Another round of sumos

I think I'll kind of miss the sumo deadlifts next month.  These were fun.  I see regular deadlifts (I'm not going to "slightly raise" them, as is recommended because I don't have a trap bar) are back again.  That will be good.  With 3-rep sets, I should be seeing some good weight increases.

The lunges felt heavy today.  This is equal to the highest I've done before, and that only for one set.  This time, I did them with the same weight for all three sets. For the sumo deadlifts, I hit my highest 3-rep set, just 5 pounds off my max ever.  This is pretty cool.  I'm feeling the strongest and most well-rounded and mobile I've ever felt.

Show and Go, Phase 2, Week 4
Foam rolling and mobility work
Sumo deadlifts - (warm-up 3@135#, 3@155#, 1@175#) 1x3@185#, 1x3@190#, 1x3@195#
Knee-break ankle mobs - 3x8
Barbell reverse lunge - front squat grip - 3x6@85#
Yoga plex - 3x4/side
1-leg DB RDL - 3x8/side@37.5#ea
Split-stance cable lift - 3x8@25#
Wall lat stretch with stabilization - 2x
1-arm doorway pec stretch -  2x

200 Pound Sumo Deadlift!!!!

What a way to start the week!  A 200lb deadlift!  It went well.  In fact, I think I had a few more pounds in me.  I needed to finish the workout some time, though, so I left the rest for another day.

This was a long workout.  About 1:20.  Part of that was because it had an extra set for some of the exercises.  Of course, when deadlifting it takes me a while to set up and build up courage.


Show and Go, Phase 2, Week 3
Foam rolling and mobility work
Sumo deadlifts - (warm-up 3@135#, 1@175#, 1@185#) 1x1@195#, 1x1@200# (PR!!), 2x3@185#, 1x3@190#
Knee-break ankle mobs - 3x8
Barbell reverse lunge - front squat grip - 5x6@80#
Yoga plex - 4x4/side
1-leg DB RDL - 3x8/side@35#ea
Split-stance cable lift - 3x8@25#
Wall lat stretch with stabilization - 2x
1-arm doorway pec stretch -  2x


Here is what 200 pounds looks like!  (Yes, I could have used the 25# plates, but I was moving up from below 185#.)

Feeling strong

What a good workout!  Deadlifts, lunges, RDLs...wow!

The sumos went better this time.  I wore long sweats this time, so the knurling didn't scrape my legs.  I struggled with balance a time or two on the reverse lunges.  Not a big deal, though.  Not much else to say right now!


Show and Go, Phase 2, Week 2
Foam rolling and mobility work
Sumo deadlifts - (warm-up 2@135#, 2@165##) 2x2@180#, 1x4@180#, 1x4@185# (PR!)
Knee-break ankle mobs - 3x8
Barbell reverse lunge - front squat grip - 3x6@80#, 1x6@85#
Yoga plex - 3x4/side
1-leg DB RDL - 3x8/side@35#ea
Split-stance cable lift - 3x8@25#
Wall lat stretch with stabilization - 2x
1-arm doorway pec stretch -  2x

What a start to Phase 2!

Today was the first day of Show and Go Phase 2.  I am beat!  Wow.  During the RDLs and cable lifts, my heart rate stayed around 160bpm.  Today's workout brought lots of new moves.  The sumo deadlifts were something I was curious about before, so I was excited to try them out.  It was a weird feeling and I even went back to the computer to check out Eric's video on them in the middle of my warm-up set.  The only issue I see with them is that the wide stance has my shins out on the knurling on the bar rather than the smooth part, as they are with conventional deadlifts.

For the BB reverse lunges, I had to add an extra set because I went past the 90% limit.  Well, I still have one working set slightly under that, but I'll live.  It was trial and error getting the right weight.  One time I lost my balance, but managed to catch myself.  These have a much more unstable feel as compared to DB lunges!  I feel like a tight rope walker.

The knee-break ankle mobs didn't do much for me.  After re-watching the video, I think I'll have to go deeper.  Much more than what I would consider a "knee break".

I weighed in and took measurements.  Although I feel stronger, but all the sweets I've been eating have hit me hard.  I'm up 3 lbs. and my measurements are about the same.  I will commit to reducing my sweet intake over this next phase.  It's only going to get harder this time of year!

Show and Go, Phase 2, Week 1
1:24
Foam rolling and mobility work
Sumo deadlifts - (warm-up 3@135#, 2@155#) 2x2@175#, 1x4@175#, 1x4@180# (PR! but also the first time I've done these ;) )
Knee-break ankle mobs - 3x8
Barbell reverse lunge - front squat grip - (warm-up 6@65#) 1x6@70#, 2x6@75#, 1x6@80#, 1x6@75#
Yoga plex - 4x4/side
1-leg DB RDL - 3x8/side@32.5#ea
Split-stance cable lift - 3x8@20# (stance was reversed from demo video)
Wall lat stretch with stabilization - 2x
1-arm doorway pec stretch -  2x