Long Beach, CA to Ensenada, Mexico, which isn't a particularly unique or amazing place. I was there for a couple nights for my cousin's bachelor party a few years ago and was surprised I remembered basically everything on main street. I even found the taqueria that has amazing carnitas tacos and ate one. I also got an apple soda. Those were my two goals for the "international" part of the cruise.

The cruise was a family reunion (my dad's side) and ~46 of us were there. It was really an ideal setup as my g/f and I could just go do our own thing but I also got to spend a lot of time with family I don't normally see.

Then I stayed a few extra days with my buddy Scott (and then Matt) in Orange County, where I used to live. That was great too but near the end I got sick(ish). Still am a bit woozy now after working out so I'm not 100% yet.

I'll post a log maybe tomorrow but the cliffs are:

- I dominated squats
- I got dominated (again, *sigh*) on bench but made a bit of progress
- my new shoes are the nuts imo (little to compare with though)

Shoes will definitely be better for squatting, probably not much of an improvement if any for DLs.

On the DL: don't worry too much about the eccentric - just plop that bad boy down. If you go very slowly it's a bit more of a big deal to keep a straight back, but if you more or less dump it down it doesn't really matter imo (nowhere near the same forces working on your back). The work is done getting the thing up, not down.

ETA: posted before I noticed a new page, oh well.

Yeah, it definitely felt better.

Sounds good, I'm almost surely going down slowly and carefully on DLs. I can definitely just let it go down though. Thanks for the advice![/QUOTE]

7/3 log

I've been sick with a sinus infection since I got back from my vacation and the one day I felt a lot worse than the day before was July 4th, after my 7/3 workout (which I realize I never posted here). So here is the 7/3 workout:

Squat
45x3x5
70x1x5
110x1x3
145x1x2
185x3x5

I think I got all 3 sets at 5 reps. Or very close to it. The shoes make a huge difference.

Bench
45x3x5
70x1x5
100x1x3
130x1x2
145x2x5
145x1x3

Still wasn't able to get 145 fully. Boooo.

Pullthroughs
27.5x1x10
37.5x1x10
47.5x4x10

Chins/Pullups/Neutral
BWx4x5

7/9 log

So I really was hoping my body could beat the sinus infection if I just took it really easy, drank a lot of fluids, and slept a bunch. But it didn't (I have chronic sinusitis, this is something I've dealt with for a long, looong time). So at least I have antibiotics on the way now.

But, I got sick of taking it easy and not getting better, so I lifted yesterday. My g/f decided to give SS a try too! So it was a lot longer than normal but it was great to have someone else to watch me and give feedback.

Rolling/mobility/activation stuff

Squat
45x3x5
70x1x5
110x1x3
145x1x2
185x1x4
185x2x5

I think I can give 190 a shot next time. The first set I failed mainly due to my grip I think...it got all loose and then I pitched forward to keep the bar from sliding, which probably wasn't necessary but more of a mental thing once I lost my grip on it.

Press
45x3x5
55x1x3
65x1x2
85x2x5
85x1x4

Almost got it at 85lbs. I still haven't gotten washers, but I really think my form is a lot better (although still the worst of my lifts). My g/f said it was very helpful to watch my form b/c "it was so fluid" when trying to do the Press correctly for the first time. She definitely was pushing it out and up at first but by the end, was doing a pretty good job of keeping it going up and down.

DL
135x1x5
135x1x4
135x1x4
195x1x2
235x1x4

Oh man. I had to stop after my first attempted pull on 235, get chalk, AND go to a reverse grip. Jesus. Maybe not pulling DLs in so long is the reason but I had tons of trouble with even pulling it up once. After that I did get it up 3 more times but my from started getting compromised.

All in all I'm very happy, especially since I've done soooo little lifting the last couple of weeks, and been sick (and still am sick).

7/10 log

Did a lot of rolling (hadn't been rolling in between lifting days so things were quite painful/sore).

Then I did a variant of the JonFon free throw challenge. Basically I did the same thing but stoppped at 50 FTs as I didn't want to wear myself out and didn't have the time. It took me ~9 minutes.

