Developing The Crushing And Healing Hand

[Blacksmith513]

16 minutes ago, DoctorOfCrush said:

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. 

It will and you will get back to previous levels soon. 

Luckily your children and wife know a good Doctor.

Edited November 15, 2023 by Blacksmith513

[DoctorOfCrush]

Workout 11/17/23:
Overhead press: 45kg/99lb x 6, 6, 6, 11
Pause DB bench press: 40lb/hand x 12, 12, 12
A. Tricep cable pushdown: 15kg x 12, 12
B. Seated dumbbell curl: 25lb x 15, 15 (13+2)
C. Rear delt fly: 15lb x 15, 15
Dumbbell reverse wrist curl: 10lb x [right- 30, 10, 8][left- 28, 8, 8] 10 sec b/n sets
EZ bar wrist curl: 25lb x 32, 15, 15; 10 sec b/n sets
Stretching

Is doing the rapid turnaround sets the ideal way to build hypertrophy or strength in some of these accessory exercises? The jury's out.

Is what I did better than me doing 0 reps with 0 lbs? Sure as hell is. 

[John Knowlton]

that style of training works for me

[DoctorOfCrush]

44 minutes ago, John Knowlton said:

that style of training works for me

Yeah, I’m optimistic that it will. I watched the Renaissance Periodization video about calf training (I have chicken legs) where Mike Isratel talks about it, and he had both anecdotal and empiric evidence about it, so I figured it was worth a try. And if it can work for stubborn areas like the calf, I figured I would try it out on similar muscle groups like the antagonist of the lower leg (anterior tibialis raises) as well as the analogous muscle groups of the upper body (wrist flexors and extensors).
 

It seems to be working for my extensor rehab. Whether it’s because it is effective in its own right or merely more efficient so that I’m more consistent, I’m not sure. 

[DoctorOfCrush]

Workout 11/18/23:
Squat: 87.5kg/193lb 6, 6, 6
SLDL: 60kg x 12, 12, 12
A. Seated cable row: 50kg 12, 12
B. Lunges: BW x 12/side, 12/side

My right knee still isn't quite right. Still a fair amount of pain that I don't feel right just pushing through. I totally forgot that I re-injured it in Sedona (descending from Cathedral Rock), so I think that's why it is particularly bothersome as I'm starting to get back into squatting. I think I am finally going to cave a buy some knee sleeves. I have always wanted to try some, and now I may finally get some and let them bridge the gap while my knee heals. I may transition my other leg work into focused rehab work (probably from the Knees Over Toes guy). 

Workout 11/19/23:
A. Grippers, left hand: 101 x 4, 4, 4; RB adjustable, choked 19mm, heavy 4-5 x 2; heavy 4-4  x 3, 3
   B1. Calf raises: 30, 10 sec., 20,  10 sec., 15
   B2. Anterior tibialis raises: 5kg x 30, 10 sec, 15, 10 sec, 15, 10 sec., 12
   B3. Turkish Getup, right hand: 65lb x 5 singles
A. Grippers, right hand: 117 x 4, 3 (braced), 3 (braced); RB adjustable, choked 19mm, heavy 4-4 x 5, 6, 4
   B1. Turkish Getup, left hand: 65 lb x 5 singles
   B2. Dumbbell See-Saw Shoulder Press: 35 lb x 24 x 3 sets
Dumbbell Reverse Wrist Curls: 10lb - right x 30, 10 sec, 10, 10 sec, 8; left x 25, 10 sec, 10, 10 sec, 8
EZ Bar Wrist Curl: 25lb x 35, 10 sec, 15, 10 sec, 12, 10 sec, 12
EZ Bar Reverse Wrist Curl: 15lb x 30, 10 sec, 15, 10 sec, 10
Stretching

Wicked forearm pump by the end of this. I haven't made as much progress as I would like with my grippers in this comeback so far. I was thinking in rebounding by getting back into it that I might add a rep or so each week, but each week just feels the same, which is a bit discouraging. I'm not sure what is needed at this point. I'm not sure if more work it need for some kind of stimulus. Next week, I may see where I stand with just singles at the start of my workout then follow up with my typical rep work. 

