For Your Health (a hunk's log)

[broseph]

7/23/24

Haven't worked out in 2.5 days. Feels like an eternity. Also I feel fat.


Bench 255x8x5, 2:00 rests.
Felt strong and explosive, but shoulder pain was worse today.

SSB Squat 315x4x5

LTE 108x 20, 18

Tib Raise 30x 20, 20

Hanging Knee Raise x 14

[broseph]

7/24/24

Trail Run
32:30

Not bad at all

[broseph]

7/25/24

Press 165x 5, 5, 6

Landmine Row +170x3x10
First set was almost all full ROM, which then deteriorated over the next couple sets. Last few reps were laughably short.

I've seen some good upper back/rear delt development over the past year, and I'd like to tip my hat to variations of this movement for it. However, it's been feeling kind of stale lately and I was about to swap it out when I remembered I was going to try a different technique whereby I DO NOT protract my shoulder blades.

No weird shoulder pains, solid pump and burn, and significantly fewer reps. Though the pump and burn was in the lower upper back instead of the upper upper back. For your anatomy.

Lying DB Curl 30x 16, 14, 13
I think I was relaxing my shoulders at the bottom of these too. I kept them "shrugged" after feeling some pain in the first few reps, and once again the pain disappeared, I got fewer reps, and the targeted stimulus was right on.

RDL 315x5x5
5x5 is actually more than 3x8. For your math.

SSB Calf Raise 225x 16, 14, 14


Musings: It's funny to have been lifting for decades and all of the sudden remembering that form actually matters. For your intro to lifting.

[broseph]

7/26/24

Farmers Carry
80# x 1080 yards
28:44

Dropped the weight here to give myself room for more mindful shoulder position. It was more cardio-taxing than usual (and several minutes faster) due to the lighter weight. I’ll take it.

[DanCR]

Musings: It's funny to have been lifting for decades and all of the sudden remembering that form actually matters. For your intro to lifting.

Reading this reminded me of that video of Jay Cutler doing seated lateral raises. Every rep “cheated” but in the exact same way and to the exact same degree. I think that while a few things are mostly universal, each individual has a form on each movement that (1) doesn’t hurt shit, and (2) results in the most gainz for the buck. It’s just a matter of finding it.

[broseph]

Musings: It's funny to have been lifting for decades and all of the sudden remembering that form actually matters. For your intro to lifting.

Reading this reminded me of that video of Jay Cutler doing seated lateral raises. Every rep “cheated” but in the exact same way and to the exact same degree. I think that while a few things are mostly universal, each individual has a form on each movement that (1) doesn’t hurt shit, and (2) results in the most gainz for the buck. It’s just a matter of finding it.

I don’t think there are many universal truths for lifting form. Maybe zero if the load is light enough?

But when you’re trying to progressively overload a movement, you learn things 1 and 2, or else.

[broseph]

7/27/24


Incline Bench 205x 10, 10, 8

SSB Squat 315x 8, 8

Dips BWx 20, 18

EZ Curl 128x 5, 5, 5

Tib Raise 30x 20, 16

Banded Hip Flex x 10, 10

[broseph]

7/29/24

SSB Calf Raise 225x 16, 14, 12
Calf pump achieved.

Lying DB Curl 30x 18, 16, 13

Arnold Press 60x 16, 12, 12

Landmine Row +170x 10, 10, 10
ROM decayed over time. Not sure how to progress with that, but I'm reminded of the huge guys at gyms that partial ROM almost everything.

RDL 315x12
Single set to failure.

[DanCR]

7/29/24
Arnold Press 60x 16, 12, 12

Did you tell the DBs to never let you see them around here again after?

Landmine Row +170x 10, 10, 10
ROM decayed over time. Not sure how to progress with that, but I'm reminded of the huge guys at gyms that partial ROM almost everything.

Add 5 lbs and tighten it up, of course.

[broseph]

7/29/24
Arnold Press 60x 16, 12, 12

Did you tell the DBs to never let you see them around here again after?

Getting 16 on the first set felt pretty pretty good.

Landmine Row +170x 10, 10, 10
ROM decayed over time. Not sure how to progress with that, but I'm reminded of the huge guys at gyms that partial ROM almost everything.

Add 5 lbs and tighten it up, of course.

Back to Intro to lifting I go...

[broseph]

7/30/24

Sled Push/Pull
2 cinder blocks
alternating push/pull every 100 feet x 1200 feet total
17:38

Decent calf and thigh pump before mowing the lawn (which is basically reeeeaaaally light sled pushing).

[broseph]

7/31/24

Dune ruck with 25# pack
24:00

Bike ride with my ultra shitty bike
24:00


Tested out portions of a mixed event race my wife is putting together for the gym. I really need to take my bike to a shop or learn how to fix it myself.

[DanCR]

Landmine Row +170x 10, 10, 10
ROM decayed over time. Not sure how to progress with that, but I'm reminded of the huge guys at gyms that partial ROM almost everything.

Add 5 lbs and tighten it up, of course.

Back to Intro to lifting I go...

This was sorta supposed to be a joke, like ok form slipping so go heavier, except that also I was serious, and now also I'm explaining my joke and it's so awkward. Total mess. Gonna go work out my embarrassment on some lengthened partial curls that probably don't work.

[broseph]

Landmine Row +170x 10, 10, 10
ROM decayed over time. Not sure how to progress with that, but I'm reminded of the huge guys at gyms that partial ROM almost everything.

Add 5 lbs and tighten it up, of course.

Back to Intro to lifting I go...

