Life Through Lifting

2022 Year In Review Part 3

Deadlift and Pulling Development

Mark Brown

December 28, 2022

Entering 2022, I would have said the deadlift was my best lift. It was my most consistent lift. It was the lift I was doing for more weight week to week than anything else. Development slowed in 2022 for it when I subconsciously started to push squat improvement. Deadlifts and other pulls started to become supplemental lifts. This happened because I have always programmed squats and deadlifts on the same day since I started doing them again in 2020. It feels more natural to me to do them both on the same day since both muscle groups are being used for both lifts. In 2021, that favored the deadlift because of the gap between my leg and back strength. I hadn’t done a lot of back training in my years in the gym. My legs kept developing because they just get more use than back muscles do from walking, especially at my weight. My max deadlift is still 405 pounds, nothing added from 2021, but there was development in it worth discussing.

First, I recognize part of lack of development was that I didn’t do a lot of helpful supplemental or accessory lifts for them in the first half of the year. That helped the squat pull ahead of my deadlift. I did a lot of pulls from the floor in the first 2 months of 2022, either in the form of a traditional hands outside the feet deadlift or narrow grip sumo deadlift. Both of those lifts are quad dominant with a back finish, so they really develop the technical and leg strength side of things more than anything else. I didn’t do much with upper and middle back development until the late spring/summer when I forced myself to start doing barbell rows and good mornings. I already stated I didn’t do good mornings because I sucked at them. I didn’t do barbell rows for the same reason. I could never feel them at lower weights and never felt any control when doing them at higher weights. I could never find the bed that was just right, so to speak. I now have a good grip on those lifts. Squatting with the yoke bar only does so much when it comes to upper back development. I needed to be doing more for my back specifically.

Second, I brought more variety into the fold this year and got stronger at ost parts of it. It also showed me some deficiencies I need to address. I did the most volume of heavy pulling work with the deadlift mats. I did block pulls a lot this year, always working in sets of 3. I found those were helpful in 2021. I took a break from them in January because I didn’t feel like using the gym’s bumper plates to act as blocks to pull from. That’s just the team player in me coming out at the gym. Pulling from the blocks made it 12 inch pull. That made it easier to pull more weight at the top end. I’ve pulled 415 pounds for sets of 3 multiple times throughout the year. The block pulls allow me to get more of my hamstring and glutei into the lift because of those 3 extra inches. Doing that on a standard deadlift is still quite difficult for me, especially with a belt on. More on that in a bit. Although good, I recognized in April that if I did block pulls like I was doing I would destroy myself fairly quickly. That’s when the 3 week waves came in picture.

I found banded rack pulls back in 2020 when lifting with Pete and found they were really useful to have in the program. By the time I got to garage primarily in 2021, it was a bit late for them to have much of an impact on everything. This year they were major wave until Pete’s old powerlifting bar fell apart for probably the last time about 2 months ago now. I thought about doing them on pressing days because how effective they are for lats, but ultimately kept them on leg days. I set up the bar on the bottom part of the knee and pulled as hard as I could with the loaded bar. It is a really difficult lift. The placement of the bar just below the knees takes the quads mostly out of the lift so the back, hamstrings and glutei are responsible for getting it done. This lift really helps the technical aspects of the lockout because in order to actually achieve it, the lift has to be done perfectly. There’s no real muscling my way through it. No amount of hitching will help. Being able to increase my weight on it throughout the year indicated progress in pulling.

I added banded floor pulls, aka banded deadlifts, to the program as a way to force technical improvement like I did with the rack pulls. I found this variation of the deadlift to be quite difficult because the lockout was that much harder to achieve. The legs also got a bit more development because my quads had to activate harder and faster than on non-banded pulls. I could feel the difference when I did just a regular pull after doing my sets with bands on. It’s really quite stark. I can see why powerlifters and strongmen use these in training to help speed up the movement. I didn’t start this until the fall. It helped me rediscover some things I already was aware of. The 70 pound Monster bands are my ideal bands so far, anything higher will rip out of my hands. I’ve pulled up to 315 pounds with bands so far. The other is that I need to re-find my leverage point when using my powerlifting belt. It’s supremely difficult to get into proper position on this lift with the belt on, something that doesn’t surprise me because the belt also hinders on non-banded pulls from the floor. It will be a major piece of my 2023 program.

I started doing sumo deadlifts in January because I wasn’t doing my RDLs from blocks for at least 2 months. It ended up being about 3. It was the first time using them as part of my program. I’d known about them but never done them. They had the effect of raising the bar a few inches off the ground by bring me closer to the bar. It’s not quite the same effect but I did notice I was using more of my back in the pull than I had other pulls. That kept my weight done. I have heard and read about the disdain some in the lifting community have the lift because of a very limited range of motion, which is accurate. I’m built to pull more traditionally than sumo, I’ve learned. I do find is a worthwhile training lift because of that back focus and the value learning how to lift a heavy load from a hands inside the feet position. We, as humans, do that a lot. In that way, it is a practical lift strengthen. I have also done straight leg deadlifts recently and found that there is very little difference between sumos and them.

Gone are 2 other variants I have done in the past. Non-banded rack pulls disappeared from the program when my deadlift blocks arrived. There is value in doing them if I ever decided to commit to a Strongman competition because the sheer amount of variety of pulls done at competitions. However, there is more value in doing the block pulls, which requires me break the floor while doing a pull, than non-banded rack pulls. The other is trap bar deadlifts. I looked into rackable trap bars, as Pete acquired a non-rackable one in 2021, this past year but never had the funds to get it. The movement is different than deadlift with a straight barbell because the weight is in line with the body. That makes it feel like much more of a front squat, which while useful for quad development isn’t what I am looking for. Now, this is completely different, if I was a member of the US Army, as it is part of their new fitness requirement test. If I get a rackable trap bar, it would get back into program likely. There are other lifts that can be done with it.

I have felt much more back strength develop over the last 6-7 months when I started putting the barbell rows and good mornings into the plan. The upper back is one of the most important muscle groups for lifters to improve on I learned this year. The more I thought about it the easier that got to understand. I got over my hate for them and just started doing them, especially since the bar was already loaded to do them. The barbell rows have had a bit more impact than good mornings I feel because I have made a bit more progress on them. I can barely feel them at 135. My current set and rep scheme has right in the sweet spot. I do 6-8 sets of 3 reps at 225 pounds as a supplemental lift. There’s still a bit of a hard pull on it but I don’t feel out of control anymore. I haven’t added pounds to my traditional deadlift in this time but I’m more primed for it in 2023.

