Roro's Log

[KGM]

Nice job on getting in there and getting something done without aggravating your stitches!

[rorouni777]

Well the stitches and schedule turned into a week deload and it seems to have paid off well.

3/23
Deadlifts
135 x 5
225 x 5
275 x 3
335 x 2
385 x 1
410 x 1
435 x 1
450 x 1
465 x 1 +5 lb PR

FANTASTIC workout. Everything felt light and felt like I had some room after the 465, but I want to stick true to +5 every week because my gains tend to be greater over time that way. I'm really super pleased because stress is abundant right now sleep is as scarce as Lady Gaga's clothes.

I should lift tonight but that's not gonna happen. I'm shooting for tomorrow afternoon right after they pull the stitches out.

[Cranky1962]

I'm amazed you could lift with stitches in your back , how many you got in there...

[rorouni777]

Dips
BW x 8
BW + 15 x 8
BW + 35 x 5
BW + 45 x 8
BW + 52.5 x 8
BW + 57.5 x 7
BW + 65 x 7

Almost, and I mean almost, had eight on the last set but ran out of steam a few inches from lockout. I was overall pretty pleased because I had two hours sleep the night before to round out a week of high stress and little sleep. Ended up cutting a lot of the accessory sets out because I was pretty crapped out but you know how that goes.

[rorouni777]

Originally Posted by Cranky1962

I'm amazed you could lift with stitches in your back , how many you got in there...

8 stiches

I think they put them in the one spot on my back that I just wasn't going to feel them. Only on my heaviest sets of deads was I ever even aware of them.

[rorouni777]

Time to revive this.

Abbreviated update:
- graduated with my B.A.
- received an internship with a state senator
- moved into a far more interesting city
- training at a MUCH more intense gym

Lifting has been positively awesome the last few months. Some recent highlights:
Decline: 245 x 1 - 220 x 2
Dips: BW+75 x 7
Squats: 355 x 1 (matches all-time PR)
Deads: 480 x 1 - 370 x 10

I have definitely let the cardio, and subsequently the BF, slip but not to catastrophic proportions. This week I'm beginning to tighten back down the diet and get to more regular cardio though I'm shifting away from LISS sessions to less frequent HIIT sessions. I suspect some of the lost leanness is due to Creatine Mono which I added about the same time my definition started to drop.

One other major alteration is intensity cycling. IA has shifted me to submaximal loading early in a cycle which steadily increases until I'm am - hopefully - hitting PR's the last two weeks of the cycle.

Upper body session in about an hour. I'll try to post some recent videos and pics after that.

[rorouni777]

Dips
BW + 45 x 8
BW + 55 x 8
BW + 65 x 8
BW + 80 x 7 +5 PR

Despite feeling quite stiff when I got to the gym, I had a solid workout. Reminds one of the importance of taking a little extra time to warm-up on certain days.

I know this is about to sound like a bb.com worthy statement, but I need to find a tricep lift that emphasizes the short head. After a looooooong quest to find a iso-tricep lift that didn't hammer my shoulders instead I found unilateral cable extensions. They're helping tricep size/strength more than any skull or pushdown variation ever did, but it seems to focus on the long head of the tricep.

[rorouni777]

Deadlift
135 x 5
225 x 5
275 x 3
335 x 1
385 x 1
415 x 1
435 x 1
455 x 1 (95% of 1RM)
380 x 10

Pretty happy about the back-down set. 385 x 8 is my all time PR so I think by next deadlift session I'll beat it!

In other news I love watching guys with lame squat form attempt to instruct their girlfriends. Makes me giggle.

Sled tonight and bench tomorrow.

[Cranky1962]

deadlifts are really strong ... great stuff Rorouni..

[rorouni777]

Thanks Cranky! Looking to get that even 500 back by July.

Yesterday's workout:

Decline
95 x 5
115 x 5
145 x 3
170 x 1
190 x 1
220 x 1
227.5 x 1 (Almost 95% of my 1RM)

That's right I managed to put a 2.5 lb plate on only ONE side of the bar. Didn't notice until I stood up. I knew it felt to light and smooth

Today is supposed to be a carb-up. I'm tired of eating myself into bloats-ville and it taking three days to leave it again. I'm going to experiment with a small carb-up window which will probably end up being a decent sized meal and maybe a snack or two.