31 Aug 2015 -Benching on a Monday two weeks in a row? But there might be something to this...

"Don't let the noise others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition." -Steve Jobs

28 Aug
1830 hrs

Superset 
Prowler Push 5 x 40 m x 50 lbs
Farmer's Walk 5 x 40 m x 50 lbs
Short session a little beat up from the drive and overall my body was just stiff and sore. Finished up with GHR 3 x 7


29 Aug
0835 hrs

Stair Climber w/40lbs Weight Vest  20 min - 223 Cal (I hit stop and did not get my flight count but based on the Cal count I would say 95-100 Flights.)
Break Down
5 min x Lvl 12 x 20 sec -Lvl 8 x 40 sec
5 min x Lvl 14 x 20 sec -Lvl 8 x 40 sec
5 min x Lvl 16 x 20 sec -Lvl 8 x 40 sec
4 min x Lvl 18 x 20 sec -Lvl 8 x 40 sec
1 min x Lvl 18 x 20 sec-Lvl 16 x 10 sec -Lvl 14 x 10 sec -Lvl 12 x 10 sec -Lvl 10 x 10 sec
My Legs were cooked by the end of this. My heart and lungs are stressed but short of bursting. I will do this for one more week and then try to max out the machine on the top end. As normal into the weight room for some volume. 10%  increase from last week (goal is 60 reps). A reps completed in 4 sets or less. Vest still on for the remainder of the session
Kirk Shrugs 67 reps x 135
Incline Push Ups 63 reps
Plate Raise 60 reps
Pull Ups 4 reps
Back Ext 30 reps
Bench Squats (new movement) 40 reps
OH Ext 60 reps x 70 lbs
Face Pulls 60 reps x 70 lbs
Db Rear Lateral 30lbs x 15lbs
Side Holds 1 x 20 count hold (Left /Right)


30 Aug
0933 hrs

This was a Prowler, Farmer's Walk, BackWard Sled drag session. The actual conduct would be very lengthy to type out. I will summarize by saying I rotated between the three exercises and did not start Sled dragging until the second half of the session. I kept the rest periods short, the sweat high, and the breathing a controlled gasping for periods of the session.

Prowler 
1 x 40 m x 90lbs
2 x 20 m x 180lbs
2 x 20 m x 230 lbs
1 x 20 m x 180 lbs
Farmer's Walk
8 x 20 m x 70 lbs
Sled Drags
2 x 20 m x 180 lbs
2 x 20 m x 90 lbs

GHR 2 x 11
Back Ext 1 x 11

31 Aug
1920 hrs

Physio Notes:
This was a very exciting day. Physio for the first time in my new city. I have managed to get continuity of care. My new physio knows and actually was responsible for hiring her in my previous clinic. So a simple phone call between them and I am back on track. Overall our assessment session went well. I am not too sore today because of it. We spoke about sleeping positions to help cause less aggravation to my lower back. I also have new exercises /movements to work on. My L4 /L5 are not moving well at all. There is supposed to stability but not total lock down. I also have to balance on one leg through out the day, for glute activation as well my balance on my left side is atrocious. Lastly I have to work on my forward bending and then curling back up to a standing position.
She was happy about me starting to do the McGill Big 3. But more amazing she knew who Dave Tate and Matt Wenning were!

Band Pull-A-parts 64 reps x EFS Pro Mini Band
Bench
2 x 5 x Bar
1 x 5 x 95
1 x 5 x 135
1 x 3 x 165
1 x 3 x 195
1 x 3 x 225
3 x 3 x 175
The 225 is not going to win me any titles but I am super excited about. That is most I have been able to Bench in about 2 yrs. On top of that I did it for reps. I smashed the rack on the 3 rep but still locked it out strong. I would never make excuses for missing a weight but this was all done in a crappy cage with bench that is too low, and rack height is off. Not saying there is an additional 100 lbs in my Bench but working with sub optimal equipment and still smashing it is very promising indeed.

Db Floor Press 3 x 7 x 70lbs

Finished up with keeping the reps fairly high (lowest set was 13 reps) on Pulldowns, V-Bar Pushdowns, Rear Delt Rows(to chin), YTW's. The Ed Coan Obliques I am still working with as well. felt decent my grip is lagging for these but it is more about balancing the bar than losing my grip due to outright weakness.

Keep Moving Forward, Keep Getting Strong(er)