I did experiment this year with splitting up my squat and deadlift, in part to see how the squat effected the deadlift. It really didn’t help me pull more. I know I am in the minority of lifters by squatting and deadlifting on the same day. It may well be what is helping my squat rise above my deadlift. I think location might alway play a factor. The gym I am a member of has a number of isolation machines made for pulls. I rarely used the gym, however. My deadlift hasn’t regressed, but it hasn’t shown progress at the top end. That is also likely due to being more more committed to building raw repeatable strength than high top end single reps. I have made progress in that regard as well as building up more resistance to everyday wear and tear.

2022 Year In Review Part 2

Squat Development

Mark Brown

December 27, 2022

Going into 2022, the squat was the weakest of my main lifts. I restarted squatting in summer of 2020 after a year and half break from it. I have been doing it much more consistently since the summer of 2021. During a 12 week program that was more heavily powerlifting focused in fall of 2021, I was able to push my squat up to 415 pounds by the end of November. Squat was neck and neck with deadlift for my 1RM in terms of weight but it lacked in terms of volume. I went into January of 2022 at the gym with the intention of increasing my deadlift. I planned on using the squat to increase legs strength to be able to do that with. What I didn’t realize was that the way I was executing the plan I was doing so much more volume on squat than I was deadlifting. By March, I realized that my squat was improving at a higher rate than deadlift. The volume was raising my raw strength but at the price of extra stress on my back.

I only really had access to straight bars so I did low bar squats followed by regular deadlifts on Mondays and high bar bar squats as a main with sumo deadlifts as a supplemental lift. There other various supplemental and accessories I did on those days but the vast majority of my sessions were what I just listed. That changed in the middle of March when the weather started to regularly stay in the high 40s/low 50s F for the afternoons, which is when I lift. I realized by the time I got back to the garage that my squat is the lift that was getting the most development during the first 2+ months of 2022 at the gym. I worked up to 405 for 2 sets of 3 on day when I probably shouldn’t have been lifting relatively easily. I know that because I couldn’t finish my deadlift part of the session after squatting. That was my first sign that my squat was starting to really improve. Going back to the garage for the rest of the year was the start of a lot of different elements of the squat changing for me this past year.

The plan to working in 3 week waves meant that mainly alternated squats with the safety squat yoke bar and the cambered bar during said 3 week waves. Each bar has its own specific characteristic addition to the squat movement. My initial thought was to include waves of straight bar work so as to keep my skill with it up, but it wasn’t physically worth the cost to my left shoulder and arm in late spring/early summer. Ultimately, working with both specialized bars every 3 weeks is what is most responsible for my squat becoming my best lift. Each bar worked something specific about the movement that helped the other, and the straight bar as well. I found I could use the waves as a way to see the effect of the previous one. In effect, I was getting more real time feedback than I ever had before. That’s a big part of the 3 week wave strategy I have learned over this year.

The yoke bar is produces a far more difficult squat than the cambered bar does. That way the bar sits on the body forces the core to really tighten up and brace when doing the movement because all of the weight on the bar is focused right down the middle of the back. The weight of the bar also pushes directly on the upper back. It forces the upper back to develop to be able to hold up to the stresses put on it. I got the yoke bar in 2020 but wasn’t able to use it until summer of 2021 because I stayed in the gym too long in 2021 and the fact I wasn’t strong enough to use it until then. This past year was the first full one I was able to really include it in my training completely with a higher level of understanding it. I was able to slowly put more weight on my yoke bar squats throughout the year. I did box squats to ensure I was getting down to mostly parallel. There was a few weeks of free squats in there. Most of my working sets were in the 315 to 355 pound range, always aiming to work in sets of 3. Towards the end of the year, I was able to increase those working free box squat sets to above 355. There was even a week I was able to work up to 405 pounds on it, which really surprised me.

Using the yoke bar as a primary movement on leg days throughout the year also forced development in other areas that I didn’t fully anticipate or understand until a bit afterward. I’ve known my upper bar has been developing and getting bigger for some time, even before 2022. People at work had commented on it in conversation. I mentioned above the physical effect of the bar on the upper back. What I didn’t understand at the time is that while that muscular development is good for all of the main lifts and overhead press, it doesn’t particularly help getting under a straight bar. That is especially true for a low bar squatter like myself. I don’t have to hold the plates but my hand placement is about as wide as can be without having to do so. That is the primary reason why I decided to ultimately ditch working in 3 week waves of straight bar squatting, free or boxed. There just wasn’t any reason to put my body in that position when I had 2 great alternatives. I did break a new straight bar pr in late spring at 435 pounds and missed at 445 just 5 or so minutes after that. I did notice that in my second to last squat session of the year that my position under the strait bar felt much better than before. I don’t quite understand why as of yet. Not being comfortable under a straight bar isn’t news to me. It’s been a thing for years now.

The cambered bar forced me to think of my leverages when squatting much more fully. Once again, this is a bar I bought in 2021 but only started fully understanding this year by alternating 3 week waves with the yoke bar. In terms of ease of use, it’s the easiest between the 3 kinds of squats I do regularly, which have already been mentioned. That is because a cambered bar squat is very much like a straight bar squat with space for hands to be placed in a way that doesn’t strain the shoulder and/or bicep tendon. The way the bar is loaded, at the hips, produces a movement that leans more forward than with a straight bar. The squat becomes more quad dependent while creating a need for the body to exert more effect to brace the spine at the same time to keep the loaded plates from swaying. That’s what I had to get more consistent with at the beginning. I remember quite a few times when I was too far back in the movement on the way down. I was never seriously threatened going backward but the bar was good at telling me not to do it again. I discovered the cambered bar and box squat are made for each other in late spring. It really helps getting down to the hole and having that box to sit on so I could be as far forward as I needed to be in the lift. I did do waves of regular squat with the bar just to ensure I could hit the same numbers as with the box, even hitting 415 pounds at one point. Cambered bar squats produced the highest volume of 90% and above 1RM free squats I did all year, boxed or not. The yoke bar prevents me working up in that range. That’s why working both into the program has been highly productive.

