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.

Squat day from Hell

Today was miserable. One of the worst training sessions ever. That being said, took away some lessons from it.

First, 5/3/1 squats. This was awful. Here's what I have to say about it: I think it was a combination of things. First of all, I think I was just having a bit of a weak day. Some days you just aren't as strong as others. Second, my form was a little bit off on my heavy work today, which I'll talk about more. And Third, mentally I was just not all there today. I got psyched out and my head and my heart just weren't in the set. All of this added up to a miserable squat session.

Started with warmups. Bard and 135 felt alright, as did 205. 245 moved okay, although it felt a little bit heavy. 275 is where the problems started. The first two reps were okay, but felt a little heavy, but the THIRD rep was terrible. I got caught in a bad position, completely stopped moving, and had to fight to finish the rep. This is a weight that should have been cake. And it completely fucked me mentally. I got angry and upset, and psyched out. I decided to go up to 305 anyways, and just rested a lot and really attacked it. But my mind being screwed up, along with the physical softness were bad. I hit it for 3 but they were a HARD 3. I tried for 4, but it was a terrible rep and I literally grabbed the rack and pulled myself to standing rather than dumping. I was very upset and angry.

Speed deads however, went well. 285 for 10 singles from a deficit on the minute moved nicely.

Finally, I made myself do the 5 x 5 at 255. It showed me 2 things. First, it was pretty hard, which showed me that I must have just been having an off day physically because normally it is easier than that. But secondly, around set 2 I started focusing on pushing my hips forward and really dropping my ass between my feet. On my heavy sets, I was letting myself sit my butt back too far and letting my chest drop a little too much, which I think was hurting me a little. By reminding myself to push my knees out and my hips forward, I was able to maintain a much more upright torso. even though the 5 x 5 was hard, the reps felt much better than my heavy work, which made me feel better.

So, I'm going to try to not be too upset about this workout. It is frustrating that it was rough. However, I can't let it bother me too much. Bad days happen. What I am going to do: One, take a little more time and warmup right, and take a little more pressure off myself. I am still trying to find that balance between precision and intensity. Today, I was trying really hard to be intense and crush the weight, and it resulted in me getting psyched out and sloppy. And two, I am going to try and make sure I'm focusing on pushing my hips forward and sitting between my feet with my torso more upright. This keeps my squats more athletic and explosive, as opposed the the grinding that was happening today. And hopefully it will keep me in better position, so I don't get caught back or forward, which happened a few times today.

Bad days suck, but I just gotta keep pushing forward. Gotta be mentally strong and keep my form good. Lets keep at it.

Saturday Training

A little frustrated today, although it was a good day.

Started with pause squat. I wanted to record the whole training session, as I haven't video taped myself squatting in a while, but my computer died halfway through. which blows. Anyways, I was really happy to be able to pause squat again, and it went really well. Worked up to a moderate set of 5, hitting 95 x 2 sets of 5, then 135, 185, and finally 215 x 5, which was solid. Then I jumped to 245, and hit it for a set of 3, then 265 for a set of 3, again very solid. then I jumped and hit 285 for a very solid single, jumped up, and nailed 305 for a single. It was hard work, but the rep was really smooth and I was quite happy with it.

The frustration came when I tried to then hit that 305 for two un-paused singles. I swear, the weight moved better when I paused it, and it pissed me off. Those two regular reps were TOUGH, and slower than the paused rep and it's fucking annoying. It just basically felt as though, when I paused it, I then fired all my muscles hard and at the same time and was able to move the weight smoothly, but when I don't pause I have trouble firing as hard or at the right time, so that even when I have momentum and elastic energy out of the bottom, I get stuck at this weird sticking point. It just made me angry and frustrated, especially singe I am squatting this weight for reps monday and hitting that 305 for a pause rep should have been a HUGE confidence booster - but those other reps were much less easy and smooth, and psyched me out a little. HOWEVER, I have to keep in mind that I did all my warming up with a pause, and didn't really "grease the groove" as far as that transition goes. IF I had warmed up with regular squats maybe that weight would have moved easily, and it was simply the switch from pausing to regular at such a heavy weight that threw me off.

