First Squat Day

Today was an awesome first day back. Weights were relatively light, so I tried to just keep good form and have a good time. And it went awesome.

Started with 5/3/1 squat. Hammies were still a little sore today, and my middle back was a little easily fatigued. BUT, overall form felt really nice and weight was moving fast and easy. did 2 sets of 10 at 135, then went straight to my first work set - 215 x 5 was cake, an 250 x 5 was also cake. Then, went up to 280. I was a little nervous, but did my best to calm down and just take it one rep at a time. The weight was moving REALLY nice. I had a couple small problems - basically, because the weight was a lot lighter than usual, I think I was a little less tight than I might have otherwise been, which meant that the bar was moving around on me a little, and there were couple reps where I got a tiny bit out of position - Nothing bad at all, but enough that maybe at heavier weights it would have caused some serious problems. But overall, it was an AWESOME set and I repped that weight out for 12 reps, with at LEAST 2 reps in the tank. Totally awesome.

Next, speed deadlifts actually went really well. I decided to only bump my weights up 10 lbs this cycle, to really focus on speed. Then, next cycle I will go up 20 lbs again. Anyways, today was 275 for 12 sets of 1 on the minute with no deficit, and it moved really nice. I have to make sure I focus on these, because although every rep moved easily, when I REALLY focus on speed I can feel the bar moving faster. But these felt great.

Snatch grip deadlifts are a BITCH. My hands are killing me from that hook grip. I stayed fairly light today, but even so I can tell this is a great movement. I felt it in my ass, and even in my lasts. Right now, my hook grip is DEFINITELY my weak point, especially with sets of 8. However, hopefully my hands will adjust, and ass the reps decrease I will be able to go up nice and heavy on these. Today, I did 2 sets of 8 at 135, the 165 x 8, 185 x 8, and finally 205 x 8. Those 8 were no problem for my legs. Hands hurt a ton though. Gonna keep trying to push these up heavy, maybe try 225 next week. We will see.

Finally, did a few sets of situps, some with weight. Nothing crazy, just going to try and keep in the habit of doing a moderate amount of core work after my lower body days.

So, great day. Happy with that big set of squats, that's gonna help my legs growww. Lets keep at it.

SPRING TRAINING

SO, it's Sunday. Yesterday I went in the gym just to move, did some front squatting and stretching, but overall I felt like SHIT from that heavy deadlift hahaha. Soreness like I haven't had in a LONG time, and it petty much just sapped my will to do anything hahaha. BUT, I ate a ton yesterday and slept, and I'm going to try and eat a lot today and really rest up so that I will be good to go tomorrow. But, on this last day of my rest week, I think it is time to talk a little bit about the coming months of training.

These past few months have been awesome. My programming has been great, and I was able to nail tons of PR's, including a max out week that went AWESOME, where I hit every single goal I set, putting 85 lbs on my total and breaking 1000 for the first time. Here are some things I feel like I have learned, and will be keeping in my training for a long while.

1) 9 week cycles seem to work great for me. Just long enough to make me WANT a rest, and I seem to PR right up until the end.

2) Do NOT be afraid to take the weights back if you need to. EVERY time I have reset my 5/3/1, I have gotten stronger and hit new PR's. Every time. I am slowly starting to really see that for me, working hard with moderate reps helps my technique and my strength gains more than anything else.

3) For the vast majority of lifts, keep calm. Go into every training session wanting to do your best and push yourself, but when it comes to a big lift there is nothing to fear. Take a deep breath, and treat it just like it is a warmup.

4) Lifting without the belt 98% of the time is the way to go. Then, when you put it on to max out, it makes a HUGE difference.

5) Paused work for upper body seems to work wonders for me.

So anyways, those are some take-aways from this past cycle. Now here are some things I am going to experiment with:

1) Less heavy squatting. Chaos and Pain was a great experiment, but honestly I think that focusing on volume and technique with my squats at lighter weights will help me make more gains than triples doubles and singles have. I'm going to try this high-volume squats on thursdays as my main movement (something I have always done only as accessory work), and hope that it helps me gain mass, strength, and perfect my technique.

2) Snatch grip deadlifts. This is a movement I have never done, but I am hoping it will help me in a number of ways - first, to help my pull off the floor/to the knees, which is the hardest part of my deadlift, to help me get some extra posterior chain work, and to help my back grow. I think a big back will make a BIG difference to all of my lifts, and snatch grip deadlifts might be the way to get thatbig back.

3) Maxing out - Mock Meets and "Other"Meets. I have a tendency to want to go heavy on my lifts when I shouldn't, and I am going to try and break this habit - I'm going to commit myself to focusing on rep work and BUILDING my strength, rather than testing it - which fucks with me mentally and physically. When I do max out, it's going to be every 9 weeks, on the tuesday, wednesday or thursday of my rest weeks. First week off, i'll do an "Other" meet, where I test my max Front squat, strict press, and snatch grip dead. And then in my second rest week, I will do a mock meet where I test my squat, bench and dead. I think from now on, I will always test my lifts in one session - I need to start learning what a full meet feels like, and also start focusing more on TOTAL, rather than individual lifts.

SO, there you have it. My training these past few months has been great and these changes are things I think will help make it even better.

A few other thoughts as well. I'm approaching the goals that I set almost a year ago now for the end of May, which is very exciting. I have a lot of work to do, but I feel confident that if I focus and stay healthy, I will achieve those goals. After that, I think I will set some new goals - although I'm not sure whether I will do a year, or start to set smaller goals than that (6 months perhaps). We will see.

I'm really going to try and keep my ego out of my training these next 6 cycles. The weights will be light for the next few weeks especially, but I'm going to embrace that and really work on technique and reps. I think this will allow me to grow tremendously, and without pushing to my breaking point every single session I will make huge gains, especially in the second three cycles. I need to just keep my head in the right place, not doubt myself, and realize that staying healthy and consistent is more important than any one workout, set, or rep. I've seen how well that attitude served me this last training cycle, and I hope I will trust in myself and my programming enough to continue training smart, and smash my goals at the end of this next semester.

Also, breaking a 1000 lb total really helped me think in terms of all my lifts combined. I think I should start to focus more on my total, as that is what my end goals are really based on anyways. I hit 1000 lbs at age 20. Now, I think I should try and focus on hitting the next 100-lb mark at each age - 1100 at 21, 1200 at 22, 1300 at 23, etc. Obviously it would be great to make MORE progress than that (especially in these earlier years), and there will be times when even that 100 lbs over the course of a year may be a LOT. But, if I can focus on just adding 100 lbs to my total each year, I will hit my 2000 lbs total at 30. It's a good way to think about my long-term goals I think.

Finally, as far as diet goes - I am hoping that the increase in volume over the next few weeks spurs some fat loss and some serious muscle gain. However, the plan as far as diet goes is to just keep growing. Moderate carbs on my 4 main workout days, high carbs on saturday and no carbs on my rest days. Hopefully this strategy will keep my bodyfat from getting too high, but still allow me to continue to grow. I'm still a long way off from 242, and I should be doing the majority of my growing before I leave college (where I have nearly unlimited food). The plan is to try and get to 242 without gaining too much bodyfat, and then try and keep myself at that weight, slowly but surely re-comping until I am a very lean 242. That is going to be a long journey, but I am looking forward to packing on some serious muscle in the next few months/years.

So, that's pretty much it. I'm really pumped to start working again tomorrow, although I am still very sore and tired hahaha and squats seem daunting. But, I'll just do my best to get some solid work in and enjoy the changes to my programming. Lets keep at it.

Deadlift Max (435)

Today was a sick day. Even though I was away the other day, didn't sleep or eat as well as normal, and spent a ton of time in the car, I kicked ass today.

Started with 135, and just moved it for a bit to get my muscles warm, banging out a couple sets of touch n go reps. THEN went to 225 and was ripping it for 5 singles. Ripped 275 x 3 singles, then 315 moved really nicely too. Threw on the belt, and RIPPED 355. Felt like my head was gonna explode hahaha. Then, took 385 for a first attempt, and again ripped it and my back was in really nice position. Loaded up 415 for a PR attempt and nailed that as well - a little bit hard, and my back started to visibly round, but it was still a very good and solid rep.

