alek’s log

[JohnHelton]

Notes
Pretty good session. I did not do any bro stuff because I had to get to a meeting with the director of the rec center at the university. We're going to try to get a student powerlifting club going, and I'd be the faculty advisor for it.

This is very cool.

[broseph]

"Have you heard the good news of the gospel of powerlifting?"
-alek, probably, as he recruits spouses, students, and all others into the fold

[alek]

"Have you heard the good news of the gospel of powerlifting?"
-alek, probably, as he recruits spouses, students, and all others into the fold

"Sir, I'd like to take a few moments to talk to you about your squat depth."

"No..."

"Ass to grass, sir! Ass to grass!!"

[alek]

11/16/22 Wednesday [Training 123] [math]2^1[/math]
Cutting - Week 2

AMBW & Umbilicus (7-day)
191.3 & 35.5

SSB
345 x 2 @ 7
350 x 2 @ 7.5
355 x 2 @ 8,9

Comp Bench
225 x 2 @ 8.5
215 x 2 @ 7.5,7.5,8

Sumo DL
365 x 2 @ 7.5,8,8.5, 8

Pullup
BW + 15 x 2,2
BW + 20 x 2,2

Cable Crunch
66 x 15
72 x 10,9

Triceps Extension
Overhead; seated
22 x 8
18 x 8,8

Barbell Curl
65 x 8 x 3

Y Raises
Cable
15 x 6,10

Session Length
1:35

Notes
Good session.

Grippin' It
(1 x 2, 1 x ff)
(1 x 2, 1 x ff)
(1 x 2, 1 x ff)
(1 x 3, 0.5 x 2f)

[alek]

11/18/22 Friday [Training 124] [math]2^2[/math]
Cutting - Week 2

AMBW & Umbilicus (7-day)
191.4 & 35.48

Pullups
Slow eccentric.
Bw x 4 x 4

DB Bench
75 x 4 x 4

Sumo DL
315 x 4 @ 7,6.5,6.5, 6

Leg Press
Sled + 500 x 4 x 4

Session Length
1:00

Notes
All I had time for.

Grippin' It
Not today, and I forgot to pack them; so no grip training until after Thanksgiving…

####

I’m getting a rep fitness sandbag—xl, 125 to 200 pounds—as a gift this holiday season. Right now, I want to do some fireman’s carries and suitcase carries with it around my neighborhood block, which I recently measured to be almost 1 kilometer for one loop around the block.

Besides other carries—husafel, shoulder, etc.—and “pick-ups”, does anyone have a favorite sandbag exercise for gpp/conditioning?

[alek]

11/21/22 Monday [Training 125] [math]2^3[/math]
Cutting - Week 3

AMBW & Umbilicus (7-day)
191.3 & 35.41

Leg Press
Sled + 360 x 8 x 4

DB Bench
55 x 8 x 4

Sumo DL
275 x 8 x 3

Session Length
0:45

Notes
I got a real bad headache during sumo—like, real bad. May have been worst headache of my life bad.

I’m sure it was a pressure gradient headache since I have some nasal stuff going on, and it was hard to get good breaths for bracing. Stopped after that.

I feel fine now, and I did a bunch of yardwork afterwards; thanks for not killing me, brain!

Eta: still alive on Tuesday morning.

[alek]

I think I’m sick, which is probably why I had the issue on Monday. My son is sick with a fever, cough, and congestion, and I think I have a milder case of what he’s got.

I was not going to train today, and I didn’t go to the gym. But. We recently had an oak tree cut down, and I asked the cutters to leave it for me, cut into firewood length rounds. Well I moved most of it today, and I split some older stuff to make room for curing this new stuff. It felt good to do it.

[alek]

Had another headache today, this time during sex right around orgasm. Fun! Not as painful as the one on Monday, at least.

After some googling, I’m very likely having exertional headaches, which could be primary or secondary. Secondary ones are caused by an underlying medical condition that is super serious, which requires imaging to rule out. Those kinds are usually associated with other symptoms like nausea, vomiting, weakness, stiffness, etc. to go with the headache.

