First off, I'd like to thank everyone who reached out to me following my last log post. I really didn't intend to reveal so much about my mom's health, but it was late, I was tired, and I just let it fly. Sometimes it's easier to just put stuff out there than it is to open up to those closest to you. I'm trying to work on that. My normal habit of suppressing my emotions until they turn to rage, then lashing out at the few people in the world who love me is not working so well anymore.

Anyhoo...

After a week of not training and feeling sorry for myself, I couldn't wait to get back under a squat bar this past Sunday. Since my last two meets were bench only, It had been about 6 weeks or since doing any lower body work of substance, and I really didn't know what to expect.

As I will for the next few months, I stayed raw in order to address muscular strength. Once I start a meet cycle, I will transition back to gear to address skill and overload.

Warmed up with the empty bar, and worked up like so:

155 x 3

Added chain

155 x 1

205 x 1

245 x 1

295 x 1

335 x 1

385 x 1

425 x 1

450 x 1

The 450 was pretty easy, and when I looked at my log, I saw that the last time we did this, I worked up to 495 wearing a brief. Getting within 50 lbs of a geared lift from earlier this year is a good sign that I've held onto some strength.

Also, I still hate the SS bar.

Finished with 4 sets of 15 back extensions and 4 sets of 15 pulldown abs. I'm still ridiculously out of shape, so I will gradually build my assistance work up over the next month to something more substantial.

 

On another note, My weight loss is going well. I'm down about 10lbs from the day of the meet. It's obviously mostly bloat, but I still feel a lot better not carrying it around. The first week of cleaner eating, I felt terrible, because my body was craving all the sugar I had been shoveling in. Now I feel quite a bit better and the cravings are mostly gone. Another advantage is my joints feel a lot better, and I'm guessing that the cleaner eating is refusing some inflammation I was experiencing.

So all is well.