Well, the revised training program seems to be working well so far, at least for bench. We'll see when it comes to the next deathlift and squat days, but this and the last bench days have felt pretty good.
AND some progress. Again, not crazy by any means, but I'll take it for now. Numbers keep on creeping up and the reps themselves are feeling better. I shall bask in the glory of progress and I'm looking forward to getting back into decent bench numbers.
Or at least not shitty, shitty, sad bench numbers.
I even think there is little bit of mass returning to the left triceps. It's still a sad, soft little guy, but it's trying.
Here's what occurred:
- Bench - 10xbar, 5x135lbs, 5x165lbs, 5x180lbs
- Tbar row, paused - 4x8x55lbs
- OHP, strict - 3x8x95lbs
- Band pull apart - 3x15 w/ EliteFTS Intense (maybe the Modest?) Onyx band
- Four way rotator cable series - 10 reps each movement w/ 20lbs
Even managed to get an elusive bench video, despite the fact that it looks like there was an attempted remix in the middle of the set somewhere. Thanks a lot, technology.
Behold that arch.
Behold that belly.
Behold the shortness of bar path.
Behold the ass pop up on reps four and five.
One through three were actually good, four and five I think my ass actually left the bench. Possible I might have actually had my feet too far back- you can see when I initiate leg drive that I can't drive my heels down.
At any rate, I will again, take it, for now as those were easier than a lot of other "heavy" reps in this rehab process have been.
The wider grip may also be helping this out, used my wide "competition" grip (index fingers on rings) for all of these sets. Might as well, eh?
Bench done (and pleased with, I must say), went on to accessory work. Added 10lbs to the paused Tbar rows, did my overhead pressing, band pull aparts (still unsure of exactly which band I was using- I used the smaller of the two 1/2" black bands), and since all of the gym's micro bands have apparently met their demise, I ran through a short cable circuit for the ol' shoulder rotators.
Got these from a youtube video several years ago- I forget the team and coach, but these were from a routine that a coach of one of the MLB teams used with his team. I forget now all of the movements, but I did a "hammer position" (arms at side, arm bent so that it forms a 90° angle) rotation, internally and externally for each arm, then straight arm rotation (arm straight out perpendicular to the body, parallel to ground through the reps) internally and externally for each arm. There's at least one other set of movements I have forgotten in that series, but it's decent work.
Clear as mud, right?
Right.
Speaking of mud, here's a pic I took over the weekend on an excursion to Beale Street Landing for some friends' kid's birthday party.
Roll on, Big Muddy
No filter, surprisingly.
At any rate, looks like a loose confederacy of us from the jamesnasium are going to start up on DH Kiefer's Carb Back Loading soon. One of the other guys and I have used it in the past with some good results and one of the ladies is at least familiar with, if not having done it in the past. Several other guys at the gym are doing it currently, as well, with good results. A Costco trip and some menu planning should handle it from my end, which should happen by this weekend at the latest, so it looks like it's almost preparation time.
Oh, dreaded preparation time.
For those unfamiliar with the program, the long and short of is that you are essentially carb cycling in correspondence with your lift days (MUST LIFT) so that most of the time you are eating low to zero carbs with an exception- if you lift in the evening, you eat large amounts of carbs immediately following your lifting session up until bed, and if you lift in the mornings, you eat your carbs the night before your lifting session from dinner to bed. This is all preceded by a 10 day preparation period, during which you eat extremely low to zero carb for the purposes of depleting carbs, boosting insulin sensitivity, and getting into ketogenesis.
There is more to it, obviously (get the book) and the protocol works well if you are smart about it, but that preparation period sucks.
It sucks bit butts, and I cannot lie.
It sucks bit butts, and I cannot lie.
But, like my buddy Taylor said
Let's dew this.
Go forth and destroy.
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