Edited November 20, 2023 by DoctorOfCrush

[DoctorOfCrush]

Workout 11/22/23:
Deadlift, double overhand: 122.5kg/270lb x 6 | 6 | 6 | 10 (straps only on the last set)
Front squat: 20kg x12 | 30kg x12 | 40kg x12 | 50kg x12
A. Banded pullups: red band x 12 | 10+2
B. Lunges: 3 sets of 12/side

I probably had about 2-3 left in me on the deadlift last set. 

I did finally cave and get some knee sleeves. I was worried at first that they weren't going to help any because I still had a little bit of pain in the first two sets, but once my knees warmed up, they helped immensely. I finally started to feel the weight in my legs on the last set, but I wanted to take it easy. Next week, I won't count anything below 50 as a working sets, and I'll have to do 5 sets. 

[DoctorOfCrush]

Workout 11/23/23:
Overhead press: 47.5kg/105lb x 6, 6, 6, 13
Pause DB bench press: 40lb/hand x 12, 12, 12, 15
A. Tricep cable pushdown: 15kg x 12, 12, 12
B. Seated dumbbell curl: 25lb x 15, 15, 15
C. Rear delt fly: 15lb x 15, 15, 15
Reverse wrist curl: 10lb x | right- 25, 10, 6 | left- 20, 10, 6 | 10 sec b/n sets

 

Workout 11/25/23:
Squat: 87.5kg/193lb 6, 6, 6, 10
SLDL: 70kg x 12 x 4 sets
A. Seated cable row: 50kg 12, 15, 15
B. Lunges: BW x 12/side x 3 sets

Finally did the full prescribed squat work and saw what I could do on the AMRAP.  I had probably 12-13 in me if I was willing to fully push, but I'm still taking it a bit easy with the right knee. No issues today though with the knee sleeves on. 

[John Knowlton]

Knee sleeves work for me. I like to use them with some heat.

[Douglas Carney]

12 hours ago, John Knowlton said:

Knee sleeves work for me. I like to use them with some heat.

The same trainer that taught me to deadlift in my late 40s also encouraged me to buy my first pair of knee sleeves and wear them when warming up on the treadmill before working out.  Now I won't do heavy (for me) lower body work without them.

[DoctorOfCrush]

18 hours ago, John Knowlton said:

Knee sleeves work for me. I like to use them with some heat.

 

5 hours ago, Douglas Carney said:

The same trainer that taught me to deadlift in my late 40s also encouraged me to buy my first pair of knee sleeves and wear them when warming up on the treadmill before working out.  Now I won't do heavy (for me) lower body work without them.

They've been pretty great so far.  My right knee has intermittently bothered me driving out the hole for as long as I can remember. I can usually get over it within a couple of workouts, but it wasn't happening this time around, and these have made it possible to start moving a little weight again. 

[DoctorOfCrush]

Workout 11/26/23:
A. Grippers, left hand: 109 x 2 | 115 x 1, 2, 2 | 96 x 6 | 101 x 5, 5, 4 (almost 5, <1mm)
   B1. Calf raises: 35, 10 sec., 25,  10 sec., 20, 10 sec., 15
   B2. Anterior tibialis raises: 7.5kg x 32, 10 sec, 12, 10 sec, 10   
A. Grippers, right hand: 112 x 3 | 121 x2 | 130 x miss | 126 x 2, 1 | 117 x 3, 2 | 109 x 4
Dumbbell Reverse Wrist Curls: 10lb - right x 35, 10 sec, 10, 10 sec, 10 w/ isometric hold | left x 30, 10 sec, 10, 10 sec, 10 w/ isometric hold
EZ Bar Wrist Curl: 30lb x 40, 10 sec, 20, 10 sec, 10
EZ Bar Reverse Wrist Curl: 20lb x 20, 10 sec, 6, 10 sec, 4 w/ isometric hold
Stretching

Not too bad today. I decided to see where I stand with grippers and utilize some post-activation potentiation. It definitely worked on the left. I was previously struggling to hit 4 reps on the 101# Coc 2, but the sets of 5 felt strong this week. Today was the first time I've gone back into the 120's on my right in months, but I got cocky and went ahead for the 130. It just wasn't there. Next week I'll stick to the 126# GHP6 for singles/doubles unless they feel easy. Then I'll drop down to 115# GG4 for my rep work to see if I can get some solid sets of 5. 

I'll finally increase the dumbbell reverse wrist curl weight, but only by a few lbs. I'll also increase the EZ bar wrist curl weight because I'm trying to keep the first set in the 20-30 rep range, and today I blew that out of the water. 

