Vincent: 3/27 - 3/31

3/27:

TM recovery day
BW: 182.5 lb

Handstands: 6, 3, 4, 9, 5, 3, 2, 3, 2, 5

Chins:
217.5 (+35): 3x5

Bench (Variety of grips):
135 x 5
175 x 2, 2, 5, 5, 5

3/29:

 

TM Intensity
BW: 182.5 lb

Handstands: 3, 3, 6, 6, 3, 7, 3, 3, 4

Deadlift:
360 x 2
385 x 2
415 x 2

Press:
145 x 5

Chins:
265 (+82.5) x 5

Curls:
60: 10, 10, 9 (no pain!)

Straddle L Compression: 10, 10, 10

3/31:

TM Volume
Handstands: 2, 6, 4, 7, 10, 9, 3, 10, 2, 6, 15

Squat:
260, 3x5

Press:
130, 5x5

Chins:
240 (+57.5), 5x5

Comments:

Shoulder:
 
Was upping the weight a bit closer to my previous working weight for bench on 3/27, while experimenting with different grips to see which was the best on the shoulder. It was difficult to decide; both narrow (thumb from inside smooth part) and wider (pinky on the ring) felt okay during the sets. It seemed that narrow felt better but was a much weaker grip especially with the amount of elbow tucking needed to make the movement comfortable. However the wider grip felt, for the most part fine with a slight twinge after the last set. Summarizing, there was a little discomfort and tightness but no real pain during these sets.

However, later that night, the shoulder felt much worse. It was achy and certain trigger movements were painful again. Conclusion: rest has probably done as much as it can. I'm going to look for more active methods of treatment and continue to lay off of the bench pressing.

One such possibility I've found is soft tissue work. In particular, I've found that my infraspinatus may need some work. Lacrosse ball massage is extremely (I sometimes tear up) painful on both the left and right ones and directs pain to the front of the shoulder in both cases. I'm not sure if this is the same pain as from the bench but either way fixing this up would probably be beneficial.

I found the a good way to massage this muscle is to raise the arm on the side you are massaging. I place it on my head. This causes the muscle to jut out more as it is responsible for the "arm raising" movement (like raising your hand to say hello).

The rest:

Handstands are improving a lot. I found that adopting a narrower grip on a straight barbell for curling makes it pain free.

Chris told me some useful squatting cues for tightness. In particular, one that I hadn't encountered before was to actively spread the bar with the hands (similar to benching).