Anyways, two conclusions are being drawn from this. 1) On normal squat days, I need to REALLY focus on that transition. I need to pull into that bottom position almost as if I am goign to pause, and then at the last second just let the rebound happen and FIRE as hard as I can. Obviously, the fast that I can pause squat that 305 (very nicely) means I have a LOT more weight left in me for a regular squat. I just need to work on that timing and make sure that I am hitting that rebound and immediately driving up as hard and as tight as I can. So that will be a serious focus in all my warmups from now on. and 2) no more regular squats after the pause work. I should just have fun with the paused reps and take away confidence/strength out of the bottom from these workouts. Switching to regular reps at such a high weight just felt shitty and messed with my head. I need to clear my mind and just be ready to destroy mondays workout.

ANYWAYS strict pressing went very well. I didn't really warm up, just left 135 on the bar. However, I hit my light straight bar (about 30 lbs) for a couple sets to get my nerves firing fast,  AND I continued to hit that really light weight in between sets to try and keep me firing fast. It seemed to work well, I might try and do that more often. Anyways, hit 135 x 5, 155 x 2, 165 x 1, then smashed 175 x 1. It was a cake rep, so I decided to attempt 185 for the first time. I didn't really have a chance haha, it was a pretty definitive miss. It was worth trying though, because I really hit  175 hard. Immediately after failing 185, I dropped back to 135 and tried to hit individual reps as fast as I could, and ended up getting a set of 10 dead-stop reps. 10 is my touch n go PR, so that's really pretty cool.

Rep 10 was a true fucking grinder. Building those shoulders. 

Overall, cool day. Got a new pause squat PR, attempted a new strict press PR, and tied my press PR at 135 with paused reps. I'm excited for monday - before taking the last few saturdays off, I really felt pause squatting was helping my form. With a proper warm up and some serious work ethic, I think I'm gonna smash 305 for reps. Lets keep at it.

Good upper body day

Today, I lifted at home for the first time in a few months. Lifting in the cold, and the change of equipment definitely threw me off a little bit, but overall it was a very good day.

Started with C&P bench. Warmups felt good, although it was hard to get into a good position and stay tight cause I'm just used to different stuff. Hit a bunch of warmup reps though, and then went to 190. The 10 x 3 was still pretty easy, and I took the sets without much rest just cause I felt like pushing. On the 10th set, did max paused reps and got 6, which I am pretty happy about. It was a tough set but really solid and awesome.

Next, strict press 5/3/1 went well. Hit 115 x 5, 130 x 5, then 150 x 6, which is a PR and I'm happy about that. It was a good set too, I didn't have another rep in me, BUT it also wasn't a true "Max effort" on that last rep. Which is good. Hit 130 x 9 after (I just BARELY failed 10, made me mad) from a dead stop, and then 115 x 8 or so from a dead stop.

Eric Lillibridge looks fucking awesome in this picture. 

Next, did some pendelay rows with 115. Did 3 x 10. These actually felt awesome. I might start playing with these more.

Next, did just a little more pressing to finish off the triceps - hit 115 for a set of 10 presses, then grabbed  my 25 dumbell and repped that out each arm for a max set.

Finally, grabbed my light straight bar (about 30 lbs), and did a set of 100 curls with it. It was awesome, my biceps exploded. Definitely gonna fool with these more, especially on fridays. Paul Carter and Poundstone, I may be joining your high-rep shenanigans more permanantly.

Overall, a pretty great day considering that conditions were different than I was used to. I'm really pumped to FINALLY be able to lift on a saturday, for the first time in weeks. Lets keep at it.

Horrendous Workout

Today was one of those workouts that makes you wish you never started lifting weights. That being said, I actually performed fairly well.

