Update on my back and upper body shit to fix: I am currently incapable of fully following directions. Let me preface this by saying that when I first hurt my back, I did those fucking rehab exercises every day. I planked, I bird dogged, I curled up, I walked, I sat in the right position, etc etc etc.

But these past few weeks I have NOT been doing the things I need to do for my back and shoulders on a regular basis. I don’t know if this is because I’m not in as much pain on a regular basis and/or I don’t see it directly influencing my training since I am not squatting right now but either way, I need to get it together. In the interim, Tyrel changed my homework so that each day at home I need to work on my posture and ice my elbows and during training sessions I will do progressions of bird dogs and planks.

Edit: Since I wrote that I have been doing my back exercises almost every day since I realize how stupid it was that I wasn’t doing it. High five me.

 

Here is the list of shit I'm supposed to get done at some point: bird dogs, planks, curl ups, some stretch for my fucked up nerves, smushing something into my pecs, paying attention to my posture, stretching my pecs. Probably some other stuff I forgot. Do I expect I will do all of these every day? No. Should I? Yes.

Thursday 12/20

Today in the chronicles of Margia (that’s like the chronicles of Narnia but about margaret’s training), we worked on changing her bench setup to that of a beautiful origami piece. She was previously a legs out bencher and we tucked em up under her and it looks BEAUTIFUL. Much stable. So smushed. Wow.

 

In Lily’s world, I switched it up from my usual dumbbell pressing since that shit hurts my elbows and did the decline press machine with two plates on each side. Also as a point interest, I try and get more volume in during this off-season time. Usually during my meet prep time I will do a few warm up sets on the way up to my working weights then do the prescribed sets at the working weight. But in this off season time, I usually work up to something fairly heavy, then do some sets, then keep going up, and do some sets, then get up to my working weight and do 3-4 sets there.

Then I did the single arm chest supported row machine. I’m really trying to hammer the fuck out of my upper back. So when I do upper back work I try to pay way more attention to squeezing my upper back together and getting a little pause than just trying to row the fuck outta the machine like that kid in Life of Pi. I haven’t read the book or seen the movie but I can assume that since he is stuck in a rowboat with a tiger he probably did some maniacal rowing at one point or another.

I did reverse hypers which I try to do every training session in a manner that engages the glutes. Aka un-assuages the ass. Aka blows up the butt cheeks.

Heavy face pulls again trying to pay attention to what my back is actually doing instead of just throwing bows backwards.

Front and side raises with chains and the grenade handles. I attach 1.5 chains to the grenade handles and it gives a nice strength curve where it’s harder at the top.

Tricep extensions on the cable machine. I’ve mostly been doing cable extensions since I find any extensions where my elbows are not next to my body (DISTAL I BELIEVE IS THE TERM WOWEEEE) are more painful for the ‘bows.

Stir the pots on ball- this is my progression of the regular planks that I have been doing previously for my back rehab. I prefer to call them stir the potions because I am way more likely to do anything Harry Potter related.