SQ - BP - DL

2+ hours driving on Sat and again on Sun, no lifting, a little walking.

Monday, today:

Day #1, Week #1 of 10 until the WNPF meet, hoping for almost every day, Easy Strength style.

Warmup:  ZDL: 95 x 1, 165 x 1

SQUAT:

Empty bar: FSQ: bar x 5, High-bar SQ x 5, low-bar SQ x 5

115 lb: FSQ x 5, HBBS x 5, LBBS x 5


BENCH PRESS

Empty bar x 10,

115 x 10

Lower back _really_ hurt after first set, better after second set but still stiff.  This is par for the course for me but it still ain't much fun.


DEADLIFT:

225 x 5 ri/u - feels strong enough, 225 x 5 l/u - also felt strong


ZSQ: - abs/finisher?  Tried 225 on axle - failed overhand DL, did over/under DL, failed ZSQ, enough for today.

The Informal Start of a Competition Cycle

Life has been just crazy here - had to have part of one of my toenails removed today.

Note to self: Have to plan a lifting cycle backwards from my June 8 meet.

24 kg: mil press into windmill: L, R, L, R

Axle DL: 225 x 1, 1

Straddle Axle DL: 225 x 5 touch-n-go left in front, repeat right after short break but had to regrip before the final rep.

DL: 225 x 5, 5 - both grips on Oakie bar, conventional feel betters than narrow sumo so did that.

Trained a couple of people, did some swings and presses along the way.

Onward and Upward

Partial DL, Hand and Thigh, ZDL w/ 35's

Decided to lift again today, even though I don't usually lift on Wednesdays.  I missed Monday, and this feels OK - will probably take tomorrow off.

24 kg: mil press to windmill x 1L/R

24 kg: mil press to windmill L, lower to rack, repeat, put bell down and do all that right side.

ZDL: extended range, 35's on the bar:  115 x 1, 145 x 1

DL Partial and Hand and Thigh

Same rack pin height as yesterday but standing on 2" boxes.

DL Partial: Today, right under first, singles w/ each grip as I did yesterday

135, 225, 295, 345 - right under feels stronger, 395

Hand-and-Thigh: 465 - only got first one, tried second but failed, took skin off my left palm, too, at pinkie.

http://youtu.be/G0af-l1tQ94

Onward and Upward

First Hand-and-Thigh Lifts, got 425, also PR Straddle Axle DL at 255

Sunday - tired, no lifting

Monday - my wife had same-day surgery, much ado in my life, no lifting  (All came out very well.)

Tuesday - still pretty tired from yesterday, but going to try:

NB: Not sure if I should cycle back and ramp up again - we'll see how we feel today:

24: mil press to windmill, lower to quasi-bent-press start x L/R

16: bent press x L/R

20: bent press x fail L, R ok, L ok - need a tigher grip left

Not going to do do 24 kg today

FSQ - barbell, just the empty bar x 5

ZDL: 135 x 1 - easy, 185 x 1 - tough midway, as these are, not tough at the bottom, though.

First tries at a Hand-And-Thigh lift. Oly bar in the rack, only lifting an inch or two

L/U, then R/U at: 135, 225, 275, 325, 345, 365, 385, 405, 425.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fHqHx6AkjRk

Straddle Axle DL:

135 x 1 each way, left in front first, same for 225, then 255 = PR

Onward and Upward.

Getups, Windmills, Bent Presses, Swings

Saturday

Stretch a lot, looking for what hasn't been getting stretched during the week.

10 kg getups to half-kneeling, a few each side.  Tried some alternate versions of the getup as well.

16: windmill, lf, 2 - ugh, need to do these every day, and need to do them heavier more often.

Bent Press,

16 kg x L/R

20: kg x L/R

24 kg x L/R, L/R - getting better, starting position is better, getting more under the weight with less press.

t-spine feels works, lats feel worked, abs feel worked.

24: swing, 5L, 5R - maybe more later

Later

24: swing, 10L, 10R on no break

Onward and Upward

ZSQ - 245 x 2 singles = PR, Straddle Axle DL 245 x 2 x 2, also PR

Drove 2+ hours Wed night in the pouring rain, drove home Thursday afternoon, no lifting Thursday

Friday, today:

24 kg: windmill, 2L, 2R - dizzy today, must be allergies from the time outside.

Walk about 3 mi.

ZDL - 1-arm, 65 x L/R, 85 x L/R - starting to get these but balance is tough

Dizzy today.

ZDL: 175 x 1

Dizzy today.

Straddle Axle DL:

225 x 3 L, R

245 x 2 L, R - grip starting to go on 2nd rep of 1st set, will work this up to triples.  Had only done 245 once before and only once in the workout.

Able to stay more or less upright, dizziness not too bad with these.

