anustart

[fishwife]

music:
sharon Jones, Femi Kuti, Buena Vista.
Fela Kuti gets all the attention, but his kids Femi and Seun both produced some awesome afrobeat funk music

Nice. I like to listen to stuff like this, but I have a hard time lifting to it.

[simonrest]

Nice. I like to listen to stuff like this, but I have a hard time lifting to it.

I can listen to almost anything while I'm lifting - I'm just after something to put me in a good mood rather than psyche me up.

[Allentown]

Hitting the quote button in your log trips my work "Adult Material" filter. I don't know why it would.

[simonrest]

Hitting the quote button in your log trips my work "Adult Material" filter. I don't know why it would.

It's because we're very grown up

[simonrest]

W6 D3

knee has been hurting all day, but I'm 90% sure that's because I knelt on a piece of Lego last night

C2
did 2 minutes then I remembered why I never use it - it aggravated my hip flexors terribly.
it also jumps about when I'm sprinting. So I swapped to

Prowler + 20kg
did 4 rounds of 40m with 2 min rest, then collapsed in a heap. This still kills me.

Lat pull down
110lbs x 8 x 8 in 6 min

planks
4 x 30sec holds, 2 x 35sec holds in 6 min

thassit.

[hector]

but improving on 3 out of 4 lifts is still OK given the circumstances

Improving 3 out of 4 sounds awesome to me.

[simonrest]

Gotta focus on the positives!

W6 D4

Press
80*1@7
80*1@8.5
67.5*4,4,4,4,3,3
Press went well. To single I think I asked to too much and it wasn't as clean as I'd like.

Paused squat
132.5*4@7
137.5*4@8.5
142.5*4*2@9.5,9.5
These felt like my form was shit but on film they looked pretty good: I didn't have one side or back collapsing like on Mondays squats. I think I've accumulated to much squat fatigue because the RPE were too high, even with 2 sets. Next week I can start wearing a belt though, so we'll see how I go

Overhead cable tricep extension
59*8*5
Nbd

highlights


Gym story
The only other people in the gym were a married couple who were obviously arguing. It possible a real down mood on the gym.

Music
I put on a prophets of rage concert that was on you tube. The first half hour was a dj show which was awesome (he stopped Punjabi MC!) But the actual concert was meh.

Last night I went and saw less than Jake. They still rock out. i wore ear plugs so I can hear today, but they were cheap shot ones. Anyone have experience with musicians ear plugs?

[simonrest]

W6 D5

BW, 124.5. Avatar says it's within range so bumped me up to 2375 a day

Deadlift
202.5 x 1 @7
212.5 x 1 @8ish - felt good, but moved a bit slowly. I'm developing a sticking point at the transfer from leg drive to hip drive....
170 x 4 x 4, 3 x 2 - pulls were OK, very tiring. last sets were above RPE 9

catapult bench
120 x 4 @7
125 x 4 @8
130 x 4 @ 9.5 (new 4RM, my tracking app tells me)
125 x 4 x 2 @ 9, 9
the top set was too heavy today to do for sets across. I dropped back and I think I got the effective dose right

this was exhausting today, but it's the end of the 6 week Developmental block so probably to be expected. Now I've got 4 weeks of specialisation and sports form, followed by taper and testing.
halfway through and E1RMs are:
squat: 200kg
bench: 135kg
Press: 92kg
Dead: 230kg

Highlights

[simonrest]

Busy weekend - Hospital visit/rugby/dinner out with the family on Sat, Hospital shift/gardening/pool Sunday.
Feeling pretty beat up - low back and hips are sore, knees hurt too.

W7 D1

squat
180 x 1 @7.5
185 x 1 @8
150 x 4 x 5
squat warm ups felt pretty shifty. did a single at 170 which was OK, last warm up at 180 felt a bit tough so only jumped to 185, not 187.5. Squat was a little high, and my upper back collapsed.
back off sets were better.

strict press (paused on shoulders)
70 x 3 @7 - because I'm an idiot and left the weights at my last warm up
73.5 x 3 @8
76 x 3 x 3 @ 9, 9, 9.5
these were OK, but first set at 76 I got a twinge in my upper back/base of the neck which is now sore. I'll try to get a massage

seated cable row
80 x 5 x 5
moving into lower rep ranges with more weight on the accessory stuff. I tore the skin off a finger gardening and it hurt on these, but nothing else. Had to get the thumb tape out and tape over my band aid to stop it coming off. Most annoying is that it's the finger I generally use to unlock my phone.

video

[simonrest]

W7 D2

neck got pretty sore yesterday afternoon but was too busy for a massage. Took some vitamin I and used some anti inflam gel, but I still woke up at 3 in pain. It seems to be getting better - or at least more manageable - with NSAIDS and time. Of course I went to the gym and did 3 movements that are upper back reliant....

Comp Bench
112.5 x 1 @7
120 x 1 @ 7.5 - forgot to pause though
125 x 1 @8 - actually not bad.
102.5 x 4 x 5
Back off sets went well but sets 4 and 5 were definitely @ RPE 9+

Rack pull
150 x 3 @ <7
155 x 3 @ 7
160 x 3 x 3 @ 8, 8, 8.5
these were a bit light. First set I see that I wasn't extending my upper back, but I focused on that for the remaining sets. I also did these in oly shoes - not sure if that's the best idea, or if I should be emulating comp conditions (ie flat footed). I might lower the rack slightly as well next week.

