Developing The Crushing And Healing Hand

[DoctorOfCrush]

Workout 8/11/23:

Kettlebell Press: 36kg x 1, 2,3, 4, 4 (5 on left) 
Barbell Overhead Press: 60kg x 2 sets of 3, 70kg x 1
more on this workout below

 

Workout 8/12/23:
Grippers (MMS):
Right: 126 x 2, 1, 2, 1, 2
Left: 115 x 2, 1, 2, 1, 2

A. EZ bar reverse curl: bar + 2.5kg x 20, 20, 20
B. Finger/wrist curl: loadable dumbbell + 5kg x 12, 10, 8
C. Grippers: Right- 96 x 10, 8, 8; Left- 85 x 15,  86(f) x 7, 7

 

Workout 8/13/23:
Squat: 110kg x10; 112.5kg x 5 sets of 3 with 1 min rest between
Deficit Stiff-Leg Deadlift (+ oly shoes; no straps): 100kg x8, 110kg x 2 sets of 8

 

Ok, so for the press workout, I went in knowing that I was going to give kettlebell presses one more chance. I have always known that overhead kettlebell movements (namely OHP and TGU) contribute greatly to my elbow flexor pain, but I wanted to see if some time off (I haven't pressed in 2 weeks) as well as a really good warm-up of my shoulders, triceps, flexors, and extensors would alleviate any of it.  Nope. Still lit them up, and they are still bothering me two days later.  I finally had to face the reality that I probably need to take time off of heavy overhead kettlebells movements if I want to improve my elbows. I tried playing around with straight barbell overhead press, and my right shoulder did not like that. The plan going forward is to try out my Nûobells for more hypertrophic reps ranges (8-12) standing presses as well other exercises for my shoulders/upper back.  I expect that those won't effect my elbows the same way (or at least I hope they won't. . . ) because the dumbbell does not activate the wrist flexors the same way the KB because it sits in the hand rather than attempting to wrench the hand open by having the center of gravity resting on the dorsal aspect of the forearm.

For the grippers, I was dipping my toes back in after a few weeks off.  I would love to design something that progresses similarly to my squat/deadlift program (starting with muscular conditioning/high volume then building intensity with reduced volume), but as many on here know, percentage work just falls apart when it comes to grippers. I tried going back through my logs to define a simple linear regression between my various rep maxes (doubles, triples, etc) to help extrapolate what my week's attempts should be, but that fell apart too. Essentially, the differences between some of the rep maxes were single percentage points and not terribly useful for program design.  I'm thinking that I will have to decide on rep ranges and approximate volume that I want to hit on a particular week and then go by feel to hit those goals.

Squats were not terrible today.  Mentally, it helped immensely that I could look back to last month and see that I had already hit 110 for 10 (albeit as a 10RM at the time). I feel like I could've ground out 11-12 if I needed to. It also felt like a big accomplishment that I stuck around and the did the deadlift work because I'm pretty sure that I have skipped it on this particular day the past two cycles. 

 

Sorry for this super long post. This is more for my own tracking and future reference, but hopefully y'all get a little something out of it. 

 

 

Edited August 13, 2023 by DoctorOfCrush

[DoctorOfCrush]

Workout 8/15/23:

So my Nüobells arrived today, and I was super stoked to use them. For those who don’t know, they’re adjustable dumbbells that go from 5#-80# with super fast switching.  They are freaking awesome. 
 

MI Standing Calf Raises: 20, 10 sec, 15
A. Dumbbell Bench Press: 50lb x 3 sets of 12
B. Hammer Curls: ~10.5kg x 3 sets of 15 (last set 12+3 cluster)
A. Dips: BW x 3 sets of 8 (last set 6+2 cluster)
B. EZ Bar Reverse Wrist Curl: ~9kg x 3 sets of 20

As you can see, this workout is a mixture of chest work and extensor rehab. The dumbbells are amazing. Absolutely no flexor pain with the bench pressing. I took it fairly light/moderate because I didn’t want to wreck my chest right out to the gate. I’m excited to see how OHP goes on Friday night. The dips weren’t quite at the tempo level, but they included a pregnant pause at the bottom of each rep.  

I didn’t want a repeat of the soreness I felt last week, so I literally only did 2 sets of the Mike Israetel-style calf raises totally about 2 minutes of work. If that does me in, I’m a lost cause. 

