All About Them Gains

A Change in Workouts

Resistance Bands

I've been in desperate need of new resistance bands for a while now, primarily because the medium one I was trying to use when my heavy one unwound just wasn't giving me the boost I needed to complete any reps for pull-ups or chin-ups. Plus, I was wanting to revert back to the "gym" workouts for my Built With Science program, swapping out the machine or barbell options for dumbbell alternatives so I could still perform them at home, and in order to perform some of the moves such as the pull-up or the banded decline push-ups, I needed better bands than the ones in my arsenal.

So, I caved and invested in some new resistance bands that didn't have the hook already attached. Buddy, lemme tell ya, that orange band is both empowering and humbling to use. With it I can finally perform those exercises, but I need to use it to be able to do the movements, and it's the heaviest band. Starting off at the very bottom of the ladder but, hey, all that's left to do now is climb.

I've only completed one day from the new 4-day rotation I began, though I suspect I'll have completed Lower Body 1 before the end of today and will likely include those metrics as well.

Upper Body Day 1

Because I was burnt out on the rotation I'd been doing and rested for about a week from any kind of lifting, I started off easy and assumed nothing about my strength.

It's a good thing I did.

Banded Pull-Ups

3 Sets of 6-12 Reps using the heaviest band:

Set 1: 6 Set 2: 8

Set 3: 6

The first set was the easiest because I was at full energy, but it was still challenging to complete 6 quality reps, since it was my first time using that thick of a band.

Sets 2 and 3 were much more difficult, since my body acclimated to the movement during the first set. The last two I could focus more on the mind-body connection and trying to work the correct muscles.

Push-Up Progression

3 Sets of 6-12 Reps

Set 1: 6

Set 2: 6

Set 3: 6

Same as before, the first set was easiest, though my arms were still shaking during the descent.

I'm still doing them without a band, but I might switch to using the lightest band of the new set that I bought, because I can feel my form slipping and my back caving slightly as I'm performing the "push" movement.

After a week off from doing push-ups, my regression wasn't much of a surprise to me. It shouldn't take me too long to close the gap to where I was though and continue to improve.

Dumbbell Chest Supported Row

3 Sets of 8-10 Reps using 2.5 lb weight plates

Set 1: 12

Set 2: 12

Set 3: 12

So, a couple of interesting notes before I explain the sets.

1. I don't have an incline bench (someday!), so after researching some suggestions, I decided to use the orange resistance band attached to my pull-up bar as a harness of sorts to stabilize me at the right angle for performing the movement. It was awkward at first, and I think it could lead to injury if I'm too careless, but as long as I focus on planting my feet and making sure I'm stabilized before performing the movement, it should be fine.

2. The dumbbells I'm using are old. Like inherited-from-deceased-grandfather old.
   

So, any time I want to increase/decrease the weight, I need to unscrew the current

weight from the bar. Someday I'll invest in a better, more modern set, but this is what I

have to work with for now. The largest plates are 5 lbs each, the medium are 2.5 lbs

each, and the smallest are 1.25 lbs each. Whenever I reference specific weights, like the

2.5 for the sets of the chest-supported dumbbell rows I performed, I'm just referring to

the weight plates themselves. The bar and fasteners are ~3-4 lbs by themselves.

I started with the 2.5 plates because I didn't want to assume I'd be able to perform this move with anything heavier, but I also suspected the 1.25 plates would be too easy. I was able to perform all 12 reps for each set with the 2.5 plates, and it was no challenge whatsoever. Whenever I feel ready to increase a weight, such as these, I'll usually add 1 plate of 1 degree heavier, but because this exercise was so easy, I'll be adding both 1.25 lb plates to the 2.5 ones next time.

I think it'll still be somewhat easy, but I don't think I'm ready to use the full 5 lb plates. I'll know for sure after the next time.

