't going to be able to hit my target. I took a minute and realized that progress was still happening, I was just going about it differently. Next week, I'll try again for those elusive 3 sets of 5 at 125lb. I have a good feeling that I just may make them.

     There's still lots of new people in the gym. I get that it's frustrating to have more people milling about and using equipment that we need to use, but I realize that I was one of those newbies last April. I hope that they all stick with it, actually. I hope they grind through the hard times and I hope they succeed. Although, I wouldn't complain if they found a way to do it at a different time of day. 

     That's about all for tonight. Tomorrow is not only my rest day, but our anniversary! A happy ten years to us! Who knows, I may even go wild and allow myself a cupcake. 

All Mixed Up

     I missed last Friday (more on that later) so tonight was a must-do. Deadlifts went down tonight, or should I say, they went up? Either way, here's what went in the log books:

••••••••••

DEADLIFTS:

111lb x10

155lb x8

199lb x6

221lb x1.75 - I completed 1, went for the second but didn't lock out because my grip was gibing out. 

221lb x1

At this point, I decided to bite the bullet and switch to mixed grip.

221lb x3

Feeling emboldened by the ease of those three, I decided a smart thing to do was add 67lbs.

287lb FAIL - who could've seen that coming?

265lb FAIL

199lb x3

BARBELL RDL:

155lb x3 - Grip was really weak and I was worried I couldn't get more.

(155lb x5) 2x

LEG EXTENSIONS:

(120lb x10) 3x

SEATED HAMSTRING CURLS:

(120lb x10) 2x

80lb x10

••••••••••

     Last Friday was not a good day. I was feeding our stray cat, Patchy and I was crouched down putting her food in her house. As I stood up, there was a sharp, tearing-type pain under my right knee cap. I yelled, probably something profane and not worth repeating and scared the hell out of poor Patchy, but after I managed to get upright, there really was no lingering pain.

     A little later on, whilst scrubbing the toilet in a similar crouched position, the same thing happened. Only, the cat that heard me scream profanities this time around was our housecat, Dottie and this time, I couldn't get up. I had to scootch myself on my behind over to the door frame and pull myself up. Yet again, in an upright position - no lingering pain.

     Fast forward a couple of hours later and as I was sitting no the couch, my right knee started throbbing and burning and just hurting something awful. It was the same type of pain that I had the time that I hurt my knee out in the garden. I had Emily get me the ace bandage, I wrapped the friggin thing, swallowed some ibuprofen and figured I'd call the doc on Monday, but knew there was no way in hell I could go squat.

     I never needed to call though because when I woke up on Saturday, I was 100% pain free. I mean, crouching, standing, sitting - no pain at all. The thing I figure is that my frickin knee cap must have gotten slightly off track and then got pushed back in when I wrapped it. It was fine all weekend and today it was OK as well. With all that being put behind me, I trotted myself to the gym this evening and hit a new PR of 221lb for 3 reps. I was, of course, sleeved up because I wasn't taking any chances. The knees seemed to hold up and are only a little sore at the moment. So that's good. 

     Let's talk about the deads though! I was struggling with the 221lb. I was getting them, but my hands were failing, big time. Frank suggested mixed grip which I've never really utilized. It always felt weird to me so I just always went conventional grip and figured I would get stronger. He gave me the look, so I tried it. Wouldn't cha know that weight went up like it was nuthin! Was it stupid to try those heavier weights? Yes, we all know it was but stupid never stopped me before. This has given me some new energy though. Next week, I'm going for a deadlift max with a mixed grip. I'm curious to see how far I can get. Honestly, that weight didn't feel all that bad which makes me believe my legs are not my limiting factor. I'm not going to do all the lifts with mixed grip, obviously. My hands still need to get stronger and they will. I'll switch it up when I feel them starting to go. Right now, that seems to be 199lb. I'm kind of excited. 

     Finally, a word on nutrition. Still tracking, still a little frustrated, still plugging along. My numbers are getting better; getting closer to hitting the target numbers as I dial in the foods that work. Egg whites have helped a lot. I do 3 egg whites and one whole egg and that seems to work fairly well as an omelet with veggies. Low fat cottage cheese used as a salad dressing has also worked well. My weight is down 8lbs as well. Now if I could find a way to sleep better, I'd be happy as a pig in poo. 

      I'm exhausted and there's a cup of tea and some trash T.V. calling my name. 

Reset

     I was totally bummed yesterday and tried over and over to put together a post to reflect all of my frustration. It just never came together and I deleted everything and gave up. Tonight was much better and shoulder night went down fairly well. Here's the low down:

••••••••••

O.H. PRESS:

STRICT:

55lb x12

65lb x6

(77lb x3) 3x

PUSH:

89lb x5

99lb x3

109lb x1

111lb x1

KB PUSH PRESS:

20lb x10 ea.