[DoctorOfCrush]

Workout 8/16/23:
Squat: 
112.5kg / 248lb x10 (PR)
107.5kg / 237lb x 10 sets of 3 w/ 1 minute rest between sets
Deficit Stiff-Leg Deadlift (+ oly shoes; no straps): 110kg x 2 sets of 8, 115kg x8

Well I made it past the biggest mental hurdle of these cycles with this workout. I essentially have to hit a new 10RM then do some intense (to me) density training that can tax you mentally. I have gotten really in my head each time I have to do this workout. Today felt like less of a grind though on the 10 set. It was hard, and my hands started to get a little tingly on the last rep from hyperventilating, but I wasn't doing stripper squats on the last reps like I sometimes resort to on really tough sets. I want to look back through my logs and see how much I've added to my sets of 10.  I think it's like 10kg.

I'm also getting to where I really like the SLDLs. 

[DoctorOfCrush]

Workout 8/18/23:
A. Standing Dumbbell Press: 50lb x 3 sets of 8
B. Seated Cable Row: 50kg x 10, 10, 12

A. Reverse Fly (Chest Supported): 15lb x 10, 12, 12
B. Triceps Pull Down (Cable w/ Rope): 20kg x 10, 10, 8

A. Double Kettlebell Clean: 32kg (64kg total) x 5 sets of 5
B. Pullup: BW x 7; 2, 4, 6, 4, 2

On all of these exercises, I tried to keep in a comfortable range where it was challenging but I can still expect some room to grow. I like the standing dumbbell presses. It's not quite the same feel as the kettlebell presses, but I have 0 pain in my elbows, so that matters more to me. I still wanted to have some heavy KB work that I would be missing in no longer cleaning the bells for my presses, so I added the cleans later in the workout.

For the pull-ups, I plan to do something that has a degree of auto-regulation to it since they are at the end of the back workout. I did an establishment set to start with the goal of leaving one solid rep in the tank. Today, that meant seven reps.  And all of these are reps with paused extension at the bottom hang with momentary internal rotation/stretch of the shoulders. After the first set, I then do a 5 set up and down pyramid to just below my initial, fresh set. We'll see how that goes for this cycle. 

The last thing I did was play around with some dumbbell Turkish get-ups. Again, not quite the same feel as KB ones, but 0 elbow pain, so it's a winner. I may incorporate them at some point. 

[DoctorOfCrush]

On 8/16/2023 at 8:59 PM, DoctorOfCrush said:

I want to look back through my logs and see how much I've added to my sets of 10.  I think it's like 10kg.

So I went back through my logs and found that back when I started logging my squats, I hit 95kg x10 on March 1st. That means I have put 17.5kg / ~39lb on my 10RM in about 5 1/2 months.

Not terrible. 

[DoctorOfCrush]

Workout 8/19/23:

A. Grippers, right hand: 
   Standard Platinum (117) x 4, 3, 3, 3
   Final super set: Pt (117) x 3 --> Au (96) x 3 --> Zn (60) x 19
B. Dumbbell Turkish Get-up, left hand:
   70lb x 5 singles

A. Grippers, left hand:
   GHP 5 (109) x 4, 4, 4, 4
   Final super set: GHP5 (109) x 3 --> GHP 4 (85) x 6 --> Zn (60) x 17
B. Dumbbell Turkish Get-up, right hand:
   70lb x 5 singles

 

So I'm trying a few things out here. 
1) I have plateaued for quite some time on my 1RM grippers, so I'm going to try to build up some more foundational strength with a bit of rep volume. I couldn't decide on 3 or 5, so I landed on 4's. When I can get 5 sets of 4 strong reps, I'll inch up in gripper strength, either by the bumper or by going up in grippers, depending on what I have. I'm hoping this will be enough of a stimulus for strength acquisition. I threw in the drop sets kind of in the moment. My right hand strength has been knocked back quite a bit from this nagging extensor problem because just a couple of months ago I was repping my GHP6 (126) for 5 reps. 

2) I usually alternate sets with my right and left hands, but I'm going to take some time to train them independently, and my way of doing so without wasting too much time is by dove-tailing with my third item:

3) Contralateral Turkish get-ups to keep the body warm. There seems to be minimal taxation of my grip with these, especially when I'm superseding them with the opposite hand gripping. It's a shame that my dumbbells only go to 80lb because these weren't overly difficult, but at least it's something. 

