The Useful Strong Stuff Journal Vol. 33

Today I went in for a squat session and it felt like a disaster. It was hard to get deep on the squats. I also had a lot of trouble staying tight while squatting. I was supposed to move the weights fast today, they did not move fast for most of my sets. For the most part everything I did in the gym today was a disaster. Staring this series of disasters in the face, I left the gym without a care in the world. I could call today’s workout a bad workout, but I’ll just call it a workout.

Even if my workout felt like garbage that is just some sort of perspective. Does this perspective reflect reality? I would say no. A lot of things happened in today’s workout.

I felt like total garbage and had no energy.

I felt like I moved slow in sets that I am trying to call speed work.

I really couldn’t get tight on my squats, I was all bloated and hardly could breath.

I was cutting my squats a little short and not hitting the depth I wanted to.

I had a plan for the workout and I hit all the numbers that were part of the plan.

I completed the whole workout.

I didn’t hurt myself and I did everything in a safe manner.

If I look at my training log for today, everything looks pretty good on the sheet of paper. What I did checks out.

The things that were a disaster were largely things I felt. The not getting tight on the squats, that is a legitimate problem I will address. Otherwise, my workout felt like garbage. It didn’t feel like garbage in a “this is injuring me way” it felt like garbage in a “this sucks kind of way.” I’m not going to react to a workout sucking, sometimes they suck.

Having an emotional reaction would be a mistake. Getting emotional and worrying about a workout, that would tire me out. I have other places to put that energy. In this case having some sort of reaction to the workout would be a major mistake. I would be reacting to feelings and not objective reality.

Objectively this workout was a good workout. Numbers were hit and progress was made. That is all you can want from a workout. I got everything I could want but for some weird reason I felt like everything was a disaster. I could have done a lot of things to react to this feeling, but I didn’t.

If I wasn’t paying attention I might have done a lot of things that would have taken up my time. I could have been in a bad mood all day because my workout felt awful. I could have taken a few hours of time and written a workout program to “fix” what I thought were problems. Instead of that I stayed settled, and that is the path forward.

I am constantly on the search for new ways to get stronger, healthier and more awesome. Here are some of the best things I have found lately.

Strength and Conditioning

Upper back training for the deadlift. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c8syHJ34EhY

Strengthening the hamstrings and avoiding hamstring injuries in sports activities. https://www.elitefts.com/education/never-pull-a-hamstring-again/

I liked this video on rotational rows. My training really lacks any rotational training so I have been trying to stick a little bit of it in there for general health. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngzBBg7rkOE

This is a good video on glute training frequency. Even if you’re not really into glute training this video is a good watch. His process for evaluating frequency can apply to all body parts and is a great way to think about training. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xWyIb-kVh3w

11/21/2021 Back and Pressing

Upper Body and Shoulder Rebuild Stuff:

Cable Rows – Some
Band Facepulls – Some

Incline DB Bench
20 x 8
20 x 10
30 x 5
40 x 5
50 x 5
60 x 5
Started to feel it in Right Triceps at end so I quit.

DB Shoulder Press
30 x 12
30 x 10

Rack Pushups
10, 12

Chest Support DB Row
50 x 8
70 x 8
70 x 8

DB shrugs
80 x 10
80 x 10
80 x 10

Rotational Cable rows – 2 sets

BB Shrugs
135 x 10
225 x 10
315 x 10

Pulldowns – some
DB Curls
Lateral raises
Side bends

Pulldown Abs
50 x 20
60 x 15
60 x 15

11/19/21 Deadlifts Went Well Today

ME Lower Workout:

Deadlift
425 x 1
455 Missed 4-6 inches off floor.

DL Stance Box Squats
135 x 2
225 x 2
275 x 1
Got tired here.

Step ups.
10,10,10

Laying leg curls – some

Back Raises
25 x 10
25 x 10

Hip Abduction
90 x 10
90 x 10

BW Calf Raises
20, 20, 15

Deadlift was a lifetime PR for the Deadlift. It moved fast. I should be a lot heavier weights coming soon. Need to just keep working the system.

Thoughts:
My training seems to be working well since I pulled a deadlift PR. Submaximal lifts are working for me. Today you get a video with me breaking down a lot of insights about how this all went.

11/17/21 Shoulder Rebuilding

Band Facepulls
Pulldowns

Bench with Shoulder Saver Pad
45 x 5
95 x 3
135 x 2
155 x 1
185 x 1
205 x 1

Incline DB Bench
40 x 20

Chest Support Machine Rows
90 x 10
140 x 8
140 x 8

Db shrugs
70 x 10
70 x 10

Lateral raises
Cable facepulls

Leg raises
10, 10

Did this all in about 30 minutes, was nice to just get in and get out without going crazy with it.

11/16/21 DE Lower

The Workout:
SSB Squats
205 x 3 – 9 sets
245 x 1
295 x 1

Trap bar deadlift
135 x 10

Hip thrusts
15, 12

Hip abduction machine
90 x 10
90 x 10

Laying leg curls – some

Seated calf raises
90 x 10
140 x 10
140 x 10
140 x 10

Leg raises
12, 10

I need to make sure I’m going deep on all squats, I shot a video of the squats and was wanting to cut some of them short a couple inches.

