Squat 345 x 6

Good day today! I wasn't sure what to expect, for a few reasons. 1) It's been 2 weeks since I squatted anything over 275, 2) I didn't eat right, sleep right, or stretch at all this weekend. However, went really well.

Started with heavy stuff. Took a really long time warming up, as I was super stiff. However, I actually was feeling quite good. Lower back and right knee were especially stiff, but they loosened up. Started in on my squats. Felt a little awkward - I was trying to keep them really fast and smooth, and it was a little tough to keep them as fast as I wanted and as precise as I wanted. Hit the bar x 10, 135 x 5, both of which felt a little awkward. Hit 225 x 3 and the first rep was really slow and weird, but the others were okay. Went straight to 315 and it felt really strong, a little slow but pretty easy and solid. So, I jumped up to 345. Threw on the belt. I was a little scared of the weight today because it had been a while since I squatted heavy, but I tried to keep calm and focus. Hit it for an easy first rep. Second rep was solid, but I knew I needed to be faster so I sped the third rep up and it felt great, really easy. The 4th and 5th reps were a little weird, form wasn't ideal, and I did some weird stuff like jump my hand out on the 5th rep for no reason. Took a long rest before re 6 though, and hit it - it was really hard and slow, but I made it. Overall, really happy with that performance! 6 reps is good, period, but I also feel confident that, although it was a very hard 6, it could have been a LOT easier if form was more on point. So if I really tighten up my technique, I think I am going to be VERY strong these next couple weeks.

After the squats, just did some romanian deadlifts with 165 - hit 12, 12, 12, and 15. Feel these really well in my glutes and my forarms (all reps double overhand) but not so much my back. So I think I am going to try and do these significant;y lower, perhaps just touch n go deadlifts from now on. I think that will better hit my back and butt and grip all together.

Overall really solid day. Some quality hard work, and a really nice little squat PR. Gonna ger really strong with some focus, food and sleep these next few days. Lets keep at it.

Speed Bench 185 x 10 x 3

This blog is very late haha.

Speed bench was good. Warmed up, smashed 185 for 10 sets of 3 in probably less than 10 minutes.

Next, pec flys. Tons of reps with light weights.

Next, did some lat pulldowns and regular cable rows, 4 sets of 25.

Finally, did some dumbell farmers walks to train the grip, because I couldn't really bar starz.

Excited to get back to training for real. Lets keep at it.

Speed squat 275 x 8 x 2

Good day today. Getting back on track.

Started with a nice long warmup, then hit up some speed squats. Decided to do some true speed work today, working up to 275 and hitting it for 8 doubles. Kept the rest really limited, and tried to focus best I could on form and speed. Hit the bar x 2, 95 x 2, 135, 185, 225 x 2, then went to 275. Did the 8 doubles in just about 8 total minutes, so I moved through them fast. Overall, they were good. A couple were a little slow, a couple were a little soft, and a couple were a little forward but overall they were solid, and towards the end when I focused on keeping the chest up, keeping tight and fast, they were feeling really good.

Next, dropped to 135 and hit it for some front squats. I haven't front squatted in what feels like weeks. 135 felt great, but I noticed as I went up the form was a little off - no real surprise, and the reason I wanted to get some front squats in in the first place. Hit 135, 185, 225 x 2, then jumped to 275. Decided not to belt up - partly cause I didn't want the temptation to go any heavier, partly because I want to be building my core and back, and partly cause I don;t think I have ever hit 275 beltless - and hit it for 3 singles. First was very solid, second was hard, and third was REALLY hard. Still, pretty happy with 3 singles at that weight, after not front squatting for quite some time. Especially beltless.

Finally, romanian deadlifts. I am committed to doing these this time around, to build the back and the glutes like never before. Today, kept it lighter - double overhand, 135 for 3 sets of 15. Felt good, pretty easy. I think I should keep these easy, and for higher reps. Definitely goign to be adding some weight though. Sets of 10-20, for like 50-100 total reps, with a w eight from like 135-225 should make a HUGE difference.

Anyways, good day. A little un-exciting, but I'm re-building the mentality I need for monday. Soon, I will be physically and mentally on track, and smashing some rep PR's (and then real Pr's) before I know it. Lets keep at it.

Strict press 185

Lame day yesterday. Not bad just lame.

Basically, to summarize the past two days - I have a little bit of post-macing out depression lol. I did great, and I am proud of myself for improving, but there's always this "now what?" feeling after you reach some goals. I want to get back to fighting to be strongER, but I also need a few days to regroup mentally and physically. So I am a little lame.

Anyways, strict pressed heavy yesterday. Warmed up, hit the bar for a few, then 95 x 5, 135 x 2, 165 x 1, belted up and hit 185 x 1 easy, a little bit of trouble on the lockout. I didn't think I was gonna get 200, but there wasn't really much point in attempting anything else, so I tried it and failed it. Not too bummed. My strict press hasn't improved, but it also hasn't gone down at all. It's just as strong, and my bench is getting stronger so I'm going to keep my concern there.