First was C&P squat. Warmups went really well actually, my last warmup being 265 x 4. went to 290 and hit it for 2 solid sets of 3, BUT I was moving maybe a little slower than ideal, so on the third set I tried to speed up the reps a little. Fucked up horribly - first rep was alright, but the second rep I rushed, got loose, and had to really fight through the sticking point. Then, On the third rep I got totally out of position and failed. I was PISSED. This was a weight that I was planning on handling very well, and I failed, for the first time in months on this type of workout. Re racked the bar, and started anew, re-doing the 3rd set. For the nest 3-4 sets, everything just felt like shit. I was pissed, my back wound was hurting, the bar felt bent, and my form felt like complete shit. But I fought through, and around set 6/7 I started getting back in the groove: I started keeping my chest up better, and was moving down very controlled, but a little bit faster so that I was catching the stretch reflex better. It was still fucking hard, but MUCH better triple in those last sets. Finally, on the 10th set I went after the weight hard, and got 5 reps. It doesn't completely make up for the fucked up sets from 3 - 6, BUT it's still pretty cool. Gotta take the weight a little more seriously next Thursday.

Next, front squats went well. 165 x 5 was cake, 190 x 5 was also very good. I was moving the weight well, hitting a nice bottom position, and getting a good stretch reflex out of the bottom. 215 x 5 would be tough on any day, and I was having a ROUGH workout, but I went after it hard. the first 4 reps were actually really nice. On the 5th, my upper back went pretty bad, so that I literally felt like I was holding the weight in my hands rather than on my chest hahaha. BUT I didn't give up and made the rep. It wasn't pretty, but that's still a really cool PR. Next month is supposed to be 225 x 5. If I can get that, that will be a HUGE improvement to my front squat. And after that, I will be slightly changing the way I approach these (3/2/1). Anyways, after 215 x 5 I hit 225 for an okay rep, 235 for an easy single, and then missed 245 twice. I know I have that weight on almost any day, but I'm so tired mentally and physically that it never seems to go my way. I really want to start hitting this with some consistency though, so I'm gonna really start pushing myself to get it.

Finally, heavy deads went well. Hit 245 , 305, then straight to 355. Hit it for a single that was really nice, not too slow and my back stayed nice and flat, which is pretty awesome at the end of a tough workout at a new heavy weight. Hit it again, but it was a lot slower and my back went a bit on this rep. Still, very happy with that. Hopefully next week will be even better. I was really beat up, and I had already been in the gym for 2 hours and 20 minutes or so, so I ended up skipping core work and just went and got some fuckin food.

Overall, This workout was HARD. Lately, my squat form has been on point, and the bad sets REALLY got to me today. However, in the end I pulled it together, got my form nice, fought through the workout and even managed some extra reps on that final set. Got a FS PR with that 215 x 5, and my belt-less dead is DEFINITELY getting stronger. Can't wait till I'm pulling 365 + every single thursday. Anyways, excited to be home for thanksgiving break. Gonna lift hard in my own gym, eat a shitload, and keep pushing. Lets keep at it.

Bench Press 5/3/1

Today was another great day, with another PR in the books.

Started with 5/3/1 bench. Warmed up with a bunch of paused stuff and then got my touch and go form nice and crisp. then crushed 145 x 5, 170 x 5. Loaded up 190 and hit it, calm and smooth, for 9 reps. 9th rep was really tough but I got it. It was an awesome set. A little bit looser maybe tha It could have been, but still 9 reps is a huge PR - not only is it stronger than last month, when I got the same number of reps at 185, but it destroys my old PR at that weight, which was 4 or 5. Very nice.

Next, dropped back to 170 and hit it for 3 sets of 8 paused reps. By the last set it was pretty tough, but made it through all the same, and that is a lot of paused volume. I'm excited to hit 180 and 190 for paused sets, I think I will be able to do a lot of reps at those weights. Love paused bench.

Finally, hit 145 for a max set and got 16, which I am happy with. Tried to approach this like I have been approaching my other bench; imagining it is a lighter warmup set, and my form was better because of that. I tend to be tired for this set and get sloppy, but today was better than weeks past.

Next, Kroc rowed 100's for 38 each side, with a very short pause at rep 34. These are going very well. It's just really hard to breathe and keep tight through so many reps, AND it's no fun to do these without music. Hopefully I'll be getting a new ipod soon though. And these are an awesome exercize, so I'm definitely gonna keep at them no matter how much they hurt haha.

