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Craig_Pfisterer		...	06-01-2017 @ 03:11
Sugdens 'man' at WSM 2021 Member 1513, 2139 posts SQ 224.5, BP 181, DL 276.5 682.0 kgs @ 120kgs UnEq	January 5, 2017 – Week 4, Day 2 5 Minutes Elliptical Leaning Calf Raises BWx30 Sumo Box Touches (12” Box) BWx25 Squat Therapy (16” Box) BWx25 Regular Box Touches (12” Box) BWx25 16” Box Squats 20.5x15 43x5 Step Ups (18” Box) BWx25/25 Hyperextensions BWx25 BW+11x15 12” Rack Pulls 20.5x10 25x10 Shrugs 34x76 Crunches/Leg Raises BWx25/BWx25 BWx25/BWx25 Stretching Comments: Sleep wasn’t as peaceful as I would have liked. Work was stressful and I think that might have made my SI issues act up more than normal. Can’t be helped some times. Elliptical went well. Heart rate only up to 153bpm which is the lowest for this cardio warm-up so far. Calf raises not as easy as last session but still okay. Felt tough for the last five reps. Both versions of box touches felt good. Some aches in my left hip on wide style but I think it was more just because that was the one I did first then anything being different. A lot of the achiness went away during squat therapy. Still doing well here. Box squats with weight still going well. Playing around with what I initiate in my head first. Some reps thinking “arch” for back and some reps thinking “open” for hips. The set with added weight felt more comfortable this time as I figured it would. Step-ups after that. Left knee was aching but not pain. Might just be the big temperature shift the past two days. Lower back was surprisingly fatigued doing them this time. After that was hyperextensions. No weight for first set and a little more weight than last time for some reps. Didn’t take as much out of me this time around. Rack pulls again. Same as last week but 2” lower. Same as it has been with first set just the bar and then a little more for a second set. Again, making it feel like nothing and focusing on arch and tightness. Bar height has gotten to the point where I can load my hamstrings getting to the bar. After that was a set of shrugs. I added bit of weight to the rack pull weight. Idea to get good quality reps and work support grip endurance. Really didn’t tax my grip that much and I stopped because my neck and tarps were just getting too stiff and full of lactic acid. I imagine it will be hard to turn my neck for a few days with the reps haha. Ab work adjusted from last time a bit. Crunches and leg raises supersetted. Goal was to do both sets of each back to back with no rest. I only stopped briefly to let out a belch so success. Stretched and home to eat.

Craig_Pfisterer		...	07-01-2017 @ 23:51
Sugdens 'man' at WSM 2021 Member 1513, 2139 posts SQ 224.5, BP 181, DL 276.5 682.0 kgs @ 120kgs UnEq	January 7, 2017 – Week 4, Day 3 5 Minutes Cybex Arc Trainer Leaning Calf Raises BWx30 Sumo Box Touches (12” Box) BWx25 Squat Therapy (16” Box) BWx25 Regular Box Touches (12” Box) BWx25 16” Box Squats 20.5x15 43x10 Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Presses 13.5’sx10 18’sx10 22.5’sx10 27’sx10 32’sx10 Seated Alternating Dumbbell Curls 7’sx20 13.5’sx15 20.5’sx13 Triceps Pushdowns (straight bar) 18x25 27x20 38.5x18 Stretching Comments: Slept in today so I felt quite a bit of soreness from the week’s workouts. Some irritation in my SI area and lower back but it doesn’t bother me when I’m doing any activity. Some self-adjustments seemed to help. All the elliptical machines were in use besides the busted one so I tried out a different machine called an Arc Trainer. I just pushed the quick start up option and upped the elevation to the max. A good bit tougher than the elliptical but easier on the joints. Heart rate up go up to 171bpm. May use it again if elliptical isn’t open but there are only two of them at the gym. Also can’t turn off the tv that is on it. Calf raises were pretty easy again. Wide stance box touches were good. Hamstrings were tight but not as much as last week. On squat therapy, I really concentrated on keeping everything tight and bracing. I didn’t want my lower back to relax like last session. I think I keep that to a minimum. Certainly made the set a bit tougher and a little longer. Regular stance box touches helped loosen up my back and hamstrings some more. Then on to box squats. Had to use the half rack thing again. These felt good. Better than the first session this week. I was perhaps too close to the middle of the rack as the bar kissed the rack a few times on the set with 43kgs. No odd pressure feeling so also good. Next was dumbbell pressing with back support. I wasn’t too concerned about the pressure on the lower back, as it hasn’t been an issue on any of the other pressing so far, but the clean to the shoulder was going to be interesting. First set felt off but it was more that the weight was light and I hadn’t done this in many months. I got better as I went. The gym’s dumbbells get weird at 32kgs. Some have thick handles and some are mismatched. Top set was slow but I had control and was good for another rep or two. Biceps and triceps after that. I tried to take what I learned from last time with how they responded to try and adjust my sets accordingly. Alternating curls I started out lighter and made bigger jumps. Even at that light of weight, still getting a decent amount of fatigue for the sets working up to the big set. Left biceps is definitely behind my right one as my form was much sloppier and heaving. I felt good for more on the right but stopped after I got too ugly on the left. I had better success with triceps. First set just right amount of resistance. I went a little heavier than I was thinking for the last set but still good. I need to let myself be ok with making not equal jumps in weight for warm-ups haha. Home to stretch. One third of the way through this first cycle.

