Fossil's Training Log

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Fossil
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#21

Post by Fossil » Sat Apr 01, 2023 12:12 am

Last day of this boring program, feeling good and want to use the really great Rogue DB-15 for some heavy swings today just to see how things go. Form and timing are the best ever for the lift so wanna see how the fancy DB feels again.

Jump Rope:
5 minutes

1-Arm DB Swing [French Style]:
55 x 1 L/R
65 x 1 L/R
70 x Dumbbell flew out of my left hand and across the room, hit my sliding panel closet door, cracked the mirror surface. I stumbled backwards, tripped on another loaded dumbbell and fell into my laundry basket.
The point of contact with my ankle was the bony prominence of the fibula - it split open about an inch and scrapped down the back half of my foot.
I didn't know the severity of the injury until I was washing the ankle off under the bathtub faucet and I saw meat. Realized I needed stitches and angrily drove to the closest emergency room. My phone GPS led me to the wrong entrance so I hobbled and dragged myself along the rail until the valet guy could get me a wheelchair.

Water sprayed directly into open wound x 60 seconds

Tetanus Shot x 1

Numbing agents injected directly into open wound x 3

Stitches x 3

Ruined towel x 1

Ruined house shoe x 1

And I was so damn happy about really nailing the pull - was playing around with my Rogue DB last night and the reps felt great but when he weight gets heavier, as I found out today, not being able to wrap a digit around and clasp the fingers is an untenable strategy with any rotating-sleeve handles. The smooth and slick rotation of the Rogue dumbbells just had the bell spin right out of my hand - I have it on video. You can actually see it rotate out of my grip and tumble end over end. And I really don't fly back like I initially thought, I stumble, trip on another dumbbell and go down. My fault for the clutter. I really need to be more mindful of that. I've seen and heard of devastating injuries from a cluttered lifting area...

And I'm actually not entirely sure if my ankle hit the end of a dumbbell or if it was the certain brand of laser cut plates that are notoriously sharp... I know they got the lower part of my foot because I pulled skin off one after coming home and going through the incident.

So squatting is out for a week or two. Might just not lift at all for the next 7-10 days. Pretty pissed about the whole thing.

All of this because I have a moderately cluttered bedroom.

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#22

Post by Fossil » Mon Apr 03, 2023 11:55 pm

Trying to do things that don't involve the injured right ankle.
Built myself a thick-handled pipe dumbbell as well. Had a DIY pair that I threw away a year or two ago.
This new one is slightly longer and has a coupling over the middle as a grip/plate stop - it increases the circumference of the handle even more, making it a real challenge to "cleanly" get it to the shoulder.

1-Arm Thick DB Clean & Military Press:
15 x 1 L/R
25 x 1 L/R
30 x 1 L/R
35 x 1+1+1 L/R

Hours later...

1-Arm DB Clean & Military Press:
30 x 1 L/R
35 x 1 L/R
40 x 1 L/R
45 x 1 L/R
50 x 1 L/R
55 x 1 L/R

Heels together, arm at side.
Might give up the swings and focus on 1-arm DB C&Ps. That's what I was doing last year.
Swings are really fun by I'm not gaining any fingers in the near future, so my left hand grip will always be an issue, and I'd rather not be involved in any more high-velocity mishaps...

Landmine RDL:
15 x10
30 x 10
45 x 10

Counting what was loaded onto the end sleeve.
Probably won't ever do those again. Felt fine but not my thing.

Seated Good Morning:
45 [empty bar] x 12
55 x 12
Last edited by Fossil on Tue Apr 04, 2023 12:55 pm, edited 2 times in total.

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DCR
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Re: Fossil's Training Log

#23

Post by DCR » Tue Apr 04, 2023 4:56 am

Dude wtf. Hope your recovery is quick and glad you’re already getting back after what you can. Reading this had me recalling my at-home pandemic set up in 2020, which I did barbell lifts in a second floor bedroom in a space barely wider than the barbell itself and a weak sliding closet like two feet behind me. I had some idea of how close every set was to disaster, but at the time pushed those thoughts down.

I mean there was a day where I fucked with Steinborn squats for a bit before accepting how next level dumb pursuing that would have been.

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#24

Post by Fossil » Tue Apr 04, 2023 5:10 pm

DCR wrote: Tue Apr 04, 2023 4:56 am Dude wtf. Hope your recovery is quick and glad you’re already getting back after what you can. Reading this had me recalling my at-home pandemic set up in 2020, which I did barbell lifts in a second floor bedroom in a space barely wider than the barbell itself and a weak sliding closet like two feet behind me. I had some idea of how close every set was to disaster, but at the time pushed those thoughts down.