Strict press went pretty well. I was a little tired out and didn't feel as vicious as I would have liked to, but I still tried really hard to blast the weight. hit the bar, 95, 135, 155, then went up to 165 and hit it for 5 doubles. They were very solid, although on a few I felt weirdly like I was using a little leg drive. I don't think I was though. It was weird. Also, on a few sets I felt like my feet were a little too close together. But overall, I'm really happy with those 5 doubles. After them, I went to 175 and hit it for a tough but solid single, and this time I made sure there was no leg drive haha. Then I tried 180, but unfortunately did not have it. Still, pretty happy with this pressing.

Finally, ended with a big ass set of pullups. Strapped myself to the pullup bar and did 5 dead stop reps, then banged out another 20 kipping pullups. By the end, the reps were pretty bad hahaha, but I just kept pushing close to my limit. I definitely LIKE this better than doing sets of pullups. I don't know how much better for me it is, but I feel like it is 1) more fun, 2) gets some dead hang practice in, 3) hit my back really hard in one big set. And doing kipped pullups always seems to improve my ability to do dead hangs. So I think I might keep at this 1 huge set of pullups at the end of my workout, and see if I feel like it's helping.

Anyways, awesome day today. Still hitting PR's and feeling awesome. Lets keep at it.

Squatting Ideas.

Had some really good ideas tonight.

I have been thinking that I might want to change my thursdays. Chaos and pain squat has helped me gain some serious mental toughness, some confidence under heavy ass weight, and taught me how to handle a workout with a ton of sets. HOWEVER, I honestly don't know how much strength it is building. Personally, I have always seen my greatest gains with 5/3/1 - doing squats for a lot of reps, and pushing CRAZY hard has always seemed to make my legs strongest. Don't get me wrong, I'm not sad that I did the C&P, because I think it taught me a lot, and I am going to finish out this 9 week cycle with it. BUT The amount of time and pain put into this style of training just doesn't seem to be worth the limited strength gains I get from it. And, I had a cool idea that I think I might try next cycle.

Right now, I am doing 5 x 5 squats on monday, building up to 265. After Christmas, I was planning on dropping back to 225, but upping the reps back up to 5 x 10. HOWEVER, this would be insanely hard, and time consuming, blah blah blah.

SO, here's the idea. Instead of Chaos and Pain squat on thursday, I will do high volume squats, increasing the weight and dropping the reps over the course of 9 weeks so that I start with just a ton of muscle and strength building volume, and then slowly hone that new strength/muscle toward the end of the cycle. So it would look something like this:

5 x 10 squats - difficult, but not all out, keep form nice
5 x 10 squats - up the weight, push harder
5 x 8 squats - more weight than last week, but should be solid
5 x 8 - really push
5 x 6 - etc
5 x 6
5 x 4
5 x 4
5 x 2

I think this will be awesome for me for a few reasons. First, I know my body responds really well to high volume stuff, and weeks 1 - 6 all fall into this category. Second, I still will have quite a bit of heavy stuff in those last three weeks, and will be primed to hit a heavy single on a 10th week, so I will still get practice under heavy ass weight. and Third, it allows me to self regulate - the first, third, fifth, seventh week can work as sort of "feeler" weeks, where I work hard but don't kill myself, and then I can make a well educated jump the next week and REALLY push myself close to my limit. AND, on any given "first" week, I could easily repeat the weight from the week before, or even drop lower in order to get in some extra recovery/technique practice.

Bottom line, I think this type of training will be tons of fun, REALLY work well for me, and will mentally and physically prime me to hit PR squats on those 10th weeks when I decide to max out. Plus,
it will open up a slot for a new exercise on mondays after speed deads (good mornings, more front squats, stiff leg deads?), AND I will still get some heavy squat practice as long as I keep heavy pause squatting on saturday. Which I will do cause it's awesome.

Anyways, that's the idea and I guess the plan. Gonna finish out these last 6 weeks as planned, and then make these changes and hopefully have a ton of fun and get really fucking strong. I'm excited.

Squat PR

First squat PR since I changed my squat style!

Today, I made a decision to push myself harder than I have been lately. Here's the deal: I make my best squat gains when I push myself to my absolute limit. However, with the change of style I had to take some steps back and really focus on form. And I made some great progress that way - by focusing on improving my technique, I was able to get my squat right back to as strong as it was this summer, but much deeper and more athletic. BUT I haven't hit a PR. And I finally realized why - I have been a little too relaxed on my hard sets. I have been taking them as they come, pushing HARD, but not NEARLY as hard as I was when I was making my best squat gains.

