Daily training. Annual improvements.

[hector]

When I do Overhead Press it's not really to get stronger. I do it at the end of my workout, I'm tired, I'm out of time, and I knock out Overhead Press for just two reasons: shoulder pre-hab and tricep assistance.
Since those are the only goals I usually keep the weight light (135) and rest periods short (90 seconds).
So, today, I got bored and decided to Overhead Press 150 instead of 135. I was surprised to find 150 felt super easy. Until the last set it didn't feel much different than 135.

Same. OHP with a barbell started fucking with my hands, almost like an arthritic thing, so I dropped them a few months ago. I now do Arnold presses every few sessions - I’m talking just two or three sets - for those same reasons. I don’t think my overhead pressing strength has suffered at all. Putting aside my old man hands, I really think I could be in PR territory in three or four weeks. Probably less.

Thats awesome!
Once I invest more in dumbbells I'll start doing more overhead dumbbell pressing too.

[hector]

Tuesday is an Off Day

EZ Curl: 100 x 5s x 8r

Bike Erg: 22 minutes

My Garmin has moved me from "poor" to "fair" VO2 ranking. So that's a win.

[hector]

Wed Hump Day

Main
Straight Bar Deads: 405 x 5 x 5
Bench: 275 x 5s x 3r
Bench: 225 x 8s x 5r
T-Bar Rows (close grip): 200 x 5s x 8r

Aux
Overhead Press: 135 x 5 x 5
Reverse Hyper: 160 x 5s x 10r

Tonnage
Straight Bar Deads: 10,125
Bench: (4,125 + 9,000) = 13,125
T-Bar Rows: 8,000
Overhead Press: 3,375
---------------------------------------------------
Total: 34,625

#######################

If I'd had more time I would have liked to have done some backoff sets of deadlifts (315 x 5 x 5) and some wide grip t-bar rows.
Still, better than nothing.
The first set of benching 225 x 5 felt so light that i got confused for a second and thought maybe the bar was incorrectly loaded and it was only 135.

[cgeorg]

The first set of benching 225 x 5 felt so light that i got confused for a second and thought maybe the bar was incorrectly loaded and it was only 135.

I love when this happens. Makes me want to YOLO a PR of some sort

[hector]

The first set of benching 225 x 5 felt so light that i got confused for a second and thought maybe the bar was incorrectly loaded and it was only 135.

I love when this happens. Makes me want to YOLO a PR of some sort

For sure!! This feeling, and acting on it, is what let me finally bench 315 for a single.

[hector]

Thursday Night

Bike Erg: 60 minutes

[hector]

Friday

Main
SSB Squat: 305 x 5s x 3r
SSB Squat: 260 x 5 x 5
Bench: 275 x 5s x 3r
Bench: 225 x 5 x 5
T-Bar Rows (close grip): 200 x 6s x 8r

Aux
Overhead Press: 135 x 5 x 5
Reverse Hyper: 160 x 5s x 10r

Tonnage
SSB Squat: (4,575 + 6,500) = 11,075
Bench: (4,125 + 5,625) = 9,750
T-Bar Rows: 9,600
Overhead Press: 3,375
-----------------------------------------------------------
Total: 33,800

###########################

When I was squatting 300 for sets of 5 in recent weeks the first few sets would be easy, but the last ones hard. This wasn't because the weight was heavy. It was more because my legs are always wrecked from biking and ersatz running.

So today i switched to sets of 3. Even though legs were sore coming in, sets were easy and bar speed was good.

Benching 275 for sets of 3 continues to trend easier. Would like to go to 280 next week if Monday and Wednesday are both easy.

[hector]

Saturday is an Off Day

-3 mile trail walk
-(am) Bike Erg 23 minutes
-(pm) Bike Erg 22 minutes

[hector]

Monday


Forgot to log. Probably the same shit I did on Friday. My workouts don't vary that much.