I’ve not had any other symptoms during the headache, so hopefully I’m having primary headaches, which are essentially harmless except for that whole head hurting part.

I’ve already reached out to my doctor, so we’ll see what he says, but I’ll be getting imaging done in the very near future I’m sure.

Yippily skippily…

[broseph]

Jeez man, that sucks. I’m not very familiar with exertion headaches, but I especially didn’t know they could just… Start one day? Yuck.

[alek]

Jeez man, that sucks. I’m not very familiar with exertion headaches, but I especially didn’t know they could just… Start one day? Yuck.

Yeah, they’re interesting. Assuming it’s primary, it’s still not known what exactly causes it. I’m hoping that it’s a feedback mechanism telling you to chill out. Although, they can stick around for 3 to 6 months.

[alek]

11/28/22 Monday [Conditioning]

Peloton
5.5 miles in 20 minutes

Notes
Took it real easy. I was very pleased that I didn't get any kind of headache doing this.

[alek]

11/28/22 Monday [Training 126] [math]2^3[/math]
Cutting - Week 4

AMBW & Umbilicus (7-day)
190.8 & 35.13

Leg Press
Sled + 270 x 8,8

DB Bench
60's x 8,8

Barbell Row
95 x 8,8

Lat Pulldown
121 x 8,8

JM Press
65 x 8
75 x 8 @ 7

Cable Crunch
72 x 8,8

Overhead Press
75 x 8,8

Barbell Curl
55 x 8
65 x 8

Closegrip Pushup
BW x 8,8

Leg Curl
125 x 8,8

Pec Deck
140 x 8,8

Session Length
1:00

Notes
Took everything real nice and easy today, mostly to show myself that I could do stuff without my head exploding. Got my blood pressure checked by some med school students about 30 minutes afterwards: 121/82. I was somewhat worried that I'd be walking around with elevated blood pressure after the headaches.

Grippin It
(0.5 x 8; T x 8) x 3

[alek]

Dear Diary,

I see my primary care doc tomorrow about the headaches. I'm not sure what to expect. I sent a message through the patient portal on Thanksgiving night explaining everything, and I received a reply today saying to make an appointment. There must have been a flag on my account or something, because when I called, they asked if I could make it tomorrow rather than 6-8 weeks from now. Gulp.

The flu is making its way through the T-rex household--my son was Patient Zero, and he had it last Saturday, two days before my first headache. My wife, my daughter, and my mother-in-law--who we visited over Thanksgiving--all have it now. I have yet gotten sick with the flu, but I'm usually the last to fall. However, it has got me thinking. Maybe I did get the flu from my son, and I'm Typhoid Alek, running around apparently asymptomatic. Except. Maybe the headaches were from having the flu. One of the underlying conditions of secondary exertional headaches is a sinus infection, and although I don't think I've had one during this time, maybe I have. I'm mostly just convincing myself I think.

I've done some light conditioning and training, and I did not get a headache during either. However, I do feel as if I could make myself get one if I did a really strong Valsalva--even sitting here in a chair I think I could initiate one. During the conditioning and training, I focused on breathing well and keeping calm even when doing a Valsalva. I did keep everything nice and easy, mostly to show myself that I could do those things without getting a headache.

Sexual activity is a different story. Any kind of sexual activity seems to bring the headache on pretty quickly.

My wife is convinced that I don't have a subarachnoid hemorrhage, but that's kinda the big scary possibility. I haven't lost any mental ability (that I'm aware of). I still have gross and fine motor skills. I was able to do days of yardwork--raking a metric ton of leaves, dragging a metric ton of leaves, carrying logs, pushing a heavy wheelbarrow, splitting firewood--after the headaches. I drove us about 15 hours yesterday while not crashing even once. But still. A brain bleed is pretty fucking scary sounding. I mostly don't want to drop dead in front of my wife and two small kids.

I'm cutting back on my caffeine intake right now, which sucks in general, since caffeine constricts blood vessels, which are pretty important in your brain. I'm getting some mild withdrawal headaches from that, but those will pass soon.

