Exerbabble for 9-23-6

I had a plan today. And I executed it. Afternoon Workout:

Superset A
BB Squat: 5 @ 95 lbs; 12, 10, 8 @ 145 lbs (+0, +1, +0 reps)
Air Hump: 3×12 @ 35 lbs (+5 lbs)

Superset B
Good Morning: 12, 11, 11 @ 95 lbs (+0, +1, +2 reps)
Leg Press: 12, 11, 11 @ 350 lbs (+20 lbs)

Superset C
Standing Calf Raise: 12, 10, 9 @ 360 lbs (+0, +0, -1 reps)
Reverse Crunch: 3×12 @ BW

current bodyweight: 155.8 lbs (-1.4 lbs; weekly average of 156.5 lbs)

I feel like I’m not getting stronger. I’m still bumping reps in different areas, absolutely. But I’d think that if my Good Morning and Leg Press are going up, my Squat should go up, too. I just don’t feel like I can hit another rep without screwing up my form. Is that what I have to do to make gains, start grunting out ugly reps? Don’t know. I’m patient – what matters is finding a method of training which works best for me.

Something curious when I was doing leg presses. I recall last time I said I felt it in my hamstrings. My hammies must have fully recovered over the three-day-rest. I felt it in my quads today. And, I felt it in my calves. The phrase “triple-extension” comes to mind. I bet I could break 400 if I just keep plugging away at it. Well, maybe. I purposely stopped short, I didn’t want to graduate to a new weight without giving my legs a chance to grow. If that even makes sense.

Adjustments: I just don’t know what to do about my squats. I thought I’d be making progress, but I’m pretty much where I started. I fade in the third set. I could probably pull an ugly good morning squat, but I’d rather limit my forward lean. While I remember initially feeling the squat on the outside of my legs, today I felt it in my groin. Don’t know.

Tried to get my nutrition in as best I could in the limited about of time. I was really tired last night, so I slept in until 11 AM. My dad woke me up in the middle of a good dream, so I was really cranky and tired; we didn’t leave to lift until around 1 PM. So I was done around 2 PM, give or take, I think it took me around 50 minutes again. The Y closes around 8:30 PM on Saturday, so I decided to get there around 7:30. Upon getting there, I realized, “Dude, you’re going to have to haul ass if you expect to have time to shower.” So I did. Evening workout:

Superset A
BB Bent-over Row: 12, 10, 8 @ 85 lbs
BB Incline Press: 12, 12, 9 @ 75 lbs (+0, +1, -2 reps)

Superset B
DB Shoulder Press: 12, 10, 8 @ 20 lbs
Pull-up Negatives: 8, 8, 8

Superset C
Dip: 6, 3, 2 @ BW (+1, -1, -2 reps)
Wide-grip Cable Row: 12, 10, 8 @ 62.5 lbs (+12.5 lbs)

Superset D
DB Shrug: 12, 12, 12 @ 50 lbs (+0, +1, +2 reps)
Sit-up: 12, 12, 12 @ 25 lbs (+0, +1, +2 reps)

No Weight Taken

My goal was to cut my rest periods as short as humanly period. It’s not leg lifts, so I figured I could get away with it. Only seemed to effect me on the last set of incline bench presses, and dips. I really thought I’d be fine for inclines, but I almost lost the 8th rep of the last set. My legs fired, and I was able to get the bar up. I strained the left side of my abs in the process. I couldn’t add to my bent-over rows. Disappointing. I tried, just couldn’t.

Fatigue set in during dips. I was all confident after hitting 6 reps in the first set. Then second set, I failed hitting the fourth rep. And on the third set, I failed to hit the third rep. Oh, I strained like a mofo, until my arms just gave out. Kind of wish the cable row weight up went up by ten rather then 12.5. Honestly, I was using a little bit too much body english for my taste. I may try to find one of those little weight wedges you can put on a weight stack, as I think 62.5 is too much right now. Yeah. I’ll do that.

Abs felt fine during sit-ups, so they aren’t injured or any shit.

After stretching briefly, I was done in about 40 minutes. Shit man, I must be moving slowly during the rest of my workouts. I should start checking the rest periods of my lower workouts. Could freeze my reps and make sure it’s 90 seconds. Would hand me my ass in the process, undoubtedly.

Adjustments: Reset my incline reps to 12/11/10. Odds are, I’ll do better when it’s first thing in the morning. I have no doubt my dips will rebound. Use an intermediate weight for wide-grip cable rows.

I do believe this is the first time I’ve tried lifting twice in one day. Given that it’s an upper/lower split, it worked out just fine. I’m so glad I normally do my lower workout before my upper workout. I feel unusually full right now, but I know I still have to get some more nutrition in me. I’ll forcefeed myself so I have some protein and complex carbs in me for the night. Part of me still feels ballsy enough to do some yoga before sleep. (Promptly followed by some extended “deep relaxation”.)

Tomorrow is a full rest day. I hopefully have my homework partitioned out so I don’t run into the same problem on Friday morning again.