Banded Decline Push-Ups

3 Sets of 8-10 Reps using the red band, the lightest

Set 1: 2, 5-second rest, 3

Set 2: 4, 5-second rest, 2

Set 3: 3

Oh, my sweet summer self, I was not ready.

Despite the difficulties I've faced with certain moves in the past, I've never actually failed to reach the minimum count. Until these.

Now, I knew they were going to be difficult, and I was skeptical I would accomplish more than the bare minimum, given what my current push-up status is, but I didn't anticipate just how poor my performance would be.

However, this illustrates an important turning point for many people. Either they choose to grit their teeth and resolve to work toward reaching the bare minimum, or they throw their arms up in aggravated surrender and say, "Screw it, I'm done."

While I suspect I'll become frustrated if I continue to fail for a prolonged period of time, I maintain that my goal is to succeed at just one more rep at the very least each day I do this exercise.

Dumbbell Lateral Raises

3 Sets of 10-15 Reps using 2.5 lb plates for the first 2, and 1.25 lb plates for the last

Set 1: 12

Set 2: 10

Set 3: 10

This one surprised me. I'm accustomed to doing this exercise because it was in my "At Home" program, but because I was starting a new rotation, I decided to re-watch the instructional video of how to perform the movement and discovered that I was performing it incorrectly. I wasn't leaning my body forward like I should have and, as a result, was compensating some of the lift with my lower back as I tried to left my arms up to shoulder height. Oops.

When I corrected my error, lifting the 2.5 lb weights became too difficult by the 3rd set. My neck was straining, and I could feel my back aching from the angle and the weight. My only saving grace was swapping to the 1.25 lb plates, and I'll likely start with those next time I perform the movement.

Incline Dumbbell Overhead Extensions

3 Sets of 8-10 Reps using 1.25 lb plates

Set 1: 10

Set 2: 8

Set 3: 8

I was going to just perform these standing, but my elbows were moving around too much. I needed that extra brace against my back so I could put all my focus into keeping my elbows stationary.

Again, since I don't have an incline bench, I had to improvise. It wasn't perfect, but our kitchen chairs for the bar are at about the right height, so I used one of them in place of a bench.

Lower Body Day 1

Weighted Step-Ups

3 Sets of 8-10 Reps using 2.5 lb plates

Set 1: 10

Set 2: 10

Set 3: 10

There were a few challenging aspects to this exercise:

1. Finding a platform that was tall enough;

2. one that I felt was stable enough to hold my weight without collapsing;

3. keeping myself stable enough to not wobble too much;

4. placing all my weight on the elevated leg instead of kicking up with the lower.

One of the alternative exercises was to continue doing Bulgarian Split Squats, but they're one of the primary reasons I needed a change of pace, so I wasn't eager to continue them.

An aspect of the step-ups I do enjoy is that they really require a stable core and that mind-body connection, because otherwise it'd be easy to wobble and cause possible injury or "simplify" the movement by relying more on momentum rather than control. Both are challenges I need to practice.

Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift

3 Sets of 8-10 Reps using both 5 lb & 2.5 lb plates

Set 1: 10

Set 2: 10

Set 3: 10

Easy-peasy lemon squeezy. I've been doing these for a while now at maximum available weight, but I kept off the 1.25 lb plates this time just because it had been about a week. The most difficult part of the movement was honestly just holding the dumbbells because my arms are still tired from yesterday's workout. I'll probably keep this weight for a little bit because of said arms and because the next exercise was a touch more difficult this time around.

Heel-Elevated Goblet Squat

3 Sets of 10-15 Reps using both 5 lb & 2.5 lb plates

Set 1: 15

Set 2: 12

Set 3: 12

Re-watching the form video helped me make some minor but impactful adjustments. My quads tend to be weaker anyway, so those alterations to my form really fired them up, especially since I was doing these as a superset to the Dumbbell Romanian Deadlifts.

