Deadlifts

Left work early today to go to the 17 Wing Strength Club for some Deadlifts. I was a bit slow to get started but once I got warmed up things went well.

Leg Swings and Light Stretching.
Deadlifts - 120kg/6 reps, 170kg/6 reps, 190kg/6 reps, 200kg/6 reps, 180kg/8 reps.

That's it, that's all. I put on my belt for the 200kg but by the second rep it was bothering me and felt like it was more of a hinder than help. I took it off and pulled four more reps raw. I am wearing straps throughout all the sets. I am finding it allows me to concentrate more on my pull and not so much on my grip. With the numbers pulled today it shows that my back strength is increasing.

Snowdaddy

Back Home

Today my son and I went back to the 17 Wing Strength Club. Today I fed off the energy in the club and enjoyed a club PB on the Bench.

Leg Swings and Strentching.
Squats - 2 sets/bar/6 reps, 2 sets/6 reps/75kg, 3 sets/6 reps/125kg, 2 sets/6 reps/145kg, 155kg/6 reps.
Bench Press - 80kg/12 reps, 100kg/12 reps, 140kg/4 reps, 175kg/1 rep, 182.5kg/miss, 130kg/6 reps.

It took a while but I got through all the sets and reps. If future training goes this way I will be putting up big PBs next year. On the Bench, 175kg is a 2.5kg club PB. It went up quite easy with a solid pause. I thought the magic 400lbs would be there today. Oh well, I showed more control with this weight than ever before. It will happen soon.

Snowdaddy

Last Training Day in California

I had some time between flights today to get to the March ARB gym. I am really glad I did. I'm not sure what the pain in my side it but training seems to be helping. I was pleased with today's performance.

Leg Swings and Stretching.
Squats - 2 sets/12 reps/bar, 2 sets/8 reps/135lbs, 4 sets/6 reps/225lbs, 315lbs/6 reps, 225lbs/6 reps.
Bench Press - 135lbs/12 reps, 135lbs/12 reps, 225lbs/12 reps, 295lbs/6 reps, 345lbs/2 reps, 365lbs/2 reps, 225lbs/12 reps.

I am really pleased with the 365lbs double. This is very good for me and it felt very light. I am feeling better.

Snowdaddy

Bench Press

Interesting chain of events. A few days ago I noticed my lower left abdominal area felt painful. Kind of like a stitch in your side when running but much lower. I was concerned that it may be a hernia. It still may be but I'm trying to rule out other simple things. My diet since being in California has been less than ideal. Lots of heavy food may be the cause of some sort of gastric discomfort. I have picked up some gas relief and some fiber. hopefully between the two it knocks something loose. Yesterday I went for my last training day at Inland Empire Barbell. It wasn't much of a work out as my side was a bit painful and I was called into work earlier than expected. I did however get some mobility warm up sets done and I felt better for it during our long work afternoon and night.

My side bothered me all though last night but leveled out throughout today. To subside the boredom from sitting around my hotel room all day I decide a Bench Press work out wouldn't hurt in the hotel gym. The hotel has a Precor bench and Hampton bar. Total bar weight is 300lbs. Not too bad.

Warm Ups.
Bench Press - 135lbs/12 reps, 155lbs/12 reps, 185lbs/12 reps, 205lbs/12 reps, 255lbs/12 reps, 275lbs/6 reps, 300lbs/6 reps, 255lbs/6reps, 205lbs/12 reps, 205lbs/12 reps.
Standing Dumbbell Hammer Curls - 25lbs/12 reps, 30lbs/12 reps, 35lbs/12 reps.

It felt good to stretch my side out while getting set on the bench. Not sure if I did my side good or buggered it. I guess I'll find out later.

Snowdaddy

Deadlifts and Bench Press

Training this morning at Inland Empire Barbell. I really like this place. Very hardcore and great energy even though I am the only one there working out.

Leg Swings and Stretching.
Deadlifts - 225lbs/6 reps, 225lbs/8 reps, (straps) 315lbs/8 reps, 405lbs/6 reps, 495lbs/2 reps, 405lbs/6 reps.
Bench Press - 135lbs/12 reps, 225lbs/12 reps, 275lbs/6 reps, 315lbs/6 reps, 335lbs/3 reps, 275lbs/6 reps, 275lbs/6 reps.
Standing Hammer Curls - 30lbs/12 reps, 40lbs/12 reps, 45lbs/12 reps.

