Training Log: Entry 3181

AM WORKOUT (0425 wake up via alarm, slept through the first 3 minutes, stayed up late watching Super Bowl)

**5/3/1 BUILDING THE MONOLITH** Week 4, Workout 1

SUPETSET (press-squat)

Axle clean and strict press away

5x123

5x138

5x158 (continental)

15x123

Buffalo Bar Squat

5xBar

5x135

5x225

5x265

SUPERSET (squat-BPA)

Buffalo Bar Squat

5x5x300

Band Pull Apart

5x20

20 minute EMOM chins and dips

* 5 chins

* 10 dips

END OF REQUIRED WORK

1x10 standing ab wheel w/10 second plank at end

BREAKFAST

Shorter walk w/dog (no vest)

Notes:

* I didn’t sleep terribly well over the weekend, and then crashed last night as a result of staying up later, having feasted earlier, and the poor sleep previously.  My alarm had been going off for 3 minutes before I realized it.  I have my phone set to vibrate and have it on my body, so that it doesn’t wake up the Mrs.  Was running just slightly behind as a result, so not much extra work after the required work.

* The press is really coming along.  Nice to feel strong again.

* Really focused on trying to speed up the squats.  One of the issues of training so early in the morning with minimal warm up is how stiff I am, and the first rep of each set it just painfully slow, primarily because it is PAINFUL. My right hip/glute in particular feels some issues.  But I find I am making things worse by slowing down the squat: this high bar and close stance approach fairs better when I allow the muscles to relax and explode.  When I made an effort to do that through later reps and sets, I felt better and stronger.  Just need to trust my body.  Operating without a belt is still weird/foreign to me too, but all these limitations and restrictions have been good for keeping me honest and giving me new challenges.

* As much as I’ve been trying to make the assistance work more “pumpy” to get the bodybuilding effect of it, this 20 minute EMOM approach kept me to my schedule.  It had a conditioning hit to it as well.  

* On the topic of bodybuilding, I keep having this idea in my head that I want to try out some sort of HIT/DoggCrapp-esque approach in the near future.  I like single set work and really pushing myself.  But then I realize that I don’t really care for the goal of bodybuilding in terms of PHYSIQUE development.  I like getting bigger: I don’t care about developing specific PARTS of muscles.  But there’s also a strongman competition happening in my hometown on 20 Apr that I apparently have no interest in doing, because I haven’t signed up for it.  I may just be done with that sport.  And then I have a 10 mile run earlier in April and a Tang Soo Do tournament in the last week of the month.  Lotta irons in the fire.  

* Left bicep is being pissy again, and considering it’s the one I partially tore, I should keep an eye on it.