Well, I really didn’t do much in the afternoon. Continued with the tidying up (managed to clear a shelf on the bookcase) but there’s still more to do. I’m such a pack rat, something my mother is as well. This means we have a house full of stuff that neither of us really wants to get rid of.

After that just looked around the garden, but nothing needed water, and had a swim. Tomorrow I have to try on some clothing as we’re visiting the family friend who does alterations on Wednesday. I want to see if she can take in the coat I’ve worn for the last two winters. It’s way too big (I think it was even big when I bought it two years ago) but it’s very lightweight and very warm. I’m going to see if there are any tops she can take in as well.

Food for the day:

Total: 2408 (21% fat, 41% carbs, 35% protein)

Breakfast: protein pancakes, jam, peach (350)
AM Snack: protein shake with frozen raspberries and blackberries (263)
Lunch: sausage sauce with whole wheat pasta and parmesan cheese, plums (582)
PM Snack: hummus, carrots, chocolate zucchini cake (225)
Dinner: szechwan beef stir-fry with rice (723)
Late Snack: protein shake with blackberries (265)

I warmed up with a 5-min walk outside. Then I did:

A: Barbell Romanian Deadlift/Bent-over Row - 120t/4, 120t/4, 120t/4, 125t/4
B1: Partial Single-leg Squat - 4, 4, 4, 4
B2: Wide-grip Lat Pulldown (Pullover) - 42e/4, 42e/4, 42e/4, 45e/4
C1: Back Extension (Good Mornings) - 55t/4, 55t/4, 55t/4, 55t/4
C2: YTWL - 15e/4, 15e/4, 15e/4, 17.5e/4
D1: Swiss Ball Crunch (Long-arm) - 4, 4, 4, 4
D2: Prone Jackknife - 4, 4, 4, 4
D3: Lateral Flexion (Hannah side 3) - 4, 4, 4, 4
E: Prone Cobra - 120sec, 120sec, 120sec, 120sec

And then I did the HIIT. Finished up with a total session of 100 mins.

HRM: 446 cals, Max: 171 (96%), Avg: 102 (57%)

I went outside for the D exercises, the Prone Cobras and the HIIT portion so that the silly cats could come with me and do their usual lurking around.

I’m so glad we’re past these exercises. During the rest periods of the prone cobras I’m going down to a resting rate (saw 57 at one point). I feel like I could nod off during that part of the routine. However, I know that if the earlier part was harder that I wouldn’t have anything left for the HIIT. I did back off on the weights for the good mornings though as my shoulder killed last week. It’s not the lifting the weight up, but getting it behind my head. Until I have a squat rack (and that may be a while) I’m not going to try lifting heavy over my head.

So, this is where I started in Stage 3 compared to where I ended in Stage 5.

First, the A set:

A: One-armed Dumbbell Snatch - from 20e to 45e
B1: Dumbbell Single-leg Romanian Deadlift - from 20e to 35e
B2: Barbell Bent-over Row - from 75t to 125t
C1: Dumbbell Single-arm Overhead Squat - from 10&5 to 45&22
C2: Dumbbell Incline Bench Press - from 20e to 40e
D1: Plank - 90sec (45-degree) to 120sec (45-degree)
D2: Reverse Wood Chop (on floor) - from 25t to 45t

The planks I started with a 45-degree (done badly) and then switch to 20/30 sec floor planks (also done badly) so at some point I decided to go back to 45-degree and work on form. So, little to no improvement is obvious, but I do feel the difference when doing them.

Then, the B set:

A: Barbell Romanian Deadlift/Bent-over Row - from 80t to 125t
B1: Partial Single-leg Squat - N/A
B2: Wide-grip Lat Pulldown (Pullover) - from 27.5e to 45e
C1: Back Extension (good mornings) - from 25t to 80t
C2: YTWL - from 5e to 17.5e

On the good mornings I didn’t start them until #2B in Stage 3, and I actually did 25/45/50 pounds on that first day. I also backed off on them today back down to 55lbs as I’m having troubles getting the bar over my head into the starting position. I decided not to risk really screwing up the shoulder just to push the weight up.

Well, that’s it for Stage 5. I’ll be moving on to Stage 7, probably Friday as I usually do for new Stages (that way I can be in pain all weekend and not worry about it).