 SO I went up to 435 for my third attempt and nailed it. It was very hard but very solid. Back was round, but unlike my 405 in august where I shot my hips and then cranked it up with my back, I used my hips MUCH better even with the round back which made for a much more efficient pull. I still have a bad habit of shifting my knees under the bar, which can sort of look like a hitch - BUT this rep was smoother than that one. Still need to work on that issue, but overall this max was a lot better than the last max.

SO that's a 30 lb PR, and an official 85 pound PR as far as total goes. Awesome. In the next couple days, I'll try and type up a quick post about my new cycle. This has been a great few months, and I'm hoping to make the next few months even better. Lets keep at it.

Bench Max (235)

Good day today.

Felt pretty good as I started to bench. Form felt a little wonky, but overall the weight felt light. Started my day off the same way I did with squats - slept in, hot tub, coffee, etc. Hit the bar for a few sets, then did a general warmup. Hit 95 x 2 sets of 10 paused reps, then started going. Hit 135 x 10, 185 x 5, then went to 215 and nailed it for a single. Here's that video, to compare to the 215 I failed at the end of August. And this was paused.

Originally, the plan was to go to 230 to get a pr - however, since I hit 235 last week it wouldn't have technically been a pr, SO I decided to go to 235. I was nervous - it was kind of a big jump, and I am NOTORIOUS for failing on bench max out days. However, I really nailed it. Here's the video. On my new camera as well.

Really solid. I'm a little bit unhappy with the way I let the bar sink into my chest as I pause it - I know it's not a huge deal, but I've been feeling that and thinking about changing it. now that I see it on video, I think it is something I am going to try and focus on fixing as I take my weights back. However, I feel sure this lift would be good in competition, and I am very happy with it. It moved so well that I jumped up to 245 and tried and failed it twice after. Second time, I used the belt which actually felt good. I think next time I will try and use the belt on all attempts. I decided not to this time, But overall I think it would help.

EDIT: I keep watching the video, and I'm very in the middle on the way that pause looks. I'm not sure whether it's something that needs fixing or if it's perfectly fine. Sometimes I watch it and it looks like I really let it sink into my chest and HEAVE to get it moving, and other times it looks just like any other paused bench that I see passed in competition. I don't know. Either way, working on pausing and keeping it from sinking in at all is probably not a bad idea. But I really don't think it's necessarily important?

SO big pr. 25 lbs since my last max out. That is some serious progress. I am on the right track. Gonna work on tweaking that pause, but aside from that I just need to keep doing what I'm doing, and I feel sure I will get my 255 at the end of next semester. Lets keep at it.

Max Squat (365)

Today was a big day

Took a ton of rest the past few days, trusting that it would help, not hurt, and it definitely paid off. This morning, I slept in, took a hot tub to get warm, and drank a nice big coffee over the course of the morning to get my energy up. And when I went in to the gym, my squats were on. Weight felt light, form was on point, and I was ready to hit some big singles.

Hit the bar for a couple sets of 10, then did my normal warmup, followed by another few reps with the bar. Then, loaded up 135 and hit it for two sets of 10. Then, 225 x 7, 265 x 4, and 305 x 2. All of them were moving really well, and the weight felt light on my back. Put on 335, and belted up. Weight moved well, a little harder than I might have liked, but very solid. Next, loaded up 350 - a 5 lb PR, and hit it really nicely. A little slow, but solid.

So, I loaded up 365. I knew it would be tough, but I felt like it was only worth going up if I was going to attempt 365. And I got it. It was a very tough rep, chest came down and forward and I really had to fight to get it up. But that is a huge PR, and a milestone lift for me. Really proud of that progress, and excited to keep at it - 405 is only 40 lbs away. Taking the weights back and really working my ass off and building back up, I think I am going to NAIL my goal in May.

So there you go. At the end of the summer, I totally changed my squat style and my max was only about 285. And now, 4 months later, I put 80 pounds on my squat - and surpassed my best squat EVER by 20 lbs. Really cool. Gonna keep resting, excited to bench wed and ESPECIALLY to deadlift friday! But for the most part, I'm just pumped to get back to regular training and SMASH some more PR's in the coming months. LETS KEEP AT IT. 

Strict Press

Today I felt like shit

Decided to go into the gym, even after a very late night, and even though I wasn't planning on doing much because maxes are next week. Felt deceptively okay until I started moving weight, then I just started feeling shitty. Elbows were achin, shoulders too, and the weight just felt heavy. Worked up to 180 for a crazy hard single (right arm locked out like 3 seconds before the left) and called it for the day. Did a little bit of squat-stretching, but other than that I'm just gonna eat and sleep until Monday. Can't wait to smash some weight. Lets keep at it

Final Workout

Final workout of these 6 cycles went awesome. I'm starting to feel tired, beat up, sore and achey, so I know it's time to take a rest. But I still was crushing weight today, and hit yet more PR's - the 10th day in a row. I would say my programming is ON POINT.

Started with bench. warmed up, and hit 95, 135, 185, and then went straight to 220. Overall, I was feeling a little bit achey and not perfect today, BUT I was nailing the weight. I crushed all 10 sets of 1, and on the final set I hit 2 really nice paused reps - nice enough that I tried and failed a third rep. Still, 2 paused reps at that weight is a big PR. I've made so much progress with my bench over these past few months, I should be very happy.

Next, I strict pressed. I was short on time today, AND on tuesday starting right at 135 actually felt really good, so I just started with my first work set. I felt a little stiff, but 135 x 5 moved well, as did 155 x 3. Loaded up 170, and went after it, getting a tough 3 reps. Again, a PR. Then, dropped back to 155 and hit it for 6 paused reps (another PR), and finally hit 135 for 10 paused reps. Had a lot of backwards lean today, but I was pushing really hard and the weight was heavy, so I think I can forgive it haha.

Finally, because I was short on time, feeling beat up, and already hit 3 PR's for the day, I decided to just do a ton of band pull aparts to work my back and then get the hell out of there. I deserve it - It's been an awesome few months of hard work. Now, I need to rest up and enjoy whatever heavy weights I can hit next week (PR's or no), and then get back at crushing the temporarily lighter weights hahaha. May go into the gym tomorrow and do some stuff, depends how I feel. Anyways, great workout, great last few cycles. Lets keep at it.

Front Squat PR

Today was a sick day.

Started with 335 squat for 10 sets of 1. It was very good. My positions were kind of off today. I was having a lot of trouble moving the weight fast and with nice technique. The first rep was good but not as fast as it could have been. Second and third I moved down faster, but got out of position and had a really hard time getting them up. Fourth was better, but then I unfortunately missed on the 5th one. I kept my head right though, and just re-racked it and took a lot of time between the last six reps. Those final 6 got steadily better. They were hard because that weight is fuckin HEAVY for me, but each rep my technique was a little better and I was able to descend a little smoother and faster. My final rep was probably the best, really nice down and fast on the way up. I think a big part of the problem was just that my back skin hurts, so I was having trouble positioning the bar right because I was trying to keep it off my bloody wound haha. On that 10th rep, I just sucked it up and put the bar where it needed to go, and it moved nicely. Monday, I'll do the same thing and hopefully crush some squats. And then I can let my back skin heal for a week! Yay.

Front squatting went awesome. I really wanted to max out - after heavy squats obviously was not the best time, but there was really no other time to do it. I figured I would throw on the belt, hit the heaviest single I could, and understand it might not be as much as I wanted. I just was going to get as close to 275 as I could. I was kicking ass though. hit 135 x 7, 185 x 4, 225 x 1, then threw the belt on. CRUSHED 245 x 1, then 260 x 1 which was a 5 lb pr. Then I went to 275 and nailed that too. Really happy with that. Even after all the squats, I may have had a few pounds left in me, which is awesome. A 20 lb PR, and 40 lbs on my front squat from the summer. Gonna keep at these, maybe try and hit 295   next time I max out, and be close to 315 by the start of the summer.

It's been forever since I put up a video. Hopefully there will be quite a few next week.

Then, deadlifts were feeling amazing. I was crushing 225 and 275. Ripped 325 too, then went up to 365. Hit it for one really perfect flat backed single, then two more singles - second, back rounded only a tiny bit, and the third I was round, but still not bad. These felt awesome and I'm so pumped up to max out next week. I think when i'm fresh, belted, and a little more lenient with rounding, I'm gonna nail some big weight.

Finally, ended with 3 x 20 situps.