35lb x8 ea.

45lb x3 ea.

DB RAISES:

LAT / FRONT / REAR FLY

(12lb x8/x8/x8) 3x

ISOLATERAL PRESS:

(+10lb x10) 3x

SEATED REAR FLY:

(70lb x10) 3x

••••••••••

     I don't want to say it's for certain, but that may have been a PR on the push press. It's been so long since I've gone heavy on those that I'm not really sure. I'll hold back on the celebration for now. I did belt up for the heavier presses because last week my back was a little wigged out with the presses. It seemed to help tonight and as of right now, there's no pain or discomfort. I felt a huge pump on my shoulders tonight, they were tight and hard as rocks so there's no room for complaints or regerts (yes, I meant that typo).

     Last night, my mood sucked. I was over it, all of it - the tracking, the figuring out what to eat, what not to eat, the scale going back up 5lbs, the body not changing as fast as I want or in the ways that I want. It was all too much and came crashing down on me like a ton of bricks. I went to bed sullen and as wrung out as yesterday's wash cloth. I didn't sleep very well (as usual) but what little rest I did get must have been a good reset. I can't say that I woke up feeling refreshed but I was definitely adjusted and accepting of reality. Am I where I want to be in the gym? Of course not. But when I look back at my training notes, there's undeniable proof that I'm getting stronger. Those numbers just don't lie. As far as nutrition, well, it's not what it should be and the only way to deal with that is to make better choices - more clean foods, lower fat foods, better quality protein. At the same time, I have to realize that it's not realistic to hit the exact macro numbers; it's just not. They're guide posts to keep me on the right path, not jail cell walls that I'm never allowed to leave. I still eat better than most of the people I know. 

And for that damn scale, it can go all the way to hell and back. I had to remind myself that the goal was to lose 1lb per week. I've been doing this for about 2 weeks so I should only be down to 198lb. When I got on the scale this morning, it may have reflected just that. I'm not positive on it because I can't read the damn lines. Again, reality check Michelle. It's not realistic to be losing 5lbs a week and as one of my friends pointed out, if I did lose that, it was probably water.

     Anyhow, tonight I'm in a much better headspace. I'm pleased with the training, kinda pleased with my progress and most of all pleased that I have not given up. I thought I'd bring back my old motivational quote

That will never not get to me. Now it's tea time.

No PR's Were Harmed In Tonight's Session

     I took a mental health day from work today. I also took some mental health time and went to the gym. It was bench day today. Here's what I accomplished:

••••••••••

BENCH:

65lb x10

95lb x8

115lb x6

(125lb x5) 2x

125lb x4

(95lb 1.5 reps x3) 3x

INCLINED BENCH / DB UNDERHAND FLY:

(65lb x5 / 14lb x5) 3x

DECLINE:

115lb x5

(115lb x4) 2x

DB BENCH:

35lb x8

(45lb x3) 2x

*I was pretty gassed at this point

DB CHEST FLY:

15lb x6

(15lb x10) 2x

ASSISTED DIPS:

50lb x5

50lb x4

50lb x3

••••••••••

     Nothing earth-shattering happened tonight but I gave it everything that I had. I still wasn't able to complete 3 full sets at 125lb which was a little aggravating, but I know next Tuesday I'll probably get it. I did progress a wee bit on the assisted dips so that was good.

     My nutrition was about the same today - I was 11 grams over on my fat and everything else was under. I give up. I'm not really hungry right now. If I do eat, I know it will send my fat grams even higher but at this point I don't really give a damn. I'm too tired to give a damn. Between stressing over food, not sleeping and being frustrated with my day job, I'm on the edge of just throwing my hands up and giving up. I probably won't, but that's what I feel like. Constantly swimming against the tide is tiresome. Just once I'd like to float for a bit. 

Trapped By A NEW PR!

     Tonight we lifted the dead and it it went pretty OK. I switched it up from conventional and went with trap bar. I hit a new PR on that as well.  Here's what got done:

••••••••••

TRAP BAR DEADLIFT:

109lb x10

130lb x8

174lb x6

240lb x3

284lb x2

(284lb x1) 2x

BARBELL GOOD MORNINGS:

89lb x10

111lb x8

(133lb x3) 3x

SEATED OPEN CABLE ROWS / LAT PRAYERS:

70lb x12 / 35lb x10

70lb x10 / 40lb x5

70lb x8 / 45lb x5

ASSISTED PULL UPS:

60lb x1

70lb x2

75lb x3

75lb x5

BACK RAISE W/TWIST:

Body Weight x5 ea. side

(Body Weight x4 ea. side) 2x

••••••••••

     I was pleased with how the deadlifts went. I know that they'll always give a bigger weight than conventional, but I like mixing them up because I think it's going to benefit my grip strength. I also think it may help with the bottom part of the lift. We'll have to see. 