The yoke and cambered bars also show differences in other lifts that I do regularly. I’ve never been a fan of good mornings because I sucked at them for a long time. I noticed quite a bit of difference in them when I used different bars. The yoke bar produces a good morning that puts far more pressure on the neck and upper bar area. That makes sense since the entire weight of the bar is on the 6 inches of bar/padding that is resting on the body. It’s much more difficult than when I do it with either a straight or cambered bar. I can handle much more weight with the latter. The advantage of the cambered bar for good mornings is that I could really get that bar across the middle part of my lats. That made it more different, which is why different equipment is used to develop muscles and lifts. I discovered 225-235 was about the right weight for a cambered bar good morning for sets of 6, though I did a 265 pound good morning for multiple sets of 3 late in the year that made me really think what was possible.

I made a change in overall strategy to reduce spinal stress, given the amount of volume of lifting I did on most Tuesdays. The second leg/back day, typically a Saturday, would be done to do more for the legs and back in a general sense because Tuesday was so squat and pull specific. That led to me doing lifts I hadn’t done much. Clean and push press with a straight bar, goblet squats, hips thrusts in addition to other accessory lifts I am very familiar with. I have done some front squats with a straight bar in the past but found them difficult to maintain bar position. They will be in the 2023 program but I needed to figure out how best to do them. I found goblet squats with dumbbells are great for volume. They are capped by the dumbbells themselves, which is why the front straight bar squats are important to develop. The hip thrusts showed promise in developing some more power from hips. I noticed some more of it in my main lifts after I started doing them. The clean and push press started more as an attempt to learn clean and jerk, but it’s clear I’m not fast enough to jerk at higher intensity. The push press helped get in full body work while forcing some more leg drive. They will all be part of 2023’s lifting plan. I decided in November to put some more emphasis on recovery so I eliminated that second leg day, which was done at the gym because of equipment availability. Some of those weeks I wasn’t recovered from Tuesday’s lifting session until Friday. As a result, progress slowed in terms of muscular development at the end of the year. I made up for it by doing a higher volume on squats on Tuesdays.

The overall structure of the plan for 2022 was heavy on the volume. That didn’t produce a lot of improvement at the very top of the intensity peak, but did a very high amount of reps in the 80-95% 1RM rep range. That helped my working sets get heavier throughout the year. My back feels great, my legs feel strong and I am seeing/feeling some muscular development in my core even if it is covered up fat because diet isn’t great. Walking out all of those heavy squats reps, especially the yoke bar ones, is having a major positive effect on me. I have seen a fair amount of muscular development in my quadricep, mostly in thickening the muscle, but I don’t have a lot of definition in them. That is mainly due to the fact I don’t do a lot of lifts to bring it out. The main quad iso I did in the garage gym was an assisted squat. It allowed me to really focus on planting my feet and forcing my quads to push, much like a leg press or hack squat/ Hamstrings and gluten saw the most development this year. I feel them much stronger now than last year. The gym doesn’t have a GHR machine so I have to work around that a bit. The hip thrusts really showed me something.

2022 Week 51 Training Log

December 19 – 25, 2022

Mark Brown

December 26, 2022

Monday
Scheduled Rest Day – Recovery

Tuesday
Free Squat, Straight Bar Low Bar – 135 x 6, 225 x 6, 315 x 3, x 3; 345 x 3, x 3; 365 x 3, x 3; 385 x 2, x 2
Calf Raises, Single Leg R then L – Bodyweight x 15(x 15), x 15(x 15), x 15(x 15), x 15(x 15)
Preacher Curls, Dumbbells R then L – 30 x 12(x 12), 35 x 12(x 12), 40 x 12( x 12), 45 x 12(x 12)
Leg Extensions – 110 x 12, 130 x 10, 150 x 10, 170 x 8
Seated Leg Curls, 70 lb band R then L – Band x 15(x 15), x 15(x 15), x 15(x 15), x 15(x 15)

Wednesday – Sunday
Unscheduled Rest Day – Snowstorm/Bad Roads

Steps/Miles
Monday – 22,670 steps, 10.39 miles. Tuesday – 24,158 steps, 11.08 miles. Wednesday – 18,828 steps, 8.61 miles. Thursday – 22,865 steps, 10.49 miles. Friday – 20,488 steps, 9.37 miles. Saturday – 2,752 steps, 1.48 miles. Sunday – 5,158 steps, 2.62 miles. Total – 116,919 steps, 54.04 miles.

Notes

This week was a mess because of the snowstorm that hit starting about 6 pm Wednesday then worsened overnight. It wasn’t worth driving anywhere other than work. The Tuesday session was pretty good as well. The original plan would have been to do a deadlift later in the week. Obviously it didn’t happen the straight bar squat felt really good actually. The upper back and shoulder wasn’t an issue this week. The reps at 385 were interesting because I kinda had to push hard out of the hole to complete them.

2022 Year in Review

Part 1: General Overview

Mark Brown

December 25, 2022

This year has been a period of progress in my strength training. It also saw multiple shifts in my thought process towards lifting and everything that goes into it. Certain areas and lifts saw more improvement than others did. I will detail them in subsequent entries. This review will serve as an update for those who follow the blog and be a bit of a formal report for my future self if I decide to compete at any point or need to look back at past years.

First part of this overview involves the lifting itself. The primary lifts all saw some level of improvement in terms of volume and intensity. Squat and overhead press saw the most improvement for both volume and max weight lifted. That is somewhat surprising given that I didn’t have either as stated goals to improve in that way coming in. I wanted to push my 1RM in bench press to 315 pounds by the end of the year. That hasn’t happened yet, nor will it. I stated I I wanted to increase my deadlift this year by an unspecified number. That didn’t happen either because I ended up putting so much more emphasis on training on squat. I did a lot of heavy pulls but so many more less than I did squat reps. In many ways, the pulls became supplemental lifts solely. They were very rarely the main lift. My 1RM for my lifts at the end of 2022 are as follows: Squat – 435 pounds, deadlift 405 pounds, bench press – 305 pounds, Seated Overhead Press – 178 pounds, Strict Log Press – 161 pounds, Clean and Push Press 175 pounds. I listed more than just the primary lifts because I do have so much equipment that I use regularly and keeping track for it is useful. My max squat increased by 20 pounds, max bench increased 10 pounds, and max overhead increased 20 pounds. The deadlift is the only one of the primary to see no 1RM improvement.

A major reason for why there wasn’t a lot of movement in any lift’s 1RM is the second point in this overview. I have always worked in heavy volume all the way up to 90-95% 1RM on a weekly basis. What I have discovered this year as a result of using this tactic is that raw strength improves the most, not max weight possible on a single rep. If I had wanted to truly raise my single rep max lifts, then I would have had to emphasize single reps in weekly training instead of working main lifts in sets of 3 reps and done less sets on the main lifts while doing more of strength building supplemental and accessory lifts. While I see value in always chasing the ability to lift more in a single rep setting, in part because it helps inform the program itself, increasing raw strength just has more value to me overall. It helps me in all areas of my life. Squatting up to 405 pounds or more followed by pulling up to that weight in some form or another every week has the effect of helping me become more resistant to wear and tear injuries at work. I have felt muscular development in my upper and middle back during this time. Practicing hard makes game time easier. Simple as that.