Then I worked on low post moves and my left hand move is >>>>> my right hand move. Maybe I should just try to make the moves the same but basically my right hand post stuff the last few years disappeared and is more of a running across the lane move, which worked b/c I was only playing 1v1 for a while.

to GF on SS

Girls that lift are basically the nuts.

lots of great vids
http://www.youtube.com/profile?featu...ser=HoopsCityU

A lot of those videos he favorited seem very helpful. Thanks! Now I just gotta get over my sinus infection so I can add more drilling to my lifting.

7/12 log

Since my last lift went more or less okay even though I was still fighting off a sinus infection, I guessed this one would be fine too. Man was I wrong....at least my g/f completed all of her lifts.

Rolling/mobility/activation stuff

Squat
45x3x5
75x1x5
110x1x3
150x1x2
190x1x1
190x1x1
185x1x2
180x1x2

Well, I gave 190 a shot. I ended up slipping backwards somehow on my first rep and had to just let myself go down without being able to raise it back up. No injury but it definitely felt really weird. Maybe I didn't slip, but I assume I did b/c my g/f said even though it happened fast and she wasn't sure if I slipped, she saw my right side go down way faster than my left.

ANYWAY, so then I was like "no probs, will try again" but I think I was mentally messed up b/c I couldn't get 1 rep on 190. Then couldn't get more than 2 on 185, and couldn't even get 180 up more than twice.

Bench
45x3x5
70x1x5
100x1x3
130x1x2
145x1x5
145x1x3
145x1x2

This was my worst attempt at 145 in weeks. I know I was on vacation and then sick, but wtf.

Chins
BWx1x5

Pullups
BWx1x5

Neutral grip
BWx1x6

Well these went fine. Meh.

Pull throughs went fine too.

I'm calling a mulligan on this lift. Just going to put it behind me since I don't seeem injured or otherwise too weird. Gonna go after it tonight though on my squat but will go back to 185. And looking forward to getting my 85lbs press up and over. Gl me on DL as well.

Advice is welcome on having a workout where everything seems backwards. I'm not even lifting very heavy yet!

7/15 log

This workout went much better. I didn't just fail everything. I think the sinus infection affected me more than I thought and this workout seemed to be the first where I didn't really feel any symptoms to suggest I was still fighting off the infection.

Rolling/mobility/activation stuff

Squat
45x2x5
70x1x5
110x1x3
145x1x2
185x3x5 - went back down to 185 due to how poorly my try at 190 went last time. This went well afaik. My g/f said my form seemed okay even on work sets.

Press
45x3x5
55x1x3
70x1x2
85x3x5 I finally got 3 full sets, yay! I *barely* got the last rep up and even stepped back then had to move my foot back before finishing it. But I did get it up. Hopefully I get the washer plates I ordered to help me microload this and make progress.

DL
135x1x5
135x1x4
140x1x3
195x1x2
235x1x5

Gf said on the last couple reps my back wasn't as tight, but it was still straight. Not sure what that looks like. Now that she's working out with me I think we can start taking videos more easily (ofc I brought my camera and it ran out of batteries immediately, meh).

Btw, my g/f did this:

squats:
24x3x5
45x1x3
60x1x2
75x3x5

Press
15x3x5
18x1x3
24x1x2
34x3x5

DL
24x2x5
45x1x3
55x1x2
70x1x5

Her form on everything but Press is probably better than mine. Rigged.

7/17 log - sesh 32

Mobility/activation stuff (did rolling later in the day)

Squat
45x2x5
75x1x5
110x1x3
150x1x2
190x1x5
190x1x1 - I got distracted after this rep and reracked, then did the other 4 right away.
190x1x4
190x1x3 - I think I mentally failed, but I was having trouble getting it up obv. I will get this next time. It was great I didn't just fail every rep on every set like the last time I tried 190 .

Bench
45x2x5
70x1x5
100x1x3
130x1x2
145x2x5
145x1x4 - Ugh. I didn't get the last rep. I've been stuck on this for what seems like forever. Although I think being sick took a lot out of me and I regressed a bit and just didn't acknowledge it. So I should get this next time no problem and move onward and upward.