Craig_Pfisterer		...	11-01-2017 @ 12:46
Sugdens 'man' at WSM 2021 Member 1513, 2139 posts SQ 224.5, BP 181, DL 276.5 682.0 kgs @ 120kgs UnEq	Post Edited: 12.01.2017 @ 12:08 PM by Craig_Pfisterer January 10, 2017 – Week 5, Day 1 5 Minutes Cybex Arc Trainer Leaning Calf Raises BWx30 Sumo Box Touches (12” Box) BWx25 Squat Therapy (16” Box) BWx25 Regular Box Touches (12” Box) BWx25 16” Box Squats 20.5x10 43x5 61x5 Incline Bench Presses 20.5x5 20.5x5 36x3 36x3 50x6 63.5x6 77x6 91x6 81.5x6 One Arm Dumbbell Rows (supported, tripod) 22.5x10/10 27x10/10 32x10/10 36x10/10 41x10/10 Stretching Comments: On to week 5, one month of training down with no issues. Didn’t get as much sleep as I would have liked two days ago so I made sure I got to bed early so that I was rested for this workout. I used the Arc Trainer again for warm-ups as I noticed that I was feeling some soreness in my posterior chain I wasn’t getting with the elliptical. Heart rate got to only 160bpm compared to last session. Checked bodyweight and I’m back up to 116.5kgs. Calf raises went well. I’m noticing the calf muscles are standing out more. Granted the left side is still behind but not as bad as it had been. There was a lull in the activity at the gym so I was able to setup the box touches and squat stuff so I could go through them without much interruption. Hamstrings felt good on the wide stance box touches. Tried to mimic last session with the squat therapy. I might have had some slack in some reps but I corrected it on the following rep each time (or over-corrected, not sure). A lot going on with these squats, trying to get everything right. Box squats again. More progression with bar, quarters and then plates. These felt great. Some lower back fatigue and slight muscle soreness after the top set. But not pain so that is good. Each rep I’m thinking “do it better”. Then on to upper body work. Incline pressing again. Lower reps but I knew what to expect this time as far as how to approach things. Same plan as floor pressing last week. I knew not to aim so high but I figured I had improved enough to go for my low ball number I attempted last time plus some change. Definitely tough but got what I wanted this session. Really trying to keep my lower body from air humping these up like I’ve done in the past with the heavier weights to get past the sticking point dead zone I have in the mid-range. Then on to one arm dumbbell rows. Same as last time, just aiming for more weight. Midsection is getting stronger and better at stabilizing so I knew I could up the weight a bit. Even the top set wasn’t near as tough to keep from rotating then last time. However, it is getting to the limit of what I can do with this controlled and strict motion. No straps yet but I don’t know if they would do anything as far as keeping things strict as support grip has always been pretty good. Just have to see. Home to eat and stretch and try to get some quality sleep.