As I was thinking about todays workout, I decided that 8-10 reps was a good guess for how many I could do. But then as I thought more and more about it, I decided that I WAS going to get 10 reps. That, or fail trying. After warming up, hitting 220 x 5 and 255 x 5, I got under the weight and began. And it was an insane set. I hit the first 5 well, then 6 and 7, but after 7 I was hurting. I felt like I couldn't see straight, I was dizzy, my back was loose and the weight was insanely heavy. But I kept pushing, and somehow managed to get 8, 9, and 10. My first serious PR since I switched my style. I was really proud. There is a lot to be said about the way I took a step back and fixed my form, and focused on really locking that good technique in over the past few months. However, now that I have solidified that technique and am back to my old strength, one thing is going to get me better, and that is HARD WORK. I need to push myself beyond where I think my limits are, and risk failing in the process. And I am willing to bet that is going to make me WAY better. From now on, I am going to pick a number to hit each week for my 5/3/1 work. I want to be careful not to always be escalating those expectations, because that will exhaust me physically and mentally. However, if I set reasonable goals and am not afraid to push myself to the breaking point in order to reach them, I think I will make huge gains. I have more experience now and better technique than ever before, and I am excited to combine that with simple hard work and start SMASHING some squat PR's.

Anyways, after this, did 12 x 1 speed deads at 265 from a short deficit. They were a little bit slow, but that is typical when I change the height that I am pulling at. Hopefully, they will stay at least this fast and maybe even speed up as the weight increases.

5 x 5 squats at 255 was a little silly. My legs were done, and form was a little iffy, but over all pretty damn good. However, My back was fucked up and bleeding, AND the bar I switched to was SO bent. I made it through the first 2 sets okay, but on the third I almost fell the fuck over after rep 3. I racked it, switched bars, then re-did set 3 and finished the 5 x 5. Overall, these were tough for sure, but this is a pretty damn heavy 5 x 5, and considering 1) how hard I pushed early in the workout, and 2) the fuckedness of the bar/my back, I'm happy with making it through. Hopefully next week I can push this a little harder on the last set. We will see.

Finally, ended with 3 hard sets of hollow rocks and a moderate set of back extensions.

Overall, an awesome workout. I'm really proud of how hard I pushed, and looking forward to crushing some more squats in the near future. Can't wait to bench tomorrow, it's gonna be fun.

PR Bench and Strict press

Awesome day today, which is great cause I can't train tomorrow. Gonna keep this short so I can go celebrate this fun as fuck workout.

Started with C&P bench. Warmups felt good, hit 185 x 3 reps and a 4th paused one before jumping straight to 210. All 10 singles at 210 were cake, hit the 10th rep for a nice paused single, then went straight up to 225 and nailed it for a single. Then, hit it again, just as a fuck you to the weight. Feels good to finally hit this, and both reps were really nice - hard but smooth. Gotta keep at it, bench is finally getting there.

Next, strict press went awesome too. warmed up, then hit 130 x 5, 145 x 3, and finally 160 x 4, which is a PR and felt awesome. It felt so good, in fact, that I went up, hit 175 for a nice single, then attacked 180 and nailed it for a tough but awesome new PR. I really focused on moving the bar fast and aggressively today, and it paid off. Dropped back and hit 145 for a paused 7, and then 135 for a paused 8.

Next, did upright rows, a big pyramid with increasing weight. Gonna keep playing with these, although heavy doesn't seem to be the best way to do them.

Next, played with floor pressing and dumbell pressing. nothing serious, just goofing off.

Finally, I'm sick of all my pulling except kroc rows, so I'm goign to be mixing it up and playing around more at the end of my workouts. Today, did heavy shrugs, up to 495 for 8. These were interesting. My upper back feels fried. Not sure how much I liked them, but I figure the heavy will be good for me, especially since I'm taking the weekend off. Gonna keep playing, like I said.

Lets keep at it. Awesome day.