 

 

[DoctorOfCrush]

It's been a weird week. I felt oddly terrible/run down on Sunday and couldn't go squat, so that started off my week off schedule. Add to that me starting my first week working at the VA (i.e. being inefficient and not knowing what my schedule will really look like) and 2 sick kids and that meant me being off kilter all week. Because of all that I only got one good workout in, which was on Thursday night. I attempted to squat on Monday night, but something was still off. My right knee was feeling off during my warmup, and my final warmup of a single at 120kg (the workout called for 120 x 4 sets of 4-6) felt really tough and weird/painful on my knee. I didn't want to risk anything. Since it was all so off, I just called this week a wash and will attempt to repeat it next week and extend the mesocycle by a week. 

Workout 8/24/23:
A. Standing Overhead Dumbbell Press: 50lb x 10, 10, 10 --> drop set with 30lb x5
B. Seated Cable Row: 50kg x 3 sets of 12 (increase weight next week)
A. Tricep Extension (cable w/ rope): 20kg x 10, 10, 10 (8+2 cluster set)
B. Chest-Supported Rear Delt Dumbbell Fly: 15lb x 3 sets of 12 (increase reps next week)
It was after 9pm at this point, and I didn't have the mental energy to do the pull-up/heavy KB clean portion. 

Grippers later today. 

[DoctorOfCrush]

Workout 8/26/23:
A. Grippers, right hand, MMS: 
   Standard Platinum (117) x 4, 4, 4, 3 (about 1mm off of 4)
   Final super set: Pt (117) x 3 --> Au (96) x 5 --> Zn (60) x 28
B. Dumbbell Turkish Get-up, left hand:
   70lb x 5 singles

A. Grippers, left hand, MMS:
   GHP 5 (109) x 4, 4, 4, 4
   Final super set: GHP5 (109) x 4 --> GHP 4 (85) x 12 --> Zn (60) x 24
B. Dumbbell Turkish Get-up, right hand:
   70lb x 5 singles

Improvised Hammer Supination: 1.25kg x 20, 10 sec, 10, 10 sec, 8

Progress is progress. I feel like my right extensors are slowly but surely recovering, and my strength in that hand is rebounding. I don't know what my top-end would be right now, but it wouldn't be back in the 140's. I think I'd be lucky to hit something in the 130's. I'll get there. The closes not only increased in number but also genuinely felt more solid. Even though I did hit 5 sets of 4 on the left, I'll give it at least one more week there to really dominate those before adding the bumper. Some of those 4th reps I had to grind out. 

The improvised hammer is just me holding the sleeve of my loadable dumbbell near the handle and clamping a plate onto the other sleeve. This was just a tester to see how it feels. I did the Mike Israetel set scheme that destroyed my calves previously for something quick. 

Edited August 26, 2023 by DoctorOfCrush

[DoctorOfCrush]

Workouts 8/27/23:
Squat: 120kg x 5, 4, 4
Deadlift (Double Overhand w/ Straps): 157.5kg x 6, 6
Standing Deficit Calf Raises (MI Style): 25, 10 sec, 10, 10 sec, 10

In the AM, I did some flexor and extensor rehab, but while I was doing it my youngest who is currently sick was starting to stir, so I knew I didn't have much time and didn't bother writing everything.  I'm not worried about tracking weight/rep progress with those but rather just recovering, so that didn't really bother me. 

The squats felt alright. I hit 120x6 last month, so I wanted that, but it was not in the cards. Can't hit/match PRs every time. This was definitely a PR volume with 120 though. The weight was just getting me out of position a bit. The deadlift sets were PRs though (previous best at the weight was 4). The pulls felt really strong. 

Those sets of calf raises match the workout that essentially debilitated me, so I'm keeping a very close eye on my recovery there. . . 

Edited August 28, 2023 by DoctorOfCrush

[DoctorOfCrush]

Workout 8/29/23:
A. Dumbbell Bench Press: 55lb x 3 sets of 12
B. Hammer Curls: ~10.5kg x 3 sets of 15
Dips: BW x 3 sets of 8 (last set 7+1 cluster)
EZ Bar Reverse Wrist Curl: ~9kg x 20, 10 sec, 8, 10 sec, 6

Workout 8/30/23:
Squat: 122.5kg / 270lb x 6 (PR)
Deficit Straight Leg Deadlift (+oly shoes, no straps): 120kg x8

I fought for the squat PR, and it felt good. The program called for one set of 4-6 reps. It's easier to fight, mentally, when you know that you don't have any other sets to follow it. This weight would have been a PR 4, 5 or 6. Now the program intensity will start ramping up while the volume goes down. 