Craig_Pfisterer		...	13-01-2017 @ 03:02
Sugdens 'man' at WSM 2021 Member 1513, 2139 posts SQ 224.5, BP 181, DL 276.5 682.0 kgs @ 120kgs UnEq	January 12, 2017 – Week 5, Day 2 5 Minutes Cybex Arc Trainer Leaning Calf Raises BWx30 Sumo Box Touches (12” Box) BWx25 Squat Therapy (16” Box) BWx25 Regular Box Touches (12” Box) BWx25 16” Box Squats 20.5x15 43x10 61x5 Step Ups (18” Box) BWx25/25 Hyperextensions BWx25 BW+16x25 Deadlifts 20.5x10 (bar on bumper plates) 40x10 41.5x10 Shrugs 43x62 Crunches/Leg Raises BWx25/BWx25 BWx25/BWx25 Stretching Comments: Like last week, this day seems to be the most stressful. Work that is, not the actual workout. Just got to keep my head straight as things pass. Some SI joint issues and hamstring tenderness. Probably due to the temperature jumping up 11 degrees overnight. Even with good sleep the night before, I was feeling a little beat. Arc trainer again and feels good. Less stress on joints and more work for muscles. Heart rate read 153bpm but it went up to 163bpm. I may need to check it sooner to get an accurate reading. Calf raises were quite easy this time. Wide box touches were good for the lower back and hips. Felt a lot of tightness in my left leg on these and I think these helped calm that down a bit. Squat therapy followed. Again, working hard on all aspects of the squat. Don’t know if this was my best session on them but it was better than last session. No issues with regular style box touches, all tightness I was feeling left. Box squats with weight after that. I definitely noticed some fatigue in my posterior chain and legs on these. More reps with the first two sets before the heaviest lift. A little slower on the concentric than I would like. Step-ups next. Knee wasn’t as achy this time but I was sweating a good bit by the end. Lower back on the left side was a bit sore. Hyperextensions after that. Bodyweight set was pretty easy. Added some weight and went for broke on reps. Hamstrings were on fire by the end of the set with weight so I stopped. Finally deadlift time. Been gradually working to this point. Lightest bumper plates at the Y are 10kgs so first set was just the bar on bumper plates to about standard bar height. Those last few inches are noticeable haha. No pain just harder to get the tight arch and position from the past weeks with the rack pulls. The big test was using the bumper plates on the bar. Definitely doesn’t feel like nothing as the rack pulls have been but still good. Everything went well so I added the smallest amount I could for one more set of ten. Went about as well as the previous set. I know my form will need to be cleaned up some more but this is progress. Max reps set of shrugs again. A bit more taxing on the grip this time around but traps fatigued well beforehand and I stopped when I knew I’d have to use a lot of body English to move the weight. Superset of abs again. Did it nonstop. Leg raises part of it is so much tougher than the crunches. Home to stretch and eat three double meat recovery burritos. Really needed those today haha.

Craig_Pfisterer		...	14-01-2017 @ 23:43
Sugdens 'man' at WSM 2021 Member 1513, 2139 posts SQ 224.5, BP 181, DL 276.5 682.0 kgs @ 120kgs UnEq	January 14, 2017 – Week 5, Day 3 5 Minutes Arc Trainer Leaning Calf Raises BWx30 Sumo Box Touches (12” Box) BWx25 Squat Therapy (16” Box) BWx25 Regular Box Touches (12” Box) BWx25 16” Box Squats 20.5x10 43x10 61x10 Seated Dead Shoulder Presses (no back support) 20.5x20 34x15 45x10 56.5x16 Seated Dumbbell Hammer Curls 7’sx20 13.5’sx15 20.5’sx16 Triceps Pushdowns (v-bar) 18x25 27x20 38.5x26 Stretching Comments: Got some quality sleep and food last night so I felt I would be ready for this session. Arc Trainer again for warm-up. Heart rate up to 162bpm this time. Calf raises were good but felt fatigue on the last five reps. As I’ve come to expect for this session, hamstrings are tight after deadlift stuff and sleeping in. Wide stance box touches were good and helped get my hamstrings to wake up and not be so tight. Squat therapy after that. Form can always improve on these but more often than not, I’m getting mostly quality reps. Regular stance box touches after that. Definitely needed to do these with how tight the hamstrings still were. Box squats followed. Sets of ten for each weight. Not quite as fatigued this time but the increased reps with the top weight were noticed haha. I was trying to keep my pace on the exercises at a brisk pace since the gym was pretty empty. Upper body stuff just like two weeks ago but more weight and more reps. Seated rack presses were good mostly. Some tenderness in the left shoulder but generally it goes away after a few light sets. High reps to a top set for as many reps as possible. No straining but trying to get closer to that point than last time I did these. Certainly tougher this time around with the increased weight and more reps beforehand. Then hammer curls. Getting better at gauging the light and medium stuff on biceps. Felt some cramping in the left biceps on the “medium” set but luckily no issues on the max rep set. Good improvement from the previous time through this. Then on to triceps. I think I was just right this time whereas last time I was too light. Got a lot more reps done compared to last time with a bit more weight. Stretched a good bit after all this. Progress is going well.

dannyboy73		...	15-01-2017 @ 10:37
Mask it or Casket !! Member 4600, 8166 posts SQ 240, BP 162.5, DL 255 657.5 kgs @ 90.5kgs UnEq	wow, never seen a journal like this. war and peace... some serious volume here, you must be hench sir

Craig_Pfisterer		...	15-01-2017 @ 14:29
Sugdens 'man' at WSM 2021 Member 1513, 2139 posts SQ 224.5, BP 181, DL 276.5 682.0 kgs @ 120kgs UnEq	dannyboy73 said:wow, never seen a journal like this. war and peace... some serious volume here, you must be hench sir Much appreciated. I like to write out my thoughts on what I am doing and how I am feeling. Especially when I'm either coming back from or dealing with an injury. This injury has kept me sidelined for over half a year so I'm keeping an eye on everything as I progress back to a healthy competitive state. Also helps when I need to look back on previous training and see where I was. I had actually watched my past contest videos yesterday to get motivation and to see if I could spot mistakes I made then and if I learned from them. I had lost about 11kgs of weight from cutting out weight-gainer and inactivity during my recovery (it hurt to stand and walk for very long) but muscle tone is coming back quick. Up 2kgs since I returned to training so I will hopefully be "hench" again shortly haha and be competing by summer.