Back Blood

Really fucking hard day today. but also really solid. And I bled a shitload from my back.

Started with Chaos and Pain squat. I did not feel good today. I was tired and in a bad mood all day, and really not looking forward to lifting. Warming up, that feeling persisted. Just felt a little slow, weights felt heavy, and it wasn't moving very smooth. Hit the bar for 2 sets, then 125 for 2 sets, 205, then 265 x 3. Went straight to 315, and got started. Overall, this was one of the best AND toughest 10 x 1's I have ever done. The reps were a little bit slow, and definitely tough. However, my form was really nice on every single oneThe first 4 or so I was focusing on controlling the weight, and the singles were solid and a little slow. Around rep 5 I started trying to attack it a little more, moving a bit more explosively. the weight moved faster for reps 5, 6 and 7, but still was tough. Rep 8 I rested up for, attacked it really well, and this was definitely the best rep. It moved smoother and faster than all the rest, and I didn't get stuck at a sticking point. After that though, I think my legs were just tired out. Both reps 9 and 10 were nice as far as form goes, but I really had to push hard to get that weight locked out. Overall I'm very happy with the high quality of the reps though. Especially considering this was not the best day, I'm happy with the way I handled the workout.

Front squats were a little worse. hit 180 x 5, 205 x 3, and then 230 for a tough single. Went up to 235, however, and crushed that weight.... then went up to 240 and failed. My technique is still very inconsistent with these, which is a pain in the ass. However, I am definitely getting stronger, there is no denying that. Normally I would have hit this weight again, but I was already tired out and decided to just let that failed rep go. Next time.

Deadlifts actually went surprisingly well. I have been playing with my form almost all workouts, and every tweak seems to be for the better. Today, in addition to the slightly further-away starting position, I played with the way I pulled myself down to initiate the lift. I took a big breath at the top, set my grip while keeping some serious tension in my hamstrings, then pulled my shins to the bar just a tiny bit slower than usual - and as soon as then touched I ripped the weight up. I don't know why this made such a huge difference, but it did. It felt like by slowing it down, I was able to keep my back tighter and keep more tension in my hamstrings, but i didn't slow it down SO much that I lost elastic energy at the start of the pull. Anyways, even after all the squatting I destroyed 205, 255, and 305. Then I went to 345 and it went far better than last week. The first single was fairly fast, and my back was really flat. I then pulled it for 2 more singles, both of which were slower and tougher, but my back was really solid on both of them. I think I am going to take these up to 355 nest week. They are going really well, why not keep pushing.

Well, this picture is fucking amazing

Finally, did 3 x 10 HLR with boots on, and a big set of back extensions to finish it off.

Not much to say. No workouts are gonna be easy from now on. But I focus, work my ass off, don't expect myself to be superhero and at the same time KNOW I can do whatever I set out to do, I will keep growing, progressing, and demolishing the weights. Lets keep at it.

Pains, Rehab & Whatnot

So, I've been having some aches and pains lately that I've been meaning to write about. Here they are.

1) Shoulder: My shoulder is almost completely pain free now. However, it still is stiff and achey in certain positions, and that is starting to get on my nerves. Not sure whether it is left-over stiffness from when I snapped it up Klokov pressing, or when I hurt it doing dips/handstand pushups, or some combination. Anyways, in order to rehab it I am going to start doing a couple BIG sets of rear delt flyes at least a few nights a week. Did 2 sets of 30 tonight with a 10 lb dumbell, and it felt really good. I actually really like this movement, and might start using it as an accessory for my back. Maybe on Arms day, I will do a shitload of rear delt flies too, as a combination rehab/back movement. Anyways, hopefully I can get rid of that residual stiffness and ache in my left shoulder, so it feels fine in all ranges of motion again.

2) Calves: Lately when I squat I have been getting some serious calf pain. Not enough that it is crippling, but they HURT, and it makes my whole legs feel like shit. It's basically like a leg cramp, or a growing pain. Not sure what causes it, other than just the crunching and the tension throughout my whole lower body in a high bar squat. It doesn't seem sinister at all, as I've heard other people who squat high bar complain of the same thing. Hopefully in time it will work itself out, but in the meanwhile I'm going to try and be a little bit better about doing calf stretches on off days and even right before squat workouts, as I don't think that will hurt my performance at all.

