Started with 5/3/1 squats. Warmed up very well, and did a lot of air squats to start, just to get myself very warm. the reps with the bar and 135 felt really good - I started to sort of find a groove, which made me nervous that I was doing them wrong haha. Im still not very confident about my form. But overall I think they looked good, and they felt pretty good. And Josh said they looked nice, so they couldn't have been too bad.
Warmed up with 135, then went straight to my first work set at 195. This was no problem for 5. Next was 225, and again this really wasn't any problem for 5. I started getting a feel for the high bar, and the weight was moving nice. 255 was a little bit of a different story. It's not MUCH heavier, but the 30 lbs definitely made a difference. However, I still was able to handle the weight fairly well. My form was pretty good, and I managed to get it for 6 solid reps, failing on the 7th (although I probably should have gotten that rep). My one problem was that I WAS cutting the reps a little high - well below parallel, but higher that "full depth,"which is really the goal. On rep 6 and 7 I went deeper, which is probably part of the reason I missed 7. Still, form was nice, and this was the first time I've squatted heavy with this new style - ideally on 5 week I would like 9 or 10 reps, and 6 isn't so far off when you consider that the technique is still very new. I'm feeling very optimistic that next week will be a little better, and the week after better still. My hope is that by the time I rep out 285, I will be able to hit it for a solid 5 reps. If I can do that, then I will definitely keep the 5/3/1 work where it is. Obviously that's a significant gain from todays workout, but I'm hoping I will have a significant improvement in technique in another 3 or 4 squat workouts, and that alone should make a huge difference. IF I CAN'T get that 285 for 5 though, I need to not be disheartened - just take the weight back or repeat this cycle, and build up. The weight doesn't matter. It's all about nice technique at this point.
The high bar.
Next were speed pulls. No deficit, I pulled 245 for 12 singles on the minute. Doing these without shoes now. Also, trying to focus on driving through my heels, to fix my issues that became apparent when I maxed out of shifting my weight forward and (kinda) hitching. These were smooth, not incredibly fast but not bad.
Next, did my 5 x 5 of squats with 215. I thought this weight might be too heavy, but it was actually pretty good. These reps were not easy, but light enough that I could really focus on good form. I tried my best to keep my elbows locked back, my chest up, and REALLY go as deep as I could go. As The sets went on, I also tried to move the weight faster while still controlling it - on the 255, I was definitely moving pretty slow, and I need to get the hang of moving fast and controlled. But anyways, the 5 x 5 was definitely great practice. If I can do my 10 x 3 on thursday with the same form I did this 5 x 5, I think that 255 will move much nicer than today and feel a lot better. And hopefully that will set me up for a better rep - out when I do 270 next monday.
It's tricky. I had to talk myself out of doing a lot of extra squatting today. I just want my technique to be perfect so I can start pushing myself again, but I have to remember that doing all this extra bullshit is going to hurt me, not help me. I have a great program set up, and I WILL get the hang od high bar squatting very soon, and I WILL start to get stronger and feel like I can work my ass off and get better very soon. I just need to be patient. I'm really going to try and focus on stretching on my off days, and not letting myself do a bunch of extra squats, and then just work hard and keep my technique as good as possible on squat days. It's going to take a lot of self control, but If I am patient, keep my ego out of it, and focus on technique, I will improve very quickly.
Finally, ended with some core stuff. Supersetted hollow rocks with some back work - at first I did some weighted back extensions with a round back, but I find that my hamstrings end up killing me well before I get a good back workout. So I switched to a round-backed good morning. Not sure how I feel about these yet - they feel kind of bad on the back, but I think that's the point? Hahaha. And As long as I keep them light for a lot of reps, I don't think I will hurt myself. I'll keep playing, see what works best.
Overall, a good day. 5/3/1 work is the way I expected it to be - I can get the prescribed reps, not much more, and my form is good, but not beautiful. Hopefully, technique will improve rapidly, and strength will improve with it. that 285 will probably be the first real test of how strong I am with this high bar style. Whatever happens over the next two weeks, I just need to keep my focus on technique and not let myself get discouraged. The strength will come.
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