Workout: What did you do today?

[Guybrush]

I keep forgetting that you use the smith machine which changes the whole thing quite a lot. Actually curious to see how you'll fare with free weight squats

Me too! I'm guessing worse for obvious reasons. I used to do free weights at home, but that was 20 kgs ago. I don't have a squat rack here, so getting the barbell safely up and down without a spotter and without dropping it on our wooden floor seemed risky. I got mats, but even then just dropping a heavy dumbbell may cause a dent.

So as I'm sick and writing this as my teeth are chattering with fever, I've been philosophizing a bit about my journey so far. I've digitized my entire log, so that gave me something to contemplate.

I started out great, very consistent with the exercises I was doing. I was also doing something every day, no matter how small (logged or not). It seems I lift most total weight about a month in or so. Then, as it was, I started experimenting more in September and going into October, losing some of that consistency. I also found out I didn't like every exercise, like the pendlay row. Some of my experiments, like lateral raises, dumbbell pullover and chest flys along with other stuff caused me shoulder pain, so I stopped doing certain things and eventually took a week off.

I was also looking at a lot of YouTube vids during this period and, who knows, maybe my confidence went down a bit after my feed got filled with absolute beefcakes (something I've even no ambition of becoming).

HOWEVER I have grown a lot, even if I was more amazed with my development a little while ago. I'm smarter now in terms of shoulder stuff, so I wanna get that pep back.

One thing I wanna get back to is doing something every day. I've let that slip a little. So today, I did dead hang for 1 min and then 3 x 30s and it was pretty brutal, so obviously should do that more.

If I'm bedridden, I can still squeeze my ass cheeks together and although I'm far from beefcake, I am much closer to the kind of bod that I myself find attractive.

Human flesh!

[grindy]

Push day today. Didn't increase my bench press weight but while last week the last set of five reps was incredibly hard, today's wasn't that difficult. Probably could have done 6, at least in the first and second set. I love those clear indicators of week to week progress. Motivating af
Seated overhead press and flyes were also much easier than the first time I did them last week, I've probably gotten more used to them. Another reason why it's so important not to switch exercises all the time. You need to learn to get good at them.

[jimmy jazz]

Think it was in 2021, I had lifted for about 7 months without a deload, wasn't really familiar with it then. Started beginning of 2020 so 18 months in at this point.

Came to a point where I just felt like I needed a break so had a week off.

When I went back in and did bench I had got three or four reps stronger which blew my mind.

[grindy]

Breaks and deloads never had such big benefits for me. Although it might just mean that I don't go hard enough.

[grindy]

Tweaked my lower back squatting today. Not even with max weight, just warming up. Never happened before. Still managed to do most of my squatting but decided to forego RDLs and back extensions. Really hope it'll be okay tomorrow and I'll be able to finish my workout.

[jimmy jazz]

Tweaked my lower back squatting today. Not even with max weight, just warming up. Never happened before. Still managed to do most of my squatting but decided to forego RDLs and back extensions. Really hope it'll be okay tomorrow and I'll be able to finish my workout.

This is my worst nightmare.

How old are you mate? You have the aura of a late 30s man.

What weight were you squatting when you tweaked it?

[grindy]

I'm 36. I was only doing 70kg. It's ridiculous. But I've had stuff like this before, although not often since I started training, should be fine in one or two days.

[jimmy jazz]

Sympathy rep. Get well soon my fellow roider.

[Guybrush]

Ouch, @grindy ! Forgive my dumb question cause I realize you obviously hurt your back, but tweaked.. just unsure about that term. Do you like know of it's skeletal or muscular?

Also interesting to hear if there are some valuable advice for myself in here. Was the squat too deep?

My sympathies are with you, my beef bro. Hope it clears up quickly!

[grindy]

Not sure what the specific meaning of "tweaking one's back" is but I always understood it to mean some slight injury that you get when you pick something up or bend down or whatever.
Not sure what's really hurting here, feels like some muscle or tendon stuff, it's more of a discomfort, a general feeling of instability and something pulling, than real pain. Anyway, feelings can be deceptive. I used to have this a few times per year when I picked something up while twisting my back or being in some weird position. Since I started deadlifting and stuff like that, this is only the second time this happened. Not sure what the reason was this time. 70kg is usually a weight I feel very comfortable with. I might have arched my back too much but not sure. Some slight injuries are to be expected now and then when lifting anything beyond baby weights so I don't worry too much.

[jimmy jazz]

Back and bis yesterday.

Going to have a rest for a bit now. Been about 16 weeks non stop.

I was thinking wait until Christmas and rest then but I'll probably just do both.

[DJChameleon]

I'm gonna take this week off. I did back on Friday with my trainer and for some reason I'm still feeling sore. So gonna chill for a bit.

[Guybrush]

I visited an actual gym today to see whether I might like to exercise there on occasion.

Because they had the machines for it, I had to try machine squats and also leg curl which I haven't gotten to do properly before now.

Wish I knew what the weight on the machine squats was without plates. Added 60 kgs to it and did 4 x 12 after warmup sets, but it was rough. I had to take a few seconds break in the final two sets. Think it might have been 80 kgs or more? But who knows?

It's one of the things that annoy me with machines. Please make it easy to know how much I'm lifting so I can compare and check progress.

Also have done lat cable pulldowns, pushups, skullcrushers, biceps curl and a short dead hang. Doing those every day, usually 1,5 minutes now.. but only a minute today as I was knackered.

[DJChameleon]

the bars themselves are usually around 20kg or 45 lbs but it does vary on the machine. I would have just asked someone that was in the gym working out to make sure or someone at the front desk. I don't know how busy the gym was that you went into.

[Guybrush]

The machine squat has this rail cart.

the bars themselves are usually around 20kg or 45 lbs but it does vary on the machine. I would have just asked someone that was in the gym working out to make sure or someone at the front desk. I don't know how busy the gym was that you went into.

It was a hack squat machine, maybe?

It looked like this, only a bit more rugged:



I'd guess that back rest portion with the bar at the back is at least 20 kgs 🤔

Edit:

Probably 30 kgs for a 90 kgs total which then is easier to lift as it's angled. It's easy to go real deep on these, so that's probably why it was tough.