I mean there was a day where I fucked with Steinborn squats for a bit before accepting how next level dumb pursuing that would have been.
"WTF" was my exact sentiment as well; Got myself in a "Final Destination" scenario all because I stumbled into the cluttered corner of the room. I only have myself to blame. I had plenty of room, even for misses and general mishaps but I foolishly wasn't oriented the right way to minimize damage. I knew something like that would eventually happen but I didn't expect it to be so suddenly, on weights I've hit before. But as they say, "fail to plan, plan to slice your ankle open and spend a Friday evening in the ER getting stitches."

And your pandemic setup is bringing back a ton of memories of my initial experiences with barbell lifting - using my dads old Weider exercise set in the attic of my parents house.
Spring clips and no spotters resulted in some interesting / near fatal lessons about reps in reserve.

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#25

Post by Fossil » Tue Apr 04, 2023 5:48 pm

Ankle is definitely feeling much better. Although, I shudder to think how many pause squats it's going to take to get my right ankle back to where it was in terms of mobility. Hoping I don't lose much but only time will tell.

Using this thick dumbbell to keep top-end weights down in order to keep as much weight off my right ankle as I can but still provide some kind of challenge.
Unless specified, any pressing I do is a strict press with locked knees.

1-Arm Thick DB Clean & Press:
15 x 1 L/R
25 x 1 L/R
40 x 1 L/R
46 x 1+1+1+1+1+1+1+1 L/R*

*rest-pause, 3-5 deep breaths between singles

That weight is probably not accurate since I don't own a scale but given the weight of the floor flanges I have on the ends and the pipe itself, it's gotta be around five pounds. Odd weight increments are from using my baseball bat / micro-loading plates to close any gaps between the end flange and the larger plates.
Took off the rubber coupling / handle grip because it was just slightly too thick to be usable. After cutting it up, was able to use the ends and hose clamps as plate stops.

Spanish Squats:
BW x 20
BW+15 x 20

These aren't conducive to external loading. Next time will probably do as many sets as it takes to get 50 total reps.


EDIT:
Hours later, just for fun...

1-Arm DB Clean & Press:
30 x 1 L/R
40 x 1 L/R
50 x 1 L/R
60 x 1 L/R
65 x 1 L/ miss R

Left hand matched my old 1RM.
Right hand is harder on this lift because it has to start a little lower since that arm is slightly longer.
Might have been able to fight to make the single on my right side but it but didn't wanna risk the stitches in my ankle.
Last edited by Fossil on Tue Apr 04, 2023 10:08 pm, edited 2 times in total.

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Re:

#26

Post by DCR » Tue Apr 04, 2023 6:55 pm

Fossil wrote: Tue Apr 04, 2023 5:48 pm Ankle is definitely feeling much better.
Good.
Fossil wrote: Tue Apr 04, 2023 5:48 pm Spanish Squats:
BW x 20
BW+15 x 20
Had never heard of these. Before I watch a few videos, what do you personally like them for?

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Re: Re:

#27

Post by Fossil » Tue Apr 04, 2023 8:10 pm

DCR wrote: Tue Apr 04, 2023 6:55 pm
Fossil wrote: Tue Apr 04, 2023 5:48 pm Ankle is definitely feeling much better.
Good.
Fossil wrote: Tue Apr 04, 2023 5:48 pm Spanish Squats:
BW x 20
BW+15 x 20
Had never heard of these. Before I watch a few videos, what do you personally like them for?
I figured I could still work the my legs as long as I kept off the injured ankle and limited ankle flexion by keeping my center of gravity back - like in a RDL, Good morning etc. but I was more interested in working the quads.
Roman Chair sissy squats came to mind, but thanks to social media, I've seen a few too many quad tendon injuries to want to really push those but when you search for sissy squats, the "Spanish squat" variation comes up as well. Seen them before but have never tried them so I slung an old tow strap around a support and sat back. Started feeling them in my quads after only a few reps. Pretty great way to get blood into the legs but not be locked into an apparatus or put your joints at risk like a lot of sissy squat variations.

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#28

Post by Fossil » Wed Apr 05, 2023 4:08 pm

Left foot has been swelling off and on over the last few days and I realized it was from lack of ankle / forefoot / toe movement. Did some really easy movement and it helped a lot. Will be doing that a few times a day.

