Beards, Barbells, and Beer

Mon Feb 3, 2014

C2 rower, dynamic stretching

- Squats
45x8
95x5
135x3
165x5
195x5
(+belt)
225x5
255x5
285x5

Last rep was slow but still felt solid. My legs were a bit sore today from hockey but it didn't seem to affect things much.

- Bench
45x10
65x8
85x6
105x4
125x2
145x10
150x8
135x5
135x5
135x5

These felt good. My left elbow has been bugging me a bit lately so on Friday and again today I tried not actively tucking my elbows as much and it feels better and stronger. Not flaring, just not super tucked.

Looking back at my progress last Spring I hit 175x8 and 177x7 so I should be able to continue this progression I think for at least another month so I'll be around 170x10, hopefully longer.

- Barbell rows
45x10
95x10

My legs were feeling fried so I switched to DB rows

- DB rows
50x10
75x10
100x10
 
Wed Feb 5, 2014

C2 rower, dynamic stretching

- Deadlifts
45x10
135x5
135x5
185x3
225x2
255x1
285x1
315x1
335x1
360x1x8 (singles)

I had better speed off the floor today. My setup felt better and I felt more in the groove when pulling with the belt on so I'm sure that's all related.

- DB rows
30x10
65x10
100x8
100x8
100x8

Conditioning tomorrow.
 
Thurs Feb 6, 2014

Conditioning

- C2 rower: 15 minutes
- Stairmilll: 18 minutes, 2 minute cooldown

33 (+2) minutes total. HR in the 135-145 range.
 
Sure, I'll do one tonight. It's looking pretty solid. I didn't realize people were waiting for one :)
 
My beard is now back to full strength.
1653872_10153765887305371_717450881_n.jpg
 
Thanks Milkman, I'm glad you approve!

Fri Feb 7, 2014

C2 rower, dynamic stretching

- Squats
45x8
95x5
135x3
165x5
195x5
(+belt)
225x5
255x5
290x3
(-belt)
225x8

290x3 wasn't too bad but I felt like it was a bit uneven. I felt like I was leaning a bit more on my left leg. I'll keep an eye on this. I've never felt it before so hopefully it was just a one time thing.

On 255x5 my belt was a bit low so it was pinching the fat around my waist. I fixed it for 290x3 but the obvious long-term solution is to lose the flab.

- Bench
45x10
75x8
95x6
115x4
135x8
135x8
135x8

- Inverted rows: 5x11

Easy peasy.
 
Sun Feb 9, 2014

Hockey
It was a late game yesterday, starting at 9:40, so we were down to 10 skaters (2 lines) but our opponents only had 7 skaters. We wanted to put pressure on them early thinking that we could wear them down and score more later in the game when they were tired but actually the pressure paid off and we scored early and often.

My line started the game and I scored on our first shot to set the tone. They quickly answered back to make it 1-1 and it was close for a bit but midway through the period we broke the game wide open. We scored 4 goals in 6 minutes to end the first period up 5-1.

In the second period we traded goals to make it 6-2 and then 7-2 for us. At that point we were really controlling the play so we decided to switch things up a bit since it looked like it would be a big blow-out. First our leading scorer dropped back to defense and things were going okay so I dropped back as well.

That was a turning point in the game as we lost all offensive punch (I suppose dropping your top 2 scorers back to defense will do that, lol) and their top two players started playing off each other. They scored 3 goals over a 10 minute span to make it 7-5 and we went from dominating to barely being able to get the puck out of our own zone.

After they scored their 5th goal I moved back to center and we shut things down for the final half of the third period. We scored one more goal it finish it 8-5. With the win we moved out of last place in our division.

My line was absolutely on fire as we combined to score 6 goals and 12 points overall. I had 2 goals and 3 assists for a 5 point night. For the first half of the game we were really clicking, getting lots of chances and burying a number of them.

The only bad news from yesterday is that we might not have enough guys to play in the Summer. 5 or 6 guys have said they can't commit full-time including our team rep/captain who isn't willing to try to find more skaters since he won't be playing. I stepped to organize things but I'm not sure if we can get enough skaters on short notice. Summer registration is already open and usually fills up by early March. Hopefully we can make it happen but if not I'll definitely look into finding a team that needs an extra skater for the Summer.