Craig_Pfisterer		...	18-01-2017 @ 02:51
Sugdens 'man' at WSM 2021 Member 1513, 2139 posts SQ 224.5, BP 181, DL 276.5 682.0 kgs @ 120kgs UnEq	Post Edited: 18.01.2017 @ 02:54 AM by Craig_Pfisterer January 17, 2017 – Week 6, Day 1 5 Minutes Arc Trainer Leaning Calf Raises BWx30 Sumo Box Touches (12” Box) BWx25 Squat Therapy (16” Box) BWx25 Regular Box Touches (12” Box) BWx25 16” Box Squats 20.5x10 43x5 61x5 84x1 Dead Floor Presses 20.5x5 20.5x5 43x3 43x3 66x5 84x5 102x5 120x5 109x5 Pulldowns 36x10 45x10 54.5x10 63.5x10 72.5x10 Stretching Comments: Felt rested from the weekend. Knee joints were achy and stiff today. Not sure why. I had to use the more beat-up Arc Trainer this time. The heart rate sensor wasn’t working so I didn’t get an accurate reading this time. Lot of bodies in the gym today. Calf raises started off well but definitely got harder in the last 10 reps. Sumo box touches were ok. Hamstrings weren’t nearly as tight as last time but definitely tightness in my left calf muscle. Knees ached a lot on squat therapy. Again, not sure why but it was a little distracting but I did my best to keep strict form. Regular box touches after that and also some knee aches but not as bad as the squats. Box squats up next. Bar was moving well, probably the best it has felt so far. Knee aches, mostly the right side, which has not been the knee that has been achy on the step-ups. No issues as I added weight. Worked up to 84kgs and did a single squat. Wanted this one to be strong and steady. Felt easy so that is good. Dead floor presses returned. Same as last time but sets of five. I went for just a small increase. Still working on get tighter under the bar. This is the first time on these that for the top set I can say I had more in me. I think a double was left in the tank at this weight. Final exercise was pulldowns. I wasn’t sure how these would go. I had lowball numbers and highball numbers. I went in-between those. Worked on feeling the muscles work, and pulling the back tight. Bringing the bar to my chest every rep and trying to keep any cheating out of it. I had a little bit of that on the last two reps of the last set but it was minimal. Still got issues with the left shoulder but it isn’t preventing me from doing anything yet. Home to stretch and eat.

Craig_Pfisterer		...	20-01-2017 @ 03:48
Sugdens 'man' at WSM 2021 Member 1513, 2139 posts SQ 224.5, BP 181, DL 276.5 682.0 kgs @ 120kgs UnEq	January 19, 2017 – Week 6, Day 2 5 Minutes Percor AMT Leaning Calf Raises BWx30 Sumo Box Touches (12” Box) BWx25 Squat Therapy (16” Box) BWx25 Regular Box Touches (12” Box) BWx25 16” Box Squats 20.5x15 43x5 61x5 84x2 Step Ups (18” Box) BWx25/25 Hyperextensions BWx25 BW+20.5x25 16” Rack Pulls 20.5x10 34x5 47.5x5 61x5 75x5 88.5x5 102x6 Shrugs 102x41 Crunches/Leg Raises BWx25/BWx25 BWx25/BWx25 Stretching Comments: I was very anxious for this workout. Discomfort in my SI joint all day and tenderness in the left hamstring. But not letting that stop me. All of the ARC trainers and good elliptical machines were in use so I tried a different one. Open range so I really could make my strides as long or as short as I wanted. Really weird feeling. Heart rate up to 162bpm. I may use this one as it is less motion restrictive than the ARC trainer or elliptical. I think my knees appreciated not being locked in a set plane of motion. Calf raises were slightly better than last time. Not the easiest but a lot better than last time as far as how they felt and fatigue. Appreciated the wide stance box touches with getting the hamstrings looser. Still tightness in the left lower leg. No knee issues with the squat therapy. Must have been a fluke last session. Really managed to keep upright posture on these. Regular box touches also good with getting hamstrings warm. Box squats after that. Same as last time but one extra rep on the last set. Felt better than last time. I was feeling a surprising amount of fatigue in my lower back by this point. Not pain so no stopping here. Little stiff in the lower back on the step-ups but no knee issues. Hyperextensions after that. Same as it has been. Added more weight and went for max reps. Such a deep burn in the hamstrings and glutes on these haha. Then came the exercise that was keeping me awake. Rack pulls with actual weight on the bar. Light and then adding weight to a comfortable top set of five. Goal set for between 84kgs and 102kgs. Since most of the work has been lowering the height of the rack pulls to the floor, going back to the top felt weird as it felt like such a short range of motion. My hamstrings and lumbars have gotten stronger as it wasn’t hard to get into position. I felt I could do a lot more if pushed. I stopped where I did as I was feeling my lats cramping up pretty good on the last two sets and I didn’t want to overdo it. This 77kgs more than when I last did these so it is progress. I was so focused on my form that I lost count of my reps on the last set and did an extra one. No harm done. Max reps set of shrugs again. Used the top rack pull weight here. Surprisingly easy. Trap endurance and grip endurance are much closer at this weight haha. I stopped when it felt like I would have to cheat up the next rep. Abs to finish off the session. Still tough but much easier than last week.