I mentally made the switch back to essentially what is more of a powerbuilding program around September when I realized it’s where my head was at. It’s not the same one that I detailed in the summer of 2021. That one had far more of the bodybuilding elements and tactics in it than the program I currently lift does. The main difference is the lack of accessories in my current iteration. I just don’t a lot of accessory work on what I would call main movement days, which accounts for at least 75% of my lifting days. I know I still need to tricep and bicep work for muscular development, but it’s worth working that on its own day. I just like the idea of being able to improve raw strength slowly throughout the year more than I do putting the effort into hitting numbers. I guess that’s the difference between training for competition and not doing so. Choosing that program has also likely be one of the main reasons why I have stayed relatively the same weight the entire year, even after I started not eating as much.

The mental and learning phase of training saw the most development, without a doubt. Last fall, I began to introduce 3 week waves of main lifts into my own program for a 12 week program in which I experienced a “peaking” phase. This year I made essentially made it the plan. Throughout the year I learned more about how to implement change and rotate lifts to gain progress in strength, power and technical developments. It also allowed me to learn how to better implement my wide variety of equipment I own into one cohesive lifting strategy. If anything, I learned that strength training has more of an impact on mental, emotional and intellectual development than it does on physical growth. It really takes more than just effort to make the improvements desired. There needs to be hard, focused effort on specific goals to make them happen. Aimless effort only results in progress that is scattershot across interests that weren’t intended.

The effect of working in the 3 week waves as the central part of the lifting plan was one I didn’t quite know would happen. It helped me really understand the nature of the strength training I was doing. That alone was worth pushing myself to experiment with it it fully. It helps I have 4 or 5 specialty bars to integrate into it the plan to the max. In listening to Dave Tate and others talk about working in these waves, I have learned anecdotally about the importance of always working the weakest lifts the most to bring them up in line with the stronger ones. In that way, working lifts that are less strong and technically proficient helps raw strength development overall by forcing the body to get better at the various variations of lifts, especially main ones. The small differences in the lifts causes the muscles involved in the the lift work in different ratios. The effect of moving my grips on bench press, for example, showed me a real difference in the strength levels of the different parts of the lift. It showed me what accessories I needed to start locking in on to improve. I will get into that more specifically when discussing the bench press, but the concept works for every major lift I do, regardless of equipment. It all feeds off each other and and provides more information for me to better understand where each lift stands in terms of progression or regression.

The blog this year had the effect of forcing me to become a better planner. Writing takes time, even for the best. I know I definitely don’t fall into that category so I really needed to find a balance of working, eating, lifting, sleeping, and writing. I was able to do that in the first half of the year but not in the second. There are a few different reasons for it, most of it being I just need to do a better job doing more writing daily, even if it is just a page or 2. Writing the multi part essays or essays that correlated with a bigger topic forced me to stay atop my mind so it didn’t get a chance to wander. The Road to Discipline was a series of essays that showed me I could connect individual ideas together under one topic coherently. I look to use that experience in 2023 once again. The blog is also a place where I use the lessons of the gym in other places in my life. I need to find my writing discipline again and just get the work done.

Come back for Part 2! I will be reviewing what I did on main movements this year to helping them make progress. There could be some information in there to glean on. It will be up on Tuesday.

2022 Week 50 Training Log

December 12 – 18, 2022

Mark Brown

December 19, 2022

Monday
Scheduled Rest Day – Recovery

Tuesday
Free Box Squat, Yoke Bar – 155 x 6, 255 x 6, 335 x 3, x 3, x 3; 355 x 3, x 3, x 3; 375 x 3, x 3; 385 x 3, x 3
Assisted Box Squat, Yoke Bar – 405 x 3, x 3 x 3, x 3
Calf Raises, Yoke BAr – 335 x 20, x 20, x 20, x 20
Straight Leg Deadlifts – 275 x 3, x 3; 315 x 3, x 3, x 3, x 3
Barbell Rows – 225 x 3, x 3, x 3, x 3, x 3, x 3

Wednesday
Bench Press, Ring Finger on Line – 135 x 6, 225 x 3, x 3; 225 w/chain x 3, x 3; 235 w/chain x 3, x 3; 245 w/chain x 3, x 3; 255 w/chain x 2, x 1, x 1, x 1
Tricep Pushdown, V shape attachment – 45 x 12, x 12, x 12, x 12
Forward Facing Tricep Extension, V Shape attachment – 55 x 10, x 12, x 10, x 10
Floor Press – 245 x 3, x 3, x 3, x 3, x 3, x 3
Straight Arm Lat Pulldown, Narrow Pronated Grip – 70 x 10, x 10; 80 x 8, x 8

Thursday
Unscheduled Rest Day – Snowstorm

Friday
Unscheduled Rest Day – Failed to make up Thursday

Saturday
Scheduled Rest Day – Extended Recovery

Sunday
Bench Press, Narrow Grip – 135 x 6, 225 x 6, 245 x 3, x 3; 255 x 3, x 3; 265 x 3, x 3
Standing Overhead Press, Straight Bar – 135 x 3, x 3, x 3; 145 x 3, x 3, x 3
Flat Dumbbell Press – 105 x 8, 110 x 7, 115 x 6, 120 x 5, 125 x 3
Seated Overhead Dumbbell Press – 50 x 12, 55 x 12, 60 x 10, 65 x 8
Cable Crossovers – 35 x 12, 50 x 12, 57.5 x 10
Straight Arm Lat Pulldowns – 72.5 x 10, x 10; 80 x 8, x 8; 87.5 x 8, x 8
Tricep Extensions, Machine – 80 x 12, 90 x 12, 110 x 12, 120 x 10

Steps./Miles
Monday – 20,535 steps, 9.37 miles. Tuesday – 22,714 steps, 10.49 miles. Wednesday – 18,988 steps, 8.7 miles. Thursday – 19,638 steps, 9.0 miles. Friday – 20,912 steps, 9.43 miles. Saturday – 4,103 steps, 1.95 miles. Sunday – 5,903 steps, 2.64 miles. Total – 112,793 steps, 51.58 miles.

