W/C 30/11/2020
M - Yoga, abs.
T - Shipley, abs, yoga, abs
W - Depot, chest, yoga, abs
T - Campus, max hangs, board, triceps, abs, forearm mobility
F - Pull-ups, Depot, yoga, abs
S - Shoulders, yoga, abs
S - Yoga, biceps, fingers, abs roller
A new week and things are open again, plus moving back to recruitment rather than reps. Still want to keep getting outside but hopefully doing anything will be less weather dependent.
M - Gyms etc reopening means that I move my week about so I can make the most of it. This means broadly speaking resting on Monday, particularly as the weather is dreadful.
Just do half an hours yoga which is focused on hips and hamstrings today.
Abs roller for 60 paused reps and some floor work with planks, side planks and hollow bodies.
T - Last day of lockdown and it’s cold, crisp and bright. Go up to Shipley which is in the shade and feels a bit spooky. Warm up and then have a go at Manson’s Wall which is only chalked low down. Spend an hour falling off a high poor crimp on the left, am about to give in and then find a small edge/shield about 8 inches higher that is much more positive. Next go it’s in the bag, although fear for my life trying to get down the muddy frosty slope in rock boots. Good morning out.
50 reps with the abs roller for core.
Do some 8 sets of Max Hangs/Pulls using triangle. Middle sets strongest as is usually the case for me with most exercises.
Do another lower limb based yoga session.
Some lever pulls before tea to finish off the day.
W - Plan is to go to Almscliffe but I’m in Leeds for an appointment at 8:30 and it’s still wet, so head to the wall. Further, when I watch the news in the evening, it’s clear I should avoid travelling into North Yorks anyway. Good session, get up a couple more yellows and am solid on the purples that I have done before. Work a few more of the yellows and things are looking good with them too, with lots of progress. At the end of the session do some circuits, getting the 7a, 6c(bar dropping last move), 6b and 6a. Pumped by the end of it, but significantly better than I’d have expected.
Back in the gym and chest day. Start with flat bench for threes. Start at 60k and 5k pet set until failure. Sets good to 85 but 90 only manage 2 good reps. Follow similar pattern with decline presses, but with bigger jumps to start and again get to 2 good reps at 90. Move to incline bench and do 5x2 at 60. Follow this with 3x5 incline dumbbell presses at 2x30 on top set. Cables next. Start with 3x5 from a high position followed by 5x5 at mid level and 3x6 at a low level. Finish with 3x5 flys with a hold at full extension and 50 Svend presses that certainly make me feel it in my chest.
Get home and do some yoga which again focuses on open hips.
Finish the days exercise off with ab roller work, doing 4x25 paused reps.
T - Drive to Sheffield Depot as want to try campusing for the first time since August and the board there has the biggest holds to start on. Slowly work up to 1-3-6 on both arms and 1-4-6 on RH on very big rounds and then just scrape 1-2-5 on the big rounds and then the medium rounds but can’t get anything better than that. Next work on Max Hangs for 8x5 seconds. Start with a 15k counterweight and work down to 10k using a Lattice rung and a ppulley. Finish off at the wall with a few problems on the 50 board, which is good for core, and then a few on the 30 board which feel like they are working my fingers.
In the gym it’s triceps today. Start with 3x5 close grip presses with top set being 80k which feels heavy for first heavy set of the phase but sure I’ll get into it. Next is single arm Tate presses for 3 sets, increasing weight reducing reps on each set. Standing dumbbell tricep extensions for 3x5 next, followed by 4x5 seated leaning skull crushers. French presses for 3x6, before moving onto cables. Start with 3x6 V grip presses, followed by 3x6 overhead leaning extensions and 3x4 single arm presses. Finish triceps with 4x6 cable kick backs. Go on to deadlift to try and gauge where I am at the moment. 140 flies off the floor, 150 is a grind but a successful one, so call it at that. Think it heaviest I’ve lifted all year and think I’m a stone lighter than last time I lifted at all. Finish off with 25 barbell roll outs, levers with one leg tucked and low star plank for core.
Yoga when I get in, which focuses on chest, back and shoulders and feels great for recovery. Once finished, do some stretches for my fingers and forearms, which hopefully will help my weakness in twisted undercut positions.
F - Start the day with gym session for back. Weighted pull-ups for 2reps, start at bodyweight and add 5k until I fail, then drop weight to last successful weight for 3 sets of 2. Get 1 good rep at 40 so 3x2 at 35k. Next do 2x30 second lock offs at Full lock, followed by the same at 90° and then at 120°. Next is 3 sets of single negatives for OAP, which feels brutal. Follow this up with jumps on the diagonal monkey bars. Go 1-2 easily and 3 sets of 1-3 comfortably enough but don’t have either the strength or the cahoonas to go 1-4, something to work on. 3x2 off set pull ups with a 60cm deficit. Finish pull-ups with 5x5 close grip pull ups.
Go to Depot at Pudsey as the day is proper miserable. Good session. Get a couple more yellows and a couple of purples, which is particularly pleasing given that they’ve been up a while. Work a couple more yellows, one of which looks like it’ll get done soon, but the other doesn’t look like it will without a lot more effort.
Today’s yoga session is core based and I feel great afterwards, so go for an easy session with the abs roller of 50 reps without a pause.
S - Gym session is shoulders today. Start with barbell shoulder press for 5x3 working up to 45k. Move onto machine press again for 5x3. Move on to dumbbell presses for 3x5, although right arm feels weak today. Lateral raises for 3x6 to hit the middle delt, front raises for the front delt for 3x8 and reverse fly’s for the rear delts at 3x8. High cable press downs for 4x5 and then into lateral crossovers for 3x5. Cable crossovers for 3x8 with really slow reps to work rear delts more. 3x8 straight arm press downs to finish on the cables and 3x8 scapular raises before I go home.
Yoga today focuses on the lower back and hips.
On the abs roller, go for 50 paused reps.
S - Lazy day today. Yoga in the morning which is focused on shoulder mobility again.
Go to gym at lunchtime to work on biceps a bit. Start with Ez bar preacher curls for 5x5 working up to 40k. Next is 4x3 inclined curls with the 16s. Move on to concentration curls for 3x3. Then do a superset each for 3x8 of seated curls and drag curls, which I hate. 5x5 standing hammer curls with 12s is next. Carry on with a superset of 3x8 strict barbell curls and Ez bar spider curls. Do 3x30 second static holds to finish, which gets an awesome burn going in my arms.
Do some brief finger training when I get home, to see how things are going.
On the abs roller I manage 4 reps going from off my feet rather than my knees, a whole different amount of effort involved, but happy that I can actually do any. Then do 50 steady reps to keep up the progress.
Things are still going well. Think I’m climbing better than I have all year which is pleasing. Still getting lighter whilst strength staying with me.
