Date: September 23, 2026
Focus: Bench Neural / Recovery-Adjusted Session
Context: My lower back felt stiff in the morning following yesterday’s deadlift irritation, although it did not necessarily feel worse. This was roughly what I expected after the episode. I was unable to train at my usual morning time because of plans to go to the park with my family. While watching over and following my kid riding their bicycle, I unintentionally accumulated some light activity/cardio and reached 7,000+ steps during that outing alone.
I still could not train in the afternoon, so I eventually squeezed the session into a small window in the evening, which is not my normal training time. Despite the schedule change and the lower-back irritation from the previous day, all lifts felt good and normal. I did not feel the lower-back irritation during any of the training movements.
The irritation is still reproducible outside the session. I can trigger it by bending into a deadlift position. Bringing my right leg up toward my chest also produces stiffness/restricted movement and an inability to move normally through that position. Strangely, the same issue does not occur on the left side.
Bench Press
| Load | Sets×Reps | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Bar | 1×15 | Comfortable setup; no exaggerated arch |
| 60 kg | 1×10 | Back assessment |
| 80 kg | 1×5 | |
| 100 kg | 1×3 | Controlled |
| 105 kg | 3×3 | Fast reps; target RPE ≤7 |
| 112.5 kg | 1×1 | Paused |
| 120 kg | 1×1 | Paused |
Seated Cable Row
| Load | Sets×Reps | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 50 kg | 2×15–20 |
Dumbbell Lateral Raise
| Load | Sets×Reps | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 12 kg | 2×12–15 |
Lateral Raise Machine
| Load | Sets×Reps | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 20 kg | 2×20 |
Rope Triceps Pushdown
| Load | Sets×Reps | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 21.25 kg | 2×15 |
Skipped: Back extensions, core work, unsupported rows, and treadmill/cardio in the gym. The earlier family outing had already resulted in 7,000+ steps.
Session Interpretation / Why This Session Matters
This was a deliberately reduced neural bench session following the previous day’s lower-back irritation. Despite morning stiffness, an unusual evening training time, and substantial light activity earlier in the day, all programmed lifts felt normal and the lower back did not produce symptoms during the session. Bench volume and loading were intentionally kept below the original Week 38 plan, allowing useful neural and paused-bench exposure without unnecessarily challenging the irritated area.
The absence of symptoms during the workout is encouraging, but the back is not yet fully back to baseline. The irritation can still be reproduced by hinging into a deadlift position, and right-side hip flexion toward the chest remains noticeably stiff/restricted compared with the left. Recovery therefore remains the priority before deciding how aggressively to approach the remaining Week 38 sessions.