Overall, insane day. ANOTHER PR! I think this is 9 in a row hahaha. Kicking ass, making gains, and really pumped to finish up tomorrow and then max out. Lets keep at it!

New bench PR

Today was yet another PR day.

Did some close grip pause benching today. I really like the way it feels, and it allows me to go heavy without taxing my recovery much at all. I hit the bar, 75, 95, 135, 185 x 4, then 215 for a single. I got a handoff on the 215 - something I NEVER do, and it felt totally weird. So I took it again taking it out myself and was able to focus better and crushed it. SO, I jumped up to 230 and nailed it. I won't say it was easy, but it was really solid. It's pretty sick to hit a new 1 rep on the day after heavy benching, with a close grip. After, dropped back to 185 and hit it for 3 x 3 paused reps.

Finally, did a set of 85 curls with a straight bar. Ouch.

8th PR workout in a row. Sick. And the fact that I got that 230 today means I should be able to get 235 next week. Lets hope. And lets keep at it.

Three PR Bench Workout

Had an insanely good day today. This is my 7th straight day hitting a PR. Obviously I'm doing something right. My programming is on point, my 9 week cycles are working perfectly, and I'm getting so pumped for next week.

Started with 5/3/1 bench. My setup is so unique and weird on bench that the change in equipment always throws me off. However, I felt really good today, so that even though a few reps were a little wonky and weird, I was still blasting the weight. Warmed up with 95, 135, then hit 175 x 5, 195 x 3, and finally 220 x 3. That's an insane PR for me, and I'm pumped that I hit that. The third rep was TOUGH, but I still got it and that is awesome.

Next, dropped back to 195 for some paused work, and I was doing great at this too. Nailed it for 2 sets of 5, then on the final set I pushed and got 7 paused reps. That's a PR, and a LOT of paused reps at a really high percentage of my 1rm. Very cool. After, I dropped back to 175 and got it for a set of 10 paused reps, which is pretty awesome too.

Next, did some kroc rows, 2 sets of 30 each side with a 90 lb dumbell. These weren't as bad as last week hahaha, it was a nice break. Going to keep at these, but gonna also take my time increasing reps and weight.

I strict pressed a little differently today. Instead of going heavy where technique and speed are rough, I took 135 and hit it for a set of 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1 reps. All of these reps moved very fast, smooth, and beautifully. Then, I did a 6th set where I repped the weight out and nailed 12 really nice reps. That is a PR, and a LONG time goal of mine. I really loved this way of approaching strict pressing, I feel like I got the best of both worlds - I was able to work on speed and technique, and also push myself to near failure and get a TON of volume in. I think I will keep playing with this approach, I liked it a lot. I can just keep bumping up the weight, do some easy sets to nail speed and technique, and then rep it out to try and get PR's. Cool.

Finally, I did some kipped pullups - a set of 10, 8, and 7. These weren't hard, just didn't feel like doing them really.

Anyways, an awesome day overall. I am stronger. Much much stronger than I was at the end of the summer. I'm so pumped to max out, but whatever happens I'm just going to keep doing what I'm doing and get stronger. Lets keep at it.

Big Squat PR

Today was a big squat PR for me. I was nervous switching gyms, cause I hate change. But the transition was smooth and I had a great workout today.

Started with 5/3/1 squat. Hit the bar for a bunch while I warmed up, then 135 for a couple sets. Took a while to get warm today, reps felt a little wonky at times, but overall I felt very good. Jumped straight to 225 and hit it for 7 easy but a little but sloppy reps. Loaded up 265 and started trying to really focus for the work sets. Nailed it for 5, then went to 300 and nailed that for 3. Finally, loaded up 335. I took my time getting mentally and physically ready. In the end, I just got under the weight as calmly as I could, and nailed it for 3 reps. First rep was very solid, second was tough, and the 3rd was CRAZY slow. But all three were with nice form and I made it! That's a huge PR for me - over the summer, with a completely different style, a lot less depth, and a belt, this was my 1rm. And today I hit it for a solid triple. That is DECIDEDLY stronger, whatever my max next monday. And considering the amount of setbacks I had to deal with, I am very proud of this accomplishment. I didn't let my ego get in my way - I needed to fix some problems, and so I took my weights back and did what I had to do. And now I am stronger and better than ever, and on the road to more and more PR's. Very cool.

Speed deadlifts were alright today. 305 for 8 sets of 1 on the minute from a 3-4 inch deficit. They didn't feel hard at all - just a little bit slower today than usual. I felt like I was having a hard time using my hips as well as I normally do (sort of felt that way on the squats too). But at the same time, the plates I was standing on were a little weird and different than I am used to, and I did just squat my PR for a triple, so maybe my body/nerves were just a little tired out. Either way, the weight didn't feel heavy. Hopefully I can move 365 nicely on thursday. Either way, I'm planning on crushing some big weight when I max out.

Finally, 5 x 5 squats went well. I started at 135, then hit 225, then up to 265 and that was a LOT better haha, wish I did this the last two weeks instead of jumping straight to my work weight. Anyways, the 5 sets of 5 were fine. My back skin was hurting a lot, so I just did all the reps with a REALLY high bar position, which was good - it made the 5 x 5 a little harder, and made me really focus on keeping my chest up, AND saved my back skin.

Finally, ended with 5 sets of 12 situps.

Overall, a very awesome workout. Psyched with the PR and ready for it to be next week. Lets keep at it.

Fun strong day

Today was yet another very good day.

Decided to front squat today. I've never front squatted on saturdays, but my back is still too raw to back squat again, and front squat is a great way to limit the amount of weight I can use while still going heavy on a lift that I want to go heavy on. Warmed up a lot, hitting the bar for a few sets, then 95, 135, 165, 185, 205. Then hit 225 for a single, and form was really great. I was keeping my chest up and my hips forward, and most importantly I was moving the weight really fast and confidently. hit 235, 245, and 255 all for VERY solid singles, with 255 being a PR. Then, went to 265 and attempted it twice. Both reps were really good attempts, good form and good speed, but I just couldn't get it today. Still, a PR makes me very happy, and that 265 was CLOSE. that tells me that, with a belt, I am getting ever closer to my short-term goal of 275. Very cool.

Strict press felt awesome today. After the heavy front squats, nothing felt heavy, and the weight was flying up. I was going to do some heavy doubles today, but it felt so good I decided to just work up heavy. Hit 95, 135, 155, 165, 175, and finally 185 for 2 singles. Easier than last time I did this. Really happy that I got this weight again - I think it's due to the fact that I have been working on backing off the heavy work, and doing more lighter rep stuff to build up. In keeping with that, after the 2 singles I backed down to 155, and hit it for 3 sets of 3 fast and with good form.

So overall, great day. Front Squat PR and tied my strict press PR. Had a lot of fun too. Lets keep at it.

Another great training day

Today was another great day, even though my head was all fucked up from the horrible news of the shooting in Newtown today. That's right in my backyard. People are fucked up, and the world is a very dark place sometimes. I did my best to carry on though, and did alright despite being very upset.

Bench was good. crushed my 15 x 2 at 205, felt a little loose and achey throughout the sets, but even my worst sets were easy. On the 15th set, paused it for a set of 4.

Overhead press was great as well. destroyed 125 x 3, 145 x 3, and then hit 160 x 5 for a new 5rm/PR. then, dropped back and hit 145 x 9 pause reps, another pr, and finally 125 x 10.

Did a shitload of cable rows, sets of 12 at 100, 110, 120, 130, 140, and 150 lbs.

Tried to do some incline benching, but I hated it and will never do it again. Instead, I just did 3 sets of 8 overhead press with 115, mixed in with my 25 pullups to finish the workout off. My hands were killing me, and I didn't realize how much that was hurting my pullup sets until I started using straps again today.

Anyways, rough day emotionally and mentally, but the 4th straight great workout where I hit PR's. Lets rest up, and lets keep at it.

Hardest Workout Ever.

Today was probably my most difficult workout ever in terms of weight used, sets and reps. But it was really awesome.

This man looks awesome

Started with Chaos and Pain squat. Last 15 x 2 for a VERY long time! Warmed up and got started with my 315. It was moving really nicely. Almost all of the reps were really good, with a few exceptions where I got caught a little bit forward or let my chest drop - especially on the last 2 sets, they were ROUGH. But overall, really incredibly happy with this, not a single miss out of 15 doubles. Really and truly, I am stronger than I have ever been.

