For dragon enthusiasts
I’m doing the grad school thing, and God, it’s frustrating.
I don’t know what to say here other than a long screed, which I don’t want to write any more than you want to read it. I suppose the productive thing to do is try to focus on the positives. That’s similar, but not the same, as ignore the negatives, and I’m mindful that having the opportunity to go to grad school still puts me in rarified and lucky company.
Ah, but it’s frustrating.
Or vampires…
I took yesterday off and did some walking, little else. I came back around 80% today and was able to get some work done.
Squat day! I use a safety bar, the big yoke-looking thing with the long arms and pad, due to an old elbow injury. It works for me, so there’s no sense in changing. It doesn’t work my upper back and chest quite as much as a barbell, but that can be compensated for in other ways.
Warmups: Same as typical. See before.
Work: Objective is improve leg strength, burn calories, and prepare myself for vigorous outdoor leg-work in the form of hiking.
Assistance work was sledgehammer/tire work or pushups.
5×65%
SH
5×75%
SH
5+x85% (saw spots)
SH
Heavy weight:
Did some heavy weight here. It was rough. NB: the 100% below (and all other percentages) refers to my training max, which is below a true max. This difference gives me a margin of safety so I can push harder with less risk. I started years ago by calculating 90% of my 1rep max and using that as a training max, and all calculations and training modifications adjust this number. Having done this cycle for a while, my training max has climbed from the 90% of true max, and I’m not sure where the numbers are in relation to each other any more.
1×100%
Pushups
1×100%
Pushups
1×100%
Pushups
Assistance work:
Objective was support the squatting. Someone else was using the trap bar, and I usually use that for assistance. No matter. I was almost out of gas anyway.
5×70%
SH
5×70%
SH
5×70%
SH
Kroc rows
I was a little dizzy and lightheaded leaving, so I went home, drank a ton of water, ate a big meal, and rested.
Tomorrow I can start the cycle over and bench, in which case I’ll rest Wednesday and do DL Thurs, or rest tomorrow and do Bench/DL Wed/Thurs respectively. Sledgehammer work is a hell of a core exercise. I don’t get to do it very often because it takes up a lot of gym real estate, but it’s a good time when I can. That kind of stability work is invaluable for hiking with a pack, as it strengthens the load bearing muscles and the spine sandwich. Nothing sucks more than being ten miles from my car with a pack I thought I could handle.
Need some dragons in here.
So today was pushpress day, and I was struggling.
Warmups: usual stuff, see days 1 and 2
Primary work: Pushpress is a solid, all body exercise. I do elbows to knees pushpress, which sometimes gets called a front squat to shoulder press. The objective is total body work, with a strong focus on core and legs, and building explosive power. I try to move the bar upwards as fast as possible and lower it slowly. While in general that’s the objective of all lifts, it’s a strong focus in this one because going from a front squat to a full vertical involves so much stabilizing.
I was dying. Just getting the sets was a labor, so no assistance on primary work.
5×65% pushpress
5×75% pushpress
5+x85% pushpress
Assistance work:
Still felt terrible. Had a hard time breathing, kept burping, and never got that I’m-ready feeling. Skipped heavy weight to do assistance.
5×50% pushpress
5 pullups
5×50% PP
5 PU
5×50% PP
5 PU
5×50% PP
5 PU
5×50% PP
5 PU
Just a hard day. I’m glad it’s done.
Jefferson County has a better library system than Denver. With Jeffco I can select no receipt, and the machine works a little faster. Denver requires more button pushes, and there’s no ‘no receipt’ option.
Thumbs up Jeffco.
Thumbs DOWN Denver.
A hard part of publishing is figuring out when something is done. When is it finished? When do you draw the line and say, ‘No more tinkering!’
Still struggling with the breathing. I can walk single flights of stairs and moderate hills but still have problems.
Objective: Continue acclimatizing.
Swam about 12 laps (I think) in a little less than 30 minutes. I wasn’t tired, but I couldn’t breathe at all. Each full lap of freestyle made the pulse beat in my temples, and I wound up doing alternating lengths of freestyle and breast stroke.
This should have been a back day, so the swimming sort of counts.
Yesterday was a rest day. There’s a vigorous divide over whether rest days are part of the workout, and I sit on the ‘yes’ side. I went for a leisurely hike, which would be more honestly called a walk. But it was on dirt paths, so it counts as a hike!
Distance: 1.5-2.5 miles. I didn’t clock it.
Time: 2 hours
Thank you to the guest who left kudos on Lanterns!