Lift, Smash, Repeat

[kaleida]

reps @ weight (lb)

1/23/2015

trigger point release (last night)
above & around scapula (left side)
neck and suboccipitals (left side)
thumb (right side)

narrow high bar squat
1@135
1@185
1@230

chest-supported rows
10@35
10@35
10@35
10@35

kettlebell swings
20@15
20@25

one-legged RDLs
10@25
10@25
10@35

leg extension
10@40

hamstring curl
10@25



There's a embarrassing story to go along with the trigger point release I did last night. Yesterday (unrelated to lifting) I had a moment of pure clumsiness, totally my fault, I dropped a 15lb object on my head, right after thinking "hmmm this is dumb and it feel unstable, what if it falls on my head?" It fell right after I finished that thought. It clipped the back of my head and I jerked my head to stabilize, which activated some trigger points in the trap/scapula/neck area - and I was almost on the floor already so I crumpled all the way to the floor kind of reflexively - on the way down I bruised my right thumbnail, and my left butt cheek.

I did thumb trigger point release by biting that meaty bump at the base of my thumb. LOL. But it worked... thumb was clicking and a little bit painful to bend, now it's not clicking any more and 95% pain-free. Dr. Tubbycat's medical malpractice saves the day again.

I'm about 80% done with the trap/scapula/neck trigger point release but I have some more work to do there tonight.

And don't get all "awwww feel better you poor thing!" on me, hahaha. It is 100% my fault, 80% fixed already, and I have the skills and time to fix the rest of it easily... plus it sounds worse than it actually was. So no sympathy allowed! Lol.

[HealthNut12]

No sympathy then. lol

Love the single leg RDL. Balance, strength and a challenge.

And even with no sympathy, I'm glad your thumb is feeling better.

[kaleida]

No sympathy then. lol

Love the single leg RDL. Balance, strength and a challenge.

And even with no sympathy, I'm glad your thumb is feeling better.

Haha thanks for no sympathy!
I'm glad the thumb is better too! Thumb feels totally normal today. The left side of my neck (the side that was originally hurting and the side that I worked on) feels great now too, but now the right side is asking me for the same thing. I am working on that now...should be an easy fix. I should work on whiplash patients

[GZeolla]

There's a embarrassing story to go along with the trigger point release I did last night. Yesterday (unrelated to lifting) I had a moment of pure clumsiness, totally my fault, I dropped a 15lb object on my head, right after thinking "hmmm this is dumb and it feel unstable, what if it falls on my head?" It fell right after I finished that thought. It clipped the back of my head and I jerked my head to stabilize, which activated some trigger points in the trap/scapula/neck area - and I was almost on the floor already so I crumpled all the way to the floor kind of reflexively - on the way down I bruised my right thumbnail, and my left butt cheek.

I did thumb trigger point release by biting that meaty bump at the base of my thumb. LOL. But it worked... thumb was clicking and a little bit painful to bend, now it's not clicking any more and 95% pain-free. Dr. Tubbycat's medical malpractice saves the day again.

I'm about 80% done with the trap/scapula/neck trigger point release but I have some more work to do there tonight.

And don't get all "awwww feel better you poor thing!" on me, hahaha. It is 100% my fault, 80% fixed already, and I have the skills and time to fix the rest of it easily... plus it sounds worse than it actually was. So no sympathy allowed! Lol.

I've done something similar several times of late, hurting myself doing something stupid. You're right; it was 100% my fault, so no sympathy was expected. But hope everything's okay now for you.

[kaleida]

I've done something similar several times of late, hurting myself doing something stupid. You're right; it was 100% my fault, so no sympathy was expected. But hope everything's okay now for you.

Yeah it's getting better each time I work on it...2 smashing sessions in 2 days got the left side back to normal and the right side will follow shortly

[kaleida]

Trap smashing restored full ROM in my neck this morning, then trap work at the gym, then more trap smashing. This is partly to tell me if I'm finished, and partly to make the remaining trigger points sensitive enough to find them tomorrow if I'm not finished yet. Already a huge improvement compared to this morning.

reps @ weight (lb)

1/24/2015

narrow grip red + black band dips
14@151
8@151
8@151

chest-supported rows
10@25
10@25
15@25
10@25
10@25

parallel grip pullups with red band
3@151

barbell shrugs
10@95
10@95
10@95

new PRs today
151 was a new 14RM for narrow grip red + black band dips

[kaleida]

I feel like I have some more work to do on trap trigger point #2 (which I did not work on yet because it's part of the pain referral pattern for trap trigger point #3, and #3 was worse so I did it first). There's a huge overall improvement compared to yesterday though.
Feeling very limp in the neck today but that's good - I got a lot of successful releases yesterday.

