A1. Close Stance High Bar Squat – Work up to heavy set of 6, repeat for 3 total sets
- BWx20x2
- 45x8x2
- 95x6x2
- 135×6
- 185x6x3
- Sleeveless and beltless, 2 minutes rest between sets. This was challenging, took forever for my left knee to feel comfortable under the load, and my mobility is definitely questionable. That said, my knees did eventually stop hurting, and I was able to get all 3 sets with decent range of motion, and minimal ankle collapse (I think).
B1. Romanian Deadlift vs. Monster Mini Bands – Work up to heavy set of 8, repeat for 4 total sets
- 45x10x2
- 45×10 (add bands)
- 95×8
- 145x8x4
- Not great, it took me a while to figure out the band set up, but I eventually got there. I was feeling these more in my glutes than my hamstrings mainly because the bands dropped off so fully at the bottom of the range of motion, so my hamstrings really didn’t get a great stretch. That said, as I increase the straight weight load each week, I’ll probably have that fixed up.
C1. Back Raises – 3×15
- BWx15x3
- Stuck with body weight for these for the time being, and really focused on a steady pace for each rep with a solid contraction at the top and a solid stretch at the bottom. Really enjoyed how these felt on my hamstrings.
C2. Reverse Lunge – 3×15
- BWx15
- 10×15
- 20×15
- These were pretty brutal. I got bored doing just body weight on the first set, so I added one dumbbell. That felt ok, but I wanted more, so I grabbed the second dumbbell on the third set, and that really hit everything just right. Going to work on getting all 3 sets with this loading next week before increasing volume or overall loading.
D1. Ab Wheel Rollouts – 3×10
- BWx10x3
- Nothing to really write home about these, except for the fact that I was able to get decent sets of 10, which had been a challenge in the past. I want to put more emphasis on my core training over this 3 week block and see if that helps my lower back issues, and more importantly my anterior pelvic tilt.
____________________________________________________________________________________________
Overall, a great first supplemental day getting into this block, let’s see how the soreness feels moving into the next few days!
Ramble on Fitness 