After that, did some seated dumbell pressing. Actually went very well. I hit 15, 25, 35, 42.5, and 52.5 all for sets of 15.

Next, cable rows were a little rough. Tried to do 4 sets of 20 with 120 lbs, but my lats started cramping HARD on the 3rd set, probably due to the max deadlift, so I called it early.

Finally, hit bar starz. Trying to keep that grip work in, as it obviously is working. Didn;t really pull much, but worked on shifting my hands around more than normal, and did some 1-arm stuff too to really get the grip.

Next day (today) I decided to just go for a walk and stretch outside, because I needed that.

Anyways, a lame couple days but it's okay. Gonna try and get some quality speed/technique work in these next few days, try and get my body feeling good and ready to lift heavy, without beating myself up at all. Then, come monday and tuesday, hopefully I will mentally be rearing to go, and physically be able to start smashing some rep PR's right out of the gate. Lets keep at it.

Deadlift 465

Really good day today. Almost an INCREDIBLE day, but not quite haha.

Max deadlift day. Took some time in the morning to try and get warm, stretched a bit, took a warm shower, had some coffee, etc. When I got to the gym, I was feeling pretty good. Took my time warming up - began sipping on my pre-workout while I did my normal, general warmup, a minute or so of rowing to get some blood in my legs and back, a "ground warmup" to stretch my back, legs, hips, etc, a few box jumps to get my nerves firing, and finally some back extensions to really make sure my back was feeling good.

Then, I got right to work. No bullshit, barely any reps - the goal was to be completely warm, so I could do as few deads as possible. Loaded up 135 and ripped it for 3. Next was 225, ripped that for 2. Then, 315 x 1 was cake. Loaded up 405, belted up, and smashed it. Then, jumped straight to a PR - 465. Got psyched up, and ripped that too, it was fucking cake. I almost loaded 495, but then decided to just put on 500 and give it my all. My first attempt was terrible. I got really amped up, sniffed some ammonia, but didn't focus enough on my setup and started with my hips way too high. Barely broke it off the floor before giving up. But, I rested up, re-psyched, re-sniffed ammonia, but took the time to set up right. The weight moved pretty well, to right above the knee, and then I simply couldn't lock it out. I fought, it was so close, but I couldn't squeeze my hips through. Maybe it was just a little too heavy, maybe I burned energy on the first fail, maybe my back was a bit too round, maybe my butt wasn't strong enough. But I will have 500 next time, no question.

Finally, hit some leg press - 12 with 1 plate, 2, 3, and then 14 with 4 to make a total of 50 reps.

SO lets talk about the deadlift. I am not very disappointed, because I smashed a 10 lb PR and almost got a 45 lb PR. So that is a good day. And, I definitely learned some things. To start, things I need to improve in the future:

More stimulants. The pre workout wasn't enough, I felt crazy on my warmups and kind of burned through that crazy by the time I got to the heaviest lifts. Crazier = better, and I could have been crazier today.

More glute training: I think the focus on getting my back stronger was a great idea, and that it helped my deadlift for sure - lower back feels perfectly fine after pulling today. However, I think I need to focus more on romanian deadlifts and deficit deadlifts, and do less back extensions. I need to be training my back, in conjunction with my glutes and hips because lockout has gotten tough for me.

Keeping my head more neutral: I think better position in of my head/neck will help me with lockout in the future

HOWEVER, here are some things that I did right, and need to remember for the future:

Warmup/minimal actual deads was GREAT, felt awesome. Keep that the same next time

Clearly, I improved my grip strength a lot. Keeping doing the monkey bar/bar starz stuff, along with deadlift holds to make sure grip isn;t a problem

More focus on form/slower approach: although I was going crazy, I also took a little more time with my setup on nearly every set, whcih ensured technique was good. The one exception was the first attempt at 500, which was by far the worst thing of the day haha. So bottom line, go NUTS and use more stimulants, but still take time to set up properly.

SO, I need to keep getting my squat/front squat stronger, keep training my grip and my back, and add in some more glute/hip hinge stuff. I am on the right track, and with these small changes I think I am going to be DESTROYING some deadlift PR's in the near future. But first, I gotta get my squat to 435! Lets keep at it.

Bench 185 x 12

Nice simple day yesterday. Felt pretty good, focused on moving weight fast and with good form. Definitely left some in the tank, which is a really good thing.

Started with a nice warmup, then bench. Hit the bar x 12, 75, 105, 135, 165 and finally 185 x 12 all with ease, with a pause on the final rep of each. Felt like I could have hit the 185 for at least 15 today, so that is good.

Next, grabbed some dumbells and did some pec flyes. I was really feeling these, getting a great stretch and a great contraction. Hit 7.5, 10, 12.5 all for 15, then the 15's for 3 sets of 15. Definitely have quite the sore chest from these today.

