Tuesday:
Squat: 135x5, 225x4, 315x3, 405x2, 475x 5 singles
Bench Press: up to 245x 5 singles
Independence Day at
Iron Alley:
Power Clean: up to 205x3x3
Military Press: 165x3x3
Bent Row: 185x6x4
Friday:
Front Squat: 135x5, 185x4, 225x3, 275x2, 315x 3 singles
Trap Bar DL: up to 527 x 3 singles
Training two heavy days per week has been going really
well. My numbers are slowly moving in
the right direction, my body weight is staying consistent and I don’t feel
trapped in by my program. It’s flexible
enough that if life gets in the way one day I’ll be able to get it in another
day. Training only twice heavy per week
also makes me look forward to training.
And when you only have two times per week to get your shit done you’ve
got no choice but to put out in those two sessions.
Bench press I’ve been playing ultra conservative on. I decided this week to bump my training max
(the heaviest weight I’ll use in a training session) to 245. It is going to stay there for a while. My shoulder feels ok while pressing but does
stay sore for a few days afterwards. I
still think my trap is the main culprit in this, but I’ll never know until I
put a real concerted effort into getting all the knots out. That may take a few rough massages
though. Much more than just a lacrosse
ball can provide.
I’m beginning to think that the slow cooker is one of the
better inventions ever. I don’t use it
as much as I could or should but I’ve never been disappointed by it. As long as you take the time to sex the meat
up with some spices and what not I’d probably never get bored with using
it. I’d never give up grilling meats,
but I definitely need to start experimenting with slow cooking more.
With the impending move to Chicago I’ve been shedding myself
of some of my earthly possessions. I’ve
gotten rid of a lot of clothes that I haven’t worn in a long time and a lot of
clutter that I haven’t used in years.
Let me tell you, it feels good.
It’s almost like losing a lot of weight.
Once all that useless clutter is gone you feel like you can move about
better, breathe better, and live easier.
There is definitely a good feeling at having plenty, but in the end it’s
just stuff.
I’ve been looking into minimal living and I’m nowhere near
that but the thought of it is attractive, especially the travelling aspect of
it. I am an over packer. Every time I pack for a trip of more than a
few days I get a case of the “just in case” syndrome. I bring things that I think I’ll need but
more often than not end up just leaving in my suitcase. I bring too many clothes, too many
accessories, and too much other stuff that I just don’t need. So I’ll be practicing consolidation and
trying to bring less on the trips that I have planned coming up.
On Wednesday we celebrated our nation’s independence from
British tyranny. I celebrated by lifting
at my friend Joe’s new home gym, Iron Alley.
I wore my American flag karate pants and no shirt.
Very nice set up he has there. He has a rack stand which is just the
business end of a squat rack. It holds the
bar and has a chin up bar and a dip attachment.
He also has a platform, some bumpers, a TRX and something that not a lot
of home gyms have, a glute ham. With
that equipment one has almost limitless options.
Lifting is like packing in a way. A lot of people try to pack in all this stuff
that they don’t really need thinking that it could be the magic bullet that
delivers them there goals. Consistent,
hard work on 2-4 core lifts and a few supplementary lifts and one can attain
almost any goal whether it be performance or aesthetic based. Keeping what you need and getting rid of what
you don’t is a good thing to put into practice in many areas of life, not just
lifting and packing.
I’m on my way home from up north where Amy, her son Tavian,
and I spent the weekend with my mom, Stepdad Pete, grandma Donna, sister Stacy,
and her boyfriend Manny. It was
definitely what I needed. Nice and
relaxing time on the boat, swimming in the river, and hanging out by the fire
pit. Lots of food, drinks, sunshine, and
great people is the recipe for a great time.
I hope everyone else had a great weekend and is ready to
kick the absolute shit out of Monday.
Make it great.
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