Last week was a pretty tough one! Good, but tough. The next week of training looks to be a deload week which is much needed. While the weights were still on the heavier side, it looks like it was not as bad as some of the 4 and 5 rep max tests that I had the week before. Now that I am able to increase weights in 5lb increments as my program recommends, my workouts have become more challenging in certain areas.
Take DB bench for example. Previously, I only had access to 70, 80, and 100lb DBs. My program kept trying to force the weight increase, but I did not have 90 or 95lb DBs to work with. I would have to attempt using the 100s or higher reps with the 80s. I felt stuck there. After a week with the 90s, the AI moved me up to the 95s. I gave it my best shot, but I was not able to crank 10 reps out with these. After 2 sets, I backed it down to the 90s. Having the freedom to do that makes a huge difference in my training. I have experienced this across the board. I believe that I am holding the line in terms of strength. There are days when I feel entirely stronger and other days where I feel like I am hanging on for dear life. It seems to be one or the other. Regardless of how strength feels, I leave the gym feeling accomplished and in a great mood.
With a few weeks under my belt now at the new place, I feel a lot more comfortable training there. Saturday mornings are probably my favorite because I am usually the only person there training, which means I can experiment with the machines and not look like a total idiot in front of everyone because I don’t know what I am doing. I have started to switch things up whenever it is possible. On Saturday, I opted to toy around with one of the axle bars for shoulder press, along with the seated dip and gripper machines.
I wrapped the week up and overall I still love what I am doing. Right now, I feel like I am sitting at the perfect mix of everything. I am seeing noticeable appearance changes in my upper body and if I can get my nutrition dialed in, I think I might be able to work on these love handles and stomach finally.
It was painfully obvious on Saturday when I put my lifters on that I have a series shoe issue.
