alek’s log

[alek]

4/21/23 Friday [Training]

AMBW & Umbilicus (7-day)
191.8 & 35.68

Comp Bench
175 x 5 x 2
195 x 3 x 2
220 x 1
OT 3:00

DB Bench
60's x 6 x 3

DB Press
35's x 8 x 3

Lateral Raises
15's x 8
10's x 8,8

Triceps Pushdown
66 x 8
71 x 8,8

Paused Squat
295 x 4 @ 6,6
315 x 4 @ 7,8
OT 3:00

Stiff-Legged Deadlift
315 x 4 x 4
OT 3:00

DB Row
1-arm
60 x 6 x 3

Lat Pulldowns
Closegrip
143 x 8,8
121 x 8

Session Length
1:32

Notes
Was able to do all the upper body stuff save the incline db curls for Days 3 and 4 of the week.

[alek]

Saw the cardiologist again yesterday to go over the Holter monitor results. I had 18 PVCs (premature ventricle contractions) and 1 PAC (premature atrial contraction) during the 2-week period, but he wasn't concerned about them. I had 1 episode of ventricular tachycardia (VT) during the 2-week period, and he is concerned about that. It was 15 beats long, lasting about 5 seconds.

I have more testing to do--treadmill stress test and echocardiogram, maybe more--before we decide what the long term thing to do is. In the meantime, I'm on a beta-blocker to suppress any arrhythmias.

This was definitely not what I was expecting, or hoping, to find. Usually VT is caused by some other pathology of the heart; think heart attack, heart failure, cardiomyopathies, etc., and it leads to nowhere good. About 10% of VT is idiopathic VT, which happens in an otherwise healthy heart, so I'm hoping the further tests cement that diagnosis. The two EKGs and chest x-ray I've had this year were all good.

Oh boy.

[alek]

4/24/23 Monday [Training]

AMBW & Umbilicus (7-day)
191.8 & 35.61

Comp Bench
165 x 8
175 x 6
205 x 5,5,3
OT 3:00

DB Fly
30's x 8 x 3

Press
100 x 6 x 3
OT 2:00

Overhead Triceps Extension
EZ-Bar
40 x 8
50 x 8,8

Leg Curl
175 x 8 x 3
OT 1:45

Barbell Hip Thrust
215 x 8 x 4
OT 2:00

Leg Press
Sled + 450 x 8 x 3
OT 3:00

Session Length
1:21

Notes
@DCR, that was a big jump from 190 x 5 x 3 last Monday to 205 x 5 x 3 today. I could do only 3 on the last set; failed the 4th.

[DanCR]

@DCR, that was a big jump from 190 x 5 x 3 last Monday to 205 x 5 x 3 today. I could do only 3 on the last set; failed the 4th.

Yeah, looking at the table, my session tomorrow is to culminate in 230 x3s x5r and... maybe I have that? I mean I've done it before and then some when specifically progressing 3x5 (I think I got up to 255 for those sets/reps a year or so ago, with stupid long rests), but my 1RM definitely was higher then and I hadn't been working that range before starting this program. Only one way to find out. Looking ahead, the session that follows, Session 4, seems considerably calmed down (it's not much of a jump from Session 2 as Session 3 was from Session 1). After that, looks like things start to get into the AMRAPs and negatives. Should be interesting/fun.

At least our squats are going well!

[JohnHelton]

Saw the cardiologist again yesterday to go over the Holter monitor results. I had 18 PVCs (premature ventricle contractions) and 1 PAC (premature atrial contraction) during the 2-week period, but he wasn't concerned about them. I had 1 episode of ventricular tachycardia (VT) during the 2-week period, and he is concerned about that. It was 15 beats long, lasting about 5 seconds.

I have more testing to do--treadmill stress test and echocardiogram, maybe more--before we decide what the long term thing to do is. In the meantime, I'm on a beta-blocker to suppress any arrhythmias.

This was definitely not what I was expecting, or hoping, to find. Usually VT is caused by some other pathology of the heart; think heart attack, heart failure, cardiomyopathies, etc., and it leads to nowhere good. About 10% of VT is idiopathic VT, which happens in an otherwise healthy heart, so I'm hoping the further tests cement that diagnosis. The two EKGs and chest x-ray I've had this year were all good.

Oh boy.

I am sorry to hear about this. The good news is that you are on top of it. Seeing a cardiologist right away was very smart. There is a lot that can be done with enough warning, in general. I know this is probably causing you a lot of stress. Hang in there.

[alek]

DCR, that was a big jump from 190 x 5 x 3 last Monday to 205 x 5 x 3 today. I could do only 3 on the last set; failed the 4th.

