Strength in Interesting Places

[JauntyAngle]

Back in Chiang Mai

Got back home on Friday, had a few days without going to the gym, so in fact it had been 6 days since my last workout (last Tuesday). The plan is now to go a bit more like regular SS, with just a few extra exercises here and there (mainly dips and chins).


Squat

82.5kg: x5, x5, x5

First two sets were paused. I was able to get good depth by not overdoing the back angle. I think this form was okay (although I wonder whether I am not doing a weird hybrid of low bar and high bar). I will try to do Linear Progression back upto 100/105 or so then post a form check video.

No discomfort from the injury.


Bench

Hmmm... had a major stall, I think. Decided to set the weight to 82.5kg (which I did 5x5 quite easily a few weeks ago), and got

x4 (last rep really struggling), x3 (last rep struggling), x0 (felt no strength in arms and chest unracking, so re-racked).

Maybe need a rest/deload- my workouts have been sort of bench intensive over the lats 4 weeks. Such is the extent of the failure, I may need a bit more than the regular 10%.


Power Clean

Now I can do chins again, I am doing power clean instead of BOR again. Got

63.75kg: x3 (first one very dodgy), x3, x3, x3, x3 (last one failed, had to try again to get it)

The technique was a bit rusty as I haven't been doing many of these. This is my PR for 5x3, and the heaviness and rustiness showed in some not great form. Will repeat this weight next time.


Bonus work

Usually I cram in a few bicep curls or something, but this time decided to do some extra front squats. I've probably done about 10 front squats in my life so my strength in the front squat is minimal, although I have no problem getting deep and keeping upright. I did

50kg: x10, x10

Will try to do this a bit more often, work up to being able to do three sets of 10 and slowly get the weight up.

* * *

Even with the bench failure, I enjoyed the workout.

 

[Voodooloco]

Glad to hear you're not feeling that injury anymore!

 

[JauntyAngle]

Glad to hear you're not feeling that injury anymore!

Thanks! Now I just need to get the weights up a bit.

 

[JauntyAngle]

Another interesting place

Here's an interesting place I visited with my work a few years ago- the 'death road' that comes from La Paz, Bolivia, and goes down towards Yungas:

I guess this is about 3,000m above sea level, or thereabouts. La Paz is 3,600m average, with El Alto district being about 4,200m. It's so high a lot of people pass out the second they get off the plane. Most people have a permanent headache and often nausea. Even fit people get slightly out of breath going up 10-12 steps. Things burn slower than normal because of lack of oxygen in the air.

Didn't do any strength training there, but did do some sun salutations (yoga burpees). Gets you kind of high.

This second photo is right outside of La Paz- about 20 minutes out of town:

Possible theme for Midmo- Latin girls?

 

[MIDMOBOX]

latinas?


we'll see.

 

[MIDMOBOX]

Talked me into it

 

[JauntyAngle]

Talked me into it

I'm glad I did.

 

[MIDMOBOX]

 

[JauntyAngle]

Squats

In my continued process of experimentation, switched to high-bar today, with a smaller back angle to allow for more depth. Tried to make them paused. Even at only 85kg, they were hard.

85kg: x5, x5, x4

Don't know why I pussied out on the last one. I guess it is just a really unfamiliar feeling trying to exert strength from that deep. I think I may need to increase the back angle a bit. It was almost front squat territory.


Press

Felt weak... possibly due to eating very little for lunch and breakfast, possibly because of the need to re-set my press. Something was telling me I wouldn't be able to do 55kg

50kg: x3...felt uncomfortable, reset, x3
45kg: x5. x5


Deadlift

115kg: x1, x1, x1, x1, x1

Even these felt really hard.

* * * *

Not a good day today. Need to reset pressing, working back on every single lift, still being unsure about how to squat... leaving me feeling a bit directionless. And also weak.

 

[MIDMOBOX]

You may want to increase your taco consumption

 

[MIDMOBOX]

or try a simple progression based on singles

or doubles

 

[JauntyAngle]

or try a simple progression based on singles

or doubles

I like the look of the doubles.

 

[MIDMOBOX]

I'm doing doubles right now

(well deadlift doubles)

 

[JauntyAngle]

I'm doing doubles right now

(well deadlift doubles)

I've rarely done doubles. I wish I'd done them more.

Well, I've obviously done plenty of deadlift doubles...

 

[JauntyAngle]

Legs... DOMS... ugh.

 

[JauntyAngle]

Not a proper lifting day. And terrible DOMS in legs. So:

Chins: x8
Dips: x8
Chins: x8
Dips: x8
Chins: x8
Dips: x8
Chins: x8
Dips: x8

14 lengths of the very small pool at a very leisurely pace, which I really enjoyed. Think I will do 20 tomorrow, and try to increase by 5 every day for while.

 

[VoodooPlata]

You're getting damned close to that goal of benching 200 lbs for reps, my friend! 200 is 90-ish kgs, and you're benching 83 kgs 5 * 5 now... one or two months and you should be there!

Gonna do a midmo here and post sexy, motivating stuff:

amidionitrite?

EDIT:
Ok, I feel bad about making that joke. Here you go:

 

[JauntyAngle]

Thanks Voodooplata. I need a bit of motivation at the moment... the hot babe definitely suffices.

Sadly, the equation is beyond me... the only maths I know is mathematical logic and a bit of set theory. Oh, and I spent one weekend working through an online college algebra course. Got to lesson 12, introducing imaginary numbers and complex numbers but for some reason I didn't go any further.

 

[VoodooPlata]

Well, if you know a bit about complex numbers you might know that a complex number Z = a + b * i can be written as Z = |Z| * e^(arg(Z)) = |Z| * (cos(arg(Z)) + i * sin(arg(Z))).

Then, e^(pi * i) = cos(pi) + i * sin(pi) = -1 + i * 0 = -1.

It's a great expression because it brings together e, which comes from calculus, pi from geometry and i from complex number theory into (arguably) the most fundamental constant there is, 1. Which is from arithmetic. That's why it's sexy.

And, as an apology for all that drivel:

 

[JauntyAngle]

Well, if you know a bit about complex numbers you might know that a complex number Z = a + b * i can be written as Z = |Z| * e^(arg(Z)) = |Z| * (cos(arg(Z)) + i * sin(arg(Z))).

Then, e^(pi * i) = cos(pi) + i * sin(pi) = -1 + i * 0 = -1.

It's a great expression because it brings together e, which comes from calculus, pi from geometry and i from complex number theory into (arguably) the most fundamental constant there is, 1. Which is from arithmetic. That's why it's sexy.

And, as an apology for all that drivel:

Now I think about it, I think I read somewhere that this was voted the most beautiful theorem of mathematics recently. I can see why it is compelling- surprising identities are very nteresting and powerful in mathematical-type disciplines.