Pulled my right lat just now changing a tire. One lug was tighter than the others and caught my by surprise when I yanked and expected the wrench to come with me. This hurts pretty bad and really sucks. I should still be able to do lower body stuff but this screws up the right shoulder rehab even more.

Or maybe not. Sometimes I feel like I cheat in retracting the scapula by using the lat. Now I can't. So maybe it will actually help. That over use probably contributed to the pull.

8/22/09

About 200 yards of girlfriend piggyback walking at a decent pace. Glute burner.

8/23/09

Sore ass would ordinarily force me to do other stuff, but it had been way too long since the last workout. Oddly enough, my right upper back feels better than ever since pulling the lat (which also feels fine). Almost as if it forced other muscles to work better. My scapula has always felt off over there, but now it feels fine, and the only thing that seems off is that the pec minor is still super tight.

Anyway, I went in and felt OK but not great. They got 4 nice new 100lb plates so I decided I'd play with them.

Deadlift
245x5
295x5
345x3
395x2 fast
445x2

Surprisingly easy. Slow from the floor, as usual, but came up easily. Felt like 4 would've been 100% max effort. No belt, Hook Grip on all. This let me bring my hands in a bit closer, which may or may not be useful. I think 200k was my previous hook grip limit, and this was fine for a double. But setting it down tears up my thumb a bit. This is the okie bar with extra grit, so it is really rough.

I also really cut down on my pre-pull setup timewasting. Stepped up, gripped, one quick hips down and up while pulling in air, then go.

SLDL
245 2x8

First set kind of hurt my right QL on the eccentric. Wonder why. 2nd was fine.

Deficit DB bulgarians
BW x 5 each
50 x 5 on right leg, 1 for left, stopped

I think I overestimated my flexibility or something, but I had a really hard time even getting set up for these, nothing seemed comfortable with the back leg, and my right knee felt like shit, so I stopped.

Then I spent 10 minutes shuffling weights and bars and logs and moving shit around in the gym to make a bit more room. It's way better now. Then I finished with

Supinated grip pulldowns
180 3x8
and 3x15 Pallof presses at 20lbs.

Kind of pissed about the Bulgarians, but happy that I feel like I am probably pretty close to my previous strength on deadlifts.

Sorry for the lack of updates. I joined a Crossfit for three months. I figure I'll take whatever strength tradeoff there is for hopefully dropping down to 185 and being fit. Then I'll probably do some Oly lifting after that with a legit coach, and then back at the strongman stuff for next summer. Current goal is to win 175 nats in 2010.

Anyway, I'm working out almost every day. Hit a 330 front squat unbelted while fatigued on monday and 155 snatches today, which sucks. I'm learning to do them right, though, I think. I already feel my lungs getting better. Feels like I have a bigger capacity in there.

But in general, I still hate crossfit and think kipping pullups and high-rep O lifts are offensive and burpees are gay. However, I think I'll be more mobile, more healthy, and more in shape come December 1. I'm not going to bother logging the workouts here though because I basically just do what I'm told. (Surrendering control was the hardest part of this. I'm now letting people who are weaker and know less than me tell me what to do. It's tough.)

Just checking in. Crossfit is easy once you get that initial shock of being so horribly out of shape out of the way. The only thing I can't do well is anything on the rings, especially dips for high volume. My left shoulder is back to bugging me again - think I may have some tears in there or something from yanking the dog away from an attacker recently - but everything else is way better, thoracic mobility especially.

I weigh 188 and pulled 475 today, which is kind of a shitty deadlift, but the most I've done in a very long time, and more than I've ever pulled without weighing 200. It was fairly easy, at least, and without a belt.

I'm also seeing Coach Nielsen up in Buffalo Grove once a week to learn O lifts. Not so much the jerk, of course, but positioning and lower body work for the clean and snatch, at least. It has helped a ton so far. I feel like I'm getting more athletic again. Without any preparation or training I pretty easily hit a 45" seated box jump the other day, which was cool. I bet I'm good for 50+ from standing. If I get the shoulder sorted out I bet I'll have a pretty good C+J even just starting out.

Goal is to be fit and lean at 185 by Thanksgiving, at which time I'll be doing 5/3/1 for squat and deads and eating whatever I see for a while. We'll see where that takes me. I bet my core strength will be better than ever before (if it's not already) so I'll be able to get back into Strongman after a year off in the spring.

I see you're doing crossfit....what is your time for "fran"?

No idea. My shoulders can't handle thrusters, plus that exercise is stupid anyway. I like to think I could do it in under 3 minutes. But apparently that's a bit ambitious, as the gym record is just 3:17.