Yeah, looking at the table, my session tomorrow is to culminate in 230 x3s x5r and... maybe I have that? I mean I've done it before and then some when specifically progressing 3x5 (I think I got up to 255 for those sets/reps a year or so ago, with stupid long rests), but my 1RM definitely was higher then and I hadn't been working that range before starting this program. Only one way to find out. Looking ahead, the session that follows, Session 4, seems considerably calmed down (it's not much of a jump from Session 2 as Session 3 was from Session 1). After that, looks like things start to get into the AMRAPs and negatives. Should be interesting/fun.

At least our squats are going well!

This.^ I pr'd my squat again today!

[alek]

I am sorry to hear about this. The good news is that you are on top of it. Seeing a cardiologist right away was very smart. There is a lot that can be done with enough warning, in general. I know this is probably causing you a lot of stress. Hang in there.

Thanks, John. The cardiologist says that he's still not worried about me yet, and he doesn't expect anything major to come of the echocardiogram or stress test considering I'm active and workout a lot. I guess it's possible I have some CVD that'll show up, but my blood panels have been good and I've not had any shortness of breath.

He did say that I may have to see an electrophysiologist--never heard that word before--to have some special tests done on the electric circuitry of my heart.

I'm trying to keep my stress level about it under control. My biggest concern is suddenly dropping dead on my wife and young kids. As long as I can avoid that, I'll do, or not do, anything else.

[alek]

4/26/23 Wednesday [Training]

AMBW & Umbilicus (7-day)
191.8 & 35.61

Comp Squat
370 x 3 @ 7
390 x 2 @ 7.5
410 x 1 @ 8; e1rm = 445
420 x 1 @ 9
OT 3:00

Comp Deadlift
410 x 3 @ 7; e1rm = 490
430 x 2 @ 8
450 x 1 @ 9
460 x 1 @ 10

Barbell Row
Bench Grip Width
135 x 6 x 3

Lat Pulldown
165 x 8,8
143 x 8

Cable Curl
60 x 8 x 3

Session Length
1:16

Notes
My weight has been more volatile lately; I've been up to 193.6 and as low as 190.6 in the past week. I usually don't see that much variance in my weight; my mother in law is visiting, and I think my eating routine is off because of it. I am lucky in that I get along really well with my mother in law.

Well that's another new squat 1rm!



I read in someone's log, I think Renascent's, about using your bench width grip on barbell rows. Tried it today; it didn't feel any more or less weird than my usual grip, but if there's some magic in it for better bracing on bench, I'll try it awhile.

[Renascent]

4/26/23 Wednesday [Training]

AMBW & Umbilicus (7-day)
191.8 & 35.61

Comp Squat
370 x 3 @ 7
390 x 2 @ 7.5
410 x 1 @ 8; e1rm = 445
420 x 1 @ 9
OT 3:00

Comp Deadlift
410 x 3 @ 7; e1rm = 490
430 x 2 @ 8
450 x 1 @ 9
460 x 1 @ 10

Barbell Row
Bench Grip Width
135 x 6 x 3

Lat Pulldown
165 x 8,8
143 x 8

Cable Curl
60 x 8 x 3

Session Length
1:16

Notes
My weight has been more volatile lately; I've been up to 193.6 and as low as 190.6 in the past week. I usually don't see that much variance in my weight; my mother in law is visiting, and I think my eating routine is off because of it. I am lucky in that I get along really well with my mother in law.

Well that's another new squat 1rm!



I read in someone's log, I think Renascent's, about using your bench width grip on barbell rows. Tried it today; it didn't feel any more or less weird than my usual grip, but if there's some magic in it for better bracing on bench, I'll try it awhile.

Yeah, bench width is about what I go with for barbell rows as well. Supposedly a super-wide grip makes it more of a rear delt movement; not sure about a super-narrow grip.

Congrats on the squat.

Hopefully everything else turns out to not be too bad.

[DanCR]

Tf, that looked even faster than last week’s PR. I imagine that that E1RM is dead on.

[broseph]

Maybe V-tach is the secret sauce for squat PR's?

[alek]

Hopefully everything else turns out to not be too bad.

Thanks, man. I hope it's just a minor bump in the road.

Maybe V-tach is the secret sauce for squat PR's?

That one weird trick, yo!

[alek]

Tf, that looked even faster than last week’s PR. I imagine that that E1RM is dead on.

I know! I'm really happy with how my squat is going. I'll probably try for 200kg at the meet.

[alek]

4/28/23 Friday [Training]

AMBW & Umbilicus (7-day)
??? & ???