Notes

Tuesday squat session was the best of this 3 week wave of yoke bar. The reps at 385 felt good and steady for the most part. The reps at 425 on assisted squat were a bit too heavy. The yoke bar just puts so much pressure on he back on the neck. The straight leg deadlift wave was illuminating in regards to other variations of deadlifts I do. The sumo deadlift puts more emphasis on back than straight leg, though the knees themselves barely bend as well. Something to look at going forward.

Weather struck again this week. Thursday was a mess on so I made sure to get what I needed done early in the week. Pete didn’t lift on Sunday so I took it to the gym because I didn’t feel like bundling up today, The left wrist is improving in terms of range of motion. The narrow grip bench press didn’t aggravate it. I could feel a discomfort in the flat dumbbell press but it didn’t hinder movement. I feel the garage the offers more pressing options but the gym works as a decent break when the weather gets too cold.

2022 Week 49 Training Log

December 5 – 11, 2022

Mark Brown

December 12, 2022

Monday
Scheduled Rest Day – Recovery

Tuesday
Free Box Squat 155 x x 6, 245 x 6, 335 x 3, x 3, x 3; 355 x 3, x 3, x 3; 375 x 2, x 2
Assisted Box Squat – 385 x 3, x 3; 405 x 3, x 3, x 3, x 3; 415 x 3, x 3; 425 x 2, x 2
Calf Raises – 335 x 20, x 20, x 20, x 20
Straight Leg Deadlift – 275 x 3, x 3; 295 x 3, x 3; 315 x 3, x 3, x 3, x 3

Wednesday
Bench Press, Wide Grip – 135 x 6 wide, x 6 inside the line, x 6 narrow; 225 x 3, x 3, x 3; 245 x 3, x 3, x 3; 255 x 3, x 3
Pin Press, Ring Finger on the Line – 225 x 3, x 3, x 3, x 3; 235 x 3, x 3, x 3, x 3
Seated Overhead Press, American Cambered Bar 3rd Grip – 128 x 3, 138 x 3, 148 x 3, 158 x 3
Seated Overhead Press, ACB Outside Grip – 128 x 3, 138 x 3, 148 x 3, 158 x 3
Floor Press – 245 x 3, x 3, x 3, x 3
Straight Arm Lat Pulldown, Narrow Grip – 70 x 10, x 10; 80 x 8, x 8

Thursday
Unscheduled Rest day – extra recovery needed

Friday
Scheduled Rest Day – Didn’t make up Thursday

Saturday
Scheduled Rest Day – Recovery

Sunday
Chest Press, American Cambered Bar Inner Grip – 138 x 6, 198 x 3, 208 x 3, 218 x 2
Chest Press, ACB Narrow Grip – 138 x 6, 198 x 3, 208 x 3, 218 x 3, 228 x 2
Chest Press, ACB Third Grip – 138 x 6, 198 x 3, 208 x 3, 218 x 3, 228 x 2
Chest Press, ACB Outer Grip – 138 x 6, 198 x 3, 208 x 3, 218 x 3, 228 x 2
Flat Tricep Press, Fat Bar – 75 x 12, 75 w/chains x 12, 85 w/chains x 8, 95 w/ chain x 8
Flat Dumbbell Press – 100 x 7, 110 x 5, 95 x 8, 85 x 8
Tricep Pulldowns – 70 x 12, x 12, x 12, x 12
Straight Arm Lat Pulldown, Shoulder Length Grip – 70 x 10, x 10; 80 x 8, x 8
Dumbbell Flies – 20 x 12, 35 x 12, 40 x 12, 45 x 12

Steps/Miles
Monday – 20,996 steps, 9.5 miles. Tuesday – 24,432 steps, 11.1 miles. Wednesday – 21,989 steps, 10 miles. Thursday – 19,169 steps, 8.68 miles. Friday – 20,021 steps, 9.17 miles. Saturday – 3,979 steps, 2.09 miles. Sunday – 6,413 steps, 3.14 miles Total – 116,999 steps, 53.68 miles.

Notes

I am in a bit of a maintenance phase of lifting it feels like. The left wrist has hindered some accessory work, but I can work around it with dumbbells and other unilateral work.Narrow move pressing movements are definitely hindered and uncomfortable now. Have stayed away from them.

2022 Week 48 Training Log

November 28 – December 4, 2022

Mark Brown

December 5, 2022

Monday
Scheduled Rest Day – Recovery

Tuesday
Box Squat, Yoke Bar – 155 x 6, 245 x 6, 335 x 3, x 3, x 3; 355 x 3, x 3, x 3; 365 x 3, x 3
Assisted Box Squat, Yoke Bar – 385 x 6, 405 x 3, x 3; 415 x 3, x 1
Straight Leg Deadlift – 225 x 3, x 3; 275 x 3, x 3; 295 x 3, x 3; 315 x 3, x 3
Barbell Rows – 225 x 3, x 3, x 3, x 3, x 3, x 3, x 3, x 3
Calf Raises – 335 x 20, x 20, x 20, x 20
Good Mornings, Yoke Bar – 155 x 3, x 3; 175 x 3, x 3

Wednesday
Unplanned Rest Day – Late work/Start of House Project

Thursday
Bench Press, Wide Grip – 135 x 6 wide, x 6 inside the line, x 6 narrow; 225 x 3, x 3; 245 x 3, x 3, x 3; 255 x 3, x 3, 2, x 1
Pin Press, From Chest – 225 x 5, x 1; 235 x 3, x 3
Seated Overhead Press, American Cambered Bar Third Grip superset with outside grip – 128 x 3 (x 3), 138 x 3(x 3), 148 x 3(x 3), 158 x 3(x 3), 168 x 2 Third only
Floor Press – 255 x 3, x 3, x 3, x 3’
Straight Arm Lat Pulldown, Narrow Pronated Grip – 45 x 10, 70 x 8, x 8; 80 x 8, x 8

Friday
Preacher Curls, Dumbbells R then L – 30 x 12(x 12), 35 x 12(x 12), 40 x 12(x 12), 45 x 12( x 12)
Muscle Mace Giant Set – 45 x 8( x 8)(x 8), x 8(x 8)(x 8), 50 x 8(x 8)(x 8), x 8(x 8)( x 8)
Flat Tricep Extensions, Dumbbells Simultaneous – 10 x 15, 15 x 12, 20 x 12
Standing Curls, Dumbbells R then L – 10 x 12(x 12), 15 x 12(x 12), 20 x 12(x 12)

