IRON & STONE: Adventures of an Amateur Strongman

[mouse]

1/11/2024

Press
185x5, 195x5, 200x5

RDL*
275x8, 295x8x2

JM Press
95x12, 115x12, 125x12

*loading error, I meant to pop on 10 more and apparently did not...

I've said this before in here but its worth repeating. I don't get how people take time off from training and feel BETTER. My hip was actually feeling pretty decent (while training) and it somehow regressed (while not training). Also, only two weeks but my God... the day or two after squatting again always fries my adductors and I hate it...

Addendum: this is the first time I ever tried JM presses with a straight bar, if anyone else has tried both chime in but I feel like there was wayyyy more chest in the straight bar than an SSB...

[DCR]

I've said this before in here but its worth repeating. I don't get how people take time off from training and feel BETTER. My hip was actually feeling pretty decent (while training) and it somehow regressed (while not training). Also, only two weeks but my God... the day or two after squatting again always fries my adductors and I hate it...

Brought to you by the same people who brought you, “I took a month off and came back stronger!”

Nope.

[cgeorg]

I've said this before in here but its worth repeating. I don't get how people take time off from training and feel BETTER. My hip was actually feeling pretty decent (while training) and it somehow regressed (while not training). Also, only two weeks but my God... the day or two after squatting again always fries my adductors and I hate it...

Brought to you by the same people who brought you, “I took a month off and came back stronger!”

Nope.

I've often had that happen for a week (easiest peak ever), but never a month.

[mouse]

1/13/2024

Deadlift
405x5, 425x5, 435x5

Incline Bench
185x10, 205x10, 215x10

EZ Bar Curl
65x12x3


Hey, if training looks weak as shit for a while know that it's because I'm just kinda going on auto pilot for a while. With this usually comes me not wanting to fuck around with belts/wraps/gear so overall numbers take a hit while hopefully not just become a weak pile of shit...

With kid 4.0 coming soon and the only contest I'm interested in being right around that same time I've resolved that training is just not my #1 priority (it's like... 4)

I'm still trying to get less fat (not going great! Hahaha) and hopefully still appear as if I sort of lift... but basically I'm throwing my weight (no pun intended) into the house projects and these kids...

On that, I recognize that my football booze habits are probably killing my weight loss. So I'm probably gonna *gasp* give up drinking... right after football is over hahaha... for a while... maybe...

[DCR]

I'm still trying to get less fat (not going great! Hahaha) and hopefully still appear as if I sort of lift...

Same, and that parenthetical is a huge understatement in my case. Shorter form of my own log entry today, I suck at dieting and won’t do cardio. My solution in the past was bodyweight circuits, which melted fat almost regardless of what I ate and drank, without making me look like a biker or runner. I dunno if they’ll work as well at this age, but started today and will report back in a few weeks.

[mouse]

1/15/2024

Squat
325x6x2, 325x10

Bench*
225x11, 225x8x2

Barbell Row
145x10, 155x10, 160x10

EZ Bar Curl
65x15, 65x12x2

*still no real plan but here you can observe me blatantly ripping off getting some inspiration from muff... except I forgot my muscular conditioning is currently ass and I didn't make the first set hahaha... next week... maybe...

[mouse]

Should have been a tack on but, I only worked until like 11 yesterday and fully intended to train my stresses away... but I got home and unexpectedly fell asleep so...

Tues/Thu/Sat it is...

[mouse]

Fuck snow I'll do a mega or something tomorrow...

[mouse]

Not mega... but enough that it isn't nothing...

1/19/2024

Press
195x5x2, 195x8

Deadlift
410x5, 430x5, 440x5

Incline Bench
185x12x3

EZ Bar Curl
65x15x3

Thought I might steal @DCR's circuit, for science...

I feel bad about myself now....

[mouse]

Deferring to Tuesday again, baby mama is having a rough time with phony contractions and I'm trying to get her to relax a bit...

[mouse]

1/23/2024

Feet Up Bench*
275x5x2, 285x5

Incline Bench
225x8x3

Press
155x10x3

JM Press
110x12x3

EZ Bar Curl
70x10x3

BW Circuit
Squat 12/12/12
Push Up 10/10/10
Hanging Leg Raise 8/8/8

This got long winded sorry:

*in the past I've done this as an accessory only, should be interesting to try it 'heavy'. In a nutshell I want to see if I can get a better effect taking my typical legs/arch out of it. Bodybuilder dude I know swears by feet up bench and he's way more chemically enhanced jacked than me.

Alright at this point I'm unashamedly stealing ideas from you DCR... sorta. I've never really done PPL and I've been too busy at work to really put much thought into an actual plan and this is only slightly better than winging it.

I don't expect to be able to really push weight or anything and it will be interesting to see how I respond to the frequency but at this point I need to prioritize being less of a bloated fuck and hopefully come out of this somewhat thick-but-jacked.

