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Thor's Thunder: Electrake's Epic Training Tales

2/7/24

Rest day
weight - 218.3

Got in a 4 mile hike at sun rise (the Appalachian trail is 1.2 miles away) and resting and force feeding the rest of the day.
 
2/8/24

Main - OHP (strict)
  • 5 x 70lb
  • 5 x 85
  • 5 x 105
  • 5 x 115
  • 5 x 130
  • 5 x 155
Supplemental - OHP (strict)
  • 10 x 5 @ 115
Assistance
  • Seated Row 5 x 10 @ 222.5
  • Dips 5 x 10 + 45lb
Abs/Whatever (superset)

  • Weighted crunch 5 x 20 @ 150lb
  • GHR 5 x 10
Time 1hr2min
Weight 218.4

Week 1 of these cycles is always deceivingly easy, top set is at 85% TM. I've been out of joint stuff for 2 weeks now, doing dips felt like my elbows were grinding. I also haven't done dips in probably years, took the first set slow to focus on activation.
 
Today also marks the end of running the FF stack from BLR, I ordered more over a week and a half ago and it just got shipped, after writing an inquisitive email. I'll do a write up about the first month on that tomorrow with weight visualizations and a side by side. I am definitely leaner, and while the weight was melting off after the first few weeks, I have myself back on maintenance+ and my weight and THE weights are going up. At this point, I'm considering keeping a product like Incinderine (or recomp20) in my rotation regularly.
 
Electrake said:
Yeah man I need to bring it back to the basics like these and pullups. Followed Jim Stoppani too long and want to isolate EVERYTHING
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Jim Stoppani is not (what I consider to be) strong. I have made that mistake too, listening to someone who hasn’t actually been where I want to go, or (more importantly) hasn’t successfully gotten others there.
 
Hyde said:
Jim Stoppani is not (what I consider to be) strong. I have made that mistake too, listening to someone who hasn’t actually been where I want to go, or (more importantly) hasn’t successfully gotten others there.
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I agree about his strength, incredible physique which I cared about until probably 3-4 years ago. Last few years he's basically just been a peddler of his overpriced supplements. Strength is #1 goal, but if I can look good to myself getting there, cool.
 
Electrake said:
I agree about his strength, incredible physique which I cared about until probably 3-4 years ago. Last few years he's basically just been a peddler of his overpriced supplements. Strength is #1 goal, but if I can look good to myself getting there, cool.
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Yeah, and you don’t need some special hypertrophy plan to do that - literally just don’t get fat. You don’t have anyone else’s genetics, frame, muscle bellies and inserts but your own. So all you can do is grow the muscle somewhat and control your bodyfat to look like your best version. Most middleweight strongmen look pretty jacked. You can’t afford to carry much bodyfat and be competitive in classes like 198,220,231.
 
Hyde said:
Yeah, and you don’t need some special hypertrophy plan to do that - literally just don’t get fat. You don’t have anyone else’s genetics, frame, muscle bellies and inserts but your own. So all you can do is grow the muscle somewhat and control your bodyfat to look like your best version. Most middleweight strongmen look pretty jacked. You can’t afford to carry much bodyfat and be competitive in classes like 198,220,231.
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Lmao my abs are sticking out, almost like a belly or a person with cirrhosis, I've started referring to it as my "Power Keg" to my wife. Wasn't as amusing to her as it is to me...
 
Electrake said:
Lmao my abs are sticking out, almost like a belly or a person with cirrhosis, I've started referring to it as my "Power Keg" to my wife. Wasn't as amusing to her as it is to me...
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Totally normal; you want a stronger core it is going to hypertrophy inevitably as you move greater weights over time.
 
2/9/24

Took today to myself, my calf is stupidly tight and sore so I wasn't feeling up to deadlifts and 50 squats today. Already had 2 stretching/rolling sessions today, and I will get this training session knocked out tomorrow morning.
 
Ahhhh Jym Stopanni lol. Haven’t heard that name in a hot minute. I read his book prob a decade ago. I guess decent BBing stuff. Then his supp line came out and it was obvious he is a greedy shill. So yeah, he sucks 🤣
 
SkRaw85 said:
Ahhhh Jym Stopanni lol. Haven’t heard that name in a hot minute. I read his book prob a decade ago. I guess decent BBing stuff. Then his supp line came out and it was obvious he is a greedy shill. So yeah, he sucks 🤣
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I have to say his name like an old Italian man talking about a spicy meatball. Imo there's some good sports science that can be taken from his book.
 