Craig_Pfisterer		...	21-01-2017 @ 22:58
Sugdens 'man' at WSM 2021 Member 1513, 2139 posts SQ 224.5, BP 181, DL 276.5 682.0 kgs @ 120kgs UnEq	January 21, 2017 – Week 6, Day 3 5 Minutes Percor AMT Leaning Calf Raises BWx30 Sumo Box Touches (12” Box) BWx25 Squat Therapy (16” Box) BWx25 Regular Box Touches (12” Box) BWx25 16” Box Squats 20.5x15 43x5 61x5 84x3 Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Presses 9’sx8 9’sx8 18’sx8 22.5’sx8 27’sx8 32’sx8 36’sx8 Seated Alternating Dumbbell Curls 7’sx20 13.5’sx15 22.5’sx14 Triceps Pushdowns (straight bar) 18x25 29.5x20 43x21 Stretching Comments: Pretty much the only day I can really sleep in. I usually feel quite stiff but I know I need to get quality sleep to make sure I’m recovering between workouts. Much like last week, SI joint issues. Each week, more weight and stress being added to lower body stuff and as long as it goes away and is minimal, that is fine. Especially considering the jump from 41.5kgs to 102kgs this week. Used the AMT again for warm-up. I think that will be my go to one with the ARC trainer and elliptical after that in the hierarchy of preferred warm-up cardio equipment at the Y. Heart rate only got up to 143bpm. Not that I’m complaining but it probably a better range then what I’ve been hitting for a light warm-up. Calf raises were pretty easy again. Fatigue not being felt until the last three or so reps. I was looking forward to both styles of box touches as I hoped they would alleviate some of the tension in my left side. They did but not as much as I was hoping haha. Left calf not as tight as past two sessions on wide stance so that is good. Left hip was feeling so tightens on the regular style. On squat therapy went well. No aches in the knees. I felt I was able to keep these much like last time with tight arch and upright posture. Then on to box squats. Had to use the half rack thing again as the other good one was in use. Some fatigue in the legs but not really noticeable after the first few reps with the bar. Unrack with the top set wasn’t the best as it isn’t the best setup so the weight didn’t feel the best on my upper back and shoulders. But the weight felt fine on the lower body and moved well. One more rep added to the top set. Seated dumbbell shoulder presses again. I did two lighter warm-up sets to make sure my form was good and shoulders were good and warm. I didn’t want to have anything feel off like last time I dived right into these. I had been debating going for just a small jump to a larger jump. I went with the larger jump. Had some issues with the clean to the shoulders on the first two working sets but I managed to get it mostly sorted out after that. Got good and focused for the top set. Actually moved better than 10lbs less did last time I did these. Bis and tris after the shoulder work. Getting better at the warming up sets for biceps. Still with the lighter stuff, the reps get me feeling fatigue pretty quick. Fatigue seemed to disappear on the top set. Felt better than last time I did these and managed to increase by a rep over last time with this increased weight. I knew what I was doing with triceps. I had to not go full force on the light set to warm-up as doing so might get the cable off the track. I wasn’t expecting to get that many reps on the top set considering the jump and how many I got last time haha. Good pump in my arms after those two exercises. Home to stretch and recover. Reached the halfway point, no turning back now.