My upper back was a mine field of latent trigger points before I bumped my head...so I would have needed to do this eventually either way...in a weird way it's good because I'm getting it out of the way sooner instead of later. Active trigger points are easier for me to work on and I've tried unsuccessfully many times to activate the trap trigger points with exercise...now poof they are activated and really easy to smash

[kaleida]

reps @ weight (lb)

1/25/2015

narrow high bar squat
1@95
1@135
1@185
1@230
20@145

competition bench press
2@95
6@105
6@105
6@105

hip thrust
10@100
10@110
10@120
16@130

trigger point release
scalenes (both sides)
traps (both sides)

new PRs today
145 was a new 20RM for narrow high bar squat
130 was a new 16RM for hip thrust
105 was a new 6RM for competition bench press

[SophieM]

Don't think I've done a set of 20 of anything in my life. I'd have to start at BW and work up. Then again, BW might be too much to start with LOL.

[HealthNut12]

That's some impressive weight with hip thrusts. I just started them and Friday I did 5 sets of 10 with 45 lbs. My butt and and lower back were so sore the next day! lol

If I may ask, how long have you been doing hip thrusts? I can't imagine 100 lbs but someday!

[kaleida]

Don't think I've done a set of 20 of anything in my life. I'd have to start at BW and work up. Then again, BW might be too much to start with LOL.

Nothing wrong with starting there! I love this rep range so much...I'm on my 3rd pass of "start with sets of 20 and add weight each time I squat so that the set sizes gradually decrease"...it has been non-stop train of rep PRs and then a new 1RM, even though I'm a few pounds lighter than I was when I started ...what's not to love? Sets of 20 made me realize that the #1 reason I end a set (of any size) is because I'm out of breath...and improving that affects all set sizes, then working more reps in all set sizes helps my 1RM.

That's some impressive weight with hip thrusts. I just started them and Friday I did 5 sets of 10 with 45 lbs. My butt and and lower back were so sore the next day! lol

If I may ask, how long have you been doing hip thrusts? I can't imagine 100 lbs but someday!

Thanks! I started them last September. I usually do them in the leg extension machine because I feel them more in my glutes there compared to the free weight version. Less setup time is nice too. But I think the machine version is a little bit easier. I think it's better not to pile on the weight too fast otherwise I feel it somewhere other than my glutes. Iliopsoas trigger post release might help if you feel them too much in your back...iliopsoas tugs on the lumbar spine during hip extension or hip hyperextension if it's too tight (and it's really common for that muscle to be tight). Sometimes a posterior pelvic tilt cue helps by itself, but I needed the trigger point release to really stop feeling them in my back.

[SophieM]

Nothing wrong with starting there! I love this rep range so much...I'm on my 3rd pass of "start with sets of 20 and add weight each time I squat so that the set sizes gradually decrease"...it has been non-stop train of rep PRs and then a new 1RM, even though I'm a few pounds lighter than I was when I started ...what's not to love? Sets of 20 made me realize that the #1 reason I end a set (of any size) is because I'm out of breath...and improving that affects all set sizes, then working more reps in all set sizes helps my 1RM.

Being out of breath is definitely an issue for me also. That's why I want to add conditioning work back in. Sometimes even the bar feels like it's too heavy and I can't breathe. <sigh>

I might do some high rep sets of squats on the cruise. No access to a barbell so might as well!

[lazyaj]

Being out of breath is definitely an issue for me also. That's why I want to add conditioning work back in. Sometimes even the bar feels like it's too heavy and I can't breathe. <sigh>

I might do some high rep sets of squats on the cruise. No access to a barbell so might as well!

It's an issue for me too, it probably is for all of us! But it's a really good question - on lower-weight sets, why stop? When I started lifting I had a feeling that if I paused between each rep it wasn't a "real set" somehow - like I had to do them all continuous. So if I needed to pause then the next rep was always the last. But I think that was short-sighted. I've been working more slow and steady recently, and trying to myself to higher reps, especially in backoff sets. I find those to be really helpful!