Electrake said:
I have to say his name like an old Italian man talking about a spicy meatball. Imo there's some good sports science that can be taken from his book.
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Definitely some knowledge in his book. I just saw the prices on his supps and it turned me off to his words lol
 
Electrake said:
2/9/24

Took today to myself, my calf is stupidly tight and sore so I wasn't feeling up to deadlifts and 50 squats today. Already had 2 stretching/rolling sessions today, and I will get this training session knocked out tomorrow morning.
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Hopefully calf is feeling better today!
 
1/26/23

Main - Deadlift
  • 5 x 205lb
  • 5 x 255
  • 5 x 315
  • 5 x 330
  • 5 x 380
  • 5 x 435
Supplemental -Squat
  • 6 x 5 @ 265
Assistance
  • upright row with 3"rolling grip 5x8 @ 135
  • Log clean and press 1 x 10 @ 185
Time 1 hour 32min
Weight 218.5

Today was my first stim free workout in probably 6 years, 5mg tada, Super Swole, and 600mg AlphaGPC. Went in feeling amazing, better than usual and confident. Destroyed deadlifts, took my time and stayed in my flat shoes when I usually transition to my lifts a ways through.

Then **** hit the fan

A set or two into squats, lower right back started getting tight, then hurting, then into my butt, then the calf pains from over compensation. I don't know what the **** I did, but I had to stop early, some massive imbalance, or aggravation or something. Sitting here typing this, everything feels fine, so at least it's not an injury, or a serious one at least.

Great/easy deadlift session though!
 
SkRaw85 said:
Damn, think just twisted up a nerve all weird?
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I guess?

Now that I've thought about it a bit, I think I was just moving too quickly and was doing the rows with the loading pin wrong, and the exhaustion from deadlifts and squats just got to my back. I need to stop doing barbell and pin rows if I'm doing DL and squat days, or else take much longer rests because the lower back tightness is reoccurring. Just not this bad.
 
Oh snap! Hope it works itself out and just maybe something pinched/out of alignment that you can work out with a little massaging. As someone who's dealt with on and off lower back tweaks since about 2 or so years back, I never like to hear about that happening!
 
If you normally use your squat shoes to squat to a given depth, then switch to flats, you are either going to squat higher or will require more ankle flexion to get to the usual depth. But if you lack that mobility, it’s probably going to try to come from the low back. Whether that be butt winking (rolling hips under forward) or just a lot more tension in the posterior than usual.

Just a thought on what might have potentiated the aggravation.
 
Hyde said:
If you normally use your squat shoes to squat to a given depth, then switch to flats, you are either going to squat higher or will require more ankle flexion to get to the usual depth. But if you lack that mobility, it’s probably going to try to come from the low back. Whether that be butt winking (rolling hips under forward) or just a lot more tension in the posterior than usual.

Just a thought on what might have potentiated the aggravation.
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I typed poorly here, I squatted 100% with my squat shoes today and like normal, usually. But I never do my heavy DL sets without them, which I absolutely crushed today. I'm going to bleed the meaning of this message into responding to the next quote


Big edit here, yeah the butt wink was the problem here. But it was caused by general breakdown of a probably overarching problem I'm discovering.
Resolve10 said:
Is it coming from the back or just feeling it in the back? Always hard to tell just from a few sentences online, but I’ve seen this sometimes when the glutes (med/min) get knotted up. Massaging that area out or using some cupping can help relieve it if that is the case.

It could also be a bunch of other things though. 😔
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I have unreasonably tight hips that I usually take extra time to warm up, I definitely jumped into today quicker than usual. Today started as undoubtedly the back, but pulling the pin aggravated what was already sore, and I overcompensated for the pain in my squats causing a massive imbalance. Personal opinion here, but with the volume I try to push, maintaining proper form is paramount, and poor execution has an exponential effect.

Segansational said:
Oh snap! Hope it works itself out and just maybe something pinched/out of alignment that you can work out with a little massaging. As someone who's dealt with on and off lower back tweaks since about 2 or so years back, I never like to hear about that happening!
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Yeah man, it's always a slow and aggravating come back that never really goes away.
 