When I got back to my room the cleaner was just getting started. So, Down to the hotel gym for some more fun.

Seated Machine Shoulder Press - 80lbs/12 reps, 140lbs/12 reps, 200lbs/12 reps, 240lbs (stack)/10 reps.

Lots of fun today. I feel fat but I feel great.

Snowdaddy.

Squats and Bench Press

I was feeling ambitious for Squats today. Last Squat training day at March AFB went really well so I wanted to push myself a bit at Inland Empire Barbell.

Leg Swings and Stretching.
Squats - 135lbs/12 reps, 225lbs/6 reps, (belt and knee sleeves) 315lbs/6 reps, 405lbs/3 reps, 425lbs/2 reps, 455lbs/1 rep, 405lbs/3 reps.

At this point I fucked up. I was going to do a few sets of 405lbs/3 reps but when I tried to put the bar back in the rack I pinched my right hand then continued to struggle to replace the bar. Completely gassed I dropped the bar on the safeties over my head which wasn't pleasant. I dropped the weight and continued.

Squats - 2 sets/6 reps/225lbs. On to Bench Press.

Bench Press - 135lbs/12 reps, 225lbs/12 reps, 3 sets/6 reps/275lbs, 2 sets/6 reps/225lbs.

I was a bit bummed out by dumping the bar so the rest of my work out suffered. However this was the strongest work out I've had since Worlds in June. Now that I've got that out of my system next Squat day will be more conservative with 6 sets of 6 reps.

Snowdaddy

Deadlifts and Bench Press

Had a great work out tonight at a local hardcore gym. Inland Empire Barbell has everything the serious strength athlete could ever want. The staff is friendly and willing to help if you need it or get out of your way if you don't. Here's how my 2 hours went.

Leg Swings and Stretching.
Deadlifts - 135lbs/6 reps, 225lbs/6 reps, 315lbs/6 reps, 405lbs/5 sets/3, 3, 4, 4, 6 reps.
Bench Press - 135lbs/12 reps, 225lbs/6 reps, 225lbs/6 reps, 315lbs/4 sets/3, 4, 4, 5 reps, 335lbs/3 reps, 225lbs/12 reps.

Not too bad. I video taped my Deadlifts and my form looks ok. Bench Press felt dynamic and easy. The most important factor is my head doesn't hurt.

Snowdaddy

Squats and Bench Press

Training at March AFB today. It was a bit busy in the weight room but The guys using the rack then the bench let me work in.

Leg Swings and Stretching.
Squats - 135lbs/6 reps, 315lbs/6 reps, 365lbs/4 reps, 3 sets/6 reps/315lbs, 335lbs/6 reps.

I wore my knee sleeves from the 365lbs set onward but I didn't wear my belt. No aches or pains anywhere. I felt great!

Bench Press - 135lbs/6 reps, 225lbs/6 reps, 275lbs/6 reps, 315lbs/6 reps, 3 sets/3 reps/315lbs, 335lbs/3 reps.

Again everything felt great! My head didn't hurt at all. Afterwards I had a quick discussing with a friend about blood pressure. His thoughts were, although I don't have high resting blood pressure because of my size and muscularity my blood pressure may be spiking during heavy / high reps sets. This would result in an exersion head ache. Sets of six reps today didn't bother me at all. I'm becoming more aware of myself and how training effects me. Interesting.

Snowdaddy

Training at the Hotel

This hotel I am staying at has the best hotel gym I have ever seen. Yesterday evening I set up a circuit and ran through it a few times. It felt pretty good.

Seated Machine Shoulder Press - 4 sets/12 reps/80, 100, 120, 140lbs.
Flat Bench Press - 4 sets/12 reps/135, 135, 185, 185lbs.
Machine Preacher Curls - 4 sets/12 reps/60, 60, 70, 70lbs.
Machine Triceps Extensions - 4 sets/12 reps/60, 60, 70, 70lbs.
Lat Pull Downs - 4 sets/12 reps/140, 140, 160, 160lbs.
Dumbbell Side Laterals - 2 sets/12 reps/20, 25lbs.