I half inched a pair of discarded towels from the lost n found which made these much quieter, and possibly saved the bar a little.

Front squats
60 x 5 x 5
again, too light, but I haven't done front squats in 9 months, and never really trained them long term. Today was more about motor pattern.
Also, check out my shitty wrist mobility. I'll never make it as a weightlifter or pornstar.

highlights

[fishwife]

This may interest you.

[simonrest]

This may interest you.

thanks, it did

[simonrest]

W7 D3

LISS
22min walking, 2kms
S1E2 of Archer.

Lat Pull Down
6 min
130lbs x 8 x 6

Plank
3 x 30 sec holds
3 x 35 sec holds

EZ bar curls
29kg x 8 x 7

Gym Story
there was a new girl getting her first free PT session - PT had her squat, bench and pull. She was only half squatting (and he kept adding weight, ergh)_ but her bench was excellent, she worked up to sets of 5 at 40kg on her first day. With some actual instruction she could have done more. I was impressed.

[simonrest]

W7 D4

trained late in the afternoon due to work stuff, which has thrown my whole eating plan

Press
80 x 1 @7
86 x 1 @10 - whoa. Something went wrong here. Missed it about nose height, then reset and got it, but shaky
70 x 4 x 5 - nice and solid
I guess I will repeat this next week, unless I feel like I'm having a blinder

Pin Squat
took me a while to find the right level. Needed to pull the plywood out of the platform and put it in the squat rack
130 x 3 @7.5
135 x 3 @8
140 x 3 x 3 @ 9, 9, 9.5
I hope these give me a big squat because I hated doing them.
Beltless too. First time doing them (earlier this year) I did them belted, but Manveer never wears a belt doing pin squats, so I won't either.

LTE
30 x 5 - too light
35 x 5 x 4 - this was better, but still maybe too light

Video:


Music
mens fitness twins had HI-NRG dance remixes, turned up loud. After they left some scruffy looking wannabe powerlifters came in and put on Motorhead.

[simonrest]

W7 D5

BW 123.8, a drop from last week. Avatar bumped me up the standard amount

meetings again messed with my training schedule, and I was rushed.

Deadlift
205 x 1 @7
215 x 1 @8.5 - could maybe have tripled this. Felt awful, but looked about the same as last week in terms of speed
175 x 4 x 5
this was brutal, 3min rests didn't help

pin bench
95 x 3 @7 or less
100 x 3 @8
105 x 3 x 3 @ 8.5, 8.5, 9
I had some B12 right after deadlifts and I thnk it kicked in between set 2 and 3. Or maybe I just got the hang of these.

video:

[simonrest]

W8 D1

had a nice quiet weekend: wife was away and it rained all weekend so other than a quick trip to visit mum in the palliative care hospital we just sat around watching movies. I tried to turn Yoda's instruction into life lessons for my kids, but I don't think it took.

Despite the easy weekend I still woke up sore and tired, plus had a slight stomach thing. I pushed training to later in the day because just throwing caffeine at it wasn't helping

Squat
180 x 1 x 2 @ 7ish - tried to squat 2 different ways, I think my form is holding my squat back this cycle.
187.5 x 1 @8 - let the bar slip up and had a slight struggle with it, but the rep went up comformtably
157.5 x 3 x 6 - was happy to get to the end of these

I did a big rant/analysis on my IG - I'll just link it rather than ctrl-v
https://www.instagram.com/p/BbI87x4lszh ... ysmartarse

Press
72.5 x 3 @7
75 x 3 @8
77.5 x 3 x 3 @ 9, 9, 9
press felt pretty good

seated cable row
85 x 5, 5, 5, 5, 8
some sort of PR.

Video:

[JC]

Dat hop drive doe!

[simonrest]

Dat hop drive doe!

I'm not sure I have any hip drive tbh...

W8 D2

bench
120 x 1 @7
127.5 x 1 @8.5 - a bit slow
107.5 x 3 x 6 - got hard towards the end, but form was pretty tight

rack pulls
157.5 x 3 @ 7.5 - missloaded the bar
160 x 3 @ 8
165 x 3 x 3 @ 9, 9, 9
put the pins down 1 rung, and also kicked my shoes off. This was "better" I guess

front squat
70 x 5 x 5
first set was a mess and I was half squatting them with barely a finger on the bar, but I found my grip width on the second and hit better depth.

Video:


Gym story:
today is melbourne Cup (like Kentucky Derby, but with more money and less class). There was a guy in the gym I've never seen before, in his suit pants and purple "nice" shirt hitting arms. He was quite obviously trying to catch a pump before going out to lunch

[Allentown]

He was quite obviously trying to catch a pump before going out to lunch

I am frequently guilty of this, particularly in the summer. Sunny day, tank top on for a trip to the bar up the street? Do a quick superset of bb curls and ohp.

[simonrest]

I am frequently guilty of this, particularly in the summer. Sunny day, tank top on for a trip to the bar up the street? Do a quick superset of bb curls and ohp.

im my mind that's a touch different to hitting a public gym in your race day wear at lunchtime