This week was a plague of left arm not working.
Monday
Bench Press
- 50×5
- 55×4
- 85×3
- 95×2
- 100×1
- 110×1
- 115×1 @ 4RIR
Lots of warm-up sets because of the weekend off, wanting to get the motor gears greased.
- 136×1 @ 2RIR
- 120×3 @ 3RIR
- 110×3 @ 2RIR
Felt okay. Decided to just do a 5lbs. jump on the drop sets and keep it there for the whole week.
Squat
- 95×3
- 135×2
- 185×1
It wasn’t too heavy but my left arm hurt so much, so I stopped.
Duration: 48 minutes
Tuesday
Bench Press
- 55×4
- 65×3
- 95×2
- 115×2
Cutting out some warm-up sets, feeling more ready to go than yesterday.
- 138×1 @ 2RIR
- 120×2 @ 2RIR
- 110×3 @ 2RIR
Felt strong enough to try a 2lbs jump. Drop sets felt good too.
Dual Pulley Row
- 85×10
- 85×10
- 85×10
Just trying to get more posterior deltoid and general back development.
DB Lateral Raise
- 12.5×15
Needed the volume.
Oh yeah, I got my driver’s license today too.
Rest Since Last Workout: 15hrs
Duration: 33 minutes
Wednesday
Bench Press
- 65×3
- 95×3
- 115×2
- 125×1 @ 2RIR
Really tying it together on the warm-ups.
- 140×1 @ 1RIR
- 120×3 @ 1RIR
- 110×3 @ 2RIR
I really have to respect my RIR numbers for future workouts. These were prophetic.
Squat
- 45×8
- 65×5
- 95×3
- 135×3
- 185×1
Elbow still tweaking, I tried a wider grip and the loss of tightness in my upper body made these really scary. Gotta try something else.
Workout Recovery: 12 hours
Duration: 39 minutes
Thursday
Squat
- 45×8
- 65×5
- 95×3
- 135×3
- 185×2
So I got it to hurt less by going thumbless, and pointing my elbows down rather than trying to keep them raised. I imagine myself using my palms to simply balance the bar on my traps rather than as a support structure.
I squatted first because my hips were too tight to arch, and then someone stole the bench I have to use to record my sets anyway.
Bench Press
- 65×3
- 95×2
- 115×1
- 125×1
I may have cut too many warm up sets, and the jumps may have been too large, but it seemed okay. I had some issues with my set-ups but it was trending toward getting it right.
- 141×0
I didn’t even get close. I got it off my chest but I got stuck below halfway. My spotter was a good friend of mine and she was gracious with encouragement about my getting it next time.
Too fast progress? Too few warm-ups? Not enough rest? Not enough food?
The major problem was my left arm going numb during the rep. Fucking squats, man. I should have just been doing them all along, I’ve lost upper body mobility.
Incline DB Curl
- 5×20
- 5×20
I read somewhere that I needed to do more biceps curls to balance my triceps gains from benching, and it might be contributing to my elbow pain to not be doing them curls.
I hate curls.
I forgot to note down the duration, but there was about 13 hours between the last workout and this one.
Friday: Missed a Day
Fortunately the challenge of “Bench Every Day” ended on Tuesday when I passed my road test. So I accepted an invitation to spend the night with my favorite lady.
She’s not my girlfriend, mind out of the gutter, thanks.