1-Arm DB Clean & Press:
30 x 1 L/R
40 x 1 L/R
50 x 1 L/R
60 x 1 L/R
61 x 1 L/R

Partial Front Squat [onto 20" bench]
135 x 5
165 x 5
185 x 5

Would've gone heavier but the walk in after each set was really tricky to navigate; shuffling around with a 7ft barbell on your chest isn't really the safest thing to do with an injured ankle. If I do these again might set my safety catches on some plates so they're high enough that I can rest the bar on them between reps instead of walking in and out of the squat stands.

Can't wait to get back to jumping rope. It went from something I hated doing a few months ago to an activity I enjoy.

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#29

Post by Fossil » Sun Apr 09, 2023 8:31 pm

1-Arm DB Clean & Press:
30 x 1 R/L
40 x 1 R/L
50 x 1 R/L
55 x 1+1+1+1+1 R/L*

*rest-pause, 3-5 deep breaths between singles

I don't alternate these since I'm to avoid too much fatigue and do one arm at a time, resting a minute or two between. Goal is 8 reps each side then adding a little weight.


Partial Front Squat [onto 36" safeties]
135 x 3
165 x 2
185 x 8

Started out using my bench but that just felt sketchy so figured I just go the extra few inches to the safeties. Felt pretty good. Gotta focus on tapping the bar evenly next session. This might be what I use to regain my ankle ROM - keep the same weight but lower the safeties a little each week until I'm back to ATG.

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#30

Post by Fossil » Tue Apr 11, 2023 7:02 pm

Jump Rope:
5 minutes

Only did two-feet jumps.
Will ease back into alternating feet after the sutures are removed - something that is happening this week.

1-Arm DB Swing [French Style]:
30 x 1 L/R
40 x 1 L/R
50 x 1 L/R
55 x 1+1+1+1+1* L/R

*rest-pause, 3-5ish deep breaths between singles

Wasn't this lift that got me injured, it was my own pedantic stubbornness and laziness (cluttered room) that got me injured; trying to lift like someone with all their fingers ain't gonna happen with my left hand and yet I tried and tried. Tonight I modified my grip, allowed my left hand slide back and my thumb clamp the fingers like I would with my right. Felt good and much more secure.
Left shoulder already feeling iffy from the pressing - not injured or sore, but "wound up too tight" - restructured finger-to-forearm tendons/ligaments + missing the lower part of my lat from an unrelated surgery I had as an infant basically condemned that shoulder to extreme internal rotation unless severe forces are applied.
The swing is about the only lift I have done that "unwinds" that arm and shoulder and can be progressively loaded. The problem with OHPs is that the muscles firing on the concentric are not firing correctly so even at lockout everything is fighting against each other. A jerk or snatch variation would probably do the same thing but those are so awkward and over the years I've caught a few DB snatches when I shouldn't have and that kinda turned me off doing anything really heavy with a pronated grip; a heavy miss could potentially dislocate a shoulder or worse...


Partial Front Squat [onto 36" safeties]
135 x 3
165 x 2
195 x 6+2*

*rest-pause, 3-5ish deep breaths between singles

Gonna up those squats when I hit 8 reps in a single set then lower the pins to the next position - it's maybe 2" lower, give or take.

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#31

Post by Fossil » Fri Apr 14, 2023 10:19 pm

Got the sutures removed Wednesday. Apparently I had them i a little too long; I had waited to get them out because my right foot would get inflamed and red and I figured it still needed time to heal but I think ultimately, the sutures were causing the issues. I can do a full squat now.
The doctor who removed the sutures suspects I may have sprained the ankle but I don't really know what that feels like so can't say, although it is weird the opposite side of that foot is also bruised, despite not being impacted..


Jump Rope:
5 minutes

Hit a PR for unbroken jumps - went over 4 minutes straight, took a 20 second break then finished out the remainder of the five minutes. I think it's mostly due to being 10-12 pounds lighter lol. This diet thing is really paying off. It's really easy too tbh. Sure, I'm hungry sometimes but never, ever starving - a ton of salad, soup and knowing how to cook and uses spices/marinades helps tremendously.

1-Arm DB Swing [French Style]:
30 x 1 L/R
40 x 1 L/R
50 x 1 L/R
55 x 6* L/R

*rest-pause, 3-5 deep breaths between reps (actually no idea about this - disregarded counting anything and just focused on proper setup, which takes anywhere from 10-20 seconds)

Bottom Position Front Squat [off 36" safeties]
135 x 1
155 x 1
165 x 1
195 x 5*

*rest-pause, a lot of deep breaths between singles

These lifts are both fine done this way but realistically I can't see either being sustainable long term with this kind of rep scheme. Worth the experiment though.
Feel good enough to probably do what I had intended to do all along before the stupid ankle incident - the old Joe Mills / Bill Star / Someone-Else-Probably-Said-The-Same-Thing program of 20 singles, adding weight every 5 and then adding a little each single until you feel that's enough or you hit 21 reps.

