MrBaldyKins

Yesterday I went to the gym with TinkerBarBelle and we lifted together. She did a full body workout with weights and I think she did very well. One highlight was the squat, where she did the bar 3x10, which I remember her struggling with in the past. She also curled 30lbs, which for her weight and strength position is very impressive! Looking forward to seeing how she finds these exercises to help her in her other athletic endeavors. I did bench press at 185lbs 2x5, and then did a boatload of curls. I did 95lbs 1x10 and 2x8 dropsetted with hammer curls at 35lbs 3x10 or 12 or something. Then moved on to a 45lb plate curl 3x15. Finished up curls with a dumbbell preacher curl dropset of 30lbs 3x8 and 25lbs 3x6. Did a few burnout sets on a machine with 1 plate. Also did neutral grip pull-ups, 3x10, 2x8, 1x6, 1x4. I find that neutral grip lets me get slightly off of the straight vertical position and activates my lats in a more significant way, and also put a little bit of stress on my biceps to round out my work on arms. Goals are to push almost pure upper body right now, because my knees are essentially blown to hell. Going to work up to somewhere between 190-200lbs bodyweight and then cut back down.

Yesterday I did Shoulders and Arms Started with 50lb seated dumbbell overhead presses 3x10 Seated machine overhead press 90lbs 3x10 Dumbbell front raises dropset 25lbs, 20lbs, 15lbs 3x too damn many Biceps EZ bar curl 75lbs 3x10, dropset with dumbbells 30lbs, 25lbs, 20lbs Biceps one-arm preacher dumbbell curls dropset 25lbs and 20lbs, 3x8-12, Rope cable curls dropsets 2x 90lbs down to 60lbs x 12 each setting. Curls for the gurls. YEEEEEEAAAAAAAH BUDDDDDDDDY! WOOOOOOOOOO!

Glad the weekend was a success, Wild. Sorry to hear it will require so much recovery! Yesterday I did Shoulders and Arms. Seated military press 95lbs 2x8 1x6 Seated dumbbell shoulder press 45lbs 1x10 1x9 1x4, the last two sets dropset with 35's, 25's and 20's to failure Dumbbell lateral raises dropset 25lbs, 20lbs, 15lbs x3 sets to failure Skull crushers 60lbs 3x15 Overhead cable triceps extensions dropset 80lbs, 70lbs, 60lbs x3 sets to failure Will be headed to the gym shortly for chest and back again. Going to be increasing the frequency of training my small muscle groups, as well as increasing my calories from 2500/day to 2750/day now that I have goine up from 167-180lb body weight. I really want to focus on adding that mass to my upper body. More updates soon.

Today was the first day of a volume block I am adding into the middle of my linear progression. I very nearly hit failure on overhead press last week at 105lbs. The good news is that is a huge move up for me since my injury, and I am still steadily but conservatively gaining mass, mostly where I want it to be. The bad news is that a failure is a failure, and I have to be very careful about how I move forward. The solution I came up with for this was to halt the linear progression of starting strength when my first lift truly reached failure. Squat is not technically at failure, my knees are just useless. But overhead press was close enough that I am calling it. Now I plan on putting a four week block of high volume hypertrophy training in at the higher relative weights I am using now than before I started, to try and add some upper body mass. It's going to look like this: M: Chest and Back Tu: Arms and Shoulders Th: Chest and Legs F: Arms and Shoulders All sets wil be in the 8-20 rep range unless they are part of a dropset. Yesterday I ran a "Monday" day, and will reset on Monday with the above schedule. Chest and Back Bench 135lbs 2x15 1x12, dropset 135lbs 1x9 + 95lbs 1x10 + 45lb dumbbells 1x6 Deadlift 145lbs 1x10, 225 1x3, 275 1x8 Cable chest flyes dropset 48lbs and down two settings x 4 sets x a bunch, usually in the 6-10 range Incline bench press 95lbs 1x12 2x10 1x8, bar 1x20 Prone row 45lbs 3x10 various grips Pullups 1x10 1x8 Not bad. Bench is right where I want it at for high volume, and I was really able to feel some of it in my chest. Deadlift felt really strong, 275x1x8 was taking it relatively easy. I'd be confident at 315x4-5 right now, which is not bad for how long I've been back at things and my bodyweight, which is still slightly under 180lbs.