2/12/24

Main - OHP (strict)
  • 5 x 70lb
  • 5 x 85
  • 5 x 105
  • 5 x 120
  • 5 x 135
  • 5 x 160
Supplemental - OHP (strict)
  • 10 x 5 @ 125
Assistance
  • Bent Over Row (Axle) 5 x 10 @ 225
  • Dips 5 x 10 + 45lb
Other Stuff (superset)
  • Weighted crunch 5 x 20 @ 150lb
  • seated calf raise 5 x 10
Time 1hr11min
Weight 222.2

Tada+Super Swole=Super Pump
Spent the rest of the weekend reacquainting myself with "knees over toes" guy.
 
2/13/24
week 2 day 2, leader 2

Main - Squat
  • 5 x 155lb
  • 5 x 195
  • 5 x 235
  • 5 x 275
  • 5 x 315
  • 5 x 350
Supplemental - Squat
  • 7 x 5 @ 275
Assistance
  • pull ups 5 x 6
  • GHR 5 x 10 +45lb
Abs/Legs
  • 3x10 toes to bar
  • 3x5 cable crunch
Time - 1hr 15min
Weight - 220.2

Skipped a few sets of squats, leg isn't getting better. Only wore my squat shoes for the top two sets, noticed more back activation wearing them, telling me that I'm leaning forward on my toes more than necessary, most likely trying to compensate for the soleus pain.

I hate to change things this late into a cycle, but I may have to reduce squats to 1 day a week, and replace the day I do supplemental squat with bench. This would also allow me the opportunity I was looking for to work in front squats and power cleans as assistance work.
 
Resolve10 said:
Hope you figure the leg out. As another random anecdote or to maybe get you thinking, I'd get pain in the calves when my TFLs were overworked (like when I added running in too large of a dose on top of my squatting). I am trying to remember the other issue I had when I was getting calf pain from squats, but it was so long ago.
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That is actually something else I'm working on now, TFL tightness comes across for me like sore/tight hips and it's pretty rough trying to stretch out and get moving for exercise. I wouldn't be surprised in the least if everything I've been complaining about recently all stemmed from an overarching issue that I've let grow.
 
Needed to share this masterpiece. 4 egg whites, 2 whole eggs, cup spinach, 1 shallot, 3 tablespoons goat cheese, radish/clover/alfalfa sprouts, and sourdough.
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...With a side protein shake...
 
Electrake said:
Needed to share this masterpiece. 4 egg whites, 2 whole eggs, cup spinach, 1 shallot, 3 tablespoons goat cheese, radish/clover/alfalfa sprouts, and sourdough.
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...With a side protein shake...
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Using the words “egg whites” and “masterpiece” in the same idea is a bit of a stretch

Looks like it could use some Big Mac sauce
 
Hyde said:
Using the words “egg whites” and “masterpiece” in the same idea is a bit of a stretch

Looks like it could use some Big Mac sauce
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Lol that was Saturday lunch, 1lb bacon cheeseburger and a pound of tots dipped in ranch. I'm pleased to say that I didn't feel satiated.
 
2/14/24

Rest day

Knocked out 2 interviews today,1 for funnsies and another was a 4th round interview for which I started the process December 2nd lol. Feeling like I ran a damn marathon from the adrenaline response.
 
2/15/24

Main - Bench
  • 5 x 110lb
  • 5 x 140
  • 5 x 170
  • 5 x 195
  • 5 x 225
  • 5 x 250
Supplemental - OHP (strict)
  • 10 x 5 @ 125
Assistance
  • Pull-up 5 x 5
  • Floor Press 5 x 5 @ 205
Abs
  • Knee ups 3x20
  • Reverse crunch 3x30
Time - 1hr 16min
Weight - 221

Never done a floor press, but seems to be the hotness at the moment lol. Felt great, massive shoulder pump today. Elbows are wrecked from sleeping weird, getting older is just the best, isn't it? Also having some wrist pain from my new keyboards position, need to figure that **** out.

Still no Big Mac sauce...
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2/16/24

I got drunk and ordered a 15lb steel mace last night, apparently... Oh well, always wanted one.

Didn't make it to the gym today due to poor life choices last night, but I did get in 20min of tire flips, 12lb sledge swings, and sit-ups performed as a circuit.
 
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