Saturday
Unscheduled Rest Day – House Project, Drywall basement

Sunday
Chest Press, American Cambered Bar Inner Grip – 138 x 6, 198 x 3, x 3; 178 x 3
Chest Press, ACB Narrow Grip – 138 x 6, 198 x 3, x 3; 218 x 3, x 3; 228 x 1
Chest Press, ACB Third Grip – 138 x 6, 198 x 3, x 3; 218 x 3, x 3; 228 x 2
Chest Press, ACB Outside Grip – 138 x 6, 198 x 3, x 3; 218 x 3, x 3; 228 x 1
Dumbbell Press – 100 x 5, 95 x 5, 85 x 6, 80 x 6
Straight Arm Lat Pulldown – 70 x 10, x 10; 80 x 8, x 8
Rolling Tricep Press, Simultaneous – 15 x 15, 25 x 12, 30 x 8, 35 x 6

Steps/Miles
Monday – 24,449 steps, 11.32 miles. Tuesday – 24,867 steps, 11.29 miles. Wednesday – 23,907 steps, 10.77 miles. Thursday – 21,277 steps, 9.58 miles. Friday – 24,279 steps, 10.95 miles. Saturday – 7,791 steps, 3.45 miles. Sunday – 7,273 steps, 3.36 miles. Total – 133,843 steps, 60.72 miles.

Notes

Planned to lift on Saturday but a house project started and thwarted any real attempt to get to the gym.

Started the week with a hurt wrist. Have yet to fully identify exactly what in my wrist is hurt. It’s actually pretty close to what I would call an injury. I can’t do much with of anything with anything close to a supinated grip. Doing printed grip work on EZ curl bar also hurts like a motherfucker, too. It limited me to working unilaterally with dumbbells and pushdowns. Wrist is okay in neutral position if my wrist stays stays in line with the bar.

Turning Into The Machine

The Process is in Command

Mark Brown

November 30, 2022

I have changed a bit in personality over the last 12 weeks. It is in large part due to circumstances at work. When I think about it a little harder, I can see that it’s not a sudden change but a slight shift. This change has a few different reasons at the core of it. I think it’s worth writing about and exploring under the premise is might shine some light for others feeling the change with concern. I am not bothered by the shift in my personality but I do find it fascinating. Living alone after buying a house in 2016 definitely has had the long term effect of adapting to being myself to the point that 2020 really wasn’t doing anything to me that I hadn’t felt before. I am fully aware that I have cared less about my interpersonal bonding needs by the day. Today’s essay is is both an exploration of the personality switch I’ve noticed and how embracing the process can be a catalyst for it.

Telling this story could end up being a little difficult because of the various stages of the stages that made up the factors became important. I will try my best to keep it comprehensible over the space of a couple pages here. I noticed the current shift in my personality about 12 weeks ago. That was when I started regularly skipping lunch at work to ensure the operation of the area I work in runs smoothly. Skipping lunch became a necessary action to take to keep everything clear because the company I work for decided we didn’t need the additional hand. I thought the increase in aggressive tendencies and lack of patience with the world around me was a consequence of my not eating lunch. I am very aware of the how hunger can effect mood. I felt like a shark at work. Predatory, territorial, aggressive, and always needing to move. The “food,” for lack of a better term in this allegory, is the work that needed done. None of this lack of eating during the day effected my lifting sessions much, which learning that was a consequence of this course of action. I found that the lack of food intake effected heavy single lifts rather than my normal volume centric lifting. The shark-like tendencies have stayed since I have become aware of them and are fairly set in by now. I feel that focus, and that’s what I am after.

About 12 weeks ago coincides with when a seasonal employee went back to school. That meant I needed to maintain the structure of the plan I have at work to get it done, regardless of the consequences of it. I wouldn’t ask anyone to do anything that I myself am not willing to do so I took it upon myself to make the necessary sacrifices. Without going into detail, the plan I operate with ensures that everything that requires covering over breaks and lunches is dealt with. If that doesn’t get done, everything descends into chaos and back up very quickly. It’s just the nature of what I do. There is no winning the game. There is merely finding ways to not lose by 1000 points every day. It’s a flexible plan than moves with changes in both situations and circumstances. This is very hard task to accomplish for the vast majority of the year. With a 4th person in the area I work, it gives me a chance to eat more than a snack while maintaining a decent balance in the chaos-back up spectrum. When they aren’t there, it’s not possible. I figured this plan out 3-4 years ago and it has served very well. There are days, mostly in the spring, summer and fall that just suck regardless of how well any plan is working because of sheer volume.

It’s through learning the finer points of strategy in regard to operations that understanding the process by which it is is done happens. In this way, learning how to program for strength training wasn’t any different. The main difference is that the latter involves a lot more in my control than the latter. I can’t emphasize that enough. It is ultimately what made me understand that the process is in command, not the people who are making decisions. I understand the people reading this statement with absolute bewilderment. Decision making is one of the facets of life that intrigue me the most so when they realization hit fully about 4-6 weeks ago, it was met with a semi-depressed “damn.” Then I got over it, and just accepted that there are circumstances that I need to take as they are and adjust to them. That’s when the machine started taking over and squeezing out the emotional shark energy that had created all that aggression building up in me. Following what is most logical is ultimately what needs to be done. One of the consequences to that is that all emotions get subjugated to the process. Some see it as a loss of humanity but success has always had a price.

The focus on strength training as my primary source of activity outside of work has definitely had a hand in the machine taking hold over the last 5-6 weeks. The discipline I have developed since 2020 along with the aggressively volume centric raw strength growth plan I have lifted with since summer of 2021 has combined to create a siege mentality in me. Grinding and doing every planned session without hesitation is what is necessary to make progress. That’s just the truth. Lifters who go harder on their lifting sessions can take more off days to recover than those who don’t as hard. That, of course, requires a physical, mental, and emotional build up to handle as if it’s a natural state of being. Some people never get there because subjugating emotional wellness to physical improvement just isn’t in everybody. This is what every professional bodybuilder I have ever listened to has said they do when it comes to prep for shows. They are emotionally and mentally miserable with no energy but look like the peak of physical health. If one can’t deal with that, then they can’t handle being a bodybuilder. While the inner machine I have developed isn’t to that level, it’s not that far off.