"B" day (Wednesday) Squat 245 3x5 (+10lbs) Overhead Press 105 3x5 (+5lbs) Row 175 3x5 (+5lbs) This sucked. A lot. It crushed me. Everything felt insanely heavy, and just those three exercises took longer than most of my full workouts from the previous weeks. I took it as a sign and walked out and have taken the rest of the week off. I'll be out of town until Tuesday, and will revisit the gym then or Wednesday. My current quandry is whether I continue with linear progression here and up my calories, waiting until I hit a true failure, or if I back off and do a four week high rep hypertrophy focused block before I return to strength training. Either way I need to increase my caloric intake. Today I fasted since lunch and won't eat again until breakfast, because I've been eating like garbage. Hoping to reign back in and refocus next week. Wild... keep it up with your training, and I want to see pullup INCREASES, not DECREASES! Good job though man, I hope you're seeing some translation from these efforts into your physical goals and activities!

Managed to squat again, which is a great thing. The bad news is that 235 feels heavy, and that makes me a sad pandabear. Nothing I couldn't do, but enough that I needed long rest sets between. Deadlift also felt heavy, and I don't know how much more I have in me on that before I start hitting a wall. My right lat is slightly strained. Nothing I couldn't lift through, but it definitely is painful. Not an injurt, but an inconvenience and something to keep aware of. Looking forward to two days off to rest my body. "A" day Squat 235 (+10lbs) Deadlift 285lbs 1x5 (+10lbs) Bench 175lbs 3x5 (+5lbs) Weighted dips +45lbs 3x10 Dumbbell incline bench 55lbs 1x12 2x10 Triceps pushdowns - Drop set 120lbs - 100lbs - 80lbs x a ton Biceps curl drop set - main set 75lbs 1x15, 1x12, 1x10, + 3 drop sets with dumbells until total fatigue, ranging from 30lbs-20lbs Preacher curl one armed dumbbell dropset 25lbs + 20lbs 3x10 each

Decided to squat again today. I'm not gonna lie. It's because a rain thin 5 foot nothing girl was squatting 155 next to me. Felt good. No pain at the end, some during. Today my knees feel okay. Everything else is moving along nicely. Slight strain in my upper back on opposite side of injury. Probably dehydration related. "A" day (Tuesday) Squat 0 Deadlift 275lbs 1x5 (+20lbs) Bench 170lbs 3x5 (+5lbs) Weighted dips +45lbs 3x10 (+6 reps) Dumbbell incline bench 55lbs 1x12 2x10 (+4 reps) Triceps pushdowns - Totally forgot to do these. Biceps curl drop set - main set 75lbs 2x15, 1x10, + 3 drop sets with dumbells until total fatigue, ranging from 35lbs-15lbs Preacher curl one armed dumbbell dropset 30lbs + 25lbs 3x10 each "B" day (Thursday) Squat 225 3x5 (Hooray!) Overhead Press 100 3x5 (+5lbs) Row 170 3x5 (+5lbs) Pullups +25lbs 2x8 1x6 (-2 reps) Seated dumbbell overhead press 45 4x8 (+1 set, -4 reps) Dumbbell side lateral raises drop set 25, 20, 15 lbs x a metric fuckton Seated row 100lbs x a bunch

