June 20th - Overhead workout, found the groove

 20.06.2026

Nice day! I've been shifting to nighttime. Today I woke up early and gave a couple lessons and had some food - rather poor appetite somehow. Then I fell asleep until the evening.

I really want to write today. I think I can. I've been so ready before yesterday.

Yesterday, on the other hand, was kinda bad and boring. Bench somehow fatigued me a lot. I keep having my bloodflow cut in my upper back when I lie down, pretty annoying. The bed is uncomfortable! Also nose issues, addicted a little to the fricking nasal spray. I'm trying to cut it off. Why wasn't I diagnosed with deviated septum as a kid? The doctors are kinda lazy.

So, I got more stuff. I returned the oversized 4XL knee sleeves I bought and got a pair of XXL ones - even they are a little too big lol. I guess I'm a small guy, all upper body, small knees. Well, my legs are not fully in shape heh.

I woke up late and had the new coffee, the other kind of DeLonghi I bought - it's really nice. It's so good it comes in a ziplock bag, I may wanna save them and used them for travelling.

So, I had one moderate-sized conventional. Kinda busy critiquing other people's stuff - somehow it's a lot of fun, even the things that I don't connect with!

Alright. I'm gonna have a cup downstairs as I read and then come up and write, and then start my warmup. I wanna have a good one today!

***

You know what's underrated? Cheating in OHP. Actually pushing with your legs rather than your hips. Making it into a "press-push". Why? Because if you CAN'T do it then it's a weakness. If you teach your body to only do one thing and one thing only then it's a WEAKNESS. You need to be able to switch the mode of how your TORSO works! Not only leaning back, not only bouncing the hips but actually RECEIVING energy, staying stiff and springy!

That is decided - I shall learn to cheat on OHP crudely and obviously, a very obvious "press-push" - while still knowing how to do OTHER press variations!

Also I will work on my front rack today. I did not do it the last time... I just used the floating rack. Today I'll work on it using the old methods - big weight unracks. The sleeves and wrist supports with help me even out my weaker spots.

Workout

Warmup - wall pushups, rubber pulls, some squat moves, parts of clean and press and the "clock rotation" with the stick, static presses of the pullup bar - 😮 - I can actually do that if I get on my tippy toes, even though it's very high! Also helps my ankles. Wrist and finger curls with the 6 kg dumbbell to focus on having strength in the stretched position - feels very good. Even some overhead squats - with 2 kg dbs, then a stick, then a 7 kg ez bar.

A little busy with some other stuff, went downstairs. Feeling rather optimistic from the first set with the bar!

20 - just warmup, the "nine to three" drill, cleans, back squat, front squat on fingertips - not painful yet

20 - another set

Overhead press - Push press - Squat - Front Squat

43 - first I did muscle high pulls and catches, some 9-to-3 (much easier with some weight!), then power cleans, then presses, then pushpress and "presspush" 😀 then I almost forgot and did some front squat and back squat. Shoulder felt rotated and stretched, almost disabled for a second 😁

63 - same, but trying to do just one rep with every move - muscle pull, catch, power clean, press, press-push, push-press, push-jerk, duck press (push jerk without pushing, just dipping under the bar); then one front squat and back squat

63 - three presses, two press-pushes, then three pushpresses, one pushjerk and one duck press (bad); again front squat and back squat

73 - same, but without duck press

Got adjusted to reppage, also I take breaks between presses, PPs and squats. "PRESS-PUSH" doesn't really work when I try to do it after presses - instead of pushing the whole construction, whole torso and the bar I just push my torso/belly upwards without successfully transmitting the power to the bar 🤔

88 - 3 presses, 2 ugly press-pushes, small break, 3 pushpresses and then 2 pushjerks

I found it. I found it again. The groove, the front rack - when I tried to put it on my chest. It was uneven at first but I felt it. I felt it so close. I didn't try at first; I rewrapped my new wrist supports - it's kinda tighter on the left, the smaller and more flexible one, and somewhat more loose on the right - fiddled with my elbow sleeves too, put on 100,5

100,5 for 2 presses, then a front squat and a couple back squats

I got it. I straight up got it. I got the old "roll on" front rack. It does require some use of serratus. It's important not to be afraid. Equipment helps. I did 88 and 100,5 without taking long breaks.

That's where it got interesting.

100,5 for 2 presses and one "presspush" - to supplement the previous presses

100,5 for 5 push press - pretty amazing! I ended up doing the "up and down" thing that injured me back in April, even though I tried to pause. It was just too easy! Then - one front squat and one squat.

Then - pretty much no break here, all very fast

100,5 for 5 overhead press from the groovy oldschool rack - feels good! A very small break, then 100,5 for 8 push presses - I tried my hardest to push with legs more, but it ended up being a presspush after all 😁 First rep was kind of a push jerk, although it's possible it looked like that because I used calves well.

I have some issues - typical - with the left arm rising first. Should be solvable, eventually. Quickly after -

100,5 for 1 front squat and two back squats.

Growing a little tired; it's dawn. Went back upstairs for a break.

I'm so glad I bought the equipment. It was nighttime, I was in bed, and I was suffering from CONSOOMING. I knew there was one thing I was gonna USE all the time - and it's the sleeves and wrst supports. So I'm very glad about the "consooming" 😁 Even though it's definitely a real thing with me, sad. Just bought another camo suit from China - because reviews report they got big pants! It's more than half the price of what I had to pay for a similar one *out there*, so I'd like to believe I at least purchased something cheap... But I really got an issue with consooming, man.

Gonna go down and do a tiny bit more leg work. Test the knee sleeves! Took off the elbow sleeves and weightlifting belt, put on the big belt.

Squat

100,5 for 5

123 for 5

163 for 3

173 for 2

180 for 1

All the squats were done rather fast, pretty much no breaks. I was growing afraid on 163 but I caught my groove on the last two reps. I'm just squatting in these XXL knee sleeves and they are pretty loose for me - but I'm keeping them, cause they're good 😁 I'm even more of an upper body than I thought lol.

Overhead static reaching hold - i.e. I was just standing on the floor and pressing the bar - both sides - into the rack, really forcing my back and traps to extend. I think I did 30 seconds - I heard the clock relatively well.

Overhead squat - 20 kg for 1 - I think I'm doing better than I used to, cause I manage to keep my arms perpendicular to the floor all the way. Although I cannot yet not raise my heels when I do this "balance" type of squat. Same goes for front squat but the issue there is less present.

Absolute majority of my workout happened after midnight. Not really the 20th! BUT I think I'm somehow between being nighttime and daytime... I know it's weird but I feel it.

Will I deadlift today? We'll see.

RPotD - A rock formation on the south west side of St. Agnes, Isles of Scilly that looks like an Elephant