As far as cardio conditioning goes, I just can't figure it out. When I run on the treadmill, I usually do 5.5 mph because if I go to 6mph I'm breathing too hard. But even at 5.5 my heart rate is a little above 160, which is in the "red zone" for a 40-something. But the thought of trying to jog with my heart at 75% max (I like around 140) is so dreadfully boring - it would be like 4.5 mph which I can just do at a fast walk. So, sometimes I'll just do a lot of dumbbell reps with short pauses between sets, and tell myself that's helping my cardio? I have no idea if it is though. :/

[kaleida]

Being out of breath is definitely an issue for me also. That's why I want to add conditioning work back in. Sometimes even the bar feels like it's too heavy and I can't breathe. <sigh>

I might do some high rep sets of squats on the cruise. No access to a barbell so might as well!

That sounds like a great idea to try some sets of 20 with bodyweight on a cruise If they have a small weight room with dumbbells you could try goblet squats too.

It's an issue for me too, it probably is for all of us! But it's a really good question - on lower-weight sets, why stop? When I started lifting I had a feeling that if I paused between each rep it wasn't a "real set" somehow - like I had to do them all continuous. So if I needed to pause then the next rep was always the last. But I think that was short-sighted. I've been working more slow and steady recently, and trying to myself to higher reps, especially in backoff sets. I find those to be really helpful!

As far as cardio conditioning goes, I just can't figure it out. When I run on the treadmill, I usually do 5.5 mph because if I go to 6mph I'm breathing too hard. But even at 5.5 my heart rate is a little above 160, which is in the "red zone" for a 40-something. But the thought of trying to jog with my heart at 75% max (I like around 140) is so dreadfully boring - it would be like 4.5 mph which I can just do at a fast walk. So, sometimes I'll just do a lot of dumbbell reps with short pauses between sets, and tell myself that's helping my cardio? I have no idea if it is though. :/

I do all my squat sets with a few seconds between reps lately, even the smaller ones, and I'm happy with how it's progressing, so it can't be bad I used to think pausing = end of set too but I changed my mind.



- - - - -

Today was a strange day...I only had one job, to drive Luca to the airport in NYC for his trip. We read in the news that we were supposed to reschedule and avoid travel, with change fees waived, but the airline wouldn't let us change it...they kept transferring us back and forth from US airways to American Airlines and both of them claimed that only the other could change it. We decided to just suck it up and go. There was a lot of snow. Getting there took about 4 hours and getting back home took about 5 hours. Heart was pounding the whole way there and back...and then pounding again waiting to hear if his plane could take off. I hope we never need to drive or fly in a snowstorm again!

When I got home all I wanted to was shower, stuff my face, watch mind-numbing youtube videos, snuggle the cats, and go to sleep I was unapologetically lazy and it felt great even if it was just for an evening

Good news, that scalene trigger point release I did yesterday was money. I have no more neck pain...I didn't even need to do trigger point release today.

[SophieM]

Glad you made it home okay!

[GZeolla]

Glad you made it home okay!

Ditto.

[kaleida]

Glad you made it home okay!

Ditto.

Thanks!

[kaleida]

reps @ weight (lb)

1/27/2015

narrow high bar squat
1@95
1@135
1@185
1@230 extra deep - but also faster than usual
20@146

narrow grip partial-ROM dips
6@164 BW + belt + 10
5@152 BW
4@152

narrow grip red band dips
6@152
8@152

chest-supported rows
10@25
10@35
10@45
5@45
5@45

hip thrust
10@110
10@120
20@130

new PRs today
164 was a new 6RM for narrow grip partial-ROM dips
146 was a new 20RM for narrow high bar squat
130 was a new 20RM for hip thrust
45 was a new 10RM for chest-supported rows



An extra fast 230lb squat single made me happy today...my squat seems more resistant to a road trip than it used to be. I don't want to push my luck by sitting more, but I'm glad this time was OK.


Here's a video of 230 today...


And 20@146 too

[ilovethe80s]

230 looks great! Your 20 rep sets are impressive.

I'm surprised the plane went out, there was sooo much snow. And glad you are feeling better after the stuff falling on your head - sh** happens haha. New tubbycat cartoon?

[HealthNut12]

Wow, great video. Your squat looks pretty solid. And you made 230 look easy.

I sent you a pm but I'm not sure if I hit the send button. lol Did you get it by any chance?

[kaleida]

230 looks great! Your 20 rep sets are impressive.