     I had started doing some single arm lat pull downs but I just didn't like the way they were feeling. I don't know if I was getting tired, or what, but I wasn't feeling as though they were hitting where they should be. I only did a couple and then moved on, that's why I didn't log them. The pullups also aggravated me. I'm just weak as weak can be on those and it pisses me off. 

     I was totally gassed by the time we left tonight. I'm trying my damnedest to keep my nutrition on point but I'm struggling. My fat is always a little over what it should be, I can't hit my protein and my calories are always short. I can't seem to figure out how to get enough protein and calories without sending the fat over the cliff. I'm flummoxed. It's going to require some more Googling and reading to figure out if I have the right goals set. Maybe I'm aiming at the wrong targets. I don't know. What I do know is that I'm mentally tired from thinking about food 24/7. The scale is still plateaued at the 5lb loss. I'm ready to chuck it out the window. 

    All that being said, I'm still moving in the right general direction. I exert myself 4 days a week, and I'm making positive strides in eating better. I have to be happy with that for now. Now it's tea time. 

Piece Of Cake

     We missed yesterday but I surely was not going to miss squats for the week, so we went today! It wasn't too busy, but there was someone already using the squat rack. It kind of messed up what I was going to do, but I changed course and carried on. Here's what we did:

••••••••••

45° LEG PRESS:

190lb x10

280lb x10

(330lb x5) 3x

FRONT SQUATS:

45lb x10

89lb x6

(133lb x1) 3x

BACK SQUATS:

(133lb x3) 2x

SEATED LEG EXTENSION:

140lb x10

(160lb x5) 2x

*This was the old machine, not the one I usually use. I'm not sure I could do this weight on the newer machine.

PRONE HAMSTRING CURLS:
50lb x10

60lb x10

80lb x10

MULTI HIP MACHINE:

HIP FLEXORS:

29lb x10 ea. leg

(23lb x10) 2x ea. leg

KICKBACKS:

23lb x15 ea. leg

29lb x12 ea. leg

35lb x10 ea. leg

••••••••••

     I had intentions of dong my normal back squat work but when I saw that the rack was in use, I had to switch things up a bit. I pressed more than I ever have on the leg press so that was a nice surprise. I went back through my notes on front squats and I think my old PR was 135lb. I was using the Olympic plates today, but I'm basically right at that weight now, except I did three singles as opposed to just one rep. I threw in some back squats just because. I probably could have done more and maybe should have. I'm not beating myself up over it though. I"m still proud of my progress. (You know what I'm not proud of though? Every friggin time I type "I'm", I use quotes instead of the damn apostrophe. I"ve had to go back and correct almost every one. I even did at the beginning of this sentence.) 

     Anyhow, moving along...

     My nutrition is really frustrating me though. I'm not eating enough calories or protein on most days, but I'm eating too much fat. Eggs aren't really all that great of a source of protein because of all the fat they carry. I'm sick of chicken and I can't afford steaks. I'm trying to do the right things but this is beginning to overwhelm me. All that leads to is making me want to cave and just go eat a piece of friggin cake. I really want a piece of cake. I'm tired and I'm hangry. But hey, I typed I'm correctly for once. 

     I'm going to go work on some crochet stuff to keep my hands and mind occupied. I'm starting to spin out. 

A Swing And A Press

     Not too much to say about tonight. It needed to get done, so it did. Here it is:

••••••••••

O.H. PRESS - STRICT:

45lb x12

50lb x10

55lb x8

60lb x6

(65lb x5) 3x

O.H. PRESS - PUSH:

(89lb x4) 3x

ISOLATERAL PRESS:

+10 x10

+10lb x8

+10lb x7

SEATED CONVERGING SHOULDER PRESS:

70lb x9

70lb x6

70lb x3

SEATED REAR FLY:

(90lb x6) 3x

KB CLEAN/PRESS:

35lb x10 ea. side

35lb x6 ea. side

45lb x3 ea. side

KB SWINGS:

(45lb x10) 3x

••••••••••

     It feels like ages since I pressed. Tonight, I wanted to strictly be strict, so that's what I did. Then I finished off with some push presses just to get acclimated to heavier weights. I'm pleased with how it all went. The one thing I did notice is that on the heavier weight, I probably should have put my belt on, but there were no major issues with that.