[John Knowlton]

Way cool workout 

[DoctorOfCrush]

Not the best week for workouts.  Based on the work volume and trainee I was working with, I was left with a lot of later nights and early mornings. Plus, when we're on call, Saturday can be a full day of work, so I was there from 9-6 then too. All of that is my excuse as to why I missed some workouts. With my knee troubles from early on, missing a few workouts, and taking time to work out kinks, I'm going to repeat this wave of the program starting from the beginning starting this week. 

Workout 11/30/23:
Overhead press: 52.5kg/116lb x 6, 6, 6, 9
Pause DB bench press: 45lb/hand x 5 sets of 12
A. Tricep cable pushdown: 15kg x 4 sets of 12
B. Seated dumbbell curl: 25lb x 4 sets of 15/side
C. Rear delt fly: 15lb x 4 sets of 15
 

Workout 12/3/23:
A. Grippers, left hand: 109 x 2 | 115 x 2, 3, 3 | 101 x 5, 5, 5, 5, 7
   B1. Calf raises: 40, 10 sec., 30,  10 sec., 20, 10 sec., 15, 10 sec., 15
   B2. Anterior tibialis raises: 7.5kg x 32, 10 sec, 12, 10 sec, 10   
A. Grippers, right hand: 112 x 3 | 121 x2 | 126 x 1 | 130 x miss | 126 x 2, 2 | 117 x 3 | 115 x 4, 4, 4, 3
Dumbbell Reverse Wrist Curls: 12lb - right x 28, 10 sec, 10, 10 sec, 8 w/ isometric hold | left x 28, 10 sec, 10, 10 sec, 8 w/ isometric hold
EZ Bar Wrist Curl: 35lb x 30, 10 sec, 15, 10 sec, 10
EZ Bar Reverse Wrist Curl: 20lb x 20, 10 sec, 10, 10 sec, 6 w/ isometric hold
Weight thumb opposition: 2.5kg x 25, 10 sec, 15, 10 sec, 15
Thumb strap weighted pronation: 5kg x 20/side
Stretching

I've had some pretty good left hand progress, but I'll probably switch it up next week and do my right hand gripping first to see if that makes a difference. I'm still not quite back in the 130s on the right, but I'm getting there, and my extensors on that side are still improving/not hurting. 

I think it is finally time to add weight for my calf raises. I've been so timid with how easily these things can essentially debilitate me. As long as doing the five sets I did this week don't destroy me, it's time to up the resistance. 

The thumb stuff gave me a mean thumb pump. My thumb pad was looking ridiculous afterwards. Hopefully I can add a little meat there and improve my dogleg backstop. 

[DoctorOfCrush]

Forgot to add these in on yesterday’s workout after the ant tib raises:

B3. Decline bench situps: BW x 10, 10, 10, 10, 10 | +5kg x 10, 10, 10 | +10kg x 10, 10

Going to be sore from all that. 

[Blacksmith513]

24 minutes ago, DoctorOfCrush said:

Forgot to add these in on yesterday’s workout after the ant tib raises:

B3. Decline bench situps: BW x 10, 10, 10, 10, 10 | +5kg x 10, 10, 10 | +10kg x 10, 10

Going to be sore from all that. 

im sore just reading that

[John Knowlton]

me to

[DoctorOfCrush]

7 hours ago, Blacksmith513 said:

im sore just reading that

Haha, it hasn’t fully hit yet, but its already started creeping in…

Here’s to hoping I don’t end up with a cough for some reason. 

[Blacksmith513]

8 minutes ago, DoctorOfCrush said:

Haha, it hasn’t fully hit yet, but its already started creeping in…

Here’s to hoping I don’t end up with a cough for some reason. 

Oh yeah ab DOMS are the worst
 

I hope you don’t. In my parts there’s a virus going around with a cough that lasts weeks after. A bunch of people around have it. I’ve just had a lung infection. 

 

Edited December 4, 2023 by Blacksmith513

[DoctorOfCrush]

Workout 12/6/23:
Deadlift, double overhand: 117.5kg/259lbs x 6 | 6 | 6 | 14 (straps only on the last set)
Front squat: 50kg x12 | 60kg x12
A. Banded pullups: red band x 12 | 8+2+2
B. Lunges: 2 sets of 15/side

This marks the beginning of the wave. 14 reps of deadlift sucks. The front squats are already feeling WAY better on my legs/knees, but the cardio aspect of sets of 12 is rough. 