All this program hopping is really annoying to me - prior to joining this forum I was on a really productive program for 8 weeks and planned to use 8 week blocks for everything. I think now - after some meandering and an injurious setback - I can finally do that.

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#32

Post by Fossil » Tue Apr 18, 2023 8:41 pm

Jump Rope:
5 minutes

Ankle is better. Was able to alternate feet. Spent the first minute doing doubles to make sure I was warmed up enough to try alternating.


1-Arm DB Swing [Hang]:
30 x 8 L/R

1-Arm DB Swing [Old Style]:
40 x 5 singles L/R
45 x 5 singles L/R
50 x 5 singles L/R
51 x 1 L/R
52 x 1 L/R
53 x 1 L/R
54 x 1 L/R
55 x 1 L/R
56 x 1 L/R

Not very difficult at all but glad I started lighter than I had initially thought I would - going back and forth like that catches up to you as the session goes on.
Did this within twenty minutes and will continue that to make sure I'm not wasting time.

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#33

Post by Fossil » Wed Apr 19, 2023 7:22 pm

Wasn't planning on doing this today but wanted to do something.

Jump Rope:
5 minutes

Front Squat: 95 x 5

Pause Front Squat [~3 seconds]:
135 x 5 singles
155 x 5 singles
165 x 5 singles
167 x 1
168 x 1
169 x 1
170 x 1
171 x 1

Not terrible. Got fairly difficult pretty around the third rung of singles and had to alter things halfway through when I felt my left hamstring tighten up. Didn't want to push to much weight if my hamstring decided to seize up.
My right Achilles hurt every rep, as expected; Not bad, but definitely present. The ankle is very tight so sitting in a deep squat was good for me.
After doing this realized I'm going to have to up my calories to make this work. Walking in and out of the rack, the pauses and every few minutes adding weight adds up to more time than you might think so that sorta-kinda-autoregulated-EMOM thing turns into doing a single every 40-45 seconds.
Kinda enjoyable making lighter weights feel heavy. Even during difficult reps you know you can gear up and do another, and another... and another.

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Re: Fossil's Training Log

#34

Post by DCR » Wed Apr 19, 2023 8:46 pm

The simplicity of your training is like a siren's call to me. I don't think (in fact I know) that it's not what I need right now, but I love it. This has been one of my favorite logs to follow. Glad the ankle is getting there.

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Re: Fossil's Training Log

#35

Post by Fossil » Tue Apr 25, 2023 12:06 am

DCR wrote: Wed Apr 19, 2023 8:46 pm The simplicity of your training is like a siren's call to me. I don't think (in fact I know) that it's not what I need right now, but I love it. This has been one of my favorite logs to follow. Glad the ankle is getting there.
@DCR
I appreciate the kind words. And truth be told, I'm not sure I'd recommend simplicity taken to the degree I have in regards to strength training but as boring as it all looks on paper, I always enjoy my lifting sessions - it's about the only time I can turn my brain off entirely. That's probably why a few years ago I started to whittle down what I was doing in terms of number of lifts, then number of reps until it became what it is now. At this point I only care about lifts I can max out on but that also - and maybe more importantly - don't exacerbate and improve existing issues I have. Primarily L/R imbalances that are slowly improving. Oddly, the ankle injury has actually helped in that regard lol.

Maybe in the future I'll expand my repertoire of lifts but as for now, it's just what you see.
Last edited by Fossil on Tue Apr 25, 2023 12:48 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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#36

Post by Fossil » Tue Apr 25, 2023 12:12 am

Jump Rope:
5 minutes

1-Arm DB Swing [Old Style]:
40 x 1 L/R
50 x 1 L/R
55 x 1 L/R
60 x 1 L/R
62 x 1 L/R
63 x 1 L/R
64 x 1 L/R

1-Arm DB Swing [French Style]:
64 x 5 singles L/R

1-Arm DB Swing [Hang]:
50 x 5 L/R

This setup feels better - it's a natural progression from one variation to another that just makes sense.
The "old style" limits the top end in that it's always going to be a lower % than the "French style" variation. The stuff from the hang is for volume and to alter the stimulus a little; I'm not sure if it's from not splitting or from having to decelerate the dumbbell at the top of the lift, but it always makes my lats sore the next day.
Last edited by Fossil on Wed Apr 26, 2023 8:40 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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#37