     It doesn't just feel like ages since I did KB work, it was! I don't know exactly how long, but It's definitely been too long. I'm a little rusty with the cleans, so my forearms are a wee bit sore, but not horribly so. I'm not sure if I've ever cleaned and pressed a 45lb, but I did tonight!

     All in all, it seemed like a pretty smooth night. I haven't eaten yet, so I need to go scrounge something up for dinner. I think it's leftovers from last night. My nutrition was actually pretty good today, I got the fat down to where it should be and everything else is still all within my limits. I've been drinking more as well and I think I do have more steady energy. I am tired though, sleep remains an issue. 

    OK, I've rambled long enough. Tomorrow is my favorite day - SQUATS!

Macro Me Crazy

     Today was bench and everything went well. The numbers are moving in the right direction and I'm starting t get back into the territory of where I left off. Here's what got done tonight:

••••••••••

BENCH:

65lb x12

85lb x10

95lb x6

(125lb x5) 2x

125lb x4, x1

95lb x10

INCLINED DB BENCH:

30lb x8

30lb x6

35lbx5

INCLINED DB UNDERHAND FLY:

20lb x5 

*This was too heavy and I had to lighten it up

(15lb x5) 2x

TRICEP CABLE PULLDOWN:

25lb x12

30lb x8

35lb x7

O.H. TRICEP CABLE EXT.:

25lb x10

30lb x3

*I've tried these before on the cable machine and didn't like them. I thought I'd give them another try. I still hate them. I just don't like the way they feel. So I went back to DB.

DB O.H. TRICEP EXT.:

10lb x10

12lb x7

14lb x5

DB KICKBACK:

(14lb x5) 3x

SEATED CABLE FLY:

90lb x10

100lb x6

110lb x4

••••••••••

     Overall, pleased with the work that got done. I'm also pleased because the scale actually showed a 5lb decrease this morning. That friggin thing hasn't moved in a year. It's a small movement, but I'll take it. Logging our food is still a chore but at this point, it's needed. I'm doing OK as far as nutrition. I'm consistently over on fat and it's driving me crazy. I'm not getting enough calories or protein and my carbs are usually low. I need to get better at hitting the protein and calories without over shooting the fat. Right now, I figure it's OK to have the fat a little high if the carbs are low. 

     I dunno. My brain is pretty fried from all the tracking and numbers. Every macro calculator I use gives me different amounts, which is frustrating. I've tried to just take an average of all of them and hope that it works. I suppose it is. Right now is tea time and relax my brain time. 

New Year, New PR!

     It feels like forever since we were in the gym. I had intentions of working out last week, but it didn't happen. Needless to say, there was no way that I was missing today. I decided to switch back to my original program. Conjugate is a proven method, but it was getting to the point that I just didn't have the equipment needed for the variations. So it's back to our original 4 day split and I'm OK with that. All that being said, here's what got done tonight:

••••••••••

DEADLIFTS:

111lb x12 - touch & go / speed

155lb x10 - touch & go / speed

177lb x8

(221lb x2) 2x

LANDMINE ROWS:

Bar x12 ea.

67lb x10 ea.

89lb x5 ea.

BARBELL RDL:

(133lb x6) 2x

133lb x5

*My grip was definitely toasted by this point. 

BACK EXTENSION W/TWIST:

(5x ea. side) 2x

LAT PULLDOWNS:

(wide grip)

85lb x10

85lb x8

85lb x7

CABLE ROWS:

(open row attachment)

100lb x5

70lb x6

55lb x10

••••••••••

     I'm very proud of my work tonight. I have never gotten doubles at that weight. It wasn't too long ago that I couldn't even get a single at 221lb, let alone a second. My grip is surely weak, but if I keep hitting those heavy weights, it'll get better. I also got some PR's on those landmine rows. I know they're a minor thing, but when we first started going to the gym, I tried them and could barely hold onto the bar. Now I'm adding decent weight. I was actually not expecting much because as I look back into my notes, I haven't been doing much deadlifting and I don't know why that happened. It was a boost that was much needed tonight. 

     We've started tracking our macros again. Our eating has been out of control and while my weight hasn't gone up, it also has not gone down; not even a pound. I downloaded a free app and it's making it a bit less laborious. It's still extra work, but totally worth it. I've been tracking for a few days now and I'm not getting enough calories or protein, but I'm eating too much fat. At least now it's right in front of my face and I can't bullshit myself anymore. 

     I feel like we're on the right track. There's still lots of adjustments to make but we'll get there, I have no doubt. This new year is off to a solid start.