ZSQ:

245 x fail, 1, 1 singles in 3:45 - just wasn't ready for the first one - need to try a warmup lift or two.  Even the initial DL didn't feel good.  Noticed I'm also picking the bar up in the hooks of my fingers, which I don't do for heavy single DLs, so switch to a deeper in the hand type grip, which makes breaking the bar off the floor harder, but that's life, just need to be strong off the floor.

Had first thought to go 235 instead of 245, but decided it was time to "man up" and make the weight noticeably different.  Now this weight needs to become easier.

Note to self - it's a squat, not a deadlift, and at the start of the ZSQ proper, I need to keep the weight centered on my feet - being back on my heels is the kiss of death for me in the ZSQ.

After lots of sitting and driving the last 2 days, this was a good day, and the reward will be the weekend off from heavy lifting.

Onward and Upward.

ZSQ: 5 x 225 = PR

Walk 2 mi

ZDL: 125 x 1, 1

Straddle Axle DL: going to keep 5's on bar at all times to make math easier

225: L x 1, R x 1

225: L x 3, R x 3 touch 'n' go - excellent, PR


ZSQ: 225 x 5 singles in 6:00 - 2nd rep was lousy, tried to do a better starting DL and screwed up the actual ZSQ portion of the lift.

Still, 5 x 225 on the minute-ish is certainly a PR for reps at this weight.  Will probably stay with this weight and try to reduce the time a little before moving on.

Onward and Upward!

First 1-arm Zercher Deadlifts, plus Windmills, plus ZQS 225 x 4 singles

Tired - stayed up past midnight helping Josh with a school project.

A little stretching

Walk 4 mi.

windmill: 20 kg, 3L, 3R - pretty good

ZDL: 1-arm, each weight L, then R:  45, 75, 125 lbs. - none terribly good, had to use other hand to steady balance, maybe 1" bar I'm using isn't ideal.

Straddle Axle DL: 215 x 3L front, 3R front - touch 'n' go, need more weight on the bar next time.

ZSQ: 225 x 4 singles in about 3:00 - excellent.  Weight is getting easier, still not sure about stance width, grip width at elbows, etc., and putting down 4th rep was ugly although still legal because the phone range mid-lift and disturbed my concentration.

Onward and Upward!

More of the same cycle: ZDL, Straddle Axle DL, ZSQ for 225 x 3, PR reps at that weight

Saturday - walk, then 2+ hours of driving and lots of sitting

Sunday, 2+ hours of driving and lots of sitting, short 1mi walk at home

Today, Monday - longish walk, about 3 miles, the last two carrying a decent amount of groceries on back and in a bag.  Cold outside, temp was 27 F.

ZDL: singles @ 75, 95, 165

Straddle Axle DL:

135 x 1L, 1R,
215 x 1L, 1R,
215 x 2L, 2R - first time touch and go at this lift, ugh, feeling it in waist

Friday, I did ZSQ 225 x 2 singles

Today, goal is 3 singles, same timing, approx on the minute

ZSQ:

135 x 1

225 x 3 singles on the minute - excellent.  Want to start experimenting with grabbing the ground more - legs feel wobbly somehow, just missing a tightness cue somewhere, I think.

Enough for today - 225 x 3 singles is a PR, and we'll aim to hit 5 singles on Thursday.

Onward and Upward!

Axle DL 225, Zercher Squat 225 x 2 singles

Floor work to stretch

Warmup: 16 kg 1-handed swings, didn't count, perhaps 10-20 as a bunch left, a bunch right

Z DL: 75 lb x 2 on 1" bar, 125 lb x 1 on Apollon's Axle

Windmill, 16 kg, 3L + 3R - trying to look at weight the entire time more.

Must correct yesterday's weight - bar is only 33 lbs or so, we'll call it 35 lbs.

Straddle DL on Axle 

125 x L front, R front thumbless, R front w/ thumb

195 x L, R

205 x L, R

215 x L, R

225 x L, R

Zercher SQ: 135 x 1, 205 x 2, 225 x 2 singles - arms are starting to get a little beat up by the weight, legs are feeling the extra volume of having done DLs w/ the axle yesterday and today, so 2 reps it will be.

Onward and Upward

First Thick Bar (Apollon's Axle) - Straddle DL, plus ZDL and ZSQ, first Spider Lift

A very long day yesterday, no exercise, had an evening meeting and had back problems (leg cramps) at an evening meeting - had to get up and stretch.

Today, Thursday, it's freezing cold and very windy here, so no walking again.

windmill, 10 kg, 2L + 2 R

bent press, 16 kg, alternating singles x 2 each side; 20 kg x L/R - form is improving

Spider Lift: 75 x 1, 1

Z DL: 75 x 1, 135 x 1

First day with Apollon's Axle:

* Edited these back to actual weights.
Straddle DL: 125 x Left Forward, Right Forward.  Repeat w/ 175, 195, 215

Zercher SQ: 220 x 5 singles on about 1 min rests (no timer today)

Onward and Upward!