Craig_Pfisterer		...	25-01-2017 @ 12:41
Sugdens 'man' at WSM 2021 Member 1513, 2139 posts SQ 224.5, BP 181, DL 276.5 682.0 kgs @ 120kgs UnEq	January 24, 2017 – Week 7, Day 1 5 Minutes Cybex Arc Trainer Leaning Calf Raises BWx30 Sumo Box Touches (12” Box) BWx25 Squat Therapy (16” Box) BWx25 Regular Box Touches (12” Box) BWx25 16” Box Squats 20.5x10 43x5 61x5 84x5 Incline Bench Presses 20.5x10 43x3 43x3 56.5x5 70x5 84x5 97.5x5 88.5x5 One Arm Dumbbell Rows (supported, tripod) 27x8/8 32x8/8 36x7/7 (miscounted) 41x8/8 45x8/8 Stretching Comments: Past the halfway point in this cycle. Still got SI joint issues but they haven’t worsened. Just an annoyance but it is keeping me on edge. I had hoped rest and days off just walking would make it go away. I’m doing more work so with this kind of injury, it is to be expected. However, nothing I’m doing (at least while I’m doing it) is making it worse so that is at least one positive. I’m watching it very closely. So other than that stress, on to the actual workout. AMT were all in use so I did the Arc Trainer. BPM only got up to 156 so I’m definitely adjusting to the warm-ups. Calf raises went about as well as they have been. Some fatigue going into the last eight or so reps. Got some good blood flow going with both styles of box touches. Definitely some tightness in my left side erectors and glutes. Squat therapy went well. Not quite as upright as the last few sessions but I felt this was best my upper thoracic spine mobility has been on these. Box squats felt good. I had to use the half rack again. I feel the unracks were better this time; I made sure I was under the weight before trying to get it low bar style. Top set, I made sure I treated each rep with control and worked on my bracing and breathing. Then on to upper body work. Well not right away. I had setup the area and as I was putting away the stuff from box squats, someone took up residence on the incline bench so I had to wait about 20-30 minutes to get on the incline bench. Thankfully, I did not cool down much. Incline pressing for fives this time. Same as last time with working to a top set and then a down set with about 90% of that set. Big change was putting my feet against the wall in front of me in order to make my lower body be engaged in bracing my lower back and midsection. Better to protect that area and allowing for a more stable base to press. It felt good with just the bar so I went for a fairly large jump from my planned attempts. Got tough near the end on the last set but I got it. Down set felt good as well without wrist wraps. Then on to one arm dumbbell rows. Same as last time, just aiming for more weight with less reps. This one was concerning me but I knew I should be fine if I just brace the hell out of my midsection and keep a tight arch in my back. It was more an anti-rotation exercise until I got up to the last two sets. I think I miscounted the third set since it was easier than expected (most dumbbells at the gym are thick handle after 29.5kgs). It definitely felt like a back exercise for those last two sets. Grip still good, but each time I do these, the top set always feels like I’m at my limit with keeping the core tight and not just heaving the weight up. But I get better each time and the weight becomes a stepping stone the next session. Stretched and home to eat. Just got to keep watch on the SI joint stuff, monitor it and try to continue to promote recovery.

Craig_Pfisterer		...	27-01-2017 @ 12:46
Sugdens 'man' at WSM 2021 Member 1513, 2139 posts SQ 224.5, BP 181, DL 276.5 682.0 kgs @ 120kgs UnEq	January 26, 2017 – Week 7, Day 2 5 Minutes Percor AMT Leaning Calf Raises BWx30 Sumo Box Touches (12” Box) BWx25 Squat Therapy (16” Box) BWx25 Regular Box Touches (12” Box) BWx25 16” Box Squats 20.5x10 43x5 61x5 84x5 Step Ups (18” Box) BWx25/25 Hyperextensions BWx25 BW+22.5x30 Deadlifts 20.5x10 (bar on bumper plates) 40.5x5 49.5x5 58.5x5 67.5x5 76.5x5 86x5 95x5 104x5 Shrugs 111x41 Crunches/Leg Raises BWx25/BWx25 BWx25/BWx25 Stretching Comments: I was very concerned going into this workout. SI issues have been present this week and last. While it hasn’t gotten worse, some of the exercises for this day had me worried. Doing what I can with soft tissue work, stretching and massage to alleviate it. It seems to just come and go as it pleases. Started off with light cardio warm-up on the AMT. Heart rate read 166bpm but it dropped down to 156bpm within 5 seconds so I don’t know what was the right number this time haha. Calf raises were a little tougher than last session. I was feeling some tension in my lumbars. Wide box touches after that. Some achiness in my left hip and glute but no real issues. Squat therapy followed. Very similar to last session in keeping upright and having good mobility in the t-spine. No issues here. Regular box touches felt fine. Wasn’t have much tightness in the hamstrings by this point. Feeling a decent lower back pump by this point. Box squats after that. Felt fatigue in my quads on the first set but nothing on the following sets. Again, being very deliberate on the top set to make sure I’m treating it like I would a top set with big breath and bracing each rep. My lower back started to feel a little off after doing box squats and my anxiety started to rise but kept on it as the next two exercises were not lower back stressful and would help with getting more blood flow. No issues with step-ups, just getting a good sweat going with them. After the step-ups, I did a self-adjustment on my back and that seemed to get the weird feeling to go away but still watching carefully. Hyperextensions next. Same as it has been these last few weeks. I only went up a little bit this time in the weight as I wanted to try and get more reps this time. Also getting to the point where I will need to use multiple plates or something else for weight in the future. Hit what I wanted for reps this time and felt good. The last few sessions, it felt like I was rotated to the right a little but didn’t feel like it this time. Then deadlifts. These were the things I was worrying about since last week. One false move, one moment of relaxation or weakness and I could be back to square one. Granted, everything could be that moment (at least what I tell myself to calm anxiety). Warm-up with the bar was slow and deliberate, breaking each rep into a single almost to focus on setup, breathing, bracing and keeping an arch on both the concentric and eccentric. A good drill, I’d say it was tougher than some of the work sets haha. Then on to the pulls from the floor. None of my fears happened and I felt good with these. I may still need to work on the lowering of the weight but I felt this was better than the rack pulls from last week. The top weight wasn’t even that bad and I could have done more but stopped there as that was my goal. A lot of the stress went away with the completion of the deadlifts. A weight off my shoulders, for now. On to shrugs. More weight, same as it has been. Even with the increase, I matched what I did in reps from last time. I thought I would fall short for sure. Finished up with abdominal superset and then home to stretch and eat.