Next, Front squats actually went really well. I hit 3 at 185, 3 at 210, and finally 3 at 235. That's pretty nuts, considering that 235 was my belted and MUCH fresher 1rm on front squat when I started. Very happy with a triple at that weight. However, I went up to 245 after and SHOULD have smashed it, but failed instead. I just left front squats at that for the day - 235 x 3 is an awesome PR, and I was just too tired out to really keep going after heavy singles.

Finally, deadlifting actually went awesome as well. My hands and my legs were beat up from squatting, but I ripped 205 x 3 x 1, 265 x 2 x 1, 305 x 1, 335 x 1, and then hit 365 for a really solid single. Back felt really flat, and even though it was a hard and slow ass rep, I got it, which is awesome. Tried for a second single, but it just wasn't there. No worries though. Hopefully I'll be able to crush at least 2, maybe even 3 nice singles at this weight next week. We will see.

Overall, awesome day. Heavy as fuck on all lifts, and some serious PR's and hard work to be proud of. One more workout this week, then the home stretch - and honestly, next week should be a blast compared to this week hahaha. Lets keep at it.

Arms Day and CGBP

Today was a good little day

Started with some close-grip paused bench. Just cause. I didn't go quite as close as last week, I opted to just move my hands so that my pinky was wrapped around where my index finger normally wraps. So a good 3-4 inches closer each side. I liked this better than the other close grip. It's decidedly closer than normal, but feels more natural. Anyways, hit 95, 135, 165, 185, 205 for an easy single, and decided to go straight to 225. I ended up smashing it, which was awesome. Went up to 230 and got pinned haha. I really thought I had a shot, but 1) I think I got a little loose taking it out of the rack, and 2) It was just fucking heavy. Still, a bit much to expect a PR right after a heavy bench workout AND with a much closer grip hahaha. Very happy crushing that 225, and getting excited to max out. I hope it's not a disappointment haha. I always have a rough time max benching. But even if it is, no worries. I know I'm way stronger now, that's what's important. The maxes should be all fun.

Anyways, did some straight bar curls before I left, 10, 10, and 80 reps. they hurt, but felt good.

Cool day. Gonna try and recover, sleep a fuckload today, and enjoy my hardddd workout tomorrow. Lets keep at it.

Exponential Bench Strength

Today, I hit a milestone PR in my mind.

Yeahh. 

Started with 5/3/1 bench. Warmups felt pretty good, MUCH better than last tuesday. Hit the bar, 95 for a few sets, then 135. Then went to 160 and nailed it for a triple, and wrecked 185 for a triple as well. Loaded up the bar to 205 - This was the weight that my bench was plateaud at for almost a year. Finally I broke that PR last march, but even so it still was hanging out in the 210 range for months. But today, I hit 205 for a solid set of 5. That's awesome. It makes me feel like I own that weight now, a weight that used to be the bane of my fucking existence. It's still not a good bench by any stretch of the imagination hahaha, but it shows that keeping at it is the most important thing. I'm happy to be repping out my old max, and look forward to those reps increasing exponentially in the future.

Paused bench went just as well today. The weight was 185, and the last time I had to pause bench this I did 2 sets of 5 and a set of 7. This time the weight was moving really well, and I got 2 easy sets of 7 and a set of 8. Honestly, I think I may have had more on that last set too - problem was that I got "reps" in my head too much, and got sloppy on the first few, which I think cost me a 9th or maybe even a 10th rep. Still, 7, 7, and 8 reps at that weight is awesome. Hopefully that first month when I re-set, I might be able to hit 185 for 10. Then again, I always get weak after taking a week off hahaha, so we will see. Anyways, learned from that last set at 185 and took 160 x max paused reps one rep at a time. ended up hitting it for a set of 11, which is pretty good paused and after a ton of other lifts.

Kroc rows went really well. They hurt like fuck, but I got a set of 50 each side with the 100 lb dumbells. That's pretty awesome. Now, I am going to switch to 2 sets of 30 each arm and maybe build up again. Maybe. Might stick with 2 x 30 for a while, these hurt a lot hahaha.

Overhead press was alright. Weight was moving pretty well, but it just felt heavy and was a little out of position on a few lifts. Hit the bar, 95, 115, 135, 155, 165 and finally 175 for 2 singles, but failed on a third attempt. Again, that's not too bad, it's like 94 percent for a couple singles, after a bunch of pressing hahaha. But it just didn't feel great. I think I probably just need to back off of overhead press a little bit, give my body some room to grow with these again. I'm thinking, when I start up after christmas (and maybe I'll even start next week), I should start with some lighter, easier rep work, moving it really fast and explosive with great form, and after a few weeks work my way back up to hitting 3-5 heavy singles every tuesday. That strategy was working really well for a while, but lately it's just not happening after heavy bench. I'll still keep Press tuesday as a "do what you want" sort of lift, but I'm definitely going to do some lighter stuff for a little bit before working up heavy again.

Finally, intermingled some lighter press singles at 155 and 165 with 25 pullups done with differrent grips and degrees of kipping. Man my pullups really went to shit. doing those 25 sucked horribly. I need to start working harder on these. Also, hit 135 x 9 paused reps at the end of it all.

Anyways, overall a really good day. My bench and Paused bench is still on the rise. I'm excited for next week, excited to max out, and excite to drop my weight back again and grow Grow GROW. It's gonna be a ride next semester. Lets keep at it.

315 squat for reps

Today was a very good day.

Started with 5/3/1 squat. Felt very good and explosive today on my warmups, was nailing 125. 205 felt a little wonky, so I took it for a second set of 3 before moving up. 245 x 3 was beautiful, as was 280 x 3. So, went up to 315. Took my time and tried to stay nice and calm and just move the weight like I would a warmup - step back, let the weight settle, huge breath, hips straight down and chest up. Ended up nailing it for 6 reps, which is a PR. My technique was really on point today too, which is awesome - I hit one rep (maybe 4?) that was a tiny bit forward, and on the 6th rep I let my elbows come forward and the bar roll on my back (which I think is just a bad habit when I'm tired and I know a rep is going to be hard). Still, overall it was a great set and a great PR.

This was inside my heart today. 

Next, speed deads went very well. the weight was 285 x 10 sets of 1 on the minute from a 2-plate deficit. The weight was moving REALLY fast. on sets 5-8 maybe, I got a little slow because I was tired and just attacking the weight a little less hard, but on the last couple sets I focused and brough the intensity back up, and really crushed them. This weight is cake, which is awesome. Hopefully I will be ripping 305 next week, and will be in prime position to hit a nice PR.

5 x 5 squat started out rough. I have gotten into the habit of just going straight from speed deads to my first work set, but that is ROUGH with 265 hahaha. I think next week I will do one warmup set to re-adjust to squats. Anyways, first and second set felt creaky, but the last three sets were moving very nicely. Even though I was tired, the weight was moving well so I decided to work up. hit 285, then crushed 305 for a beautiful and easy rep. Went up to 325 and figured if I destroyed it, I might give 345 a go. 325 was tough though - a very nice rep, and moved smoothly with no sticking point, but it was a hard rep and moved slowly, so I decided to call it. Pretty cool that I could hit that for a nice single AFTER everything.... but at the same time I sort of wish I hadn't worked up. I don't like that the 325 was a grind (even though I know it was after a ton of other stuff). Even though it was a great workout, 325 being tough (even though it was a nice nice rep) kind of put a damper on the session for me. Need to keep that in mind.

Grow legs GROW

No core work today. It's hard to make myself do it at the end of a heavy ass workout. I'll try harder thursday and next week, and then focus up on it again once I drop my weights back.

SO a good day. Nice squat PR, technique is feeling great and definitely getting stronger. Thursday is set to be one of the hardest training sessions I have ever done, but after today I feel like I can really kick it's ass. Getting down to the end here, really excited to move on to my next cycle. Lets keep at it.

New Program

In the midst of studying for finals, one needs study breaks. I figured now would be a good time to type up my program for the spring of this year. Mostly, upper body work is staying the same because it's been working really well. I'm making quite a few changes to my lower body programming, but keeping almost all the movements the same, just tweaking my set/rep schemes in ways that I think would be more beneficial. So pretty much the plan is: do maxes the week of christmas, then re-set all my 5/3/1 work probably about 2 cycles and just start setting some rep PR's. That should give me enough room to ride the progression for 6 full cycles, which will probably end with me doing 365 squat for reps, 235 bench for reps, and 185 overhead press for reps. If I can get 3-5 reps on each of those rep outs, that puts me in really great position to hit my 405 squat, 255 bench, and 295 strict press. Very excited.