There had also been some talk of moving from Sundays to a weeknight. That would suck because I wouldn't be able to play. I'm hoping that we can put together a team for the Summer and then if my current team moves to a weeknight the new team can continue on as the Sunday team.
 
Mon Feb 10, 2014

C2 rower, dynamic stretching, DCSW

Both squat racks were busy so I started with bench today.

- Bench
45x10
75x8
95x6
115x4
135x3
150x10
155x8

At this point the squat rack freed up so I grabbed with the plan of doing the back-off sets and rows after.

- Squats
45x8
95x5
135x3
165x5
195x5
225x5
(+belt)
255x5
290x5

I really didn't think I'd get the 5 reps with 290 today because I only got about 3 hours of sleep last night (late hockey game so I couldn't fall asleep and I had to be up early) but I Cratos'ed up and got it done. The reps were actually surprisingly smooth and actually had better bar speed than 255x5. Mental focus FTW.

At this point I was running late so I had to skip the extra bench and rows. I'll do some push-ups and upper back work at home to make for it. Also, I'm going to be busy on Friday and won't be able to make it to the gym so I'm not sure what I'll do. I might just jump to 295x5 next Monday without doing 295x3.
 
Wed Feb 12, 2014

C2 rower, dynamic stretching

- Deadlifts
45x10
135x5
135x5
185x3
225x2
255x1
285x1
315x1
350x1
(+belt)
385x1x6 (singles)

Not bad. These were slower than last week's 360 I think more because I'm tired than because the weight is heavier. They weren't too hard, just not that explosive. The belt felt more comfortable.

- Facepulls: 5x20.
 
Thurs Feb 13, 2014

Conditioning

- treadmill: 10 minutes
- C2 rower: 5 minutes
- Stairmill: 12 minutes

27 minutes, HR in the 130-135 range. My shoulder was aching so I cut the C2 short and overall I feel like shit so I cut the entire session short.
 
Nice.

I think this was posted in the Pub back near Movember. Everything about beards:

facial-hair-info.gif
 
You have covered beards and barbells recently - but what about beers? I'm in New York in just over a week's time, any decent beers you know of that I can try when I'm there? (I realise you are in Canada, but you are quite the worldly beer connoisseur)
 
Brooklyn Brewery has a few good beers though I've only had their Black Chocolate Stout and Post Road Pumpkin Ale which are both seasonals. I think the stout is available right now. I haven't had any of their regular beers but they get good reviews online.

Last Friday night I tried the weekly FeBREWary beer from Beau's Brewing:
label-ellsmere.jpg


As you can see on the picture it's a Chocolate Marshmallow Hemp Stout. The main body of flavour is a nice roasted, moderately bitter chocolate. Every now and then I'd get a hint of sweetness that reminded me of marshmallows but it was very mild so it accented the chocolate without overpowering it.

I was expecting the flavours to be very bold and it to be the sorta beer that you would enjoy but only want one of but the flavours were very well balanced and I could easily have had a few more pints.
 
Like the picture, sounds like a nice beer. I'm a stout fan myself. I've had a couple of beers from Brooklyn Brewery, so will keep an eye out for some of the ones that are not as readily available over here. Thanks.
 
I took today off to run some errands. I visited my optometrist to get new glasses, swung by a mall near him to exchange a sweater my wife bought me for Xmas (she bought XL but I'm still a Large) and I picked up some triple chocolate cherry stout from my favourite brewery, Black Oak.
a4e7f185f2b484c882cb150892438f40_640x640.jpg

Previously it was a double chocolate stout (chocolate malt and cocoa) but this year they added cocoa nibs to make it triple. Afterward I stopped at work to grab my belt and then headed to the gym.

Fri Feb 14, 2014

C2 rower, dynamic stretching

- Squats
45x8
95x5
135x3
175x5
205x5
(+belt)
235x5
265x5
295x3
(-belt)
235x8

Since I had today off I was able to sleep in and get a full 8 hours of sleep. I felt awesome and totally smoked 295x3. When I hurt my knee/back last Fall I think it was after doing 295x5 so I'm pretty back to that point now so bring on the PRs!!

- Bench
45x10
75x8
95x6
115x4
135x8
135x8
135x11

Repped out the last set for shits and giggles.

- DB Rows
30x10
65x10
100x10
100x8
100x8

Done.
 
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