Craig_Pfisterer		...	28-01-2017 @ 19:10
Sugdens 'man' at WSM 2021 Member 1513, 2139 posts SQ 224.5, BP 181, DL 276.5 682.0 kgs @ 120kgs UnEq	January 28, 2017 – Week 7, Day 3 5 Minutes Percor AMT Leaning Calf Raises BWx30 Sumo Box Touches (12” Box) BWx25 Squat Therapy (16” Box) BWx25 Regular Box Touches (12” Box) BWx25 16” Box Squats 20.5x10 43x5 61x5 84x5 Seated Dead Shoulder Presses (no back support) 20.5x5 29.5x5 38.5x5 47.5x5 56.5x5 66x5 75x5 Seated Dumbbell Hammer Curls 7’sx20 13.5’sx15 22.5’sx16 Triceps Pushdowns (v-bar) 18x25 29.5x20 43x27 Stretching Comments: Usually I sleep in the day. However, there was a family event this afternoon that was optional. I wanted to make that and I figured that when I’m back to full blown competition mode, I will have to get up early on Saturdays to make it the places to train the events and equipment I don’t have access to nearby. Still got SI joint issues. No worse than it has been the past two weeks but still present and I feel it is import to keep documenting it rather than ignore it as it should not be the new normal for me. I know recovery will have bumps in the road and that the nerve issues will take the longest as nerves repair about an inch per month (or so the doctor says). Tone still lacking in my glutes but I’m working on that when I do my walks on my off days. AMT again for warm-up. Heart rate up to 150bpm this time. It appears to have been accurate. Not sure why it jumped up so much last session. Calf raises were good but felt fatigue on the ten reps. Might be from getting up early to workout. I had noticed my strides weren’t as long on the warm-up until near the end. I’ve noticed the tone difference between the injured and uninjured side is better than it was at the start of this training cycle. Left hip ached a bit getting setup for the wide stance box touches. Doing them felt good though. Tight hamstrings but didn’t notice a discrepancy between my left and right so that is good. Squat therapy followed. Form has felt on point with these all this week. I was confident enough this time that I didn’t have to check the video immediately after I did to make sure it looked good. Regular stance box touches after that. I feel like I’m getting quite good at generating power in this stance on these. Box squats followed with what has been the same thing the other workouts this week. I think this was the best session with squats yet. I got to use the real power rack so maybe that had something to do with it. Upper body stuff for the second half of the workout. On the top set of every exercise, I had someone take my spot and take the weights away. Beyond frustrating. And it was different person each time. Just meant more rest I guess haha. Seated overhead dead presses up after that. Empty bar and adding weight each set to a good set of five. As previously done, no straining reps. I moved through the first few sets pretty quick and then slowed down my pace as I felt the reps get slower. I could have done more weight but the goal was a top set without straining and I wasn’t sure I could do that with the next increase in weight. Didn’t want a repeat of my ego from the very first week. Then hammer curls next. The warm-ups were spot on this time. Top set, I matched the reps from last time with more weight. Triceps were also much the same as how the biceps work went. More weight and one more rep. Home to stretch. Things are ramping up next week. Got to keep confidence high and ego in check.

