Journal - Sat., 7/30/11

Workout:

press, 130 x 5, 5, 7

chin-up, BW x 8, 6

deadlift, 360 x 9

Comments:

In general, this felt like a good workout.  I'm only bummed about the tenth rep of the deadlift.  I went into it thinking I had two more in the tank, but let rep ten get a little too far out in front of me.  Oh, well.

Journal - 7/23-7/28/11

Sat., 7/23/11

bench, 205 x 5, 5, 12

DB curl, 40 x 12, 10

deadlift, 250 x 5, 300, 350, 400, 450, 480 x f x 2

Comments:

Just felt like going heavy on the deadlift to see where I was at.  The 450 was a harder pull than expected because my left hand started slipping.  But for that, I think I'd have had 480, which would have tied a PR.  So I've lost much less strength there than I feared.

Tues., 7/26/11

press, 127.5 x 5, 5, 8

chin-up, BW x 7, 5

squat, 220 x 5, 5, 6, 135 x 5

Comments:

This was a terrible workout.  I tried working pull-ups into my warm-up routine, and I think that hurt me on chins.  But the worst was my squat, which just felt terrible almost the entire time.  Then something happened when I did the drop set (which I did because I was so pissed).  My form changed slightly, my belly pressed out and between my legs at the bottom, and my descent slowed a little at the bottom.  All of a sudden, I was stretching my hams instead of my back going.  It felt right.

Thurs., 7/28/11

bench, 210 x 5, 5, 12

DB curl, 40 x 12, 12

squat, 225 x 5, 5, 7

Comments:

I remembered the way Tuesday's final squats felt, and it made all the difference in the world.  I wasn't noticeably stronger - I'll have to keep doing this for awhile before it gets there - but I'll be damned if those squats didn't feel RIGHT!  

Journal - Thurs., 7/14/11 through Thurs., 7/21/11

Wow, I've been behind on my log.  Here's the in-the-gym log for the last few sessions:

Thurs., 7/14/11

bench, 195 x 5, 5, 12

DB curl, 35s x 15, 15

squat, 205 x 5, 5, 8

neck harness, 20 x 25, 20, 15, 15

Sat., 7/16/11

press, 122.5 x 5, 5, 10

chin-up, BW x 7, 7

deadlift, 350 x 10

neck harness, 20 x 25, 25, 25, 25

Mon., 7/18/11

bench, 200 x 5, 5, 12

DB curl, 40 x 10, 10

squat, 210 x 5, 5, 8

Thurs., 7/21/11

press, 125 x 5, 5, 9

chin-up, BW x 8, 6

squat, 215 x 5, 5, 10

neck harness, 21.25 x 25, 25, 25, 25

Journal - Sat., 7/9/11

Sleep:  7 hours.

BW:  222.4 lbs.  On Wednesday, the scale registered 229+.  It just goes to show how much someone can fluctuate.

Workout:

(throughout the day)

pull-ups - 10

push-ups - 100

(morning)

press, 120 x 5, 5, 11

chin-up, BW x 6, 6

deadlift, 345 x 10

neck harness, 20 x 25, 25, 15, 15

I've Been Lied To ... By Me

We just got back from spending a long weekend at the beach with family for the Fourth.  As part of that, I spent a lot of time out in the water, standing lifeguard for the kids, without a shirt on.  I ended up with a terrific sunburn and an even-more-painful slap in the face.  The fact of the matter is, I am fat.

I have not believed this to be the case.  I thought I looked big, sure, but I've been telling myself that I looked solid.  I thought I looked strong.  But I came to realize that even though you can tell that I've got some serious muscle to me, it's all quite well hidden under a thick layer of fat.  The fact is, I look like a tub of shit, and it really bothers me.

So, it's time to revise things.  From here on out, every part of my focus needs to be on losing fat.  It simply has to.  I'm a terrible example to my children, a sloppy mess walking around the neighborhood, and look like just another soft slob in a suit at the office.  That isn't me on the inside, but you'd never know it on the outside.

I'll still do the powerlifting meet, but I accept I may not hit the 405-315-495 that I've wanted.  I'll bet I could hit them at 220+, but by then, I'd best be down below 210.  That's not optimum for strength, but screw it.  This is simply unacceptable.

I've often been told that regular progress pictures are a good idea.  I now think that's right.  The pictures from the beach have been the slap in the face that I've needed.  Now to change.