Not much weight but I was taking only short rest periods and I sure did get an upper body pump.

Today was a long day at work. I wanted to do some Squats today but there just wasn't any time. Tomorrow I will have more time.

Snowdaddy

Training in California

For the next month I will be in California. Being away from home always offers challenges especially when it comes to training. So far I have been here almost a week and I have managed two days of good training.

Day 1 (yesterday)

Squats - bar/12 reps, 2 sets/12 reps/135lbs, 3 sets/6 reps/225lbs, 275lbs/6 reps.

At this point I really wanted to continue but my head was starting to hurt.

Bench Press - 135lbs/12 reps, 3 sets/6 reps/225lbs, 2 sets/6 reps/275lbs.

The head ache didn't last very long but I just wanted to play on the safe side.

Day 2 (today)

Deadlifts - 3 sets/6 reps/245lbs, 3 sets/6 reps/315lbs.

My head didn't bother me at all. This is very good.

Hammer Strength Seated Press - 2 sets/8 reps/80lbs, 100lbs/8 reps.

I feel much better for training. Not really heavy but at least I still moved some weight.

Snowdaddy

Crazy Week

On Tuesday I was very concerned about my headache. I went to the base hospital where the Dr. started tests right away. They booked me an emergency CT scan and found nothing wrong. On Wednesday the Dr. sent me back for another CT scan, this time with dye injected. Again they found nothing wrong. Thank goodness!!! I am assuming that I have sustained some sort of muscular strain in my neck or back of my head.
Tonight I am sitting in my living room bored, watching TV. The weights in my garage are practically screaming my name. Alright then, time for some Bench Press.

Bench Press - bar/12 reps, 135lbs/12 reps, 185lbs/12 reps, 205lbs/12 reps, 225lbs/12 reps, 245lbs/12 reps, 265lbs/12 reps, 280lbs/12 reps, 205lbs/12 reps, 205lbs/12 reps.

Total volume on the Bench today was 23,940lbs. My head feels ok. Still throbbing slightly but not bad. A good night sleep will make me feel better I'm sure.

Snowdaddy

Bench Press

Out in the garage with the door open. The outside temperature is 10 degC. First we put up Christmas lights then, my weights started to talk to me and I had to bend the bar. I've been having some issues lately with exertion induced headaches. I had one after Deadlifts the other day. Then I had one after Squats. I also had another one after fooling around with my wife. I took things slow today but I can still feel a dull ache in the back of my head. The following is an article from WebMD that explains things perfectly.

Headache Triggers and Exercise

When you exercise, or exert yourself physically, the muscles of the head, neck, and scalp need more blood to circulate. This causes the blood vessels to dilate, which can lead to a condition called exertional headaches.

Headaches that most frequently occur due to exercise or over-exertion include jogger's headache and orgasmic headache (sex headache). While these may occur in isolation, they are most common in people who have an inherited susceptibility to migraine (one or both parents have migraines).

It has been found that most exertional headaches are benign and respond to usual headache treatments. It's very important, though, not to assume that your headaches, especially new exertional headaches, are caused by exercise. In order to rule out other medical causes -- some of which can be life-threatening -- a doctor needs to evaluate your headaches.

Some exertional headaches are particularly responsive to Indocin (indomethacin), an anti-inflammatory drug available with a doctor's prescription, taken 30 to 60 minutes before exercise.

Further reading I found that the more you train and try to ignore exercise induced headaches the more sensitive you will become to future headaches. The only way to rid yourself of this problem is simply to take a break. The problem I have with this is, I don't want to take a break. That is why I trained Bench Press in the garage today.

Bench Press - 135lbs/12 reps, 185lbs/12 reps, 225lbs/12 reps, 2 sets/12 reps/225lbs+light bands, 245lbs/12 reps, 315lbs/4 reps.

Right now my head feels ok but I can still tell I need to take a break. Damn!

Snowdaddy

Squats and Bench Press

Training at the 17 Wing Strength Club before going to work tonight. I really wanted to push myself and I did a bit.

Leg Swings and Stretching.
Squats - bar/12 reps, 60kg/12 reps, 100kg/12 reps, 125kg/12 reps, 145kg/14 reps.
Bench Press - 60kg/12 reps, 80kg/12 reps, 100kg/12 reps, 2 sets/12 reps/110kg.