Craig_Pfisterer		...	01-02-2017 @ 12:45
Sugdens 'man' at WSM 2021 Member 1513, 2139 posts SQ 224.5, BP 181, DL 276.5 682.0 kgs @ 120kgs UnEq	January 31, 2017 – Week 8, Day 1 5 Minutes Elliptical Sumo Box Touches (12” Box) BWx15 Regular Box Touches (12” Box) BWx15 Dead Floor Presses 20.5x10 43x3 66x3 88.5x3 111x3 134x3 Wide Grip Pulldowns 32x15 50x8 59x8 68x8 77x8 Incline Dumbbell Bench Presses 13.5’sx10 27’sx10 32’sx10 36’sx10 41’sx10 Chest Supported Rows 45x10 54.5x10 63.5x10 72.5x10 Stretching Comments: First week with the new adjustments. Less lower body stuff on the upper body days, more big exercises on the upper body days. Still dealing with SI issues but they have felt less intense the last three days. Not sure if improving or just fluctuating as it has been. I was looking forward to this workout for some things but anxious about other things. The AMT and Arc trainers were all in use as well as the newer elliptical machines so I had to use an older model that didn’t have an elevation adjustment. HR only got up to 119BPM. Both styles of box touches were good. More of a dynamic warm-up to help get the hamstrings to wake up and stop being so tight. Dead floor presses right off the bat. Goal was big jumps up to a 3rm. I had been thinking about what I wanted to hit since I was given this workout and even the day of, I was second guessing myself on hitting the top set I had planned. Triceps and biceps have gotten back or exceeded preinjury status but still have stuff lagging behind (shoulders, back, etc. My second to last set felt easy so I knew I had to get it. I was successful and I feel I still had something in the tank. Big improvement on here. Next was wide grip pulldowns. Same idea as last time I did pulldowns; controlled, full range of motion and feeling the back muscles doing the work. No herky-jerky as I need to keep the lower back stable. This was less reps per set than last time but I was using more weight by the end. Hopefully working strict will help get my back muscles back to form. Then incline dumbbell presses. Plan being a comfortable set of ten. I was going to go with just 36’s as a top set but I was feeling good so I went up to 41’s. Not exactly a comfortable set of ten but well short of max effort to get these reps. I did the last two reps with pauses to ensure that I was doing the weight with control. Happy with how my pressing strength was going this session. Almost feel like how a preinjury session would be going haha. Last thing on the agenda for today was chest supported rows. This was something that concerned me as this was one of the exercises that had exacerbated my injury back in June. However, I knew it wasn’t the exercise but the way I was doing it. So used a lot less weight than I have in the past on this to make sure I was doing them full range of motion with control. Just like the pulldowns. I know that improvements will come. No issues here. Home to stretch and eat.

Craig_Pfisterer		...	03-02-2017 @ 02:44
Sugdens 'man' at WSM 2021 Member 1513, 2139 posts SQ 224.5, BP 181, DL 276.5 682.0 kgs @ 120kgs UnEq	February 2, 2017 – Week 8, Day 2 5 Minutes Percor AMT Leaning Calf Raises BWx30 Sumo Box Touches (12” Box) BWx25 Squat Therapy (16” Box) BWx25 Regular Box Touches (12” Box) BWx25 16” Box Squats 20.5x10 43x5 61x5 84x5 102x5 Deadlifts 20.5x10 (bar on bumper plates) 43x5 61x3 84x2 102x1 102x1 102x1 102x1 102x1 102x1 102x1 102x1 102x1 102x1 Step Ups (18” Box) BWx25/25 Hyperextensions BWx25 BW+30x21 Crunches/Leg Raises BWx30/BWx30 BWx30/BWx30 Stretching Comments: First time I think that I’ve come into the deadlift and squat workout with confidence in my abilities since the injury. Still have SI joint things going on but it is a lesser degree than it was the previous two weeks. Sometimes something flairs up for a minute or so but it generally goes away. AMT for my workout warm-up. Heart rate read 157bpm dropped down to 150bpm and then went back up. Not sure what that was about. Calf raises were a little tougher than usual. Probably because I didn’t do them last session. Wide box touches after that. No issues on anything. I was worried I wasn’t keeping good form but I checked and I think it was just in my head. Squat therapy followed. Knees were a little achy. Form felt fine, just maybe not as good as the last few sessions. Maybe just feeling off. Regular box touches felt fine too. Just like with wide style, I felt like I wasn’t keeping good form but things looked fine. Box squats up next. Plan being to work up to two plates and go for 1-5 reps. I didn’t have the best bar to make sure I was centered (no center knurling, ring spacing much wider than standard) so sometimes the weight didn’t feel easy. I got my spacing just right on the top set as it felt easier than the previous set. Could do a fair bit more I think. Then on to deadlifts. Goal to work up to ten singles of EMOM style lifting. I didn’t feel like it was a struggle to get to the bar and breathe or to keep an arch in my back. Fast concentric, deep breath at the top and control to the ground. Went better than expected. Actually felt like it was speed work weight. On to the accessory stuff after that. Step-ups felt much the same as they have been. No issues there. Hyperextensions next. I bumped the weight up a bit since I only did a small increase last time to try for 30 reps. The weight was noticed with the lower rep result this time haha. Finished up with abdominal superset. Five reps added to each set so it was quite tough to get through with no stops. But it was easier than I expected. Home to stretch and eat three double meat recovery burritos.

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