This week went well, ish. The tendinitis DX sucks, but what can you do? I won't be able to do the physical therapy, because I'm quitting my job and won't have insurance for the time period it is supposed to happen. I'll just have to figure it out on my onesies. Front squats hurt, but not bad. The doctor asked me to continue to squat sub-maximal, so that's what I am doing. Just something to put some extra weight on the joint but not enough to cause any kind of real trauma to the area. I need to really focus on crushing my quads and loosening them up. It's also my hope that focussing on deadlifts will bring my legs into better balance and put some stress on my hamstrings. Overhead press is starting to feel heavy. Not in danger of missing yet, but only resting 60 seconds left me slightly winded and the very last rep got "stuck" ever so slightly and I had to grind through it at the transition. Rows are hard on my grip. and finally, adding 2 reps onto the first set of pull-ups undid me. Looks like I might be working on 3x10 for a few weeks with the 25lbs. Then on to 3x12 before moving on to a 45 lb weight. That'll be a happy day. Today: "B" day (Saturday) Front Squat 135 1x10 Overhead Press 95 3x5 (+5lbs) Row 165 3x5 (+5lbs) Pullups +25lbs 1x10 1x8 1x6 Seated dumbbell overhead press 45 3x12 (+6 reps) Dumbbell side lateral raises drop set 25, 20, 15 lbs x a metric fuckton Seated row 100lbs x a bunch

Weight is up to 175.9, which is fantastic after having to drive around for a week. Glad I kept myself in check, even if the quality of my diet slipped some. Diagnosed with quadriceps tendinitis. Prescribed physical therapy and have to have additional testing done to see if there is a tear. Will not be squatting heavy for a while. Deadlifting doesn't seem to bother me much, which I suppose has to do with how hamstring and back dominant my deads are. Today: "B" day (Tuesday) Squat 135 1x5 Overhead Press 90 3x5 (+5lbs) Row 160 3x5 (+5lbs) Pullups +25lbs 3x8 Seated dumbbell overhead press 45 3x10 (+5 lbs) Dumbbell side lateral raises drop set 25, 20, 15 lbs x a metric fuckton Today: "A" day Squat 0 Deadlift 255lbs 1x5 (+20lbs) Bench 165lbs 3x5 (+5lbs) Weighted dips +45lbs 3x8 (+8 reps) Dumbbell incline bench 55lbs 1x12 2x8 (-2 reps) Triceps pushdowns 130lbs 1x15 2x12 (+3 reps) Biceps curl drop set - main set 75lbs 2x15, 1x8, + 3 drop sets with dumbells until total fatigue, ranging from 35lbs-15lbs Preacher curl one armed dumbbell dropset 25lbs + 20lbs 3x10 each

Well, my knees were shot this week. After careful consideration and, not without considerable frustration, I decided to take the week off of squatting. I'll re-evaluate things after I finish this week. On the plus side, I was able to do body-weight squats today with significantly less pain than when I was attempting them on friday. I've also been taking Aleve twice a day and stretching more often. I'll keep doing body squats for a while and see about throwing 135 on this week at some point. I will also be traveling, which will make things interesting. (actually Friday) Today: "B" day Squat 0 Overhead Press 85 3x5 Row 155 3x5 Pullups +25lbs 3x8 (+25 lbs) Seated dumbbell overhead press 45 2x10 1x9 (+5 lbs) Dumbbell side lateral raises drop set 25, 20, 15 lbs x a metric fuckton Today: "A" day Squat 0 Deadlift 235lbs 1x5 (+20lbs) Bench 160lbs 3x5 (+5lbs) Weighted dips +45lbs 2x8 Dumbbell incline bench 55lbs 3x10 Triceps pushdowns 130lbs 3x12 (+10 lbs) Biceps curl drop set - main set 75lbs 2x15, 1x10, + 3 drop sets with dumbells until total fatigue, ranging from 35lbs-15lbs Preacher curl one armed dumbbell dropset 25lbs + 20lbs 3x10 each

