Exerbabble for 11-18-6

Today’s Workout:

HGM Phase IV “Gimme a V!”, Workout VI, Lower Day Leg Day Of Death

BB Back Squat: 3 @ 135 lbs

Superset A
DB Bulgarian Split Squat: 12, 12, 12 @ 25 lbs/11.4 kg (+0, +0, +2 reps)
One-Legged Air Hump: 3×12 @ BW

Superset B
BB Squat: 12, 12, 12 @ 135 lbs/61.4 kg (+0, +1, +2 reps)
DB Traveling Lunge: 12, 10*, 8* @ 15 lbs/6.81 kg

Superset C
One-Legged DB RDL: 12, 10, 8 @ 15 lbs/6.81 kg
Seated Calf Raise: 12, 12, 6* @ 90 lbs/40.9 kg

Sun Salutation with 3×12 vacuums

current bodyweight: 155.8 lbs/70.81 kg (-.4 lbs, weekly average of 155.35 lbs)

I had only some SLIGHT soreness still in my groin by Thursday. Well, not specifically my groin. Like the medial side of my hamstrings/glutes, somewhere up in there. When I woke up yesterday, my legs felt 100%. Should be smooth sailing, soreness-wise, for the rest of the phase. Or so I say now. But I shouldn’t get the kind of soreness I got last Saturday.

BSS were trying, but still did not defeat me. I’m going to start whimpering when I increase the weight, I fear. Gaining a little more stability air-humping. It’s hard with one leg!

Squats felt like 20-rep squats. I kept telling myself, “Go until failure.” I wasn’t too concerned with my forward lean, though it could have been worse. I was more concerned with hitting enough depth. Fell down during the second AND third set of lunges. Paused, picked myself up, and continued. I’ll have to expend some mental effort holding lunging form, if I intend to get through this. After my third set of squats, I had to pause because I felt dizzy. Not nauseous, just dizzy. Five seconds later, still a little woozy, I lunged away. Grawr. Reflecting on my last workouts, I did not feel it in my quads at all while squatting. Like in phase II, I don’t really feel it in my legs – I just run out of energy.

I think I have a bit more mental gumption this time for squats. When it’s first, I feel some sort of pressure, as I’m fresh. But, when it’s second, I know I just have to get through it, and I’m fine. And since it’s second, it’s okay if I hit failure. Hitting failure on your last heavy exercise feels like triumph, whereas hitting failure on your first heavy exercise of the day kind of taints the rest of the workout.

I keep alternating which side I begin with for BSS and one-legged romanian deadlifts. My left leg is still more stable during RDL. I’ve even noticed out and about that I tend to swing my right leg back, when picking something up or leaning over. I have only one explanation for this, despite being right-handed. When I was eight, I broke my right tibia. It’s possible that in the process, my left leg had to compenstate like crazy for balance. While it’s been ages since that happened, it’s still possible that the conditioning and mental tendency to be able to balance on my left foot never left me. Even during yoga, I noticed I could balance better on my left foot than my right foot. The things you learn by trying new things!

Had a cramp during the last set of calf raises. They’re calf raises, so I just got my legs out and scrapped the set.

Adjustments: Bump BSS to… 30 lb DB’s. Bump squat to… 145 lbs. Focus on form next time, when doing lunges. Go slow and precise, with purpose. Try to get through the RDL’s without losing my balance, I’d like to substantially increase the weight. Stretch before calf raises. I HATE SOLEUS CRAMPS.

(And a You’re Welcome to anybody still using the Old-World Chocolate-Making Countries System of Measurement. Ha ha. I’m kidding, I really do love the metric system, I just have no sense of what’s heavy or light, or long or short, or hot or cold. I can’t relate to it, I didn’t grow up with it!)