Post by Fossil » Wed Apr 26, 2023 8:40 pm

Jump Rope:
5 minutes

Pause Front Squat [~3 seconds]:
135 x 1
155 x 1
165 x 1
175 x 1
185 x 1
190 x 1

Front Squat:
190 x 6 singles
145 x 5

The back-off set is great because it forces me to do things I don't want to - I used to use a really wide grip in the rack position but would always end up thinking it was a really weak position and drop it, but it's only weak because the truth is, my quads are weak and that wider grip forces me into a very upright front squat... which is the point of the lift lol. I took some video and realized I have been doing that hip-shift-out-of-the-bottom type motion that doesn't build the lift at all.
Back-off set looked like it was done on a smith machine, which is how I want my front squat to look.

Ankle felt good.
Right hip felt something - not really pain, but I could tell the inner hip muscles have been de-trained.
Didn't want to push things too far since that right leg / hip / ankle is playing catch up.

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#38

Post by Fossil » Sat Apr 29, 2023 8:55 pm

Best session I've had in awhile... and I almost didn't do it.

Jump Rope:
5 minutes

1-Arm DB Swing [Old Style]:
45 x 1 L/R
50 x 1 L/R
55 x 1 L/R
60 x 1 L/R
62 x 1 L/R
65 x 1 L/R - PR (I think)

1-Arm DB Swing [French Style]:
65 x 6 singles L/R

1-Arm DB Swing [Hang]:
52 x 5 L/R

I finally figured out some of the finer points of this lift; You can only get so much from broad descriptions and pictures from over a century ago but looking at the few straight-on photos of lifters setting up to swing, I noticed most utilized a canted T-spine to varying degrees so, a few nights ago I tried more or less twisting my upper back (something I never do) and wow, everything clicked. Having squared shoulders forces your elbow to turn out on the backswing and makes the bell rapidly tilt back into your wrist so you can't really choke up on the handle like you're supposed to - a method universally agreed on across all texts with all variations of the 1-hand swing.

That top set today was a PR I think for the "old time" variation and I only held back because of how violent the bell was turning over. Felt extremely easy. Left T-spine area feels like someone unscrewed a bunch of over tightened bolts - I had no idea that upper left "quadrant" of my back was so immobile until now - I mean, I knew the external rotation aspect was severely lacking but wasn't aware of the overall stiffness across the whole lat/rear delt/rotator cuff tie in area. Lotta strange (but welcome) DOMS.

The weird thing was the back-off stuff - with the stronger variation - felt *heavier* than the previous stuff, at least with the left hand. Did some cool slow-motion video and the lifts look textbook, just getting the left grip used to this new, more efficient way of swinging the bell.

Couldn't think of what to do today since I'm just winging things with this setup (hence I just repeated the first day again today) but might move the light stuff to this day and just add sets to rack up a little more volume.

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#39

Post by Fossil » Mon May 01, 2023 8:23 pm

Jump Rope:
5 minutes

Pause Front Squat [~3 seconds]:
135 x 1
155 x 1
165 x 1
175 x 1
185 x 1
195 x 1

Front Squat:
195 x 6 singles

Went a little too heavy today but still manageable. Rightly ankle really appreciated the pause squats - glad that ROM came back really quickly.

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#40

Post by Fossil » Wed May 03, 2023 5:30 pm

Jump Rope:
5 minutes

1-Arm DB Swing [Old Style]:
45 x 1 L/R
50 x 1 L/R
55 x 1 L/R
60 x 1 L/R
63 x 1 L/R
66 x 1 L/R - PR

1-Arm DB Swing [French Style]:
66 x 8 singles L/R

Did a few extra, and then a few more with 60 - was off today and got frustrated. Course corrected by the end of the session. Same old story with any technical lift.

I realized with my calories this low, attempting heavier and heavier singles week in and week out just isn't feasible. Was feeling these today probably because last night I jumped rope then walked a few miles taking photos - this is relevant because I've most likely only been able to maintain such a large caloric deficit because, according to my phone, I take very, very few steps a day. I know it's off by probably a thousand or more because I don't really carry my phone in my apartment, but even still, I'd figure my general daily step total is below 5k and realistically closer to 2 or 3k lol. Probably not a great way to live a long life, but for this short stint I'm fine with it since hunger and fatigue generally have not been a problem. Will continue this - more or less - until I'm satisfied. Might be another month or so but probably not much longer than that.

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