[John Knowlton]

Nice one

[DoctorOfCrush]

Workout 9/2/23:
A. Grippers, right hand, MMS: 
   Standard Platinum (117) x 4, 4, 4, 4
   Final super set: Pt (117) x 4 --> Au (96) x 8 --> CoC 1 (73) x 13
B. Dumbbell Turkish Get-up, left hand:
   70lb x 5 singles

A. Grippers, left hand, MMS:
   GHP 5 (109) x 4, 4, 4, 4
   Final super set: GHP5 (109) x 4 --> GHP 4 (85) x 12 --> CoC 1 (73) x 7
B. Dumbbell Turkish Get-up, right hand:
   70lb x 5 singles

Incremental progress. Elbow improving but still not 100%. I'm not sure yet how long I'll keep doing this. At least through the end of this cycle (3 more weeks). I was kind of hoping that by now I'd see a bit of a jump after getting used to reps, but oh well. I'll go up to my Platinum 118 for my right next week. The next gripper for my left would be my GHP5 112, but it feels WAY harder than my 109, so for now I'll just bump the 109. 

[DoctorOfCrush]

Ugh, well I have fallen off the wagon a bit with my workouts the past two weeks. Work has consisted of long hours and mostly dealing with/worrying about stuff that I shouldn't have to that have nothing to do with me caring for patients but keep me at work for way longer and leave me mentally and emotionally exhausted at the end of every day. On top of that, both of the girls have been on-and-off sick for the past 3 weeks (the oldest is on day 3 of a stomach bug and can't keep anything down), and we're currently potty training the youngest. Did I mention I take my hematopathology boards exam in 12 days?  It's been tough.  I think I am just going to do my best to stay above water and stay active until my boards and just not beat myself up too much for killing it in the gym or on a particular program. I've done a few workouts, but I don't have the time to look back and document. 

Woe is me, right? 

Workout 9/10/23:
A. Grippers, right hand, MMS: 
   Standard Platinum (118) x 3, 3, 3, 3
   Final super set: Pt (118) x 3 --> Au (96) x 10 --> CoC 1 (73) x 12
B. Dumbbell Turkish Get-up, left hand:
   75lb x 5 singles

A. Grippers, left hand, MMS:
   GHP 5 (109) + bumper 1/2 turn x 4, 4, 4?, 3 (1mm)
   Final super set: GHP5 (109) x 3 (1mm) --> GHP 4 (85) x 10 --> CoC 1 (73) x 7
B. Dumbbell Turkish Get-up, right hand:
   75lb x 5 singles

The 118 platinum I have feels significantly harder than 117 despite the nominal difference. I think I have taken enough time to determine that I can recover from this amount of volume from week to week; however, the increases in strength could possibly be improved. I will trial a little more volume in the form of possibly swapping the final drop sets for a couple of heavier gripper negatives (no more than 5 sec with slow release after) to see if can also recover and progress. If the reps don't progress or I begin to backslide because I can't recover in 7 days' time, I'll alter the approach. 

Edited September 10, 2023 by DoctorOfCrush

[John Knowlton]

Wow you have a full plate. Nice workout.

good luck on your test

[DoctorOfCrush]

Alright I'm back!

A lot of life happened in October. 

When I left off here, I was in the final stretch of studying for my hematopathology boards, and basically between that, work, and home life, I had to take a break from focusing on working out, and now I am back at it. In the interim, I took my test, went on my 10-year anniversary trip to Sedona and the Grand Canyon, and took a trip to DollyWood. For workouts, I have been focusing on rehabbing the extensors on my right elbow, and it has improved significantly. 

It's also been long enough that I found out the results of my test: I am now officially board-certified in hematopathology (as well as anatomic and clinical pathology), and I am DONE taking board exams for the rest of my life!!!!!! 

Now to the actual workouts. I'm going to do Alex Bromley's Bullmastiff workout plan with one of the days swapped for a grip day. For now, I'll focus on grippers, but as my elbows improve, I hope to expand back into pinch, rolling handle, etc. 