Monday: Lower

-5/3/1 back squat.
-Speed deadlifts: Going to keep waving the weight every week and the deficit every 3 weeks. Still not decided whether to jump the weight up only 10 lbs, or the full 20. 20 has been working really well, but a few cycles lighter to really work speed might not be bad?
-Sumo deadlifts: I'm thinking I'm going to work up in 5 sets: first 3 weeks work up to a moderate 8/ heavy 8/ max 8. Then moderate 5 / heavy 5 / max 5, then 3's. Hopefully these will help build up my back, my strength off the floor, and my posterior chain.
-Core.

Tuesday: Upper

-5/3/1 bench
-Back off sets: Hit the second work weight for 3 sets of paused reps, and then the first work weight for a max set of paused reps. This has been working amazingly for me.
-Kroc Rows
-Strict Press: Pretty much going heavy and pressing all reps from a dead stop has been working really well. I will probably tend to work up to a heavy weight and try and hit it for 5-10 singles, but I will also let myself do some heavy doubles/triples, or back off sets if I want to.
-Pullups: I hate them, but I will do some variation of pullups or chinups here. At least 25 reps, whether it be one huge set of kipped pullups, 5 x 5, get to 25 in as few sets as possible, speed work, whatever.

Wednesday: Rest/Arms

Just try and get into the gym and move. Today is really low pressure, just stretch and do some fun arms work. If you need to skip every once in a while, no big. Or, if you want to go a little heavy on something like paused bench or close grip bench, that's okay too. Just mostly use it as a day to recover and get healing.

Thursday: Lower

-Squats: over a 9 week cycle, it will look like this: 5 x 10 moderate, 5 x 10 heavy, 5 x 8 moderate, 5 x 8 heavy, 5 x 6 m, 5 x 6 h, 5 x 4 m, 5 x 4 h, 5 x 2. The idea is that I will be able to increase the weight virtually every week, and almost "peak" for a heavy single on the 10th week. I am not going to set the weight for these. I'm just going to base it off how I feel for the day. Obviously I will try to push up heavy whenever I can, but I also want to keep myself open to taking a "lighter" week in the middle, if I mentally or physically could use it. Hopefully the first 5 weeks will really serve to build some serious muscle, and the last 4 weeks will help me get comfortable under heavy weight and really smash some heavy squats.
-Front squats: I'm going to do 5/3/1 progression with these, but change the reps to 3/2/1. 5 is just too many front squats to do, it hurts a lot and form gets shitty. I want to practice doing heavy front squats with great form, so I think dropping the number of reps will help me ride the progression longer. ALSO, instead of doing 3 heavy singles after, I will do 3 sets of whatever the top weight is for the day - so, for example, on 3 week I will do a 3 x 3 at 205, 2 week will be a 3 x 2 at 215, and 1 week will be 3 x 1 at 230. I miss too often on the heavy singles, and doing this "3 set" method will allow me to keep overall volume up, while 1) not missing any reps for a long time and 2) practicing perfect form by not doing so many reps that my form breaks down.
-Heavy deadlifts: I have really been liking going up to a heavy single deadlift without a belt at the end of thursdays. I think I will keep doing this - the goal will be to get 3 perfectly flat-backed singles at a given weight. If I can do that, I will take the weight up 10 lbs and try again next week. These past few months, I went from 315 to 355, and will attempt 365 next week. If I can go from 365 to 405 for 3 flat-backed singles with no belt after tons of squats, I think I will be in GREAT shape to hit my 455 dead under ideal conditions and with a belt.
-core

Friday: Upper

-Chaos and Pain bench: 10 x 3, 15 x 2, or 10 x 1 bench with the 5, 3, and 1 weight for that week. Probably with a paused rep-out on the final set.
-5/3/1 strict press, with back-off sets: After the rep out of the heavy weight, rep out the 2nd work weight with paused reps, and then the 1st work weight with paused reps.
-Horizontal row. Probably cable rows or upright cable rows, but keep pendelay and Kroc rows in mind. I just need to take these seriously, as I tend to slack at the end of these workouts and pulling is important.
-Any press: going to keep this slot open so I can have some fun, but again I want it to be taken seriously. I'm going to try and pick a movement in advance and work up to a heavy 6-10 reps, so that I'm working hard but it's not crazy heavy. Could do dumbell bench, dumbell incline, regular incline, regular close grip, push press, strict press, or even pushup variations, whatever.
-Pullups or chinups: get to 25 reps any way, whether it be in max sets, speed sets, one big kipped set, whatever. Maybe this strategy, twice a week, will finally get me better at pullups. We will see.

Saturday: Rest/Fun Heavy day

Again, an unimportant day meant to just keep me moving. Fine to skip or dick around on if I want to, but I can also go up heavy on a lower and an upper body movement if I want, preferably something less taxing than the big 3: Heavy strict press and heavy pause squat have been my go-to's, but maybe I will fool around with heavy front squat, snatch deads, weighted pullups, close-grip paused bench - I could even do some work with power cleans, IF I take it slow and don't injure myself.

Sunday: Full rest.

Really try not to even set foot in the gym on this day. Just recover and mentally relax.

SO that's the general plan. May still tweak it, but I think that it will really be an awesome program for me. No serious changes to upper body days, except the "25 reps" pullups thing, which will hopefully focus my pulling work a little more and help get me good. Lower body, there are some big changes, but I think they are definitely for the better, ESPECIALLY the huge change to thursday squat days. I have just always made the best progress on squat by doing a ton or reps and really pushing myself. Chaos and Pain squat helped me mentally and physically under heavy weight, but I just think that for the best gains in strength and muscle mass, this new progression is going to really work for me.

Really excited to get going on this new stuff. Just 3 weeks - two more of this program, and then a week to max. Then my journey continues. Lets keep at it.

Poop day + meets

Today was pretty shitty. no big deal though.

Started with overhead press. Decided not to squat on saturdays until my back skin is healed. I slept like shit last night and stuff so I wasn't expecting much. Weight was actually moving fairly well, despite the fact that my form felt off and I didn't feel great. I intentionally warmed up slow, hitting the bar for a bunch, then 95, 115, 135, 155 all moving easy. Then, for whatever stupid reason, I decided to all of a sudden make bigger jumps then I was used to. I went to 170 and really nailed it for a single, and then went straight to 185 and missed it. It wasn't a horrible miss, and honestly I don't know if it was because of strength or bad position or what. Either way, I'm happy to have crushed that 170. I just shouldn't have made stupid jumps.

Next, I decided to deadlift heavy just for fun, but that didn't get very far. It felt good to rip some lighter weights, like 135 and 185. But once I got to  275 I just didn't feel good at all. The weight felt heavy and my back and shoulders felt like shit. I decided to just stop. Mentally I did not want to work up if it was going to feel really tough. It's not a bad thing to have moved some moderate weight and used my back and legs a bit, but I'm glad I didn't go up any more.

So anyways a very unexciting day, but hopefully it gets me on the road to healing so I can have a good week next week.

ALSO had a few quick thoughts today. I think, after this christmas's maxes, I will from now on do my maxes in the form of a full meet. Practically, that is the way maxes should matter, and I want to physiologically get used to the way a meet feels. I'm thinking that I'm going to do it like this:

9 weeks on, rest week with "odd lifts" meet on wed. 9 more weeks on, rest week with Power meet on wed.

The odd lifts meet will be a way to mix things up and test some other important lifts. I'm thinking front squat, strict press, snatch grip deadlift.

WHICH brings me to my other idea: I have an open slot on mondays now that I was going to fill with glute/hamstring work, goodmornings and RDL's and stiffleg deads. But Now I'm thinking maybe I will do snatch grip deads instead. I think they will be fun and help build up a big back while also increasing my strength off the floor and building my posterior chain (although not as well as some other movements might.) I don't know, I'm going to think about it.

Anyways, Gonna rest up, study for finals, and try and wreck my workouts next week. Lets keep at it.