Did the trap bar deadlifts just to go down and be in a deadlift position.

Thoughts:
I have been trying to do deadlifts frequently to make sure I get into that position frequently. Getting into position to deadlift has been awkward for me in recent years. I figure the more often I bend over and pick things up, the more I will be comfortable getting down to the bar to deadlift. Some workouts like today I’ll just do something light and go down a few times so I can be in that position. Deadlifting heavy has felt a little better and I think this is part of the reason.

The Useful Strong Stuff Journal Vol. 32 The Times Are Always Strange

“These are strange times.” I have heard this about a lot of times. I am reaching the age where I have lived through a good handful of times that things have felt weird for myself, and society at large. I no longer pay any attention to all this weirdness or strangeness.

I am starting to think that MAYBE the time are always strange.

Life seems to be a pretty weird thing. People always seem to behave oddly. The more I look at things and try and really understand them, the more everything looks strange.

From a practical standpoint, I don’t think it even matters.

From a practical standpoint all a person can do is the best they can do. While we need to pay attention to our surroundings we still need to get on with what we are going to do. I think this matters even more when the times are indeed strange.

Executing on our visions and goals despite chaos and strangeness is possible. Part of going where we want to go is actually going. Strangeness sometimes can stop forward progress, but it doesn’t always. I just try and ignore the strangeness and go ahead. That’s what I’m thinking about today. I know this post is a bit strange, but whatever I just try and ignore all the strange bits.

I am constantly on the search for new ways to get stronger, healthier and more awesome. Here are some of the best things I have found lately.

Strength and Conditioning

Good article on using indicator sets to regulate your training sessions. This makes you audible ready. https://tonygentilcore.com/2021/11/the-art-of-the-indicator-set/

In my search for a bigger deadlift I’m getting serious about glute size and strength. I found this hip thrust tutorial helpful. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LM8XHLYJoYs

Good tactics to overcome stalled progress on a lift. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gENWbC3miAM

Mindset

I liked this article about how to frame our thoughts. https://zenhabits.net/frame/

10/14/21 Shoulder Rebuild Stuff

The Workout:
Band facepulls – 3 sets

1 arm DB Rows
30 x 10
40 x 10
50 x 8

Close Grip Pulldown Machine
70 x 10
90 x10
110 x 10
110 x 10

Flat DB Bench
20 x 8
30 x 6
40 x 5
50 x 5
60 x 5
30 x 10
30 x 10

DB Shoulder Press
25 x 10
25 x 10
*Should use 25 for another workout or two.

Machine Bench Press – Some light sets.

Chest support DB rows
50 x 8
70 x 8

DB Shrugs
70 x 10
80 x 10

Chest Support Machine Rows
180 x 8

Lateral raises – light
Band pushdowns – light
Hammer curls – light

Pulldown abs.
50 x 20
50 x 20
50 x 20

All this focus on back training instead of pressing has been helping my shoulder feel slightly better. So minimal pressing and maximal rowing and back should continue for a while.

10/12/21 Max Effort Lower

The Workout:

SSB Good Morning
115 x 3
125 x 3
135 x 3

Rackpulls- hole 3
135 x 2
225 x 2
315 x 2
405 x 2
455 x 1
475 x 1

Reverse Lunges
10,10

Laying Leg curls – some

Standing Bodyweight Calf Raise
12, 12

Hip Thrusts
15, 10

Rack pulls were too high at pin hole 3. Go lower next time. They were high enough I’m not sure there was a point to them.

Thoughts:
Today was the first day I ever did a max effort good morning. I was wanting to go up to a heavy triple. I mostly just sucked at doing these and need to really work at them.

The rackpulls almost became a second max effort movement, and judging by the fatigue I felt in the following days was probably overkill. I did however figure out that pin hole 2 is probably the best height for to do these at. From a building up overall back strength perspective I think these have a place in the program. I don’t know that they really will correlate super close to deadlifts or squats but the do feel like they are worht playing with.

11/10/21 More Shoulder Rebuilding

Pulldowns – some

Bench press
45 x 5
95 x 3
135 x 2
155 x 1
175 x 1
95 x 8

Jammer Machine
25 x 3 – 4 sets

BB rows
135 x 5
185 x 5

1 Arm Db Rows
30 x 8
30 x 8

Band Facepulls
3 sets

Db shrugs
60 x 10
75 x 10
75 x 10

Band Pull-aparts

Shoulder felt a little better today.

11/9/2021 DE Lower

Speed squats started to feel slightly speedy.

SSB Squats for Speed
205 x 3 – 8 sets
245 x 1
295 x 1

Speed Deadlifts
225 x 2 – 5 sets

Just going to hangout with 205 for a couple more weeks on the squats and work on building up speed. I have been lifting slow. It’s time to start moving a little faster.

SSB Good Morning
65 x 5
85 x 5
115 x 6

Hip Thrust with Band around knees
15, 12, 10

Cable Pull Through
40 x 10
50 x 10
60 x 10

Hip Abduction Machine
90 x 10
110 x 12
110 x 10

Seated Calf Raise
90 x 20
90 x 20
90 x 20

Laying Leg Curls – Some

Pulldown Abs
50 x 15
50 x 15

Light leg extensions – 3 sets