Tim's Journeyman Log

[Glex]

That's good news; for a while I thought I had really resilient psycho-ankles. People are always saying, "Once you start using an ankle brace it's always going to need that support." I rolled my right ankle playing volleyball and needed to have it taped and it got better, and then the left ankle even worse while running and needed a brace for a month or so, then an ace bandage after that. Now I don't need anything on either...they're definitely weaker (especially my left) but I don't see any reason why you can't restrengthen your ankles enough after an injury to play sports without a brace.

 

[Banshee20]

Love the suit log entry...LOL, that was well written too!

I do single leg/balance work too. Started for the same reason as you and Glex...I had my knee scoped for meniscus. I really liked the results I got from it and I still do single leg squats fairly often.

Have a good one Tim!
Banshee

 

[tim290280]

Thanks Banshee! You bring sexy to my log!

Glex: I think the "weakness" in the ankle is how much ligament damage occured and how much extra laxity there is now. I find that occasionally I roll over on the ankle, because of the extra ligament length, like when you find a pot hole. Doesn't hurt, just makes me look dorky.

This week is all about recovery. Welcome to my backoff week. This week will be filled with 20% less humour, 20% less information, and 20% less training. So what can you still expect to see in my log then?

1) A Tim that is less stressed from the combination of PhD, finances running out quicker than beer at Oktoberfest, and that all passionate desire to lift heavy weights when he really should just give it a miss.

2) A sudden realisation that calves and shoulder prehab work have almost disappeared from a routine due to sheer laziness and out-of-breathyness.

3) The ability to take a 1.25hr program in the normal week and complete it with extra exercises in under an hour.

4) For the nay-sayers and skeptics its likely to mean 20% less chance of me posting poundages and reps and sets.

Its an interesting thing to take so much less time between exercises and exercise change overs. I performed the sets so much quicker last night, but also, because the working weight was 'easy' to move around, I moved quickly between C&J's, SLDL's, and Front Squats. Suprisingly the front squats still felt challenging, which I suspect is because the weight isn't really the issue as much as the mental aspects, and the keeping the bar on the shoulder thing. Actually as part of setting up I did my supposed 1RM on the front squat to rack the bar ready for the next exercise, and I think I really should have more weight on my next real session.

Finishing up with inclines and chins was once again more an issue of lethargy than actual challenge to lift. Once this cycles into the third build up phase I'll have to swap exercise orders/days around. As I mentioned above I did external rotations, calf raises (which just fell off the schedule last week somehow), arms, and some different forearm wrist curls (used just a normal bar instead of my thick bar). Good to have these back, but I can see them disappearing again as the workouts become more fatiguing again.

 

[Line]

20% less humour? The horror! Despite the less funny log week, I'm glad to see you're making up phrases like "out-of-breathyness" (assuming that's not an actual term down in Australia).

Hope this week treats you well...I'd comment further but I'm spent as hell from the day.

 

[Glex]

Glex: I think the "weakness" in the ankle is how much ligament damage occured and how much extra laxity there is now. I find that occasionally I roll over on the ankle, because of the extra ligament length, like when you find a pot hole. Doesn't hurt, just makes me look dorky.

I agree completely. I just don't understand why people say that. I mean, we're both fine I'm such an idiot for not taking pictures of my ankle; it was awesome. I had bruises up my shin and down my foot from where the ligament snapped like a chalk-line on the inside of my body

Take your time and de-stress, man. Nothing worse than overdoing it, and nothing better than taking it a little easier and affirming it was just what you needed.

 

[FOOTBALL FAN]

I still lol'd even with 20% less humor enjoy your week bud

 

[tim290280]

20% less humour? The horror! Despite the less funny log week, I'm glad to see you're making up phrases like "out-of-breathyness"

I still lol'd even with 20% less humor enjoy your week bud

This 20% less is still 40% more than other logs

Thanks guys!! It's a round number, sometimes it will be more than 20% other times it barely seems like a change. Also I'm pretty sure I invented that "out-of-breathyness" due to my lethalogic-a.