The strong discipline for lifting also ensures that any lingering negative emotions get taken care of. Perhaps that’s just the hormones getting back in balance physiologically. In any event, the lack of lingering negative emotions allows for them to cycle through at a healthy rate. It’s when they stick around for days and weeks on end that cascading runaway effects start to show themselves. It’s one of the primary reasons why exercise, in general, is promoted by health professionals. There is a definite point when the emotional balance stops becoming one of the things someone actively realizes when they start exercising. It’s usually when someone decides to push a desire to get to the next level of whatever they are doing that the emotional balance starts to become something less concerned about. That balance will be thrown off because of a greater understanding of the process that makes the progress towards the goal. The process is mean and definitely doesn’t fuck around. It doesn’t care about anyone’s emotional state, other activities, relationships, or dwindling resources. I’ve heard drugs and addiction described the same way. All 3 are totally accurate statements. How much someone protects oneself from the effects the process can bring to them is 100% completely up to the individual. Let’s face it, though, if someone doesn’t want to get burned, they are best off not standing by the fire. Risk is always part of improvement.

The process is an interesting animal because an accurate metaphor for it is a tiger that can change its stripes or a leopard that can change its spots. The process may seem like it’s in one lane but the last 2 years of learning how to program has taught me that the process drives in whatever damned lane it wants to regardless of traffic, to borrow a different analogy. Logically, a person just picks the goal, the process reveals itself and the person then responds to all the circumstances in the ways that are demanded until the goal is hit. There is room for committing to ideals and fundamental truth. Those are the things that helps keep the person in control enough to deal with unforeseen circumstances. They are also the things that will interfere with progress towards an elevated goal. Remember, one’s greatest strength is also their greatest weakness because the former creates blind spots for the latter to get effected by. Dealing with events outside of one’s control is part of life, after all. Everybody’s decision making throws out ripple effects, like a stone that falls or is thrown into a pond. People just feel less effect the further one is from the impact they are. The process is effected by even the smallest of ripples.

Perhaps the most fascinating part of this discussion of the process is the way it has become far more prevalent throughout sports, general athletic and even work cultures. It’s something that was just understood to be there naturally. Over the space of my adult life, the process of how to get something accomplished has become “The Process” as if it needed its own identity. I literally just described what its personality is like it’s a corporeal being. It never had a name before with adjectives to describe it, only a list of steps. I remember when the process became “The Process” very well. Nick Saban took over the Alabama football program in 2007 and brought it back to being the juggernaut it was from the 1960s to the early 90s. How did it do it? Free protein bars for the person who said “The Process” in the back of the room. Since then assistant coaches have taken what they learned while at Alabama to programs they now lead. Saban and his former assistants have given quotes at open media sessions, both at proper pre-season media days and post-game media conferences, that actively describe “The Process” in ways it just wasn’t spoken of before. Success and “The Process” have become irrevocably linked forever.

I wouldn’t argue with someone who wanted to say that the success enjoyed by Saban, Jimbo Fisher, Kirby Smart, and other former assistants is the reason why the term has been enveloped into the various cultures the way it has. It’s a perfectly valid argument. It mythologizes the value of this process over others, which is equally as valid. Success on the level of what Saban has created at Alabama, especially the 6 national titles since 2007 and multiple appearances on the losing side in title games, is what gives “The Process” a machine line external quality. The program’s repeat performances from athletes who seem to being able to fill the roles others had seamlessly is what is expected out of an actual machine. The fact they can do that with humans and it feels like a machine at work is proof that having a highly disciplined structure of total commitment to the goal is actually possible. Some humans need to see examples of success before they believe it’s actually possible. Plenty of college football teams have singular years of success that stand out. I’m from Iowa and been a life long Iowa Hawkeyes fan. The 2015 team feels like it was a team touched by magic, not by a machine. As a result, it elicits a different response even if isn’t all that different.

To steer this essay back to where this started, the ability to control most of the variables involved in strength training produces a mechanical feeling in the structure of a program. Yes, there is some level of enjoyment but ultimately that never matters much in the moment. What does is keep working at a controlled rate and work within the the structure of the plan. That doesn’t always mean stick to the plan all of the time. Sometimes doing extra sets when the body feels good, take some off when it feels too taxed or a different lift. It can mean a lot of things. What’s important is to maintain the structure of the plan in the moment. To do this, logic is the lifter’s best friend. Here, the mechanical nature of the process doubles down on someone without them even realizing it. They are training themselves to think mechanically, the way that machines are programmed to do so. Once the progress can be seen and felt, the mechanical thinking starts to become more ingrained in the thought process. Given enough time, this will lead to thoughts becoming instinct. That is what training is for, after all. Training does sound like an attempt to turn humans into human machines I admit. The amusing part of training is that no matter how well the body takes to the movements, the mental and intellectual side of the training gets hit far harder and deeper. A major part of that is putting aside emotions and listening purely to logic. That’s what machines do.

Since that structure of disciple is wired into me now because of the training, I am able to take it to work and deal with the mess I described earlier in this essay. I do have moments where frustration just hits and I emotionally lash out at essentially either the process or the decision makers. That usually happens in form or a juicy expletive filled tirade that gets dumber by the second. In the past, I’ve let such moment linger and fester for hours or even days. Now, a lot of the miscommunication and unplanned bullshit just elicits a laugh and an acceptance what needs to be done. I don’t care about the nature of the stupidity, how I am negatively effected by it, how others feel like they are being used, how I feel that I am being used, how decision makers don’t seemingly understand how to communicate their decisions, how much more money per hour I should be making or how much other people making. None of any of that matters when just getting the task done competently is the goal. Am I shortchanging my humanity just so I can do the job better for no real benefit? Absolutely, but none of that stuff matters when stuff just needs to get done. I have cared less about all of that stuff that only creates emotional baggage at a higher rate over the last 8-12 weeks. There are just parts of my humanity that I don’t care about. That’s dangerous territory because I know that leads to not caring about other’s humanity very easily. It centered primarily when I accepted the process as the true boss.

Focusing on task management over the last 12 or so weeks has led me to become far more mechanical in my thought process and embrace the process itself as the main driver of operations, not people. What was a response to a change in circumstance turned into a deeper training cycle than I realized would occur. By skipping lunch to serve the process better I have forced my body to work differently. I was so used to eating lunch 12 weeks ago and now lunch just doesn’t matter anymore. I’ve trained my body to get used to it and it has. I have felt more parts of my humanity fall off over the passing weeks, and it is slowly changing my personality. Once the the shark gave way to the machine, the only thing left has been to get what needed done accomplished without any undo emotion. Strength training has definitely played a big role in this transition because it primed me to be ready for it to happen without my really not noticing until after it happened. I’ve been following the process’s orders for damned near 2 years now. I just can’t see people as the ones who are in charge anymore. I don’t think I’ve lost too much of my humanity over the last 12 weeks, but the slight change in my personality over the last 12 weeks doesn’t bother me a bit. I am machine.