A total of 11,210kg total volume. Not too bad.

Snowdaddy

FORCE Test

I'm employable for another year. I passed my FORCE Test again! As this physical fitness test is mostly cardiovascular based I never do very well. Still I passed.

20 meter Rushes - 48.0 sec
Intermittent Laden Shuttle - 4:18.0
Sand Bag Lift - 1:28.7
Sand Bag Drag - 14.3 sec

Now time for a shower and get back to work.

Snowdaddy

Bench Press

I am home this afternoon with a sick daughter. After eating lunch I put on a hoodie and went out into the garage for some Bench Press.

Light Stretching.
Bench Press - 135lbs/12 reps, 2 sets/12 reps/225lbs, 245lbs/12 reps, 265lbs/12 reps, 275lbs/12 reps.

275lbs for 12 reps was a bit of a struggle. The first 6 reps were easy but the reps slowed down after that. Really feeling a good pump. Where's my dinner?

Snowdaddy

Deadlifts

I had the opportunity to train during working hours. I just had to take part in unit PT for about a half hour then I was free to perform Deadlifts.

Dumbbell Exercises, (15lbs, 15 reps)
- Push Ups
- Rows
- Curls
- Side Laterals
- Bent Laterals
- Shoulder Press
- OH Triceps Ext.

I got through this twice. Now that I'm good and warmed up... time to PULL!!!

Deadlifts - 2 sets/12 reps/225lbs, 315lbs/12 reps, 365lbs/12 reps.

365lbs/12 reps is a Personal Best for sure. Now I'm home at a reasonable hour and ready to eat. My lovely wife is making homemade hamburgers. Heck Ya!!!

Snowdaddy

Bench Press

Still pushing the limits of volume training. Today I went to the 17 Wing Strength Club for some Bench Press. I was very tight from Squats the other day so I spent more time stretching and rolling. Felt great!

Leg Swings, Stretching, and Rolling.
Bench Press - bar/12 reps, 2 sets/12 reps/60kg, 2 sets/12 reps/100kg, 2 sets/12 reps/102.5kg, 105kg/12 reps, 110kg/12 reps.

No problem. Lots of power. Difficult to remain disciplined and keep the weights for 12 reps. I so want to test my 1RM. Another week of 12 reps then I will drop the reps to 6 and increase the weight. I can hardly weight (Ha! See what I did there?)

Snowdaddy

Squats

My work schedule this week has been crazy. I am on call but have been called into work every night this week. Last night I worked from 2200hrs till 0400hrs. I slept until 1230hrs today and my body was not enjoying anything. Some breakfast then out to the garage this afternoon for some Squats and I feel better.

Light Stretching.
Squats - 2 sets/12 reps/bar, 135lbs/12 reps, 225lbs/12 reps, 275lbs/12 reps, 315lbs/12 reps.

I would have done another set but I feel like shit and 275lbs and 315lbs for 12 reps is way beyond what I've been doing lately. Also, I had a pain in my head from my sinuses. After the Squats I went for a walk.

Walk Around The Block - 18 minutes.

I did a very small amount of jogging during the walk. Now it's time for supper. Hopefully we won't have to go in to work tonight.

Snowdaddy

Deadlifts

Made my way across town to the 17 Wing Strength Club for some Deadlifts.

Leg Swings and Stretching.
Hamstring Rolling.
Deadlifts - 70kg/12 reps, 100kg/12 reps, 130kg/12 reps, 140kg/12 reps, 150kg/12 reps, 160kg/12 reps.

The first 3 sets were done fairly quickly but things slowed down as the weight went up. I'm sure 160kg for 12 reps has to be some kind of personal record. My whole posterior chain is pumped and I feel like the work will pay off. I keep thinking back to before Worlds and the volume work I did then. All good things come to those who put the effort in.

Snowdaddy

Bench Press

At home tonight and the garage temperature is +5 degC. After bundling up it was time for some Bench Press.

Bench Press - bar/12 reps, 135lbs/12 reps, 185lbs/12 reps, 3 sets/12 reps/225lbs, 235lbs/12 reps.

Not much to speak of but still got the blood flowing and a place for the left over turkey to go.

Snowdaddy