Gonna just cram as much as I can into about an hour without worrying about all the little isolation stuff I usually see in these layouts. I'll keep in the circuit to see how I respond too... better than doing cardio, but I adjusted it a bit. Pull ups might go back in but to my chagrin traditional leg raises were sending some sort of fuckitis up my lower back... hanging raises aren't great for a dude my size, but they're something so maybe I can get better at them...

Beer... out. Bourbon... probably out. Mafia sauce... out when I finish this bottle. Sugary shit... out now that our birthday/holiday season is done. Convenience foods and occasional junk... probably not out entirely but I'll try to behave myself.

[DCR]

Alright at this point I'm unashamedly stealing ideas from you DCR... sorta. I've never really done PPL and I've been too busy at work to really put much thought into an actual plan and this is only slightly better than winging it.

I don't expect to be able to really push weight or anything and it will be interesting to see how I respond to the frequency but at this point I need to prioritize being less of a bloated fuck and hopefully come out of this somewhat thick-but-jacked.

This is the only thing that I'm trying to do right now. I'm leaning deep into self loathing.

to my chagrin traditional leg raises were sending some sort of fuckitis up my lower back... hanging raises aren't great for a dude my size, but they're something so maybe I can get better at them...

Shit, I like the idea of doing hanging leg raises much better, gonna switch to that... mainly because easier to get off the floor from pushups than it is from lying leg raises... I'm like a beached whale lol.

[mouse]

Shit, I like the idea of doing hanging leg raises much better, gonna switch to that... mainly because easier to get off the floor from pushups than it is from lying leg raises... I'm like a beached whale lol.

Bro getting off the floor from my back has a higher chance of injury than anything I've ever done with a barbell

[mouse]

1/25/2024

Squat
365x5x3

Zercher Squat
225x8x3

High Knee Step Ups
2x12

Band Hamstring Curl
1x15

Probably need to reassess this day some hahaha. Zercher is way harder than I remember, and the high knee was embarrassingly tough even unweighted.

I might end up just putting in a good morning or other hammy-centric movement third and ditching the unilateral. My quads were absolutely smoked and the curls felt very off, like my left side was going to pull something but my right side was on vacation.

Wish I had an attachment to actually solo load the hammies...

Skipped the circuit for now, I might come up with a different one to do on this day to avoid even more squatting...

[DCR]

Skipped the circuit for now

Samesies.

[mouse]

I was supposed to deadlift today and instead I ripped the next bedroom apart...

To my delight I found that behind our old electric heaters the drywall had gotten wet at some point? My gut reaction was condensation from when we run window A/C units but it seems like a weird spot. Regardless, cut it out and put new stuff in...

Tore off the window casings to make them match the room I just did. Not exactly necessary like the other room but I enjoyed it and it was easy enough.

Waiting for mud to dry so I can (maybe) get some paint done...

[mouse]

1/29/2024

Feet Up Bench
275x5, 295x3, 315x2, 335x1

Incline Bench
225x8x3

Press
135x10, 145x10, 150x10

EZ Bar Curl
70x10x3

Jumping Jacks/Push Ups/Hanging Raises*
20/10/8 x3

Well all that was awful... Raises were particular ass because I kept accidentally swinging. Only way to mitigate it was basically touching my toes to the floor and pausing...

Gonna try moving deads to Wednesday (so I actually do them this week) and DO NOT QUOTE ME but if I squat Friday I'm gonna ditch the Zercher and unilateral stuff for SSB front squats and (God and weather willing) yoke...

Zerchers put a really really gnarly soreness in my biceps that I don't really need if I'm gonna keep progressing curls... I can get a similar effect on my legs by flipping the SSB and not have to worry about my weakling arms...

[mouse]

1/31/2024

Deadlift
455x3x3

Barbell Row*
275x8x3

Landmine Row
115x12x3

EZ Bar Curl
55x15x3

Squat/Push Up/High Knees**
12/10/15 x3

*old habits die hard, bring on the semi cheaty ripperows...

*fuck that was embarrassing lol...

[mouse]

2/2/2024

Squat
365x5x3

Front Squat
225x8x3

RDL
225x10, 235x10, 245x10

Reverse Curl
65x6x3

I know I know I said I'd do yoke. I'm super low energy and just wanted to get through it...

Low energy is probably coming from reduced carbs. I'm trying so damn hard to get something going here and I'm hoping tomorrow pays off with a needle mover. Gonna be a real bummer if it's another let down...

[Hardartery]

2/2/2024

Squat
365x5x3

Front Squat
225x8x3

RDL
225x10, 235x10, 245x10

Reverse Curl
65x6x3

I know I know I said I'd do yoke. I'm super low energy and just wanted to get through it...

Low energy is probably coming from reduced carbs. I'm trying so damn hard to get something going here and I'm hoping tomorrow pays off with a needle mover. Gonna be a real bummer if it's another let down...

If everything else is tight with the eating, a little hit of carbs during the workout has had no ill effect for me. Like a few gummy bears (Not a whole bag) or a mouthful of honey actually really hits good (I'm sure because science or something but don't care enough to look it up). That and chewing gum.