Comp Bench
185 x 5 x 2
205 x 3 x 2
225 x 1
OT 3:00

Cambered Bar Bench
Feet Up
155 x 6,6
165 x 6

DB Press
35's x 8 x 3

Lateral Raises
10's x 8 x 3

Triceps Pushdown
66 x 8
71 x 8,8

DB Row
1-arm
70 x 6 x 3

Lat Pulldowns
Closegrip
143 x 8,8
121 x 8

Incline DB Curls
25's x 8 x 3

Session Length
1:04

Notes
Pretty stressed out today--not about my heart thing--and I didn't feel like doing any squats or deads. Kids have been/are sick a lot right now, and my wife's work is getting super fucking stupid with toxicity and stress.

I tried the cambered bar that the Y bought on my behalf. It's a black widow 3" cambered bar; it's 2" in diameter like an axle bar. This one:
https://www.blackwidowtg.com/Camber_Row ... berrow.htm

I used it in lieu of doing dumbbell bench, and I really liked it. I also did it with no arch and "feet up" although I just straightened my legs out rather than putting them up on the bench. Even with the camber and no arch, I still had range of motion in the tank. I forget where I mentioned this before, but even with my biggest arch and a straight bar, my elbows still easily break the plane of the bench at the bottom of the rep.

I had never done incline db curls before; the stretch in my bicep distally at the bottom was pretty unreal.

Conditioning
1 km walk with the dog.
2 km jog without the dog.

[DanCR]

I had never done incline db curls before; the stretch in my bicep distally at the bottom was pretty unreal.

That’s cool - even if you get nothing else at all out of the program (which, I am hopefully confident will not be the case), you’ve got a new movement with which to play.

I once saw something saying that some EMG study showed less muscle activation from the movement, versus I think regular curls (or maybe regular hammer curls?). On the other hand, Yates insisted on them. I mean yes he was a genetic freak on a mountain of gear, but he was a smart guy and could have done something else with his genes / gear if he felt that something else would work better. I choose to believe that they’re awesome.

[broseph]

I've been doing incline DB curls for a few months as my almost only direct bicep movement, and I'm finally seeing actual measurable arm growth after years of heavy-ish EZ bar curls.

[DanCR]

I've been doing incline DB curls for a few months as my almost only direct bicep movement, and I'm finally seeing actual measurable arm growth after years of heavy-ish EZ bar curls.

That’s almost as great as you enjoying Hellish Form.

[alek]

I had never done incline db curls before; the stretch in my bicep distally at the bottom was pretty unreal.

That’s cool - even if you get nothing else at all out of the program (which, I am hopefully confident will not be the case), you’ve got a new movement with which to play.

I once saw something saying that some EMG study showed less muscle activation from the movement, versus I think regular curls (or maybe regular hammer curls?). On the other hand, Yates insisted on them. I mean yes he was a genetic freak on a mountain of gear, but he was a smart guy and could have done something else with his genes / gear if he felt that something else would work better. I choose to believe that they’re awesome.

Oh, I’ll get more than that out of it I’m sure. I am liking it.

I've been doing incline DB curls for a few months as my almost only direct bicep movement, and I'm finally seeing actual measurable arm growth after years of heavy-ish EZ bar curls.

That’s what I want to hear!!

[CheekiBreekiFitness]

I had never done incline db curls before; the stretch in my bicep distally at the bottom was pretty unreal.

That’s cool - even if you get nothing else at all out of the program (which, I am hopefully confident will not be the case), you’ve got a new movement with which to play.

I once saw something saying that some EMG study showed less muscle activation from the movement, versus I think regular curls (or maybe regular hammer curls?). On the other hand, Yates insisted on them. I mean yes he was a genetic freak on a mountain of gear, but he was a smart guy and could have done something else with his genes / gear if he felt that something else would work better. I choose to believe that they’re awesome.

I think that EMG studies are pretty worthless.

And I think the awesomeness of the incline curl is just that it's the only movement that enables you to actually stretch the long head of the biceps, since the biceps is a biarticular muscle.

[DanCR]

I had never done incline db curls before; the stretch in my bicep distally at the bottom was pretty unreal.

That’s cool - even if you get nothing else at all out of the program (which, I am hopefully confident will not be the case), you’ve got a new movement with which to play.

I once saw something saying that some EMG study showed less muscle activation from the movement, versus I think regular curls (or maybe regular hammer curls?). On the other hand, Yates insisted on them. I mean yes he was a genetic freak on a mountain of gear, but he was a smart guy and could have done something else with his genes / gear if he felt that something else would work better. I choose to believe that they’re awesome.

I think that EMG studies are pretty worthless.

And I think the awesomeness of the incline curl is just that it's the only movement that enables you to actually stretch the long head of the biceps, since the biceps is a biarticular muscle.

Not an SSC
Not strong
Not educated in the biology of strength or hypertrophy

… but have iron confidence that you’re absolutely right and that giving a fuck about EMG is total nonsense. If you find yourself reading shit by Schoenfeld and Contreras, rethink everything.