Isochain 6x6: Week 5

For the Wednesday session, my last-rep max force numbers in the Shoulder Press and Seated Row were down, compared to the last session before the 1-rep max test session. I kind of expected this because the Monday 1RM test results, resulted in higher target loads, which meant I would have to exert more force to trigger the Isochain bar's beeper, as well as keep it beeping. I'm not strong at overhead pressing, so even a just a 2 lb. increase in target load requires noticeably more effort. The Seated Row target load increased by 12 lbs. It makes sense that I needed to work harder in the Seated Row, and thus by my last rep, I didn't have much left in the tank to produce as much force as last week. My Zercher Squat last-rep max though was higher than the Friday session. Maybe it was because my body was starting to acclimate to the new foot positioning.

I finished the week strong, literally. My Zercher Squat last-rep max was 11 lbs. higher than the Wednesday session's. I hit 59.6 lbs. in the Shoulder Press, which is a new PR for a regular (non-testing) training session. My Seated Row last-rep max jumped 17 lbs.

I'm happy with the strength gains for this week, but have enough experience to not expect similarly high force readings on the next 6x6 session. All I have to do is keep showing up for training sessions. I know the strength gains will come, maybe not the next day or even the day after that, but over the course of a week or two, the gains usually come.

My neck has been feeling so aore that Manly Mobility sessions have gotten more uncomfortable. There's a lot of head nods and side-to-side neck rotations in Manly Mobility. I decided to practice GMB Mobility again. I like the "mobility for people who hate to stretch" aspect of Manly Mobility, but the neck soreness is just too annoying. I don't know what caused the neck soreness, but eliminating the side lying parts of Manly Mobility would eliminate one possible cause.

I suspect GMB changed something in GMB Mobility, compared to the last time I worked through that program. I seem to recall Session 1 having more stretches to try out. I also don't remember the Bear and Monkey - 2 locomotion exercises also featured in GMB Elements - being part of Session 1. The Prepare exercises looked familiar, as well as the Sumo Frogger. Session 2 focused on side bending, but also included the 3 "animal" exercises.

One issue I had was with the wrist stretch with the fingers pointing to the rear. It was quite uncomfortable for my still-recovering right shoulder. My solution was to place my right plam on the floor next to my knee, then work into the stretch with gentle back-and-forth movement. I eventually put my left palm on the floor to stretch both wrists.

My goal is to have the mobility to double-press my 16kg kettlebells. I am hoping that GMB Mobility will help me reach that goal. I also practiced the Rib Grab and Brettzel stretches with are recommended for helping achieve this specific mobility. I'll probably keep practicing the Brettzel as a finishing stretch on my mobility days.