2022 Week 47 Training Log

November 21 – November 27, 2022

Mark Brown

November 28, 2022

Monday
Scheduled Rest Day – Recovery

Tuesday
Unscheduled Rest Day – Illness

Wednesday
Unscheduled Rest Day – Illness

Thursday
Scheduled Rest Day – Holiday, Illness

Friday
Scheduled Rest Day – Extended Recovery

Saturday
Scheduled Rest Day – Extended Recovery

Sunday
Chest Press, American Cambered Bar Inside Grip – 138 x 6, 198 x 3, x 3; 178 x 3, x 3
Chest Press ACB Narrow Grip – 138 x 6, 198 x 3, x 3; 218 x 3, x 3; 228 x 3, x 3
Chest Press, ACB Normal Grip – 138 x 6, 198 x 3, x 3; 218 x 3, x 3; 228 x 2, x 2
Chest Press, ACB Outside Grip – 138 x 6, 198 x 3, x 3; 218 x 3, x 3; 228 x 2, x 2
Tricep Extensions, Wiggly Bar – 75 x 12, 75 w/chains x 12, 85 w/chains x 8, 95 w/chains x 8
Incline Press, Narrow Grip 225 x 3, x 3, x 3
Straight Arm Lat Pulldowns – 70 x 12, x 12; 80 x 8, x 8
Tricep Pushdown, Pronated Grip – 70 x 12, x 12, x 12, x 12
Rack Push-ups – Bodyweight x 12, x 12, x 12, x 12

Steps/Miles
Monday – 21,358 steps, 9.72 miles. Tuesday – 16,418 steps, 7.37 miles. Wednesday – 12,465 steps, 5.75 miles Thursday – 2,115 steps, .94 miles. Friday – 24,262 steps, 11.0 miles. Saturday – 17,567 steps, 8.0 miles. Sunday – 4,833 steps, 2.19 miles. Total – 99,018 steps, 44.97 miles.

Notes

I was sick this week and didn’t train as a result. I didn’t miss work but the illness combined with the lack of hours at work in the normal time frame created a low step and mile count. This is the first time I’ve been below 100,000 steps since I was on vacation a few months ago. It wasn’t particularly serious. I think it was a cold mixed with a major allergy flare up that made both worse. This isn’t the first time this has happened. The biggest was the suppression of hunger. If I are too much, I could tell very easily. I was probably able to train by Friday but I decided to let myself some extra recovery. I’ve been training seriously for damned near 4 months now without much of a break.

Sunday’s pressing session was an interesting one. As people who actually read this can see, it was a mix of the typical Sunday and Wednesday session. Pete hadn’t used the American Cambered Bar in awhile and told me he was down to use it. The session ended up being a bit lighter than my past 9 or ACB sessions. The bar felt heavier Sunday. I could tell I hadn’t lifted in a week. The tricep extensions with the fat wiggly axel bar I have went as it normally does. In many ways, the session overall was good, very out of the ordinary and almost straight out of 2020.

2022 Week 46 Training Log

November 14 – 20, 2022

Mark Brown

November 21, 2022

Monday
Scheduled Rest Day – Recovery

Tuesday
Box Squats, Cambered Bar – 175 x 6, 265 x 6, 355 x 3, x 3; 375 x 3, x 3; 405 x 3, x 3; 415 x 3, x 3; 425 x 2, x 2, x 2
Banded Deadlift, 70 lb bands – 225 w/bands x 3, x 3, x 3, x 3; 235 w/bands x 3, x 3; 245 w/bands x 3, x 3
Calf Raises, Cambered Bar – 265 x 25, x 25, x 25, x 20
Good Mornings – 265 x 3, x 3,x 3, x 3
Barbell Rows – 225 x 3, x 3, x 3, x 3

Wednesday
Tricep Pushdowns, Warmup – 25 x 25, x 25, x 25, x 25, x 25
Dumbbell Flies, Warmup – 10 x 25, x 25, x 25 x 25
Chest Press, American Cambered Bar Inside Grip – 138 x 6, 198 x 3, x 3
Chest Press, ACB Narrow Grip – 138 x 6, 198 x 3, x 3; 218 x 3, x 3; 228 x 3, x 2
Chest Press, ACB Normal Grip – 138 x 6, 198 x 3, x 3; 218 x 3, x 3; 228 x 3, x 3, 238 x 1
Chest Press, ACB Wide Grip – 138 x 6, 198 x 3, x 3; 218 x 3, x 3; 228 x 3, x 3; 238 x 2, x 1
Straight Arm Lat Pulldowns – 70 x 10, x 10; 80 x 8, x 8
Floor Press – 245 x 3, x 3, x 3; 255 x 3, x 3, x 3

Thursday
Unscheduled Rest Day – Recovery

Friday
Scheduled Rest Day – Recovery

Saturday
Scheduled Rest Day – Recovery

Sunday
Bench Press, Wide Grip – 135 x 6 Wide, x 6 Inside, x 6 Narrow; 225 x 6, 255 x 3, x 3; 265 x 3, x 3; 275 x 3, x 3
Incline Press, Narrow Grip – 225 x 3, x 3; 235 x 3, x 3
Seated Overhead Press, American Cambered Bar – 128 x 6, 138 x 6, 148 x 3, x 3; 158 x 3, x 3
Floor Press 245 x 3, x 3, x 3; 255 x 3, x 3, x 3
Tricep Pushdown, V shape – 70 x 12, x 12, x 12, x 12
Rack Pushups – Bodyweight x 25, x 25, x 25, x 25

Steps/Miles
Monday – 24,257 steps, 11.07 miles. Tuesday – 23,216 steps, 10.59 miles. Wednesday – 24,433 steps, 11.08 miles. Thursday – 24,355 steps, 11.02 miles. Friday – 23,567 steps, 10.81 miles. Saturday – 2,743 steps, 1.34 miles. Sunday – 6,753 steps, 3.19 miles. Total – 129,324 steps, 59.1 miles.

Notes

Already covered the notes for Tuesday’s lifting session with its own this past week, so only real note is about the chest press with the American Cambered Bar. I noticed a bit more control in the pressing movement itself so I am taking that as a sign my triceps are improving in strength and development by a small amount. The Wide grip is still the most stable and most capable of putting up the most weight but the third grip (just inside the powerlifting line) is catching up a bit.