I made it with this week's goal. Stretching, foam rolling, and using the lacrosse ball were necessary. Because of their judicious use, I've come out the other side of this week with my knees feeling better than they they did going in, which is a huge relief. I'm still not out of the woods with them yet, though. Getting out of a chair still causes minor pain, as does squatting down to full depth. I'm confident I can keep squatting and adding weight though so long as I continue rehabbing after sessions and on off days. In addition to physical aspects of rehabbing my knees, I am also supplementing curcumin, fish oil and nettle tea. Today: "A" day Squat 215lbs 3x5 (+10lbs) Deadlift 215lbs 1x5 (+20lbs) Bench 155lbs 3x5 (+5lbs) Weighted dips +45lbs 2x8 Dumbbell flat bench 60lbs 2x12, 1x10, 1x8 (+2 reps) Triceps pushdowns 120lbs 4x18 (+7 reps) Biceps curl drop set - main set 75lbs 1x20, 1x15, 1x10, + 3 drop sets with dumbells until total fatigue, ranging from 35lbs-15lbs Preacher curl one armed dumbbell dropset 25lbs + 20lbs 3x10 each Cable seated row 72lbs 3x15 Bench felt light. Deadlift felt stupid light. Squats felt like they were beginning to feel heavy. Not hard, but heavy. Dumbbell bench was very difficult after the first set. Almost felt burn out on the triceps, but still struggling to balance enough resistance with form that isolates the triceps. Probably the best biceps workout I have ever had. Looking forward to next week. My diet is still doing pretty well. Missing some macros and making some crappy choices here and there, but okay with that as long as I am still slowly gaining.

The pain is excrusciating when getting up from a sitting position or bending down at the knees. Foam rolling is torture. I imagine it must be close to what being hit by a car feels like. After one of several sessions this morning, there were tears. Real tears. Squatting is going to suck today.

Wild- some things you should just keep to yourself. Today: "B" day Squat 205 3x5 Overhead Press 80 3x5 Row 150 3x5 Pullups 3x8 Seated dumbbell overhead press 40 1x15 2x12 1x10 Dumbbell side lateral raises 20lbs x a metric fuckton This was actually done yesterday. The weight is feeling light, but my knees are in bad shape. I'm not sure what is going on with them but I am pretty bummed about it. Hopefully some knee sleeves help. So far I've been stretching and actually broke out the foam roller once. It's my goal to get one more session of that in this week. Next week will be 225. Looking forward to finally getting 2 plates back on the bar. Been trying to keep my ego out of lifting lately. As in all things, some successes some failures.

Last weeks goal was more or less accomplished. I hit my calories every day and continued to log them regularly. Strength is starting to come back. Knees are feeling a little better every day. Wearing better boots seems to help. Goal for the week: Stretch at least three times this week, and use the foam roller at least twice. Today: "A" day. Squat 195 3x5 (+10lbs) Deadlift 195 1x5 (+20lbs) Bench 150 3x5 (+5lbs) Weighted dips +45 2x8 Dumbbell flat bench 60lbs 4x10 (+10 reps) Triceps pushdowns 120lbs 1x20 3x15 (+5 reps)

I just feel like you've got more pullups in you than that. Your shoulders and back are strong. Still, good job all around. I like the sets of 20 on DB bench. It's nice to throw something like that in there every now and again. Today: "B" day. Squat 185 3x5 (+10lbs) Overhead Press 75 3x5 (+5lbs) Row 145 3x5 (+5lbs) Chin ups 3x8 Triceps pushdowns 120 4x15 (+24 reps) Skull crushers 55 3x8 (-5lbs) Hanging leg raises 0x10 (skipped today) This was yesterday's workout. Week 2 went very well. I'm going to continue adding 20 pounds on my deadlift, and 10 pounds on my squat through next week. Thereafter, I will switch to 5 pounds on squat and maintain a week or two more of 20 pounds on deadlift. 185 on squat felt a little heavy, but that was perception and not reality. The weight moved easily. There's something wrong with my knees, and I have a sports medicine referral to have them looked at. Hoping to get some answers and suggestions as I move back into heavier weights.