Redemption and distraction

Today's workout redeemed tuesdays workout, although in many ways it could have been more focused

Started with Chaos and pain bench, and it went really well. On tuesday, form felt like shit from the start, but today I really felt a lot better. The weight was moving very well - I slowed it down a little more than ideal speed, perhaps, but it helped make sure that the bar stayed in a nice path, and the weigth was really moving nicely. 10 x 3 at 195 was solid, and on the 10th set I repped the 195 out for 6 paused reps - 1 more than I got touch and go on tuesday. Really happy with that, makes me feel a lot better.

Next, overhead press went well too. Weight felt light, but again I was moving maybe a bit slower than ideal. hit 95 x 5, then work sets of 115 x 5, 135 x 5, and finally 155 x 5. Although that is only the required reps, that is still a huge improvement from this summer, when 155 was my 1rm. Pretty happy with this - I'll probably re-set 5/3/1for press as well after this cycle, and hopefully continue to be able to push ahead. Dropped back to 135 and hit it for 9 paused reps - I'm gunning for 12 soon, but after all the volume today I was okay with only 9 - and then hit 115 x 11 or 12 reps. Solid.

The second half of my workout, however, was less good. I was just distracted, tired out, chatting with friends, and generally not working hard. I did a bunch of different pulls - pendelay rows, rear delt flyes, horizontal pullups - and some dumbell chest press as well. Overall, however, it wasn't very productive. I think I just really put a lot of energy into the first two movements, so I'm tired by the end. Couple that with the fact that it's friday, and the second half of my training goes to shit. Not a big deal - I could probably use the extra recovery - but from now on I'm going to try and focus up a little better, and make that time productive.

Overall however, it was a great workout. Still making gains, even at the very end of these 6 cycles, which shows that my programming was spot on. I'm excited for the heavier work next week, and for my max outs - but i'm ESPECIALLY excited to re-set these weights and just keep going at it, day after day, and get huger and stronger. Lets keep at it.

Powerful legs day

Today was a great legs day.

Started with C&P squat and had a really great day. Worked up to 300 and crushed my 10 sets of 30 at that weight. Almost every rep was really solid. I was doing a good job keeping my hips forward today. My only real problems still come from me dropping my chest - even with my hips in a good position, when I drop my chest I get caught forward and have trouble getting it up. But as long as I think about keeping my chest up and sit my hips forward, the reps are awesome. And I was especially murdering the first rep of every set. On the 10th, got 4 reps. Should have been 5, but I just had a rough rep on 4 that was just stupid. Still very happy with this part of my workout.

Next, front squats went awesome. Even though I was tired out from the back squats, my form was feeling really good on this day. I hit 175 x 5, 195 x 5, and finally 220 for a veryy solid 5. That's a huge improvement. When I started this fall front squatting regularly, my max was 225 for an unbelted single, and today I practically repped that out for 5. Afterwards, I hit reps at 235, 245, and finally 250 for a new PR. Really awesome considering the amount of back and front squats I had done before.

Finally, did some deads. Felt a little slow and poopy on these at first, but hit 205, 285, 325, and finally 355 for 3 singles. The first one I was a little out of position and it felt hard, but even so I pulled it with a perfectly flat back. The other two were even faster, cleaner reps than the first, and both my back felt perfect on. really happy with these. Next week I'm gonna push for 365. It's gonna be tough after squats, but I think I can definitely get it for at least one nice single.

So overall, a really great workout. I tried to eat as much as I could after, and I'm gonna try and sleep ton tonight to avoid having another day like tuesday tomorrow. With any luck, I will fucking destroy my workout tomorrow as well. Lets keep at it.

Arms + the future

Today was arms day.


I decided to close grip pause bench up heavy today. Yesterday was shitty, and I just felt like doing something a little heavy today to have fun. I figured close grip wouldn't take much out of me, and it actually went really well. With the close grip, (which fucks up my setup and unrack a lot), and boots and shit on, I hit a really solid paused single at 215, which is awesome. I tried 225 and something fuckin weird happened, it just kind of plooped and didn't go anywhere. Not really a big deal to me though, I wrecked that 215 which was really better than I ever imagined.


After, I did one big set of curls, 75 reps with a regular straight bar. Hurt a lot and got a nice pump.

Also today, I was thinking about my next cycle. I'm thinking, that unless I demolish my next few weeks, I am going to re-set both bench and squat 5/3/1 just a few cycles - probably set bench back so my 5 week is 185 again, and set squat back so 315 is 1 week. I figure this will give me tons of growing room, and even though I don't NEED to re-set right away per se, I would rather set myself up to grow consistently the next 6 months than wait until I actually stall and then have to re-set further.

Also also, I decided to definitely leave the weights for my new thursday squat sessions (again, over 9 weeks: 5 x 10, 5 x 10, 5 x 8, 5 x 8, 5 x 6, 5 x 6, 5 x 4, 5 x 4, 5 x 2.) up to the individual day. The part of me that loves programming wants me to set weights for each weight, but Basicalle
1) I don't want to limit myself
2) I don't want the mental strain of feeling like I HAVE to hit certain weights, I want to be able to take it easy one week if I feel like shit
3) Especially in the first 6 weeks or so, even moving weight well below my "x rep max" is going to help me make huge progress in terms of muscle gain, technique improvement, and work capacity
4) I think If I just take it week by week and push, I will end up hitting numbers beyond what I might reasonably imagine now.

So anyways, that's all for now. Excited for tomorrow, it's going to be a tough workout. Lets keep at it.

Bad Day

Today was a genuinely bad upper body workout. The first really rough one I have had in a while. I don't really know why. I ate a lot yesterday, slept well, and had a good mindset going into the gym. It could just be that yesterdays workout was really tough, and took a lot out of me, or that I am a little sick and tired out from finals looming. Could be that the progression is just catching up with me, and it's getting time to re-set. Or it could have just been a rough day, they happen. Either way, it was bad haha.

5/3/1 bench was rough. Right from the start, there was something a little off with my form. I don't know exactly what it was, maybe my back was stiff or tired from yesterday, but my positions were definitely off, even as light as 95 lbs. Still worked up, tried to fight for good technique the best I could, but the weight just felt heavy and the reps felt sloppy. Hit 155 x 5, 175 x 5, then 195 for a tough 5, failed the 6th rep. That's pretty bad considering I have gotten 200 x 5 more than once, and 190 x 9. Paused bench was also pretty rough, hit 170 for 3 very tough sets of 7, and then dropped to 155, but only got it for 8 - at that point I was feeling very tired and weak.

Kroc rows were a little better, but only really because I willed them to be. I forced out 45 reps each side. It hurt and made me want to throw up.

Strict press blew. I tried really hard to warm up slow and move the weight really fast an explosively, but I just felt slow and weak. 135 felt like shit, 155 felt heavy. I hit 165 for a solid rep, and thought I could make 175, but I missed it pretty badly. Again, this shows me it was just a bad day, considering that I hit 185 just a few days ago. I tried dropping back, but 155 felt horrendous, so I just dropped to 95 and did 3 x 3 as explosively as I could, to get my muscles firing right.

Finally, I tried to do some pullups but I was just too weak and slow, so instead I did some light lat pulldowns for a bunch of reps.

Overall, a surprisingly bad day. But I can't let it get in my head at all. I have been doing great lately, and I just can't expect to PR every day. I'll try and eat really well and rest up tomorrow, and hopefully crush both workouts at the end of the week. Lets keep at it.

Good squat day

Even though I was full of pains today, it was a good squat day. My right knee was feeling achey and stiff, my left shoulder felt like shit as well, and my right calf was crampin like a mofo. However, overall it was a really great workout. 

Started with 5/3/1 squats. Hit 2 warmup sets apiece with the bar, 125, and 185, then hit 230 x 5, 265 x 5, and finally 300 x 8. The last set was really good - I tried to stay focused and keep intensity, but while being very calm and moving the weight like it was 125. The first 4 reps were very solid. Rep 5, I got caught a little soft and really had to fight to get the weight up. On rep 6 and 7, I then overcompensated a little by shifting my weight a bit too far forward - not horrible, just a little on my toes. By rep 8, my back was about ready to give up, but 9 would have been a PR, so I went for it, and I REALLY think I would have gotten it if my form had been perfect. But unfortunately, I was forward again, and at this point I was just too tired to correct it or fight through, so I dumped. Still, 8 ties my PR (which is the best squat set I have done to date), and these were deeper and belt less. Very happy. 