Also, my g/f said the left side of the bar was going higher than the right. She couldn't tell if it was just at the top or if I was leading with the left side or exactly what. Not sure if I should be too concerned with this yet unless it keeps happening.

Pullthroughs supersetted with chin/pullups/neutral
27.5x1x10
37.5x1x10
47.5x2x10
52.5x2x10

BWx1x5 (pullups)
BWx1x5 (chins)
BWx1x4 (neutral)
BWx1x5 (neutral)

I think I should GTG on these since I haven't moved up at all. I can keep doing ~5 for each set as long as I wait in between long enough, but the 5th one always seems tough. If I just do chins fresh without doing anything else first, I can do 10 as long as I go fast and rock somewhat. But doing them this way I always feel at 5 like I could do ~1 more if I strain. Should I start trying to GTG? or should I do these in a different way as an accessory? The main reason I do these is I've heard they are less worthless than curlz and I would like some amount of guns.

Btw, my g/f did this:

squats:
24x3x5
45x1x3
60x1x2
80x3x5 Like a boss.

Bench
24x3x5
45x1x3
50x1x2
60x1x5
60x1x3 - She started laughing when it got heavy and lost all of her chest tightness. Not sure why she has the habit of laughing when it gets "too heavy". Makes me laugh too, but is confusing and I'm pretty sure laughing during reps isn't going to help long-term, lol.
60x1x5

Then she did some bicep/tricep bro curls/pulldowns. She doesn't want to lose her hard earned definition in her arms so I told her if she wanted to do curls and such, to do it during this part of our programming.

I brought my camera to take video and it only had the batteries to take 1 video. Which was on a warmup set so isn't even useful to post. Next time hopefully I can post some video of my lifts for review and this blog can become much more interactive for ya'll.

Protein powder review/discussion:

So back when I posted what I was typically eating in a day, the only real feedback I got was to add more protein. So I started (at least trying) to eat ~60g of the protein powder that was at Costco. It was okay at first, but quickly became disgusting and I felt bloated every time I had it. I did soldier through the rest of the 6lbs but vowed never to have that particular type again (cytosport musclemilk brand I think).

Cha likes http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/opt/whey.html but I dropped by a nutrition store near my grocery store called Complete Nutrition and got talked into this instead: http://www.completenutrition.com/all...3b?object=6084.

One deciding factor is they missed me a shake right there and it was delicious. 2 days later it is still super good (and better than the shake I had at Cha's on Saturday, which wasn't bad, but probably not as good). The thing is, this stuff seems a bit expensive and I'm not sure the extra $ is worth it.

It allegedly is better than 100% whey protein powder and has 5 types of protein so that they all get absorbed into your body at different rates and therefore your body absorbs closer to 100% of the protein instead of 2/3 or something.

Is this completely bogus? Is it kind of true but a "small rock"?

If it's just completely bogus, then I'm simply buying on taste. It does taste pretty good and even has chocolate chips in it somehow which makes it even more delicious. But for a few bucks per pounds more, not sure I care to have the most delicious thing I can find.

They also gave me some samples of Buzzerk pre workout thing: http://www.completenutrition.com/all...5905&node=6692. I keep calling it "buzzard" accidentally, which I think is hilarious but w/e. Is this bogus? Is it a small rock? Should I even bother trying it?

I need vids (or to see it in person) for the bench.

Add some weight and/or reps to your pullups imo. Maybe alternate by adding weight one workout then doing BW for as many reps as possible the next workout.

To add weight (I don't have chains or belts or anything really) is the easiest thing to do to put a dumb bell in between my legs? Or I could try doing one-armed pullups.

Or I could have my g/f jump on my back (this likely won't work, lol).

The only way I have ever done them with weight is with that belt/chain.

Looks like this.


Uploaded with ImageShack.us

I can't recommend one because I just use whichever one they have at the gym.

My gym definitely doesn't have those. It has only 1 squat rack ffs.

My gym does feature a bunch of kids usually running around downstairs (as it's a community center with a gym in it, which also has a childcare play area and stuff). Maybe one of the parents up in the gym can let me borrow one for pullups. That actually might work!