I went to get my haircut the other day. I've got that wavy/curly hair that starts to do whatever it wants when it gets to a certain length. I caught it one time trying to steel an old lady's bus pass! Anyway, I go to a mens hairdressers. This isn't one of those pseudo mens hairdressers, where the guys there look like boy toys for some guy named Stefan, or talk like their wrist is permantly damaged and cannot support the weight of their hand.

I go to a Mens Hairdressers! All haircuts are haricuts, not stylings. They don't sell a line of shampoo or conditioner. Their selection of reading material does not include womens magazines, nor psuedo womens stuff like GQ. And lastly, the hairdressers are tough and manly, even the women.

One of the owners is ex-army, and has been cutting hair for longer than I've been alive. The only female in the store used to cut footballers hair, back before they got stylists and lisps and the urge to wear womens underwear. The guy who cut my hair, is an ex-boxer and was fully into lifting weights.

We got to talking about how in his prime he was 116kg (He's around 177cm), could bench 225kg, and how he now has a games room/weights room in the granny flat at his place. He also drives the biggest engined muscle car Australia has to offer (a Monaro). Talking to him I realised a couple of things. First he had had both shoulders reconstructed, in hairdressing this isn't suprising, except his was from benching. This makes me realise how you really have to be carefull with your joints to enjoy lifting in the long term. The second was he is still passionate about lifting. His sons are now using his old pics as inspiration. I want that! I want to get to mid 50's and still love lifting, still be able to lift, and to pass it onto my kids. Last thing I'd want is some skinny runt, wearing a tight bonds t-shirt, hanging out with his good friend all day, and going to hairdressers college.

So this weeks back off is important. To make sure I'm not fucking up my knee and shoulder, I am going to make sure my form is good, that I still do all the little prehab things, and most of all make sure that every 4 weeks I do take it back a notch so that I can be loving this at 60.

 

[Glex]

The sheer act of quoting what 'Glex would have said' bumps what Glex actually says to, "This 20% less is still 80% more than other logs."

And of course the rest is funny too. Kid hanging out with his good friend and going to hairdresser's college = Repped!

Takes discipline to go in and say that it's an easy week. We know you're hitting it hard every other day

 

[Tunen]

You crack me up dude

Have a nice de-load!

 

[tim290280]

Glex: I knew you wouldn't mind me twisting your words around. I really hate the metrosexaul hairdressing these days. You go into most places to get a haircut and come out looking like Beckham, without the billions of $$ and skinny wife as compenstation.
Tunen: De-Load..... That makes it sound like either a new easy listening Metallica album, or getting shit stains off my shirt. Being a Metallica fan (except St Anger, didn't like St Anger, sounded like someone playing on dust bins all the way through) I think its the new album.

My back off week has a new sponsor. Metallicas new album "De-Load" will be available throughout the week.

Thanks for the support. Hopefully I can inspire, with the help of Metallicas softer rock offering, others to make sure they do have back off weeks, or weeks were they don't train as part of their program.

 

[Line]

Nice haircut story. I try to get mine cut by female stylists who shove their boobs in my face when cutting my hair but to each his own


I agree with passing things on to your children though, my main problem is going to be not forcing things on them. Of course I'm going to grow up teaching them about fitness but I'm going to have to restrain myself from...oh, I don't know...beating them mercilessly if they want to take choir lessons instead of playing sports. Hopefully you'll be able to handle such a thing a little more gracefully than me

 

[tim290280]

^^ In all fairness they would have it coming!! Choir! Next they'd want to go on Idol!

I used to like the boobs in face thing from hairdressers. But I weighed up the cost:benefit ratio of boobs to decent hair and decided to just go with getting my boob allocation at home or strip clubs.

 

[FOOTBALL FAN]

my barbers is a bit like that the blokes a big skinhead fucker and the floor tiles are one big union jack, the bad thing is there always sat in there smoking but it gets my hair cut and its cheap

 

[tim290280]

^^ I think it is the only way to go. Just seems more manly to get a haircut, and talk about footy and chicks (his shop overlooks the fresh food market where all the hotties go). Where's the manliness in stylists, and lisps, and womens magazines?

Just to update. I'm either going to do my last light session tonight or tomorrow night. The days here have been extremely hot, and I don't fancy dehydrating for a light session. I would have done some swimmming but school holidays + public holiday + pool = crap swimming day.

