• I don’t usually have Tuesdays off, but my work schedule got switched around, so off to the gym I went. This makes 3 gym workouts this week. I decided to try staying closer to a true Stronglifts 5X5 program, with fewer lifts, and more total sets (a couple of warm-up sets at lower weight, then 5 sets at a higher weight. I had been doing a total of 5 sets with gradually increasing weight). My legs were still sore from lifting only two days ago, and wow, I think they’ll be hella sore tomorrow. My bench press is still hard at 75#; I seem to be stuck there for the moment. I only did 4 sets at 75# because my wrists were hurting.

  I switched from barbell rows to inverted rows due to wrist pain. The inverted rows are harder than they look! I had to do them with bent knees.

  Good news: my gym does have a lighter-weight bar! I tried a couple of overhead presses just to see if it would work, and I think it will.

  Bad news: even though I stayed away from any overhead presses today (I’m not counting the 2 I did as an experiment), my trap is all stiff again. I won’t be able to lift until Sunday, and I’m kind of looking forward to a rest period.

  Rowing (machine):
  • 0:05:30 (+49 pts)
• Barbell Squat:
  • 65 lb x 5 reps (+53 pts)
  • 65 lb x 5 reps (+53 pts)
  • 85 lb x 5 reps (+61 pts)
  • 85 lb x 5 reps (+61 pts)
  • 85 lb x 5 reps (+61 pts)
  • 85 lb x 5 reps (+61 pts)
  • 90 lb x 5 reps (+63 pts)
• Barbell Bench Press:
  • 55 lb x 5 reps (+50 pts)
  • 75 lb x 5 reps (+57 pts)
  • 75 lb x 5 reps (+57 pts)
  • 75 lb x 5 reps (+57 pts)
  • 75 lb x 5 reps (+57 pts)
• Body Weight Inverted Row (Let Me Ups):
  • 8 reps (+16 pts)
  • 6 reps (+12 pts)
  • 8 reps (+16 pts)
  • 6 reps (+12 pts)
  • 5 reps (+10 pts)
  • (with bent knees)

Gym WOD

Hit the gym today. Last time I went to the gym my shoulder kind of seized up a couple of hours later - my good shoulder, and just a tight trap muscle, not a joint problem. Strangely, it then migrated until I had a very tender acromion, I think - the pointy bony protrusion right on the top of the shoulder joint. Today at the gym, I figured out what caused it! When I finished my third set of overhead dumbbell push presses, the trap felt all tight. Okay, workout over - luckily, that was my last exercise anyway. Here’s what I did:

• Rowing (machine):
  • 0:06:00 (+54 pts)
• Barbell Squat:
  • 55 lb x 5 reps (+50 pts)
  • 75 lb x 5 reps (+57 pts)
  • 75 lb x 5 reps (+57 pts)
  • 85 lb x 5 reps (+61 pts)
  • 90 lb x 5 reps (+63 pts)
• Barbell Bench Press:
  • 65 lb x 5 reps (+53 pts)
  • 75 lb x 5 reps (+57 pts)
  • 75 lb x 5 reps (+57 pts)
  • 75 lb x 5 reps (+57 pts)
  • 75 lb x 5 reps (+57 pts)
• Rack Deadlift:
  • 85 lb x 5 reps (+38 pts)
  • 95 lb x 5 reps (+41 pts)
  • 105 lb x 5 reps (+43 pts)
• Bent Over Barbell Row:
  • 45 lb x 5 reps (+26 pts)
  • 65 lb x 5 reps (+30 pts)
  • 65 lb x 5 reps (+30 pts)
• Standing One-Arm Dumbbell Push Press:
  • 20 lb x 5 reps (+42 pts)
  • 20 lb x 5 reps (+42 pts)
  • 20 lb x 5 reps (+42 pts)

I’ve been lifting with barbells for almost a month, and today I broke 100 pounds: rack deadlift, 105# x 5! I know it’s not much compared to you experienced lifters, but it’s exhilarating to break that 3-digit barrier. Nowhere to go but up from here! Soon I will switch from rack deadlifts to regular deadlifts.