[John Knowlton]

Looks like your legs took a hell of a beaten today

[DoctorOfCrush]

15 minutes ago, John Knowlton said:

Looks like your legs took a hell of a beaten today

Yeah, it also felt like cardio essentially. The bad part is the volume only goes up from here. I'll have to add a set each week to everything except deadlifts.

For the deadlifts, I take the number of reps that I did above 6 reps and add that percentage of my 1rm to the weight next week. So for next week I'll add 8% (14-6) of 180kg to the weight, which will be 132.5kg/292lbs when rounded up to the nearest 2.5kg. 

[John Knowlton]

Sounds cool but tough

[DoctorOfCrush]

Workout 12/7/23:
Overhead press: 45kg/99lb x 6, 6, 6, 15
Pause DB bench press: 50lb/hand x 12, 12, 11
A. Tricep cable pushdown: 10kg x 2 sets of 15
B. Seated dumbbell curl: 13kg x 2 sets of 12/side
C. Rear delt fly: 20lb x 2 sets of 12
Reverse wrist curls: 12lb - right x 25, 10 sec, 10, 10 sec, 8  | left x 25, 10 sec, 10, 10 sec, 7
Thumb strap weighted pronation: 5kg - right x 26, 10 sec, 15, 10 sec, 15  | left x 30, 10 sec, 15, 10 sec, 15
Stretching

Not much to say here. Moved the weights up on some of the movements as I restart the wave. Couldn't quite get the last rep on bench press. I actually lowered the weight on the tricep extensions to focus on more solid reps. The thumb strap work gives me a mean thumb pump.  I hope it translates to some growth. 

[DoctorOfCrush]

Workout 12/9/23:
Squat: 87.5kg/193lb 6, 6, 6, 10
SLDL: 75kg x 12 x 3 sets
A. Seated cable row: 55kg 12, 12
B. Bulgarian split squats: BW x 12/side x 2 sets

Capped the AMRAP squat set so I wouldn't make too big of a jump for next week. With 10 reps, I'll jump to 92.5kg/204lb. I'm trying to hold off using the belt until I'm in the 100kg range. 

[DoctorOfCrush]

Workout 12/10/23:
A1. Grippers, left hand: 106 x 3 | 115 x 2, 3 (forced 3rd rep), 3, 3 (forced 3rd rep) | 106 x 4, 3, 4
A2. Grippers, right hand: 118 x 2 | 123 (filed) x 2 back-to-back singles | 126 x 1 | 130 x miss | 126 x 2, 2, 2 | 109 x 5 | 112 x 4, 3 (forced 3rd rep)
   B1. Calf raises: +10kg x 30, 10 sec., 20,  10 sec., 15
   B2. Anterior tibialis raises: 7.5kg x 30, 10 sec, 12, 10 sec, 10, 10 sec, 6  
   B3. Weighted decline situps: +10kg x 10 sets of 10

10-15 sec between all sets
Dumbbell Reverse Wrist Curls: 12lb - right x 30, 12, 8, 6 | left x 28, 12, 8, 6
EZ Bar Wrist Curl: 35lb x 30, 15, 10, 8
Thumb strap weighted pronation: 5kg - right x 30, 20, 18, 18| left x ???, 20, 18, 18
Stretching

SO close on the 130 on the right (~1mm). It's a CoC 2.5, and the more I gravitate toward the Standard and GHP grippers in my collection, the more and more I hate the knurling on my CoCs. They just start to feel so smooth, and a few of them are worse than others, including that 130 I have. Ugh. Still kind of bummed that I am not anywhere near my previous closes back in July. I was hoping to at least be back in the mid-130s by now, but I do feel like I am making progress. I may actually see where I stand on my Standard Iron 132 next week. Once I can shut that, I'll be back in a good stretch of small jumps (132, 135, 137, 139) with nicely knurled grippers (Standard and Tetting). Looking forward to that. 

This actually a new gripper day for me. The 106 that I used on the left was a new Standard Copper. Of course it feels great.

I did a count, and if I include my RB adjustable, LT Coc 2, Zenith, and IMTUGs, I now have 53 grippers. Sheesh. 

As time allows, I may start working back in some other grip work, such as the flask and rolling handle stuff. But I'll take it very slow.