Front Foot Elevated Reverse Lunges

3 Sets of 8-10 Reps/Side using 2.5 lb plates

Set 1: 10

Set 2: 10

Set 3: 10

In the program I'm following, this and the Seated Weighted Calf Raises are a pre-planned superset. The lunges are a little difficult just because my stability on elevated surfaces isn't sound, but by the end of the third set, I settled into a groove. As much as I dislike lunges, I'll take them over Bulgarian Split Squats any day.

Seated Weighted Calf Raises

3 Sets of 12-15 Reps using 2.5 lb plates

Set 1: 15

Set 2: 15

Set 3: 15

Unfortunately, these were too easy with the weight plates I was using, but since the rest period for supersets is only about a minute, I didn't have time to swap out plates between each rotation, and it would have been tedious besides. I've always been rather proud of how strong my calves are compared to the rest of my body. I think it's from those early softball days.

Side Plank

30s Hold/Side

Set 1: 30s hold

Set 2: 30s twist

I've missed doing side planks, so I'm glad they've returned to my rotation. My arms were still tired, so I struggled a little more than I would have once upon a time, but I was still able to hold it effectively and do the twists for the second set.

The Finished Journal W.I.P.

Trends

It's been another slow week of writing, but I did write and finish the journal that was stumping me last week!

What's fascinating about dialing into and chronicling my work habits and energy levels is that I'm beginning to notice a trend I follow when it comes to really pushing myself creatively. It happened roughly a year ago when I put all my energy and focus into designing and coloring a more "updated" version of Efiál and also composing a piano piece for the city of Luminarys in the TTRPG campaign I was planning at the time: I'll fight to meet the deadline I set, staying up well into the night if need be, and then for a week or two afterward, I bottom out creatively. I won't want to touch anything related to my completed goal, which is part of what happened after I rewrote those two journals a couple weeks ago, you know, aside from the other factors that inhibited my writing last week.

I've also noticed that there's a positive correlation between the size of the project/how long I've had to push myself and the following break I need to take to recover my empty stores of creativity.

I'd be very curious to know who else experiences this same pattern.

The "Completed" Journal

Year 5, Day 36
Starday the 22nd of Uros: Night

Valen, what sort of ancient, long-forgotten ruins do you suppose exist in the Plane of Shadow? There must be many if we once lived without barriers, right, otherwise why would so many of our stories lament the destruction of the “Plane of Night” and the rise of the “Plane of Shadow”? Do you think we could find records detailing how our moon was destroyed, or would they have decayed and joined the wasteland dust by now?

I ask, because we met an archaeologist today—well, more of a traveling priest who also happens to be an archaeologist. Or maybe it would be more accurate to describe him as a treasure hunter instead of an archaeologist, because recovering treasures and magical relics from bygone times and civilizations seems more his purview than actually studying those eras or cultures, though I suppose there could be some overlap between the two distinctions…

Regardless! Father Ambien’s interests and expertise have me questioning the kind of world we lost when our ancestors fled their homes and isolated themselves under the protective barrier of Shadow Ezada and other major cities. What precious memories have we sacrificed in the name of self-preservation? I’d like to know. 

No, I need to know, especially if the past can shed any light on Nim’s predicament or inspire the method of creating a body for her. I’m still suspicious that Maryn may have done something to us while we were in utero, since it’s not far-fetched to believe that Matra went to him during her pregnancy, but unless I can gather some evidence to condemn him, I’m just throwing around baseless accusations. 

In any case, if Maryn wasn’t involved, then history must hold some answers. Surely Nim and I are not the first example of two souls inhabiting the same body? Whatever the case may be, it seems that more and more of my personal goals are pulling me toward Shadow Ezada to face the ghosts of my own past.