Speed deads were really good. Did 12 x 1 at 265 from a 2 plate deficit. The first pull was a little weird because I set up like a normal pull, which was just too far away from a deficit. On the rest of the sets, I set up maybe 2 inches closer to the bar than normal, and the pulls were really solid and fast. I don't like changing my setup, but I don't think it will really affect my regular deads negatively at all, and the deficit pulls have been working for a long time so I'm gonna stick with them. Hopefully 285 and 305 will move even close to as well as 265 did. 

Finally, re-racked that 265 and did it for a 5 x 5. Really happy with this as well - first of all, it is by far the heaviest 5 x 5 I have ever done, and my form was really feeling great. On the last set, I pushed and hit 8 reps, which again is really good. My legs were feeling it afterwards. 

Finally, did a bunch of slow and controlled situps in a big set to hit my core. 

Overall, an awesome day. Feeling really strong, form is feeling great, and I feel like I can keep pushing hard and smart and make some serious gains these last few weeks. Hopefully next monday I can go up a little heavy after that 5 x 5. I'm just starting to get very excited to keep pushing these heavy weights, and to max out in a couple weeks. Lets keep at it. 

Press PR

Today I crushed strict press.

Because I squatted yesterday, I decided to just warm up, stretch and press today, and I destroyed it. I warmed up slow, hitting the bar for 3 or 4 sets of 5 or 10 reps. Then I hit 95 for 5, 5, and 3, then 135 x 3, 2, and 1, then 155 x 2, 1, 1. Then 16w5 x 1, 175 x 1 which was really nice, and finally 185 for 2 sets of 1. It wasn't even that bad... my left arm was lagging behind my right, but the weight still moved fairly fast and smooth, and my form was good. I just focused on imagining that it was still 95 on the bar, and tried to move it as explosively as I would 95 but without amping up too much, and I really did well.

As if hitting 185 x 2 x 1 wasn't enough, I then dropped back to 135, rested, and hit it for a max set of paused reps - 11. My old PR at that weight, paused OR touch and go, was 10, so that's another PR. really awesome.

A 185 strict press is a huge milestone, and that is 30 lbs I have put on my strict press in only about 4 months. Really pretty crazy, I'm proud of myself and totally excited about that lift. I'm gonna keep working my ass off and hopefully keep getting PR's. Lets stay healthy, lets work hard, and lets keep at it.

Squats

Friday was a great leg day. 

Started with 10 x 1 squat at 325, which went really well. My head was totally right. I just kept calm, and focused on each rep as if it was light weight. - Walked it out, took a huge breath, sent my hips forward and crushed it. Form really felt good, and the reps were all very solid. 10 was the only bad rep in terms of difficulty and form, and I still made it. Pretty awesome. Gotta keep focused and calm and I'm gonna be squatting a LOT very soon. 

Next, front squats went really well. hit 190 x 5 easy and 215 x 3 easy. 240 x 1 was a little rough, but then I CRUSHED 245 for a single. Form was just on point and I nailed it. I tried 250 twice, and just couldn't quite get it. Still, very happy to wreck my pr. I need to just keep at these, and keep working on my form. I have improved a ton, and will continue to do so. 

Finally, deadlifts felt incredible. I warmed up a little better, crushing 205, 285, and 325 before goign to 355. First rep was beautiful, fast and with no back rounding. The next two were harder and a little bit rounder, but really not much to speak of, which is awesome. I think I will do 355 for one more week, then hit 365 the last two weeks and try and get at least 1 or 2 singles with a nice flat back. I'm really getting excited to max on these, as well as squat. 

Bench

Had to miss a few days of blogging because my schedule has been crazy, so I'm going to try and make them all up now.

Thursday was C&P bench. I hit the 215 for 10 x 1 with really no problem. One bad rep was it, and it was still pretty solid. On set 10, I did max paused reps and got 2 tough but solid reps. Really happy with that. And, afterwards, went up to 225 and hit it for a very tough paused single. Not half bad considering everything I had just done.



Next, strict pressed. 135 x 5, 150 x 3, 163 for max reps and got 3, which is a cool little PR. Then, hit 150 x 5 paused reps, and 135 x 8 paused reps.

Finally, I was short on time so I just did a bunch of bodybuilding stuff - a ton of upright cable rows, cable flies, and seated cable rows that blew up my back, chest and biceps.

Overall, felt awesome, really happy with my bench progress and with that 165 x 3 strict press.

Incredible Squat

Today was a great squat day.

Started with 5/3/1 squat. Warmed up, and forced myself to squat with my feet square. It felt like shit to do at first, but here's what I figured: Normally, the warmer and heavier I squat, the more square my stance gets on it's own. So, If I force myself to squat square on the warmup sets, it will help me get comfortable in the right positions and warmup faster, but then at heavier weights I can "not care," and I will still be working to fix the problem and my stance will be better at those heavier weights. ANYWAYS, hit the bar for a few sets, then 125 for a few sets, really focusing on sending my hips forward and crunching my hamstrings down onto my calves with my chest upright. Went up, hit 205 x 7 or so. Felt good, but a little loose. Focused up and nailed 255 x 5, and 290 x 3. Loaded up 325 and really focused on staying calm and imagining that it was still 125. I hit it exactly the same way as I hit the warmup weights and nailed it for a triple. That's a huge PR - I have only hit 325 once since changing my style, and I have NEVER hit it for reps. Awesome.

Next, demolished speed deads. 305 from a single-plate deficit for 8 singles, on the minute, went really well. The weight was moving fast with really no problem. I'm very happy about these - If 305 feels this good from a two - plate deficit, then I feel like I am going to destroy a PR when I max out.

Next, hit my 5 x 5 at 255. It felt really good. My stupid back was bleeding a lot, but I use this to try and cement that form shift - making sure to push my hips forward, torso up, crunch down and rocket up. After I finished, I decided to go up, and got into a really great rhythm. I kept calm, imagining the weight was 125, I would unrack it, step back, take a huge breath, and then push my hips forward and rocket out of the bottom. I nailed 275, 295, 315, and then loaded up 335 and nailed it for a very tough but very nice single. That's awesome: that's a 10 lb PR with my new style, and that's AFTER a ton of heavy work.

Finally, did a few sets of hollow rocks and a set of back extensions.

Overall, really very happy with this workout. First of all, hitting 325 for 3 is a great PR. Second of all, I've been wanting to hit that 335 for a while. And it's AWESOME to hit it after everything I already did that day. That tells me that as long as I keep my form good, I can nail 335 when I am fresh and max out. Add another solid month of hard training, and my belt, and who knows what my max will be when I test it? Either way, these are the takeaways from todays workout. 1) Treat the heavy weight like light weight. Stay calm and relaxed. 2) Do plenty of warmups to get form locked in. 3) walk the weight back, take a huge breath, and push my hips forward.

If I can make those things habit, I'm gonna crush big weight when I max out. Lets keep at it.

Ankle problems

So this weekend I twisted my ankle pretty bad, which blew. It was hurting the past few days and I couldn't really walk or move normally. Now, it's definitely not healed, but doesn't really hurt as long as I am careful to keep it in a good position. However, I decided to switch around my bench and squat days this week to give my ankle an extra day. It didn't bother me much today, so hopefully squatting will be fine tomorrow. 

Started with 5/3/1 bench. Hit 95 and 135 warmups, then straight to work sets. 170 x 5 and 190 x 3 were cake. Loaded up to 215, and had an internal battle to stay calm, as I was feeling very worked up. However, I maybe was a little too chill. I unracked, but felt a little bit loose and shitty. I hit it for a very solid double, but the second rep was just hard enough and my setup was just loose enough that I decided not to go for a third rep, even though I really wanted it. I really felt like I could have gotten it, however, so I decided to try the weight again. I made sure I was tighter on this set, and hit it for another double, but the second rep was tougher this time, so again I racked it. Still, two doubles at 215 is pretty good, considering I couldn't even bench that weight at the end of the summer. 

Paused bench, again, was the highlight. I dropped back to 190 and nailed it for 3 sets of 6 paused reps. That is pretty awesome. My paused bench continues to improve, and I think it is going to be pretty much equal to my touch and go soon. I'm thinking I might switch to doing basically all my benching, even 5/3/1, paused after xmas. We will see. After 190, I hit 170 for a max set of paused reps, getting 9 which is pretty good. I like pausing that last set. We will see how it feels at a lighter weight with more 

reps. 

