More Plural Training Seshes, 6/22 - 6/29: Little bit of everything and some words on the new Mastodon

As mentioned previously, I have been a busy, busy bee with...

REAL LIFE

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As such, training the last week or so has been a little sporadic, but decent. You are welcome for the latest installment of Biergartenopolis, by the way, even though the training log has been a bit more sparsely populated.

But that's... okay.

The only real issue, dear reader, with not updating or taking overly meticulous notes on training sessions is that you forget some of the ins and outs, the trials and tribulations, the minutiae that may make subtle differences. You tend to remember the big stuff, obviously, but the little stuff fades away with time.

Oh, well.

6/22 was a bench and deathlift day, for fives. Here is the piece de l'occurence (that there's real French, boy):

• Warm up, etc - about 15min
• Bench - 5xbar, 5x95lbs, 5x125lbs, 5x145lbs, 8x165lbs
• Deathlift - 5x135lbs, 5x185lbs, 5x265lbs, 5x295lbs, 11x320lbs
• TBar row, paused - 3x8x55lbs
• Shoulder series - x 2

Not awful overall, and the deathlift went reasonably well. The new "semi sumo" or "Coan stance" seems to be working pretty well. The bench went for several extra reps, which is good if not there yet, and the deathlift went for quite a few extra- I had to consult the video to get a rep count, as after rep five or so it all became pretty automated.

One pisser- that last rep or two I got out of position and too far forward, so I strained the low back a bit. After the T bar row accessory I tried to get on the reverse hyper with the usual 90-100lbs, but the low back wasn't having it- couldn't take it much past 45° or so. In hindsight, probably should have unloaded, or at least partially unloaded, the weight and gone ahead for some light sets, but I was pretty done at the time. Ran the shoulder series a couple of times and called it a day.

Low back stayed tender for a few days, so fast forward a few stretching days and a few long nights with the daughter and next lifting day was Friday, 6/27, in the PM, thankfully, for squat threes. Wasn't exactly sure how it was going to go with the back being a little sore, but I went ahead with the planned lifts and decent results were yielded. Here is what occurred:

• Warm up - not focused, but a few minutes of stretching, depth checking
• Squat - 5xbar, 5x145lbs, 5x195lbs, 5x235lbs, 3x270lbs, 3x315lbs, 4x345lbs
• Lat pulldown - 4x10x110lbs
• Good mornings - 10x165lbs, 3x10x185lbs
• Cable crunch - 4x10x110lbs
• Hip abduction - 3x20 w/EliteFTS moderate Onyx band

I have found it a little frustrating that my squat doesn't seem as strong as it was about two months ago.

Remember this?

That was (supposedly) 5x375lbs from April.

Whereas this was the top working set from this squat sesh, 4x345lbs:

HOWEVER that 5x375 was quite a bit nastier looking than the 4x345 set- parallel is now better, back is holding better, knees tracking better, etc and I think I had another couple in the tank on the 345 set. Must always remember to get the quality above the quantity and keep working the technique, etc.

Oh, and in the spirit of the games currently going on...

Germany - Algeria is currently nil to nil. Nil to Naught. Zero zero. Whatever.

Anyhoo, on to Sunday, 6/29. Another "play it by ear" kind of day- left arm and shoulder had been aching through the day like bicep tendinitis again, and we had one of my daughter's school mate's birthday party to attend. Leaving there, when the wife lady suggested I go to the gym and just piddle about and work the shoulder out, I went ahead and took her up on it. 

Here is what occurred:

• Warm up, about 10min
• Bench - 5xbar, 5x95lbs, 5x115lbs, 3x135lbs, 3x155lbs, 6x175lbs
• Tbar row, slow/paused- 4x10x50lbs
• Bench - 4x8x135lbs
• Shoulder series - x 2

Germany just scored in overtime. One to nil.

I'm pretty sure my shoulder just reset in the middle of the warm ups (good ol' rack anchored elbow snap took care of that). Didn't feel awful, didn't feel good enough to go full retard

but still got a few extra reps out. I'll take six on a three day. Ran through some accessory work and tried to make sure it was shoulder/back-centric and was sure to add in some door frame stretches and non-weighted external rotations throughout the workout.  Shoulder and arm ended up feeling better, if still a little crunchy. 

So speaking of crunchy, remember when Mastodon used to be good?

and

and then

and even

 But, oh no...

and

I realize that every band progresses, and they should. Most any long term artistic endeavor that does not progress, that remains turgid, tends not to be worthwhile. There is a certain amount of growth and expansion that SHOULD happen with any artist BUT

didn't Black Sabbath already do it better?

Has Ozzy not already sung similar songs with more gusto, more panache, more heart?

Forty years ago?

The newest Mastodon album is called Once More Round the Sun, and it honestly sounds like the album title unintentionally suggests, like they just wrote and recorded an album to do it. Like it is largely phoned in from start to finish, save for a high point here and there. The last video/track above, "High Road", is one of the better tracks on the new album, in my opinion, and even on it they just sound...

bored.

Maybe it's the producer's fault- big name on this album with Nick Raskulinecz, who has also done work with Ghost, Foo Fighters, and Deftones, among others- but there is no attack like on some previous outings. They're missing the fire, the dynamic.

And that is just a downright SIN when you have someone like Brann Dailor on a drum kit behind you.

I was at that show, by the by- one of my favorite shows of the last five years or so. They played and looked like they were having fun and they meant it.

At any rate, check the new album out for yourself, if ye so desire BUT just know- I am sad for the last few Mastodon efforts and look to their future work with much trepidation. And obviously, it's all about me.

Go forth and meh, whatever. Maybe go back and listen to some Doomriders. Yeaaaaaahhhhh...

Germany won, by the way. 2-1 over Algeria.