3) Right knee: Again, nothing too bad, just some achiness that happens when I squat heavy. I still tend to have my left foot back a little bit and turned out a little further when I squat. I don't know if this is due to tightness in my right hip, or if one leg is longer than the other, or if it's just a bad habit. It seems to work itself out to a certain degree the warmer I get while squatting, and for now it doesn't seem to be a very big deal. However, it's almost always my right knee that gets achey when I squat, and I'm wondering if maybe i'm having trouble forcing it out quite as wide so it's being strained a little more? Don't know. I'm going to just try and be careful, and slowly but surely work on fixing this slight "crookedness." Overall though, the pain is mild at worse, and I think it's just due to going really deep with heavy weight. Still, worth mentioning.

Anyways, that's about it. Nothing major, hopefully all these things will get worked out sooner or later.

Heavy Bench PR

Today was a great day.

Started with 5/3/1 bench. Tried to keep relaxed and have fun as I worked up heavy, as this seems to be the best way for me to hit heavy bench. Hit the bar for a few sets, 95, 135, then on to work set. 165 x 5, 185 x 3, and finally 210 for a solid 3. I felt a little bit soft on that heavy triple - I was trying to keep relaxed, but I probably could have been a little tighter in my setup and squeezed the bar a little bit harder from the start. However, I still got a solid 3 reps, which is a 2 rep PR. Before re-setting my bench, I could only hit this weight for one, so that is undeniably stronger. Very happy about that.

Next, paused bench went even better. dropped back to 185, and hit it for 3 sets - 5, 5, and 7 reps. Until just a few months ago, I couldn't even hit 185 x 5 bench, and now I can do it for SETS, and with a pause. I don't know whether the pause is helping my touch and go, or the other way around, or if the two are just feeding each other in some kind of awesome circle, but both ways of benching seem to be getting stronger and stronger.

Finally, repped out 165 for 10. This isn't great haha. I find it really hard to stay tight after all that other benching, and this final set is starting to be one of the harder ones I do on tuesdays. It's really meant just as a finished, however, to push myself close to failure and get a nice pump, so I'm not gonna stress it and I'm gonna keep it in.

Kroc rows were not bad. They hurt like a bitch, but I got a solid 35 reps each side.

Side note: I think my traps are growing. Gonna try and get the Bill Kazmaier big. 

Strict pressing went very well. Warmups felt light and fast. Jumped straight from 155 to 170, and hit it for a horrible single - I think it might have moved nicely, only I let it get way out in front of me. Hit it agin for a second tough single, then a third that moved better. Went up to 175 and hit that for 2 singles, both of which were VERY difficult. Lockout took a solid 3-4 seconds. I think I need more excitement when hitting these, and to focus on moving the weight faster, like an empty bar. I bench best calm, but I think I press best when I really attack it. Dropped back to 155 and hit it for 3 paused reps, then hit 135 for 8 paused reps.

Finally, didn't feel like doing pullups today, so instead I did seated cable rows for a lot of reps. hit 50 x 25, 100 x 20, 130 x 16 150 x 12, and 170 x 8. I liked these, might keep at them.

Pressing is really going well. Just going to keep at bench, what I have been doing has clearly been working. Strict press has slowed down, but I'm going to try and attack it hard this next cycle and see if I can't get it moving up again. And I'm just going to try and redouble my efforts with pulling. I seem to get bored with most rowing variations, but whatever I do I'm going to try and do it hard and get my back growing. Lets keep at it.

Yeah. Like that. 

315 Squat

Yesterdays squats were alright.

Started with 5/3/1. Warmups felt awesome. Crushed 250 x 5 and 280 x 3. Went up to 315 and psyched up hard to attack it. First and second reps were smooth and solid, and I thought for sure I had 4 or 5 in me. But unfortunately, I hit a bad rep on the third one, and it was a real struggle to get it up. I managed it, but it took a ton of energy, and the bar shifted back onto my torn skin which hurt like a bitch. I decided to rack it. Honestly, I would have been happy with 3 reps, IF that was all I had in me for that day - I was just angry because I felt like I should have gotten more, but the bad rep really screwed me up. After some rest, I hit it again. I was already fatigued, however, I hit 2 more reps, both with very nice form. Second rep was really tough, but I made it.