I'm surprised the plane went out, there was sooo much snow. And glad you are feeling better after the stuff falling on your head - sh** happens haha. New tubbycat cartoon?

Thanks!

Yeah I was pretty nervous waiting to hear if the plane could take off ... and then nervous again waiting to hear whether or not takeoff resulted in a fiery fireball of death, because the last thing I heard from Luca is "we're taking off now!" and then of course no cell phone service and no updates on the website either because the flight status is always of date. But he took off safely and landed safely ...whew

No new cartoon, but I have one from a few months ago that seemed to fit. Bite this, smash that ... done, all better!

Wow, great video. Your squat looks pretty solid. And you made 230 look easy.

I sent you a pm but I'm not sure if I hit the send button. lol Did you get it by any chance?

Thank you!

I didn't get it...try sending again?

[HealthNut12]

It looks like your mailbox is full. I got this message: kaleida has exceeded their stored private messages quota and cannot accept further messages until they clear some space.

Let me if you delete something and I'll resend the message. I saved so whenever.

Thanks!

[kaleida]

It looks like your mailbox is full. I got this message: kaleida has exceeded their stored private messages quota and cannot accept further messages until they clear some space.

Let me if you delete something and I'll resend the message. I saved so whenever.

Thanks!

I deleted some ... fire away!

[HealthNut12]

I deleted some ... fire away!

Ok thanks! Message sent.

[kaleida]

reps @ weight (lb)

1/28/2015

narrow high bar squat
1@95
1@135
1@185
1@235
20@147

parallel grip pullups
3@154
3@154
3@154

kettlebell swings
25@45
7@53
15@53

new PRs today
154 was a new 3RM for parallel grip pullups
147 was a new 20RM for narrow high bar squat
53 was a new 7RM for kettlebell swings
53 was a new 15RM for kettlebell swings
45 was a new 25RM for kettlebell swings

Bodyweight x 20 squat milestone and I didn't taste blood in my lungs this time so that's good...haha...clearly not heavy enough

[kaleida]

I forgot to post 1@235 squat video yesterday, which is interesting to me because it's faster than 230 usually is, and this is the 2nd day in a row my heaviest single was faster than usual. I think I might be experiencing a little boost from a new mental cue that helps me get better lat activation (pulling the bar down and attempting to pull my elbows more forward, even though my elbows barely move for anatomical reasons). I added that cue on Tuesday...Tuesday and Wednesday's heaviest single were both faster than usual. 235 will be my new daily max now

[kaleida]

reps @ weight (lb)

1/29/2015

narrow high bar squat
1@95
1@135
1@185
1@245
20@150

narrow grip partial-ROM dips
4@165
2@165

narrow grip red + black band dips
10@153

chest-supported rows
20@25

kettlebell swings
10@70
10@70
10@70

new PRs today
245 was a new 1RM for narrow high bar squat
165 was a new 4RM for narrow grip partial-ROM dips
150 was a new 20RM for narrow high bar squat
70 was a new 10RM for kettlebell swings
25 was a new 20RM for chest-supported rows



Videos of squat PRs...the new lat activation thing seemed like it was worth more than 5lb so I went ahead to 245.

[SophieM]

Yay for new cues helping!

Still baffled by how you lift in a long sleeve sweater though.

[kaleida]

Yay for new cues helping!

Still baffled by how you lift in a long sleeve sweater though.

Thanks!
Lifting doesn't make me hot for some reason...maybe not working hard enough haha. I had to sit in the sauna before I lifted today because I was too cold even with the sweater. My gym has a really high ceiling so that might be part of it.

But the funny thing is I get really really hot when I sleep. Luca can verify. It's like sleeping with an oven. even with the heater set to 50 degrees my temperature goes up up up while I sleep. Sleeping is hard work, busy making gainz. Lol.

[SophieM]

Thanks!
Lifting doesn't make me hot for some reason...maybe not working hard enough haha. I had to sit in the sauna before I lifted today because I was too cold even with the sweater. My gym has a really high ceiling so that might be part of it.

But the funny thing is I get really really hot when I sleep. Luca can verify. It's like sleeping with an oven. even with the heater set to 50 degrees my temperature goes up up up while I sleep. Sleeping is hard work, busy making gainz. Lol.

Interesting! Lifting definitely warms me up, and I am usually freezing at night. Electric blanket all the way for me!