Lifting for 9-25-9

Front Squat:
5 @ 95 lbs
5 @ 120 lbs
3 @ 140 lbs
3 @ 155 lbs

5×10 @ 85 lbs

Hanging Leg Raises:
5×10 @ BW

I felt really good today. My weak point has really been keeping my upper body stable. This is part of the reason I’ve been front squatting, rather than back squatting. (A maximal back squat runs a higher risk of a forward lean.) I just felt.. solid. And my Big But Boring follow-up squats felt a LOT stronger than last week. I felt like my upper body was far more upright, and I felt SO much strength coming out of the hole. I’ve always gone for depth, but I was really going ass-to-grass today. Sets me up nicely for increasing the assistance weight to 95 lbs.

I thought about doing extra shit and “trashing” my legs, but I decided not to. Why ruin a perfectly good workout?

Thus concludes the heavy portion of my first cycle. Gotta deload. Unsure of how hard to do my pulls while I am definitely deloading my legs and pushes. Probably will just go Monday and Wednesday, and rest the remainder of the week. Thinking pull-ups, cuban presses, light deadlifts on Monday, and… face pulls, push-ups, and light front squats on the other day.

Gotta remember that you grow when you rest. I’m always thinking I need to push harder and harder, as if not doing everything nownownow is wasting time.

My dad said he could have gone with me this morning. I finally bothered telling him why I’ve been avoiding gymming with him. Because he doesn’t take it seriously. Now I’m not asking him to do what I do. But the reasons we exercise are the same: To not die. And he’s just not succeeding at that so far. Maintaining strength and flexibility are critical as we age, and I just don’t see him doing that. Or much of anything beyond spinning his wheels in the cardio room on an elliptical. Better than nothing, I just know he puts in zero intensity.

I mentioned the concept of “progress” and “tracking your workouts”. He said, “That sounds like a lot of work!”

Cue mental facepalm. I showed him my box where I’ve kept all my notecards containing my workouts over the past couple years. It’s filling up. That’s accomplishment. That’s knowing I’ve done something. What has he done lately? Where is his progress? Has he even maintained himself? That’s right, mister skinny indian man “I think I need to lose five pounds” has gotta pudgier.

I wish I had the patience Cliff did with me, because trying to get through to him is like talking to a wall.