Kroc rowed the 100's for 40 reps each side. 

Strict press went well. Worked up to 175 and hit it for 5 singles. I missed my third attempt for whatever reason, but then I grabbed an empty bar and got my form and speed back, and got the next 3 attempts. Next tues, I will try and hit 175 for a few and 180 for a couple as well. Hopefully it will go well. 

Finally, did some speed pullups again, but added in some speed pressing as well. Pretty much, I did two pullups every minute on the minute, alternating grip between supinated and pronated, for ten minutes, AND as soon as I finished the pullups I grabbed 135 out of the rack and pressed it for a fast single. This was a pretty fun way to end the workout. I like it. 

So, a good bench day. Definitely getting stronger with bench and O. press. Tomorrow, squatting will be hard and heavy. I'm gonna try to just have fun with it, work hard without stressing too much. I'm excited. Lets keep at it. 

Benching

Today was cool

Started with C&P bench. I was running kind of behind today so I took it kind of fast. At first I was feeling a little loose and shitty, maybe because yesterday was so hard or because I benched heavy on wed. Either way, as the sets went on I started feeling better and better. 15 x 2 at 200 was nice, and on the final set I hit 4 paused reps. It was a really solid 4 too, I attempted 5 but got stapled haha. Still, 4 is a very cool paused rep PR at that weight.

Next up was overhead press 5/3/1. hit a few warmups, then 125 x 3 and 140 x 3. Then, hit 160 x 4, which ties my PR at that weight. That's pretty good, but I was a little bummed just because I felt kind of  loose while doing those 4. I feel like if I tightened up and had a little bit better form on that set, I MIGHT have had 5 in me. But again, yesterday was ROUGH, gotta cut myself a little slack. I dropped back to 140 and hit it for 8 paused reps (9 was SO close), and then hit 125 x 11 paused reps, which is pretty cool.

Next, did pendelay rows, 135 x 3 sets of 8. Felt aight.

Next, Decided to do some more strict pressing. Loaded up 145 and set out to hit it for a 5 x 5 of paused reps. I got 3 sets of 5, then a set of 4 and 1, and another set of 4 and 1. It's too bad I couldn't quite get those final sets of 5, but still that's pretty good, and a lot of quality pressing volume.

Finally, did 5 sets of 3 chinups.

Overall, a good day. I probably will not lift tomorrow, so I'm just going to eat a lot and work on recovery. Next week is going to be CRAZY busy, but I will try my best to focus and work hard in the gym. The heavy weight will hopefully be lots of fun. Only 4 weeks of this program left, then it's time to max out and start the next phase of my training. Lets keep at it.

THANKS-LIFTING!!!!

Today was a pretty great day

I tried to stay a lot more chill for todays squats. In my warmups, I really worked to push my hips forward. The heavier I get, the more I slip into bad habits, but I was working at it today and it definitely made a difference. The weight was moving solidly. I ended up failing twice, because of mad form - on the second reps of set 3 and set 7. I just re racked the weight, however, rested, and then hit it for a single right after to "finish" the set. Normally I would re-do the whole set, but the weights are getting too heavy for that, and hitting a nice single helped me get my form and confidence back. Overall, it really was not too bad. I need to keep working on pushing those hips forward and rebounding nicely out of that bottom. But I'm really happy with the way this 15 x 2 went.

Next, front squats felt decent. hit 175 x 3, 205 x 3, and finally 225 x 3. Third rep was rough, but I'm pretty happy with 225 for a triple after all the fuckin squats I already did. Front squats also really help me practice pushing my hips forward and sitting straight down. Hit 235 and then 240 for singles after, but failed the second attempt at 240.

Finally, deadlifts kind of defeated me. hit 225, 295, and then went to 355, but I couldn't budge it in 3 attempts. A little disappointing, but this was at the end of a LONG, hard workout, and I made a huge jump which probably didn't help. So No worries really. Next week I'll try it again, and work up with another jump or two in between, and I'm sure I'll be able to get it.

Overall, really happy with this workout. Not easy, but I worked hard and made it. It gives me real hope and excitement for 315 x 15 x 2 next month. That will be, by far, the hardest and heaviest squat workout I have ever done. And I am ready. Time to eat and be thankful for family, friends, my beautiful girlfriend, and all the progress I have made towards my goals. I have years and hundreds of pounds to go, but I am grateful for the time and knowledge I have. Because I KNOW I can reach any goal I want. Lets keep at it.

Surprise strength

Today I was just dicking around, but had a really good day.

Decided to pause bench today, just for fun. Hit a bunch of warmups - 75, 95, 135, 165, 185. Then hit 205 for a single. It wasn't cake, but was solid, so I decided to go for a pr. Put 215 on the bar, and really was careful to keep calm and just have fun going after it hard. And I crushed it. It was so good that I decided to go up to 225. I wanted to feel nervous, but I kept myself calm and just imagined it was 135, and after a good rest I went after it and crushed it as well. It was awesome, not easy, but smooth. Probably at least as nice as the touch and go rep I hit it for just a few weeks ago. Really happy with this surprise, it's a 15 lb paused pr and ties my touch and go PR. Awesome.

Next, did another set of 100 curls with my light straight bar. These are totally fun and explode my arms, I'm definitely going to keep doing these when I get back to school in one form or another.

Finally, ended with some wrist curls, just for fun

Overall, it was a sick arms day. Gonna try and sleep a lot tonight, tomorrow is going to be a challenge haha. Can't wait.

Strong Paused Bench

Today was a strong day, particularly for paused bench.

Started with 5/3/1 bench. Felt really good warming up, and nailed 160 x 3 and 180 x 3 with no problem. Had a little bit of a hard time with 200 however. I wanted 6 reps or more, and got a little nervous about the weight, and my form suffered. A lot of the reps were kind of shitty, and I only got 5. Still, this ties my PR at that weight so I can't complain too much.

After that set, I dropped back to 180 and chilled out, and this is where I really did well today. Hit 180 for 2 sets of 7 paused reps and a third set of 8, which is pretty fuckin awesome. The sloppiness on the touch n go was a little annoying, but those strong sets for Pause bench showed me that my strength is ever improving. I just need to chill out and keep form consistent. And also cut myself some slack, I'm not used to this equipment and it's freezing out.

Finally, repped 160 out for 11. Tried for 12 and failed. Not bad considering all the paused shit I did first. Maybe I'll just start pausing this too, honestly I might get more reps that way - I feel like much of my energy is spent stabilizing the bar after touching my chest, because I'm tired and not as tight. If I just paused the reps, I might do better. We will see.

Next, I didn't have heavy dumbells so I made my dumbell about 60-65 lbs and did a set of kroc rows,  75 each side. This hurt like a BITCH but I think it was good.

Strict press felt pretty good today. A little slow, I was trying to be explosive and it was just a little laggy today. Hit 95 for a bunch, 135 x 4, 155 x 2 which felt hard. But then I nailed 165 for a single, and hit 175 for a really nice single. Then, hit it again and it was ROUGH, really grinding on the lockout. Rested a lot, hit it a third time for an easier rep, and then hit it a 4th time for an even WORSE grinder, it must have taken 5 or 6 seconds to lock out. I attempted a 5th rep, but it was a not go after that last one. 5 singles at this weight would have been nice, but 4 is still the most reps I have ever done at 175 in a single workout. Maybe next week I will have 5 in me. Dropped back to 155 and hit it for a max paused set, hoping for 5. I got 4, which ties my touch n go PR at that weight. Not bad.

Finally, I did something different today. Speed work for pullups. I did 10 sets of 2, on the minute, alternating each set between pronated and supinated grip. It was pretty cool. I might keep this up - overall, I'm doing 20 pullups in 10 minutes, and maybe focusing on firing the right muscles really fast will do more for me than banging out max sets.

Anyways, overall a good day. Definitely getting stronger, although I fell a little bit short of a few goals today. Gonna try and keep pushing, harder and harder. Hit my arms tomorrow and rest up. Thursday squats are going to be a journey - I really think the change in my hip position might make a huge difference, but at the same time 305 for a 15 x 2 is gonna be a very tough workout. I'm excited. Lets keep at it.