I have a cheap dip belt - you've seen me use it. You can get a cheap one for ~$25. Or just hold a DB between your legs or feet.

lol, yeah a kid on the back might work.

+1 to small rock.

+1 to kid on the back. Have him try to choke you out to make it harder.

Just got the washer's from McMaster-Carr in the mail. Damn that was fast, I placed the order on Friday. They don't estimate shipping which I guess is b/c they mainly sell to businesses (not individuals) who care less or something. So hopefully their shipping is legit, they still haven't charged me so I have no idea how much extra that added to the very reasonable ~$11 purchase.

This is what they look like: http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y24...0718011357.jpg

I got the zinc-plated ones, but that stuff is making my hands super pixie dusty or whatever. So when I do OHP I will feel like I'm up in da club imo.

I now am thinking I should have gotten 1 more (non zinc-coated as they come in singles) so I'd have 6. That way I could go up by 1.25 lbs, instead of 2.5 lbs. Right now I can do:

1.25lbs
2.5lbs
5lbs

With no 3.75lbs step. Hopefully my weakest lift (85lbs OHP) can sufficiently increase at those steps. But if not I guess I'll pay shipping on 1 more plate at some point.

This is an excellent idea. It will also increase his grip strength for deadlifting in a few years.

7/20 log

Was at work an extra hour so I skipped rolling but still did mobility stuff. Forgot the activation exercises. Meh. I haven't been rolling recently nearly as much as I was and I can tell. My back and neck are getting all sorts of sore from computertarding and sleeping weirdly or something.

Squat
45x2x5
75x1x5
110x1x3
150x1x2
190x3x5 - yeah baby! A week ago at the end of my sickness I was just failing almost every rep on this.

Press
45x3x5
60x1x3
70x1x2
87.5x2x5
87.5x2x4 - yeah baby! microplating ftw! Couldn't get that last one, but I mean, c'mon, next time it's going up.

DL
135x2x5
140x1x3
200x1x2
240x1x5 - that's right, more progress! My lower back seems to be the weakest link but I'm keeping it set waaaaaaaaay better. Apparently I'm losing a bit of tightness on my last rep or two but there isn't really rounding as my g/f sees it. I just said F it and went with chalk AND underhand grip for my left hand on this one right away. My left thumb still makes it harder to grip on that side. I should probably just overhand/underhand grip every set I do and alternate. But the heaviest one I think needs to be underhand for my left hand for a while still.

In regards to my DL grip, is this going to be a problem? I can also do accessory stuff for my hand grip. Which can't be a bad thing for my bball either.

No video this workout as we were in a hurry. The workout still took like 2 hours. It's just taking soooo much longer with two people and creating the "ghetto bar" for my g/f to do presses.


My g/f did this:

squats:
24x3x5
50x1x3
65x1x2
85x3x5

Press
18x3x5
24x1x3
30x1x2
36.5x1x2 - Her shoulder was hurting so I had her widen her grip and concentrate on not using her grip to hold the bar up, just to keep it in place. She really needs to do more posterior lacrosse ball rolling on her shoulder imo. I had the same issue for low bar back squats until I got the flexibility in my upper shoulder area right above my triceps.
36.5x1x3
36.5x2x5

Micro loading ftw! Btw, once we have video perhaps you'll see how awkward as F doing presses with a squishy cardio weight bar is. Just so dumb, can't even rack it.

DL
24x2x5
45x1x3
65x1x2
80x1x5

Ez pz imo. There was a guy near us doing DLs (not sure if he thought he was doing conventional or straight leg imo) with 95 on the bar. G/f easily could have done 85 and will be up to 95 soon imo (she just was wiped on her first workout and her DL started lower than everything else relatively). Once I told her that she was all girly excited and such, always a cute time .

Overhand grip is better for grip strength, but obv better to do mixed if you can't do overhand. I wouldn't bother with any grip work unless you actually want to.

nice work!

Is her shoulder hurting in the joint or in muscles? If its in the joint, widening the grip and continuing to OHP is a bad idea imo.