No replacement for hard work.

I thought I would make a final post here. I have not had the time or energy to blog my workouts this year, but meanwhile I'm enjoying a period of very focused training! I'm simply keeping a paper log of workouts instead. Here is a general update for the major areas I have been training:

Grippers

I anticipate being able to certify on the #3 this year, which is my current top goal. My Kinney-derived training has grip strength through the roof. Wider than CCS attempts on the #3 are about 3/16". But the big news is that the sweep feels like that of a #2. Closing the gripper is no problem--almost effortless--until it stacks at the very end. I have not even begun to focus on fine-tuning the close. I've recently added a plate-loaded grip machine, wrist roller, and TTK. My hands are becoming customized crushing tools, one piece at a time.

Rolling Thunder

This I have not touched but once since hurting my bicep. My bicep is much better and tolerating increasingly intense workouts. I will come back to this eventually, and expect to be basically where I left off because of work on the TTK and thick bar.

Thick Bar

I made myself an axle. This is my new favorite lift as squats have proved to be very hard on my knees. Max is still sub-200 pounds, but I've never done this before. It's fun!

Blob50

I have not touched this in a while either. Again I will expect some carryover from TTK and thick bar. A legitimate lift in 2010 is possible.

Pinch

Just started this again last week and easily lifted 145#. My previous max was only another 10-12 pounds. I will probably do a pinch workout about once per week with Blob and pinch together.

Squats

I have worked up to 165x5 and 135x20, but my right knee especially has been staying pretty sore. I can't tolerate this more than once per week right now and maybe more like every week-and-a-half. I anticipate that I will keep squatting, but probably lighter weights and leave the heavy lifting to the thick bar workouts. I really just want one heavy compound movement and dead lift seems the better choice right now.

There is no replacement for hard work.

bicep update

I made a karate chop motion to illustrate something at work today and felt it right away in my right bicep. Shit.

My drop-dead date on this is my birthday: Feb 12.

I will continue total rest and the contrast therapy until then. If it's not better by 2/12 that would be 3 months dealing with this and I'm going to the doctor.

I'm not trying to whine here, but organize my thoughts and keep a record of when certain things happened.

Pity party is over.

I hereby declare me a whiner. I have a perfectly good left arm. And I can alter most of what I want to do and take my right arm out of the equation. Total rest for the right arm; best workout I can manage otherwise. Makes sense to me. Thanks to Wicked, Luke, and Jason for advice on this bicep issue. It really has given me some direction.

Squats

Bar x10 (front squat)

Bar x10 (back squat from here on)

95 x10

115 x10

115 x10

Rolling Thunder (left)

70 x10

105 x10

115 x10

This felt easier than I figured it would after not doing it for so long.

Pinch Block (left)

60 x3

60 x3

Back extensions. Hot/Cold contrast therapy for my right arm. I'm going to try that every night for a while with some Ibuprofen. We'll get this fixed.

Something about "best laid plans"

Well, not a lot of workouts are happening. My nagging bicep injury is still nagging.

I did get my new plate-loaded grip machine and foolishly played around with that Sunday night. It really aggravated my bicep, which now feels about like it did in November when this started. I'm going to have the guy who made the machine change the handles so I have to get the machine back to him. That way I won't be tempted to use it either!

So what is the saying about "best laid plans" anyway? They sometimes go awry?

Anyone have recovery tips?

Squats

Bar x15
95 x10
115 x20

Got me breathing heavy and 16-20 were reasonalby difficult. Felt good. Also did back extensions for physical therapy.

It's a New Year!

Hello again! Time to start logging workouts again.

I've been fairly active in the past couple of weeks and probably should have done less. My right bicep pull is still not better! I definitely aggravated it with the gripper workout I did on Monday 1/4.

Here are some of my plans for early this year:

Grippers
Right now I only have a long-term goal on grippers. Like a 2-year plan. It's based on Kinney's ideas and right now I just want to plow away and see where it goes. What I want to do is crystal-clear in my head, but I don't think I could type it out if I tried. So you'll just see the posts here and I'm sure you'll see a pattern pretty quick.

There are some key elements that are specific to me, however. One is that I have worked a great deal on retraining my handle position. The form I'm using resembles no-set and I have strictly been closing grippers from the widest starting position possible. I do set the gripper enough to get my ring finger on. Even on negatives, I start by trying to close the gripper as far as possible, then forcing it in and doing the negative. Using this handle position and the increased range of motion, I am performing in the #2.5 range of gripper strength currently. That's with no chalk as well. So as I progress, I'll be able to "re-celebrate" PRs that I have passed before. Like right now, technically my goal gripper is my adjustable BBGM set at 1/4".

When I'm back to closing the #3 in this style, certification will be a breeze. Then it's on to the MM1 and revenge will come in the form of a borderline no-set, hydraulic, handle-griding smack down. See where I'm going with this? Point me at the sky!

Squats
Not surprisingly, I've worked squats into my routine. 20 rep sets. Right now I'm working in the 100# range and it's not very taxing. But I have my 'sploaded disc and sciatic problems to consider. I have been working on form, trying to build a base, and getting my lungs accustomed to the work. It's going pretty well overall. Bullitt's "form check" thread at the GB really helped me dial in my form better. I had some very similar issues. I'm not interested in a max squat, but rather conditioning my body to move the weight and handle the work load. I do plan on pushing myself in a responsible way and that will mean increasing weight to remain challenging. If I had a goal here, I would love to hit 225x20 at some point. I have strong legs. I just have also neglected them for many years.

RT and Pinch
These I will throw in as before on off days from grip. I have not touched either in more than a month because of my bicep issue. My left arm is fine, but I can't see myself coming back to these until my right arm is better. It's just hard to get pumped for a left-hand-only pinch workout!

Here we go!
I will get back to posting as before. Any training that could possibly involve my bicep too much will be left-handed only. That includes grippers. I have to get this thing healed!