The Return of the jedi-This is not Sparta. This. Is. Madness.(now incl. Race to 100kg OHP)

Chest and tri's tonight.
Was a slightly strange workout. I got talked into going for 110kg as a middle set either side of 100's but the fact I had to be talked into it ( I was opting for 105) did not bode well. Neither did the fact that my first set on the 100 didn't fly up quite as easy as last week. Net result 3 very dodgy reps achieved with a dab from the spotter
I think it was a mental failing as much as a physical, a theory confirmed to some extent by regrouping on the 100 and managing 5 much more comfortably than the first set.

Redeemed myself a bit on the steep incline which is now up to 90kg
3 sets of 80lb dumbbells on a shallower incline too.
I suppose I would've been pleased with the progress if I'd managed better reps on the 110 or even better reps on the 105.
Now I have to go through the same 105v110 thing next week.

Nah feck it! I've just decided I will do the 110kg next week but this time smash the b*stard thing in an upward direction.
Less thinking more doing.
....I think

ORIGINAL: jedi
Nah feck it! I've just decided I will do the 110kg next week but this time smash the b*stard thing in an upward direction.
Less thinking more doing.
....I think

do, or do not, there is no "try"

Hi jedi, sorry not popped in for a while. Hope all is well.

Get your head in gear now for smashing that 110kg mark next week

ORIGINAL: daKensta
..
do, or do not, there is no "try"

I am starting to think our little green friend was just having a premonition of England at the RWC.

ORIGINAL: RACK

Hi jedi, sorry not popped in for a while. Hope all is well.

Get your head in gear now for smashing that 110kg mark next week

Not to worry mate, you can see you haven't missed much when I am making such a fuss about lifting 110kg.
What a drama queen.
I better steer clear of the new Come Dancing or people will start to talk.

its definatley a mental thing for me as well mate, if you lie there thinking oh **** am i going to lift this or bloody hell this is heavy you probably wont.

ORIGINAL: jedi

ORIGINAL: daKensta
..
do, or do not, there is no "try"

I am starting to think our little green friend was just having a premonition of England at the RWC.

heeheehee!
nah, I shouldn't laugh.
no, wait! yes I should!

ps. I couldn't give a flying unmentionable about rugby, or anything else involving: sweaty men in shorts; leather; studs; bouncing balls.
actually, the last 3 are OK, as long as the first one isn't

Back and bi's tonight.
3 x 8 on chins again and much as I might like to keep adding points for style and artistic interpretation the cold fact is that I should now either start addng reps or dangly weights.
Can't go any heavier on the lat pulldown simply because I can't physically manoeuvre myself plus anything heavier down onto the seat. I will have to start eating cakes and fine wines

Tried 50kg curls inc. the oly bar and managed 4 with decent form before scuttling back to the 45, which then felt nice and light. 3 sets on the 50 dumbbells and then did some mea culpa on the preacher bench for being seduced by the crooked stick last week. Close grip cable curls felt as though my forearms were going to snap again
That'll teach me.

Shoulders tonight but want to get back in time to see France v Ireland so it may be a rush job. Having said that, my shoulder is feeling better than it has for some weeks so might have a go for some 1's and 2's on bench as well as a serious shoulder pressing session.
Looking for a double on 115kg, that would give me massive confidence boost for getting reps with 110 next week.
...it might also give me a sore shoulder again.

Feck it though, they didn't get those Normandy beaches stormed by sitting on the boat.
C'MON!!!!!

Beaches stormed

115 x 2
As ragged as you like on the second rep but am glad I did it as it shows Tuesday was just a bit of a blip.
Made my shoulder smart a bit, so I didn't do as much shoulder pressing as I was going to.

Have some glutamine on the way and hopefully this will help a bit with recovery and stop this good week, bad week syndrome.

nice pushing Jedi!

ORIGINAL: daKensta

YAY! I've been promoted.

Didn't enjoy the run much today.
Thought I was doing really well until the turning point at halfway revealed I had been benefitting from a following gale.
The return journey was not much fun. Felt as though I was working hard for a net loss at times.

At least my knees didn't hurt.

Legs tonight and it went much better than last week.
It was a complete workout for a kickoff and included 300kg on the leg press (where that came from I don't know) and 3 full sets on the stack of the hack squat. No ridiculous burn that I got last week and, despite doing a lot more, a few minutes on the bike and I could walk back to the car like a normal human being. I just can't explain why I seem to be caught in this good week/ bad week cycle but I have started taking the glutamine and hopefully that might even things out.

Eastern european training squad were in residence tonight and it seemed the one lad who couldn't do 140 on the bench was made to train on his own in case he contaminated the rest with his shamefull weedliness

Mind you, I saw a couple of 'em have a bit of a bash on the hack squat and I felt a bit better after that

Feel a lot less knackered today than I did after last weeks leg debacle.
I think it's the glutamine.
Which is funny as I've just read a few articles advising me that it isn't.
I confound medical science again

I also found this interesting article on "dynamic tension" during my extensive readings on pubmed.



If I understand the article correctly, big pants pulled up to your belly button create "dynamic tension" which works as some kind of test booster. I see there are dramatic sides though, check out the 'roid rage on that guy.

^^^^^^^ Quality mate where the hell do you find them!

Do you think this good week bad week is all in the mind mate?

Or is it just your CNS maybe taking a battering from the week before and takes a while to recover?

No I don't think the good week/bad week thing is mental.
I think it is probably not being able to recover in a week and I would no doubt benefit from a 10 day turnaround instead.
Problem with that is that I would forget what I was supposed to be doing on any given day and it would also ruin my meticulously planned "avoid other gym users" schedule.

I don't take a whey protein supplement so this could also be a contributing factor to my lack of recovery and hence my experiment with the glutamine. So far I am quite hopeful.
...then again this is a good week on the schedule, the test will be legs next Monday.

Pushing tonight.
Managed 100/110/100 on the bench much better than last week. 5 reps on the 110 although last 2 with a tiny touch of spotting. Didn't push my luck with my shoulder on the steep incline so settled for good reps on 80kg. Then onto shallow incline dumbbells, felt easy enough on the 80's so I cracked the 90's as well

Couldn't get back to the bench for close grip so did some dips instead. Not done any for a while so I just did them as standard arms in, minimal chest recruitment stylee for 3 sets of 15 at bodyweight. Skullcrushers/close grip supersets and then some pushdowns and rope to finish.

Back and bi's.
Chins 10/9/9 widest grip and strict form. If I get 3 sets of 10's next week will start adding weight the week after.
Pretty standard back workout after that as the gym was busy.
Managed 50kg curls a bit better this week

All in all went okay, even felt I could have done more on biceps.
The glutamine is scoring well so far.