 

[Glex]

My back off week has a new sponsor. Metallicas new album "De-Load" will be available throughout the week.

That pic is priceless.

 

[tim290280]

That pic is priceless.

James Hetfield on Banjo; next they'll be doing country songs..... (Oh wait they did a country cover of Tuesdays Gone).

Thanks for all the support I've had during my "De-Load". It came at a perfect time, as the average temps here in Perth have been enough to fry an egg. It also hasn't been cooling off in the evening, so training is basically going to end up being a bath as well.

I'd also like to take this opportunity to thank those who "get" this log. I've said it, or rather insinuated, a fair bit, that training is more than a list of numbers. For any who bore witness to a little meltdown in one of the other logs, this log is still criticised for not being a list of numbers, even though there often is my lifts # included.

Welcome to the next phase! Please keep your arms hovered over the keyboard, and your eyes glued to the screen, and stop looking at porn and read my log.

 

[tim290280]

A much cooler day of 33 degrees (91.4F) greeted my training. So nice to be able to have to train for 10-15mins to actually be sweaty, rather than just peeling myself out of the office chair to dribble my way to the back yard.

After 20% less, I was ready for 110% this week. First up was C&J and SLDL's. I was hesitant to add weight to the former, as I wasn't sure about my split jerk form. Either way I thought 85kg would be fine and the several sets worked well, although I am cautious to alternate the front leg on each jerk rep. SLDL's actually worked my grip harder than I expected. 95kg is not meant to be taxing for 8-10rep sets, not when I can do similar on a standard deadlift with a pronated grip with 1.5xBW. The pissing about changing my foot stance (toes out, toes in in different sets) may be the issue here.

After my revelation last week that my front squat is not limited by thigh strength but rather by my ability to keep the bar from rolling off my shoulders, I added weight and kept an eye on my form. I feel I was successfull, and all sets went up easily, so I'll add another 5-10kg next week as well. I won't go mad though, as I did get some post exercise knee swelling, which has been my squat nemesis, rather than the actual weight.

Next came the inclines and chins, with a side serve of wide grip rollers, spider curls (Banshee you inspired me to do them more regularly), and incline triceps. The benches and chins sucked. The extra weight took more of a rep toll than they should have, but then it is first week back, and endurance may be an issue. I'll try to do my workouts quicker and see if that changes things. A side note on the incline triceps. I decided to do these a) because I couldn't be bothered changing the seat angle between sets of spider curls and triceps, b) I've been getting a slight discomfort in my elbow when doing tricep work. Nothing major but I felt that the angle change would benefit the elbow slightly be changing the force curve slightly.

All in all, its good to be back to the real weights.

 

[Banshee20]

After my revelation last week that my front squat is not limited by thigh strength but rather by my ability to keep the bar from rolling off my shoulders, I added weight and kept an eye on my form. I feel I was successfull, and all sets went up easily, so I'll add another 5-10kg next week as well. I won't go mad though, as I did get some post exercise knee swelling, which has been my squat nemesis, rather than the actual weight.

Great to hear! I have always liked front squats...had to do them a lot in college for our strength and conditioning program. You had a meniscus tear, same as me right???


Your log was a motivating read as always, thanks! Glad all is well with your training.

Banshee

 

[tim290280]

^^ My partner made me tape over my video of the meniscus clean up and ACL repair!! She thought that she couldn't think of anything worse than watching that again! The worst part was watching them get the hamstring graft to make the new ACL........

I did a lot of knee damage, the lateral posterior horn of the meniscus was removed, as it was blocking the knee so that I couldn't move it. I did other damage as well that didn't need repair or removal....... Glucosamine+Fish oil for me!!

Hopefully the swelling will be under control, as I'm 1.5yrs post injury. I was told about 2yrs to reach 100%.

 

[Line]

Some people prefer strip clubs, I prefer copping cheap feels when getting my hair cut; to each his own.

Interesting read as always, especially on the procedures you had done on your knee seeing how I've been learning more and more on the subject at school.

Looking forward to seeing (well, I guess to be fair it'd be hearing) about you using more weight on Front Squats, as well as just getting back into the swing of things in general.