This was sorta supposed to be a joke, like ok form slipping so go heavier, except that also I was serious, and now also I'm explaining my joke and it's so awkward. Total mess. Gonna go work out my embarrassment on some lengthened partial curls that probably don't work.

My dude. It is I who should be embarrassed, for I knew it was a joke but couldn’t think of a clever enough response to convey confirmation of jocularity.

[DanCR]

Landmine Row +170x 10, 10, 10
ROM decayed over time. Not sure how to progress with that, but I'm reminded of the huge guys at gyms that partial ROM almost everything.

Add 5 lbs and tighten it up, of course.

Back to Intro to lifting I go...

This was sorta supposed to be a joke, like ok form slipping so go heavier, except that also I was serious, and now also I'm explaining my joke and it's so awkward. Total mess. Gonna go work out my embarrassment on some lengthened partial curls that probably don't work.

My dude. It is I who should be embarrassed, for I knew it was a joke but couldn’t think of a clever enough response to convey confirmation of jocularity.

[broseph]

8/2/24

Bodyweight 198.4 #
Waist Circumference 35"

I'm up 8+ pounds in a little over 3 months with my intuitive bulk. Ab lines have definitely softened, but I can still see 6 of them in my reflection in the downstairs slider door when I'm outside and the sun is at the right angle and I'm pretending not to flex. (shut up)

I haven't made crazy progress with weights and reps, and I'm only averaging 3 lifting sessions per week. But I've been having fun and progressing weighted carries and sled work.

I think the amount of muscle I'm capable of gaining in 3 months is pretty low, but I also think programming for hypertrophy isn't very complicated (besides balancing body part focus and fatigue). I guess I'm hoping that trying kind of hard a few times a week with 2-3 sets is enough to get some gainz as long I'm gaining bodyweight.

---------------------------

Bench 315x 5, 5, 7@10.00
Shoulder was feeling really good and I capitalized on it. I love hitting @9.1 on the bench and going for one more rep and getting it. Victory or annihilation. (not really; I'm using safeties in the rack)

SSB Squat 295x2x10
Squat excuse du jour: Low back cramping pretty hard all morning for no apparent reason.

EZ Curl 128x3x6
Wore a belt because low back cramps... got more reps. #winning

LTE 128x 16, 12

Tib Raise 30x20

[DanCR]

I'm making up these numbers but if say 5 lbs of the 8 lbs is muscle, in three months and at your level of experience, that's pretty great sans tren.

I'm up 8+ pounds in a little over 3 months with my intuitive bulk. Ab lines have definitely softened, but I can still see 6 of them in my reflection in the downstairs slider door when I'm outside and the sun is at the right angle and I'm pretending not to flex. (shut up)

My go to in my first year (ok two years... at least) of lifting was the car window when parked at the town pool. Fucking diesel.

(I weighed 140 lbs. After three meals.)

Suffice to say I currently have very detailed knowledge of the workings of each mirror in our house. I'm friendly with some. Others are mean and we don't speak.

But I've been having fun and progressing weighted carries and sled work.

Appreciate the 1959969938585th reminder that I ought to be doing carries and taking them seriously.

Bench 315x 5, 5, 7@10.00
Shoulder was feeling really good and I capitalized on it. I love hitting @9.1 on the bench and going for one more rep and getting it. Victory or annihilation. (not really; I'm using safeties in the rack)

And this late entry takes bro post of the week.

If you're like me and your chest and face still are above the safeties, despite your throat being below them, there sorta still is the possibility of annihilation, at least of how pretty you are. I've had some terrifying close calls.

[broseph]

I'm making up these numbers but if say 5 lbs of the 8 lbs is muscle, in three months and at your level of experience, that's pretty great sans tren.

Agree! But in my head it's like 1 pound of extra residual gut contents, 3 pounds of water, 3 pounds of fat, and 1 pound of muscle.

My go to in my first year (ok two years... at least) of lifting was the car window when parked at the town pool. Fucking diesel.

(I weighed 140 lbs. After three meals.)

Suffice to say I currently have very detailed knowledge of the workings of each mirror in our house. I'm friendly with some. Others are mean and we don't speak.

I'm so glad someone could relate to this. I thought I was the only one.

But 140? This time I can't tell if you're joking.

If you're like me and your chest and face still are above the safeties, despite your throat being below them, there sorta still is the possibility of annihilation, at least of how pretty you are. I've had some terrifying close calls.

My hole spacing is absolute perfection; If I dropped my back arch, even my chest wouldn't get squished too bad. Stomach, neck, and face are all clear except for the very tip of my nose.

[broseph]

8/3/24

It's too hot and humid (for me) to run outside and I hate running on the treadmill...

Incline Treadmill Walk
30:00
Stayed in Zone 2

[DanCR]

But 140? This time I can't tell if you're joking.

Nope. I have a small frame - talking smallest guy in my class all through grammar school and high school. Not necessarily by height - I'm 5'7, so short but not the shortest - but slight. (Fuck I hate even writing that word.) Currently I'm around 212 in the morning and have been for a bit. If you'll excuse me patting my own back here in your log, I worked very hard, for a very long time, to get here. Admittedly, "here" is fat, but not crazy fat. (I don't think. Please disagree quietly.) The last month or so has been the first time in... many... years that I've been able to push aside all of my deep fears that if I lose 20-25 lbs to find out what I've really built, I won't suddenly turn into a "little guy" again. I just haven't done a very god job of losing the fat, yet, but I'm serious about doing it this time.

I'll get off your couch now.