Last Week Before Surgery: Strong Finish

Squat Monday January 23rd

Squats w/cambered bar
*soft belt on lower lumbar
10 reps @ 30 kgs
8 reps @ 70 kgs
5 reps @ 110 kgs
3 reps @ 150 kgs
1 reps @ 190 kgs
1 reps @ 200 kgs TPR
1 reps @ 200 kgs
1 reps @ 200 kgs
15 reps @ 110 kgs PR

MY BACK was feeling rough going into the heavy sets tonight. Pretty sure deciding to do leg press on Saturday to mix things up over-worked my posterior chain, and that single of 190 did not feel strong at all. But fuck it, I thought, this is my last week of training for some time. I need to make the most of my more-or-less able-bodiedness. So I fished my old soft belt out of my training bag - something I'd actually forgotten I had - and used it for lower lumbar support so I could push on. I was pretty happy with the fact that it's nearly too big for me now! When I bought it, in mid-2011, I could only just squeeze it on around my midsection.

 

This pic on the left is from the first round of National Qualifiers, June-2012. And the pic above, which Christian took on the day, shows how much fat I've lost since then.

The next morning it was confirmed I'd strained a lumbar. But I'd performed 3 singles of 200 kilos, and even with the soft belt, it's still a new RAW PR.

Worth it.

Push/Pull Wednesday January 30th

Glute/Ham raises

9 reps @ BW + blue band

Shoulder warmup

1-arm DB OHP

8 reps @ 20 kgs

5 reps @ 30 kgs

2 reps @ 50 kgs*

1-arm DB rows

2 FAILS @ 105 kgs

8 reps @ 80 kgs

1-arm Seated rows

7 reps @ plate 20 equal to best effort

9.5 reps @ plate 18

SLEEP deprived and addled, tonight was a bust. I picked up the 50 kilo DB, thinking it was the 40, for a warmup set. I seriously didn't even realise the mistake I'd made till some time later, after I'd had a whinge to Gabor about how weak I was feeling.

I left the Pit, but resolved to come back the next night and try again.

Push/Pull Thursday January 31st: Round 2

Shoulder warmup

1-arm DB OHP

8 reps @ 20 kgs

5 reps @ 30 kgs

3 reps @ 40 kgs

5 reps @ 50 kgs equal to best effort

6 reps @ 45 kgs

1-arm Triceps pushdowns

10 reps @ 50 lbs

9 reps @ 55 lbs

4 reps @ 60 lbs

9 reps @ 45 lbs

1-arm Pinwheelz

10 reps @ 20 kgs

10 reps @ 25 kgs

10 reps @ 27.5 kgs

10 reps @ 30 kgs

1-arm Lateral pulldowns

10 reps @ plate 10

10 reps @ plate 8

10 reps @ plate 7

IT WAS a bit difficult to focus on the OHP tonight, on account of Dan and Joel bouncing dick and incest jokes (and a variety of other subject matter) off one another, three feet from where I was doing my stuff... the Pit is getting crowded. With jerks. Even so, I at least managed 5 of the 50 - equalling my best effort, which I've been trying to replicate, if not beat, for a few weeks now.

So that's that. I go into shoulder surgery tomorrow. Then I spend a good two weeks on the couch, drugged up and not doing much at all, followed by months and months of being pissweak. But it's all so I can be strong, again, in like a year.

Worth it.