Workout 11/5/23:
A. Grippers, left hand: 101 x 4, 4, 3, 3, 3; 117 x 1 negative
   B1. Calf raises: 20, 10 sec., 20
   B2. Anterior tibialis raises: 5kg x 20, 10 sec, 10
   B3. Turkish Getup, right hand: 60lb x 5 singles
A. Grippers, right hand: 117 x 4, 3, 3, 3, 3; 132 x 1 negative
   B1. Turkish Getup, left hand: 60 lb x 5 singles
   B2. Dumbbell See-Saw Press: 30 lb x 12/side x 5 sets
Dumbbell Reverse Wrist Curls: 10lb - right x 25, 10 sec, 10, 10 sec, 10; left x 23, 10 sec, 8, 10 sec, 7
Stretching

A lot of warmup and fair amount of cool down. Trying to keep the elbows as happy as possible. It's obvious how much my extensors were holding back my right hand because now that I have rehabbed it more I'm almost where I was 6 weeks ago despite not touching grippers at all in the interim. My left hand felt pretty weak though. I'm hoping it will come back quick as long as I can stay pain/injury free. 

I'm taking it super slow with the calf stuff. I need to be able to walk during the week. I'll increase the number of sets by one/week until I hit maybe five then think about adding weight. 

[John Knowlton]

Congratulations on your test and your anniversary.

way cool workout
 

[DoctorOfCrush]

1 hour ago, John Knowlton said:

Congratulations on your test and your anniversary.

way cool workout
 

Thanks, John. Feels like 5 minutes and 30 years, if you know what I mean. 
 

I’m trying a lot of things out with this workout, but one of the main goals is efficiency. 

[DoctorOfCrush]

Well last night was sobering.  It was the first real workout of the mesocycle, which has an emphasis on volume on the front end, and it about killed me. I figured I would feel pretty weak, and I tried to adjust expectations based on that, but I didn't realize just how de-conditioned I was after my time off.  I couldn't complete a lot of the workout, and I had to cut it short because I started to feel like I was going to pass out, which I didn't want to do alone at night in my gym. I had to stumble back inside, lie on the floor, and have my wife grab me a cold rag. It also didn't help that my right knee (the same one that has bothered me a few times in the past) was really nagging me during squats.  I think I'll convert this week into a pre-week 1 and take it bit easier on the next two workouts. Anyway, here is was I actually did. 

Workout 11/8/2023:
Deadlift, double overhand: 117.5kg/259lb x 6, 6, 6, 10
Front squat: 40kg x12
Banded pullups: orange band x 10, 8+2

I only used straps on the last deadlift set, which was an AMRAP.  I may have had a couple more reps in me, but in hindsight, I'm glad I stopped.

I was supposed to do 3x12 on front squat, but my knee was really bothering me, especially getting out the bottom position. And that set of 12 on front squat, despite being super light, really zapped me. My heart was thumping.

The workout called for 12-15 reps on the pullups, which I knew I wouldn't be able to knock out as strict bodyweight, so I did banded pullups for the first time in years. Next week, I'll use a thicker band and try to hit the appropriate rep range. 

After all of this, I was supposed to do two sets of Bulgarian split squats, but I got really light-headed when I stood up to do them and had to immediately lie down in the gym floor.  That's when I decided to cut my losses. It wasn't worth passing out and possibly smacking my head or something like that. 

[John Knowlton]

Wow, that's a rough one, take it slow and work back into it don't kill yourself

 

[DoctorOfCrush]

So after how I felt during the workout last time (and after: I was wicked sore all over), I already knew I was going to take it easy with the remaining workouts of the week. Because of life stuff, I wasn't able to workout on Thursday or Friday, so I ended up combining two already abbreviated workouts into the following. 

Workout 11/11/23:
Squat: 87.5kg/193lb x 6, 6, 6 (skipped the final AMRAP)
Overhead Press: 45kg/99lb x 6, 6, 6, 10 (I'm using a conservative 1RM of 70kg for these)

 

Grippers were meh today. 

Workout 11/12/23:
A. Grippers, left hand: 101 x 4, 4, 4, 4, 4 (braced final rep); 117 x 1 negative
   B1. Calf raises: 25, 10 sec., 20
   B2. Anterior tibialis raises: 5kg x 30, 10 sec, 12, 10 sec, 10
   B3. Turkish Getup, right hand: 65lb x 5 singles
A. Grippers, right hand: 117 x 4, x, 3, 3, x; 132 x 1 negative
   B1. Turkish Getup, left hand: 65 lb x 5 singles
   B2. Dumbbell Pause Bench Press: 30 lb x 12 x 5 sets
Dumbbell Reverse Wrist Curls: 10lb - right x 30, 10 sec, 12, 10 sec, 10; left x 30, 10 sec, 10, 10 sec, 8
Stretching

I only added 5 reps to the calf raises because last week's soreness was almost too much. These things are no joke. The long, paused, deep stretch at the bottom is no joke. 