However, there may also be some answers here on the Material Plane. This starknife that we found in the Temple of Moradin looks to be of Akryna or Kayal make, and while it could have originated in the Plane of Shadow, there’s a slim chance it was forged here, but I am nearly convinced that either the members of my ancestry or the Akryna constructed it, because all four blades seem to absorb the light within the vicinity. The depth of their blackness makes them look almost flat, and although they shine with a well-polished sheen, no matter how closely I peer into them, my reflection does not gaze back at me. Even my weapon reflects my visage if I’m close enough to it. Staring at the starknife for too long is dizzying, because the handle itself has a full grip in the shape of a silver dragon that *is* reflective. My mind isn’t sure how to couple these two seemingly disparate truths.

I don’t know much about how other cultures forge their weapons, but given that this one uses a similar metal to the blackened steel of my Vasakta, I think it’s safe to conclude that the ancestors of the Dwarves somehow procured this from either Ezada or Shadow Ezada. Likely the former, perhaps via trade? I’m hard pressed to believe that a primarily atheistic society would voluntarily gift such a beautiful weapon to a Dwarven god, but the Dwarves certainly valued it, given it was located within the same tribute chamber as the magical pickaxe Father Ambien was seeking, ‘The Pick of Moradin.’

Maybe there are some other ruins closer to Ezada that will yield better answers to some of my questions.

How I’m feeling: Guilty and relieved. I dislike the thought of killing unless it’s absolutely necessary, so I balked at the prospect of eradicating an entire species. Perhaps I am naive for thinking this way, but I’d prefer to destroy a few clutches of eggs and any Ankhrav that attack us here and there than mercilessly wipe out all of them. Without the queen, surely the Ankhrav will no longer prove a threat to the Dwarves?

Surprised the temple that Father Ambien was seeking actually exists and further impressed by Dwarven architecture. I can only imagine how the temple must have looked in its prime. As enormous as the assembly hall was when we lowered ourselves into it, portions of it were collapsed, and a fine layer of dust coated otherwise polished floors. From the fluted columns to the beveled walls, everything was meticulously carved in perfect symmetry directly from the rock itself. With all the security measures, thieves would have been hard pressed to break into the tribute vault without detection, though I doubt the Ankhrav queen’s massive cocoon was installed as part of security detail.

Curious about Father Ambien but also cautious. He’s a traveling priest from the Church of Phusyn located near Ezada. Naturally, little warning bells are ringing in my head. He seems innocent enough, if not a touch unaware whenever an interest catches his attention, and his knowledge of medicine and access to greater healing magic fills a niche we’ve sorely lacked thus far in our travels, but I cannot afford to be too careful. Just because he’s capable of healing doesn’t mean he’s looking out for other people’s best interests. Does he know about Maryn? His reaction may very well tell me all I need to know. Even if he is an ally, I do not want to be too hopeful, not after Flink. Brod’s about the only one who’s loyal to a fault.

Days since last Zoning: 0

Other Notable Accomplishments

• Finished reading the first Xanth book by Piers Anthony. It's definitely geared toward teenaged males as the general demographic, and I didn't really care for how shallow the main character was toward women, but what intrigued me was the worldbuilding. Most of the time, I care more about the plot and the characters, neither of which enraptured me for this book, but the description of magic and the way it has influenced flora and fauna was really inspiring. While I'm not actively working on it currently, the book did generate some ideas for the Lifa Tree campaign I began creating last year and subsequently abandoned in favor of completing my current projects. Will I read the other books? I'm not sure yet. If I do, it'll solely be for the world-building.

  • This is a good example of how recuperation periods can inspire ideas for future or current projects.

• Went for a light jog on Wednesday because it was cool enough to where the gnats weren't an issue. I walked to the park and did a lap, jogged a lap, walked a lap, and then jogged a lap and the return trip home. It's upsetting that my "cardio fitness score" on FitBit went from 38 (Good) to 35 (Average) after the jog, but I'm skeptical on its accuracy. I wasn't pushing myself during the jog, and I was able to take in deep, full inhalations through my nose the whole time, which is difficult after jogging uphill.

This Week's Obligatory Cat Pic: Salad