Training 10-1-07

My middle back's been hurting over the weekend. I thought it was from leaning forward a bit on Front Squat on Friday. I discovered today that I was wrong -- it was from Overhead Press.

Also, the geniuses renovating the bathrooms on my floor at work screwed up and somehow blocked the sewage drainage pipe for our entire building. All bathrooms are closed and the entire building literally smells like shit. Gotta love Mondays.

B

Front Squat
5 x 5 x 185

Overhead Press
4 x 135 (ow! my back!)
4 x 7 x 95

Bent Over Barbell Row
5 x 5 x 145

Dips
4 x 5 x 50
7 x 50

Standing Oblique Crunches
3 x 15 x 65

Front Squat felt gooooooood. (More o's = better) I finally figured out that in order to create a stable platform for the bar, I needed to not only push my chest up under the bar, but also flex my chest and shoulders a bit to make it even more stable. With that little trick, along with involving the glutes and pushing hard from my heels out of the hole, I'm feeling 195 next time.

Overhead Press was terrible. On my first rep, I realized exactly how I'd screwed up my back for the weekend. I'll keep the weight light and gradually build back up, concentrating on flexing the glutes and pushing straight up through the heels (like Mountain or Volcano pose in yoga) and NOT bending the lower back.

Token Asian Roommate provided a good bit of insight on Bent Over Barbell Row. My good reps are the ones where I slide my shoulderblades forward at the bottom, then pull back STARTING with the shoulder blades from the very beginning. The bad reps are the ones where I begin pulling with my elbows and arms. The good reps felt good, and I can move up to 150 next time.

I was surprised and happy that I could easily handle 50 lbs on dips. Moving up to 55 nest time! But I think I'm reaching the high end of the weights I'll be able to handle by holding dumbbells between my feet. The purchase of a dip belt looms on the horizon...