I wonder if I've blown a gasket, so to speak. Usually, when I Valsalva, the pressure doesn't get past the "blood-brain barrier", but maybe I broke that barrier last Monday with that first headache. That would make sense with respect to the orgasm headaches since those are usually caused by a spike in blood pressure. If so, is it permanent? If not, can I do anything to fix it or make it better? Do I just have high blood pressure that's causing problems? I don't think so given the reading earlier today, the one from the doc's office in September, and the data I have from over the summer. Shit.

Fuck it. I'm going to bed. Good night, diary.

[augeleven]

Dude.
I’m sending my hypocrite-atheist thoughts and prayers your way.
Just in case that kind of thing works.

[broseph]

Yeah, I think a subarachnoid hemorrhage is more acute, and the symptoms don't go away until you either die or receive treatment.

I'm still weirded out about how any sexual activity triggers your symptoms. But cardio, heavy yardwork, and log splitting are fine?

Also, FYI caffeine withdrawal headaches can be pretty legit- like bad enough to induce vomiting. Just wanted you to know in case you weren't aware.

[JohnHelton]

Wishing you the best, Alek.

[alek]

Dude.
I’m sending my hypocrite-atheist thoughts and prayers your way.
Just in case that kind of thing works.

Thanks, man. Just not Thots and Prayers, okay? I’m trying to keep my arousal in check…

Yeah, I think a subarachnoid hemorrhage is more acute, and the symptoms don't go away until you either die or receive treatment.

I'm still weirded out about how any sexual activity triggers your symptoms. But cardio, heavy yardwork, and log splitting are fine?

Also, FYI caffeine withdrawal headaches can be pretty legit- like bad enough to induce vomiting. Just wanted you to know in case you weren't aware.

Good to know about the hemorrhage. I saw the doctor today, and he’s convinced it is a muscle strain. He did offer to order an MRI and/or eye exam if I really wanted it, but he wasn’t concerned about any underlying conditions given the circumstances. He recommended that I take it easy on the deadlifts for a while—he actually lifts, which is great. It was his opinion that everything will go back to normal once the strain is healed.

He did say that if I had another bad headache, then come back to see him.

I tried some sexual activity after the visit, being careful not to engage my upper back/neck/head muscles, and I did not have any issues. I guess I didn’t realize how much I engage those muscles during sex.

The look on his face when I told him I was cutting back on caffeine prophylactically in case it was a vascular issue was pretty funny. He scrunched his face and shook his head quickly. He was totally unconcerned about any vascular issues. My BP in the office was 126/74. I’ll be getting a soda in a few minutes.

Wishing you the best, Alek.

Thanks, John! It seems to be not that big of a deal—just some rest and nursing a strain. But damn was it scary.

[Renascent]

@alek, glad to hear it doesn't appear to be anything serious.

[alek]

alek, glad to hear it doesn't appear to be anything serious.

Thanks, man. I'm glad it seems to be okay, but I was definitely scared for a while.

Now we can return to our regularly scheduled programming... silliness.

[alek]

11/30/22 Wednesday [Training 127] [math]2 \cdot 3...[/math] For your Satan worship apparently.
Cutting - Week 4

AMBW & Umbilicus (7-day)
190.4 & 35.04

Leg Press
Sled + 360 x 6,6,6

DB Bench
65's x 6,6,6

Pendlay Row
135 x 6,6,6

Lat Pulldown
143 x 6,6,6
Slow Eccentric

Cable Crunch
77 x 10,10,10

JM Press
85 x 6,6,6

Barbell Curl
75 x 6,6,6

Closegrip Pushup
BW x 12,12

Leg Curl
135 x 6,6,6

Session Length
1:13

Notes
Everything felt good again today. No headaches or other issues at all.

Grippin It
(L,R) x sets:
(0.5 x 6; 1 x 6) x 3
Why would I be a dummy and use the left part of the set as my right hand and the right part of the set as my left hand???

[Conditioning]

Peloton
5.47 miles in 20 minutes.