[hector]

Tuesday

Bike Erg: 23 minutes

[hector]

Wed

Straight Bar Deads: 405 x 5 x 5
Straight Bar Deads: 315 x 5 x 5
Bench: 280 x 3 x 3 (Small incremental improvement. Woot woot!)
Bench: 230 x 5 x 5
T-Bar Rows (close grip): 200 x 5s x 8r

Aux
Overhead Press: 135 x 5 x 5
Reverse Hyper: 160 x 5s x 10r

Tonnage
Deads: (10,125 + 7,875) = 18,000
Bench: (2,520 + 5,750) = 8,270
T-Bar Rows: 8,000
Overhead Press: 3,375
------------------------------------------------------
Total: 37,625

#########################

First time benching 280 for reps in quite awhile. Would have gone for 5 sets, but time was short, and figured sets 4 and 5 of 3 reps were the most marginal and insignificant of all my sets of all lifts tonight.

Continues to be hot as fuck lifting outside. Plenty of mosquitoes. Can't wait for Fall.

[hector]

Wed AM

For 4 years I've said I'd do cardio before work. After 4 years I finally did it today for the first time.

Bike Erg: 23 minutes

[hector]

Thursday

Bike Erg: 50 minutes

[hector]

Friday

Off Day. Didn't do a thing.

[hector]

Saturday Morning (making up for Friday)

Main
SSB Squat: 260 x 5 x 5
Bench: 280 x 5s x 3r
Bench: 230 x 5 x 5
T-Bar Row (close grip): 200 x 5s x 8r

Assistance
Overhead Press: 135 x 5 x 5
Reverse Hyper: 160 x 5s x 10r

Tonnage
SSB Squat: 6,500
Bench: (4,200 + 5,750) = 9,950
T-Bar Row: 8,000
Overhead Press: 3,375
-------------------------------------------------
Total: 27,825

######################

Squatted light because legs are fried from biking. Like always. Longer term, I need to figure out how to get a decent Squat to co-exist with biking. And also co-exist with the running I've been skipping out on.

[hector]

Saturday Night

Bike Erg: 22 minutes

[hector]

Monday Night

Main
SSB Squat: 305 x 3 x 3
SSB Squat: 260 x 5 x 5
Bench: 280 x 5s x 3r
Bench: 230 x 5 x 5
T-Bar Rows (close grip): 200 x 5s x 8r

Aux
Overhead Press: 135 x 5 x 5
Reverse Hyper: 160 x 5s x 10r

Tonnage
SSB Squat: (2,715 + 6,500) = 9,215
Bench: (4,200 + 5,750) = 9,950
T-Bar Rows (close grip): 8,000
Overhead Press: 3,375
--------------------------------------------------------
Total: 30,540

#########################

Good times.
I like that I'm benching benching 280 x 5s x 3r. But, unfortunately, it's not a PR. Awhile back, I think 2 years, I actually benched 280 x 6s x 5r. So, no, I'm not in Bench PR territory just quite yet. But I'm closing in.

If I can find some time later tonight I'll do some scapular chinups and append them to my log.

[hector]

Tuesday is an Off Day

Bike Erg: 53 minutes

[hector]

Wed Hump Day

Main
Straight Bar Deads: 405 x 5 x 5
Straight Bar Deads: 315 x 5 x 5
Bench: 280 x 5s x 3r
Bench: 230 x 5 x 5
T-Bar Rows (wide grip): 200 x 5s x 8r

Aux
Overhead Press: 140 x 6s x 5r
Reverse Hyper: 160 x 5s x 10r

Tonnage
Straight Bar Deads: (10,125 + 7,875) = 18,000
Bench: (4,200 + 5,750) = 9,950
T-Bar Rows: 8,000
Overhead Press: 4,200
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Total: 40,150

##################################

405 x 5 x 5 deadlifts are getting easier.
280 x 5s x 3 bench is getting easier.
Good times.

Aside: I've gotten big into biking this past year. I've done over 2 million meters. Which is not a lot for an actual rider, but it's huge for someone like me starting from zero.
I haven't lost any weight. But my recovery between sets of deadlifts is way better than it used to be. For 405 x 5 x 5 today I could just do 2.5 minutes between sets. Before I started biking 405 x 5 x 5 would have still been easy, but I would have taken 3.5 to 4 minutes between sets.
And these abbreviated rests when deadlifting 405 x 5 x 5 are in the context of my legs already being fried from biking last night and this morning.

[hector]

Wed Morning

Bike Erg: quick 10k