Speed deadlifts ere surprisingly good. 305 for 8 singles on the minute moved well, not fast but very smooth. If I can get the speed up even the littlest bit, and pull it from that deep deficit come december, I will know I'm primed to PR on my dead.

Finally, 5 x 5 squats at 245 weren't any problem, although my back skin was killing me. Focused hard on keeping my chest up when descending, and trying to initiate by sitting between my knees instead of pushing my butt back. After the 5th set, hit 295 for an easy single, and then 315 for one more rep, just because I was still angry about the 5/3/1 work.

Finally, did a bunch of decline situps to get an ab pump.

Overall, a solid workout. A little disappointing, but I will try to prove myself this thursday, by keeping my form beautiful and destroying my 10 x 1 at 315, and next month by tightening up form inconsistencies and trying to hit my 1 week harder and better than I did this cycle.

Second Bench Day

Saturday, did my second bench workout of the week. It was a little sleepy, but overall not bad.

15 x 2 bench at 200 was solid. I wasn't as energetic as I might have liked, and was a little softer than usual too, but even so the 15 sets of 2 really weren't much problem. Not cake, but not really hard at all. On the 15th set, I did my best to psych up, and hit 3 paused reps, missing pretty decidedly on the 4th. Still, that's pretty decent after already doing 28 reps.

Next, 5/3/1 strict press went well. hit 120 x 3, 135 x 3, then 155 x 4. I was hoping for 5, but 4 still ties my PR at that weight, and it was probably easier than last time - I went for a 5th rep, but didn't have it. lockout was giving me trouble today, on bench and on press. Maybe my triceps were just tired. Anyways, afterwards hit 135 x 8 paused reps, and then 120 x 10 paused reps, which I'm pretty happy about.

Gotta start channeling more Bane on slow days

Finally, cut the workout a little short because I had friends up. Just did a few sets of the standing cable rows, and a big set of cable curls to make up for my missed arm day hahaha.

Not the best workout, but not bad at all, especially considering that it was after a late night, and on a day I don't usually train, and I had people visiting so I was a little less focused than usual. Gonna rest up today, and then have lots of fun with my heavy stuff next week. Can't wait.

Violent Squat Day

Vicious squat day today. Worked my ass off. and it went very well.

Started with Chaos and Pain squat. Warmed up with the bar, 125, 205, 265, and then up to 300. It actually went very well today, although it was very difficult. Probably one of the best 15 x 2's I have done, and this was without any music, which was cool. I still need to find that perfect equilibrium between controlling the descent and hitting the bottom fast and hard. A lot of the doubles, the first rep I dropped a little too quick and was soft/got caught at a sticking point, but then the second rep I held off a little longer and the weight moved a lot easier. Overall, there were not too many rough reps, and almost all of the rough reps I just hit a sticking point, I wasn't caught forward or backward. AND, I hit 3 reps on the final set, which was awesome. Form still is working itself out, but overall it was an awesome workout.

Front squats were pretty good. Hit 170 for an easy 3, 190 for an easy 3, and then 215 for a solid 3, third rep was tough but solid. Then I went up to 235, and hit it for a single, missed rep 2, then hit a second and third single. The bar was getting me really dizzy and lightheaded today, which was annoying, but still I'm happy with 235 for 3 singles considering the volume of heavy squats I had just done.

Next, heavy deads were pretty good. crushed 205 x 3 singles, 285 x 2 singles was a little tough. Went straight to 345, and hit it for a single that was surprisingly good! Hard, not very fast, but my back actually felt quite flat, which was solid. Tried another single afterwards, broke it from the floor but I was fighting to keep my back flat, and my legs just were too tired to get it up. Still, a nice flat back single at that weight is acceptable.

Finally, 3 x 10 HLR's and a big set of back extensions.

Overall, awesome workout. I'm exhausted, but very happy to be through this very tough workout and very happy with my performance. Lets keep at it, tomorrow should be lots of fun!