I botched a few sets on the right.  It was just feeling off for some reason. It is what it is. If it happens again, I may play around with doing right hand first. 

[DoctorOfCrush]

For documentation purposes, this is what I'll be attempting for my mesocycle:

Sunday:
A. Grippers, left hand
   B1. Calf raises
   B2. Anterior tibialis raises
   B3. Turkish Getup, right hand
A. Grippers, right hand
   B1. Turkish Getup, left hand
   B2. Dumbbell See-Saw Press
Dumbbell Reverse Wrist Curls
Stretching

Tuesday:
Deadlift, double overhand
Front Squat
A. Banded pullups
B. Bulgarian split squats

Thursday:
Overhead press
Dumbell pause bench press
A. Tricep cable extension
B. Seated dumbbell curls
C. Rear delt fly

Saturday:
Squat
SLDL
A. Seated cable row
B. Bulgarian split squat

Edited November 12, 2023 by DoctorOfCrush

[John Knowlton]

Nice routine. The hard part is just being consistent.
but you can do it.

[DoctorOfCrush]

After last week, I pulled way back on multiple fronts to just make sure I would make it through the workout.  There is plenty of time for progression in this plan, so I'll have time to adjust later as I get into a rhythm. 

Workout 11/14/2023:
Deadlift, double overhand: 117.5kg/259lb x 6, 6, 6, 10
Front squat: 20kg x12, 12, 12 (yep, just the bar for these today)
A. Banded pullups: red band x 12, 8+2
B. Lunges: 12/side, 12/side
Dumbbell reverse wrist curl: 10lb - right x 35, 10 sec, 12, 10 sec, 10; left x 30, 10 sec, 10, 10 sec, 8
Stretching

The deadlifts were easier this week. I definitely had a few in the tank on the last set of 10, but after last week, I held off a bit. Again, I only used straps on the last set. My knee was still iffy on the first set of front squat with the bar, but the following two sets were a bit of a joke. If I hadn't told myself that I would keep my ego in check and not increase in weight beforehand, I definitely would have. Like I wrote before, there's plenty of time for increasing later on. This week is supposed to be RPE 6, but this was in the range of RPE 4 probably. 

I opted for lunges rather than the Bulgarian split squats just for ease of setup. I may switch it up from time to time. 

Next week, the deadlift weight will increase a little, but the sets stay the same. Everything else will just get an additional set added. 

Easy does it. 

Glad I got out there today because both of the kids have some kind of febrile illness, and the wife is starting to feel a bit gross. Only a matter of time. . . 

Edited November 15, 2023 by DoctorOfCrush

[Blacksmith513]

1 minute ago, DoctorOfCrush said:

After last week, I pulled way back on multiple fronts to just make sure I would make it through the workout.  There is plenty of time for progression in this plan, so I'll have time to adjust later as I get into a rhythm. 

Workout 11/14/2023:
Deadlift, double overhand: 117.5kg/259lb x 6, 6, 6, 10
Front squat: 20kg x12, 12, 12 (yep, just the bar for these today)
A. Banded pullups: red band x 12, 8+2
B. Lunges: 12/side, 12/side

The deadlifts were easier this week. I definitely had a few in the tank on the last set of 10, but after last week, I held off a bit. Again, I only used straps on the last set. My knee was still iffy on the first set of front squat with the bar, but the following two sets were a bit of a joke. If I hadn't told myself that I would keep my ego in check and not increase in weight beforehand, I definitely would have. Like I wrote before, there's plenty of time for increasing later on. This week is supposed to be RPE 6, but this was in the range of RPE 4 probably. 

I opted for lunges rather than the Bulgarian split squats just for ease of setup. I may switch it up from time to time. 

Next week, the deadlift weight will increase a little, but the sets stay the same. Everything else will just get an additional set added. 

Easy does it. 

Glad I got out there today because both of the kids have some kind of febrile illness, and the wife is starting to feel a bit gross. Only a matter of time. . . 

There is plenty of time. Slow and steady and being consistent wins the race.

It's the time of year, theres so much going around for illnesses right now. Hope everyone gets through it quick.

[DoctorOfCrush]

1 minute ago, Blacksmith513 said:

There is plenty of time. Slow and steady and being consistent wins the race.

It's the time of year, theres so much going around for illnesses right now. Hope everyone gets through it quick.

Thanks for this.  Yeah, I hope it just takes a tincture of time to raise everything back up to previous levels. 

I hope it's just a quick thing too. Just alternating OTC meds around the clock at the moment. This too shall pass.