Bench/back

Extra workout - an indulgence, but it was worth it! Now I am feeling slightly awful due to allergies - my eyes feel like they are about to pop out of my head - must go and dig around in cabinet to see if there are some drops or anything else that might improve the situation....

1hr upper body

Squats!!!!

Workout of bliss. Everything that was horrible and impossible last week was finally clicking. Still need to get these grooves more deeply entrenched (neuromuscular more than a strength issue as such), but I was squatting 135 by the end of the workout and it felt extremely manageable. Assignment for the week is to do air squats whenever I think of it and try and get this set of cues to become truly reflexive (activate quads and glutes, brace abs, SCREW feet out, go down LOW and then really SURGE back up with pressure from outside of the feet....)

Having an extra workout with Josh tomorrow as a treat - we will do back and bench, it is his persuasive theory that squatting will become easier when my lats are stronger than they are currently.

1+hr lower body

Powerlifting of bliss!

It is just very quiet and meditative, I thoroughly enjoy it! Both the activity itself and the particular iteration. Bench today - after the main sets, did some very fun work at lighter weight/close grip for speed and volume, 3 x 20 x 65!

It is possible that after I meet one more deadline tomorrow (well, one plus one minor revision on something else), I can actually COLLAPSE for a bit - I may be kidding myself, certainly final papers are coming in at the end of the week and will need comments etc. etc., but the end does seem to be in sight....

1hr upper body

Deadlifts!

OK, not 100% but mostly back on form - in fact while working out I realized that really it's allergies now that are making me glassy-eyed, not ailment as such, though lungs are still somewhat full of junk. Highly satisfactory workout.

1hr deadlifts and grip work

ugh....

I went to the squats session, but I think it was a mistake - I just felt really sick and low-energy and upset the whole hour, it never turned round to the good. Still feeling pretty dreadful - more upset than physically ill - will just go to bed pretty soon I hope and perhaps tomorrow will go better....

(I am scheduled to do this 10K on Sunday, but I will have to be feeling a LOT better than this on Saturday for it to be a good idea - it's not just the event itself, it's the early morning/missed sleep that getting there entails - will revisit this question Saturday midday in light of how I feel then.)

1hr lower body

More ailment....

Bench day was pretty good regardless, but I didn't manage to edge up my PR (it is silly to feel bad about this, I am sick, but it would have given me a good mood boost!) - however I am pretty certain I should be able to get that weight (120) next week, it was a close thing. Ugh, ailment now sort of descending to lungs, am going to try and sleep for a LONG time tonight - today was overly demanding, too many meetings....

1hr upper body

Ailment...

Ugh, sore sinus/throat thing yesterday has predictably turned into a minor but unpleasant cold. Slept for 2hr in the afternoon and felt better enough after that that I ventured downtown for the deadlift workout - I don't know that it was a mistake as such, but getting home again afterwards has sufficiently tired me out that I am going to bed NOW! (Grocery delivery scheduled in 10-11:30 slot, will just have to wake back up for that one....)

Hopefully I will get better soon, it is hard for me to do without joyful exercise chemicals - today's workout didn't feel bad, but I was definitely more subdued than usual/with very low energy levels....

1hr deadlifts/rows

2hr TOF!

Took yesterday off as I am feeling a bit of soreness in right glute, not sure what that is from (Prowler work the other day, maybe?). Had very good session with Liz this morning in the park - 2hr time-on-feet run! First hour as 4:1, second hour as 3:1. Highly satisfactory (beautiful weather).

(Alas, my lungs are in poor shape - woke up middle of night with painfully sore throat - the part of the throat that's almost more like back upper palate - and am afraid I may have opened myself up to an ailment....)

2hr time on feet!

SQUATS!

I am THIS close to a breakthrough, I can taste it - made a couple other minor bits of progress today - it should all come together in the next week or two, or so I am hoping...

1hr squats!

SQUATS!

Workout of bliss! My legs were a bit tired from running, and really I just don't have any surplus energy, but it was a great workout regardless - these adjustable box things you can use to work on depth finally came in, and I had a very good session just with the bar rather than trying any weights, widening stance and thinking about various other things. Also some goblet squats (the fact that they work so well tells me the block on squatting with the bar is in large part mental - I'm getting there, though), walking lunges with weights, and some AMAZING conditioning with the Prowler as a finale!

1hr lower body

Run!

That was a really nice one. Beautiful weather - mid-60s, sunny, clear. Cleared one piece of work, procrastinating on another and decided I could justify spending the time going out for a run on grounds of mental and physical health.

:50 as 4:1 (boat basin and back, basically)

Bench!

I pressed 115 today - J. says he thinks that's more like 135 as a one-rep max, I am pleased with progress. (We are shooting for 175 a bit further down the road!) I can't even say what a blessing this powerlifting has been - really January to now has had exceptional life strain, and I credit the fact that I am doing relatively well to this specific activity/group! About 1.5hr total, including some lovely conditioning farmer's walk (grip strength remains a limiter, it's frustrating - but I really do have good strength and fitness, I think). Three more weeks of very intense school/work commitments and then things should open up a little.

1.5hr upper body

Mini-run!

The "what goes down must come up edition" - my mother lives near the top of a hill (Midvale Avenue), it's a ten-minute jog downhill to the Schuylkill, which must rank as one of America's most beautiful urban runs, but then you have to figure out what to do about getting back up the hill....

It was raining so heavily in the early morning that I didn't think I'd realistically be able to get out at all, but by mid-morning, it was a light drizzle only, and no reason not to. Lawyer picking me up at 12:45 so we can do the business at City Hall, then memorial 3:30-5:30 on the Penn campus, then dinner at my mom's.

(In the end I jogged 15 minutes out and then turned around, which gives you some nice minutes by the river - switched to powerwalking a couple minutes in once I was back at the bottom of Midvale. About :22 jogging, then another :12 or so powerwalk.)

:22/:12

Mini-run!

Ignominious end to the exercise week. Really I am just so tired that I got NUTHIN'! Had a massage Friday evening, not sure it has dramatically helped loosen back but it can't hurt. Spent yesterday in haze of fatigue - basically had lineup of stuff with hard deadline of tomorrow (writing words to say at my father's memorial, making a program, minor edits to something my uncle sent that my brother will read) that I could not seem to get down to, not to mention revisions on a book review. Anyway gave up finally and started again this morning, after an interrupted night of sleep. Got what I needed to done, but by that time I only was able to get out for a very short run indeed. (Which is a pity, because it is the most beautiful weather - yesterday was too hot, but today's true spring! - on the other hand, my feet and calves felt very tight, so whatever, it's OK.)

Hoping, possibly unrealistically, for a run in the morning tomorrow at my mom's house in Philadelphia. Lawyer is picking me up 12:45 to go to the Registry of Wills to put in my application to be estate administrator, then memorial is on the Penn campus 3:30-5:30, then dinner at my mom's. Coming home Tuesday morning - really those review revisions are probably going to have to wait till then....

:22 run

Squats!

Still working up to it - technique is a limiter - but I did lift 135 a few times today and it did not feel excessively heavy. Improvement to come in near future!