More ZDL and ZSQ

Stretch a little

Walk 2 miles

ZDL: upping the weight 10 lb from yesterday on the ramp-up, 5 lb on the final single

ZDL: singles @ 85, 135, 185 - felt heavy and want to save energy for ZSQ so skipped the planned 215

ZSQ: 215 x 5 singles in 4:09.

http://youtu.be/98m4763Tc9Y - computer froze so last rep isn't there.

Onward and Upward

ZDL and ZSQ

Sunday - walked again, probably about 4 miles after first having a bass lesson then teaching two lessons.

Monday, today:

Stretch a little - very tight from all the bass playing yesterday, didn't sleep well as a result

Walk 2 mi.

ZDL: singles @ 75, 125, 175, 210 = PR

http://youtu.be/TlZIynhMB3o

ZSQ:  210 x 5 in just under 4:00 - excellent

Onward and Upward

S & S

It was a good week - Zercher DL and Zercher SQ on Monday, Tuesday, off Wednesday, do them again on Thursday and Friday

Today, Saturday:

Swings: 24 kg x 10 two-handed x 3 sets - just looking for perfection: tall but not overextended posture, float on both the up- and the down-swing, nose breathing, staying far from fatigue.  Although I didn't video tape, these felt good and the final set felt the best. I haven't done these much of late and 3 very good sets will be it for these for today.

Getups - alternating sides, 10 kg, 3 or 4 each side to elbow, just working on good form, and as always, on a nice, thick mat.

Onward and Upward

Zercher DL PR of 205 lbs.

A little stretching and walk 2.5 miles w/ my wife.

Bodyweight has been 155 point something for the last 3-4 days, first time that low since probably just after New Year's, good progress.  I seem to lose weight only slowful, and we'll aim for 154 for next week.

ZDL: singles at 75, 125, 175, 205 = PR

http://youtu.be/tM8981lV6vI

ZSQ: 205 x 5 singles on the minute, finished in 4:40 - excellent, feel _mush_ easier than yesterday, really was able to stand up straight with the weight on the first few reps and wasn't awful on the rest, either.

That's it for today.

-S-

Zercher Squat: 205 x 5 singles

Wednesday - no exercise, not much stretching, just a busy day.

Today, Thursday, cold outside but hopefully tomorrow means a walk.

16 kg windmill, 1L, 1R - focus on opening t-spine and keeping shoulder back.

24 kg windmill, 2L, 2R

24 kg bent press, fail L, 1 R, rest, 1L, 1R - got both sides this time

Zercher DL - 75 lbs x 1, ab cramp - should have stretched first ...

Stretching - cossack sequence

Zercher DL - 135 lb.x 1

Zercher Squat - 205 lb. x 5 singles on long rests - good, felt like I was able to keep from high-hip-ing it.  I think my hips are too low at the start, however - I hit a sticking point as soon as I take the slack out of the chain, would like to start there instead if possible.

That's it for today.

Onward and Upward

Zercher DL - 200 lbs. = PR, plus ZSQ 225 x 2 singles

Rolling and stretching

Zercher DL: 145 x 1, 165 x 1, 175 x 1 = PR, 200 x 1 = PR

http://youtu.be/2O2xym5GI_w - 175 and 200, also first time on regular Oly bar.

Zercher Squat: 200 x 1, 225 x 1 - tried a slightly wider stance and don't like it, 225 x 1 again - better, but still far from comfortable, might keep doing singles with this weight for a while.  Right shoulder unpacks, have to pay some attention to this.

That's enough lifting for today - feeling it in the dear abbies ...

Onward and Upward

Zercher DL and Zercher SQ

Saturday - taught in the morning and had a training session in the afternoon, just a busy day but managed a short walk and some stretching.  Also pick-axed the ice as it was a little above freezing.

Sunday - more ice chopping, and got in 2 very nice walks, each about 2 miles, with my wife.

Today, Monday:

Long warmup - rolling, rocking, floor work stretching, light getups

Zercher DL: 75 lb x 1

Spider Lift - attempted for the first time, failed, tried it w/ weights on 4" boxes, also failed but I might get it the next time, will try in a minute.  OK, here we go - got a single rep but just barely

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TaXhSQdBTDA

Zercher DL 75 x 1, 105 x 1, 125 x 1, 145 x 1 = PR, 165 x 1  = PR

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ijKM3WqsoM - 145 and 165

Zercher Squat:  175 x 3, 3, 3 - up from 2 sets on Friday so that's good.  They're getting tighter - volume helps

Bent Press: 16 kg x 1L, 1R, rest, 1L, 1R

Enough for today

Onward and Upward