Next up, lat pulldowns. Kept the weight at 100 and did 5 sets of 20. Didn't feel quite as good as the cable rowing, but still felt it a good bit.

Finally, really didn't feel like doing bar stars, so instead I just did a bunch of random grip work. This included - picking up 135 barbell with a snatch grip and holding for time, farmers walking a sets of 45 lb plates around, picking up a 185 barbell double overhand and holding for time, some plate pinches, and farmers walking some 80 lb dumbells around.

So anyways, not a crazy day. But I feel good, feel strong, feel like I am doing the right thing by taking the second half of the week a little easier. Now all I gotta do is rest, eat, and stretch this weekend, and I think I am gonna be moving some big weight on monday. We will see. Lets keep at it.

Speed squats and Deadlifts

Today was kind of shitty, but that's alright, that was sort of it's purpose.

Started with squats. Focus was really on speed today. Felt alright warming up, my calves and feet were just really tight and crampy because of the running yesterday. Hit a bunch of sets of 5, with the focus on trying to move the weight as fast as possible, and with nice technique. Hit: bar, 95, 135, 185, 225, 275, 225, 185, 135, 95, and finally the bar again. Overall it was pretty good, I had a couple ugly reps in there, two at 75 where I hit the bottom too soft and lost position forward, and one at 225 where I completely misfired and had to double bounce out of the bottom. But overall, did 55 reps, probably about 50 of which were fast and beautiful. so that's not half bad.

Next, onto speed deads. These felt kind of crappy, but there are a large number of reasons for this, not the least of which is my 405 squat on monday. But aside from that, I a) just squatted a bunch of reps really fast, b) ran the other day, which saps my energy and makes me tight, and c) haven't done real deadlifts in quite a while. Anyways, the point of this workout was just to re-grease the groove, get my nerves firing hard, and practice what it feels like to mentally and physically give a deadlift some real juice. Hit 225 for 5 quick singles, double overhand and without chalk, then went up to 315 and hit that for 5 single, mixed grip but without chalk. Didn't move as fast as I wanted, felt more awkward than I wanted, and my lower back wasn't feeling great, but that's okay. The point of today wasn't to be strong, it was to get everything working again.

Finally, I hit back extensions. Used a 25 lb plate, and hit 4 sets of 15.

So that's that. Simple workout. Nothing felt amazing today, but that's okay - the point is to prepare for monday. Now I got my squats feeling fast, my deadlift re-grooved and feeling fast, my lower back and glutes a little pumped. I just have to focus on really resting, sleeping, eating, and stretching these next few days, and I'm gonna feel great on monday. Then, when I'm feeling great, I just load up on pre-workout, energy drinks, great music, and get in the right mindset... and I'm gonna move a LOT of weight. Lets keep at it.

Running + stretching

Did some running for cardio today. Warmed up, then did some intervals: run 100 m, walk 100 m, for a little over 20 mins. I kept the running at about 70%, so it was far from "high intensity," But it was a higher intensity than I have been doing. The movement of running felt nice, the breathing wasn't too bad. In the 24 mins or so, I did about 14 rounds.

Afterwards, stretched a good bit. My hammies are tight, but other than that I feel really good! Significantly less beat up than last wednesday. I feel like I am going to have no trouble healing up tomorrow and friday, working on some speed and technique stuff. Then, I have the weekend to get ready to ABSOLUTELY destroy some weight on monday. I'm getting SO excited. Lets keep at it.

Bench 250 x 1

Really good day today. Gonna keep it short.

Really focused on a great warmup today, paying really special attention to getting my shoulders warm, doing a bunch of dislocates, tornadoes, band pull aparts and dumbell bench. Then got to work benching. Felt good, focused on keeping the back really tight and moving the weight as fast as I could. Hit the bar, then 95, then 135, then 185 x 4, 225 x 1 like cake, 240 x 1 really easy, then smashed 250 x 1 for a 5 lb PR. it was so great that I jumped straight to 260 and was SO close to getting it. Hit a hard sticking point, tried to fight through and managed to keep it moving up for 2-3 seconds, then unfortunately failed. Still I feel sure I'll get it soon, and even more. I'm so happy to be improving.

Next, dropped back to 155 and hit it, close grip and feet up, for a set of 19.

Next, cable rowed 100 lbs for 4 sets of 25. Felt goooood.

Finally, Bar-Starzed around, got a nice forarm pump.

So I'm feeling happy. 15 lb squat PR, 5 lb bench PR with a LOT more in the tank. Can;t wait to heal up, and then hopefully get a SERIOUS deadlift PR monday, then, it will be back to building up my strength. Hopefully a LOT of rep PR's, and new Maxes, are soon to come. Lets keep at it.

Squat PR: 405 x 1

Great day today. Hit the long awaited 405/4 plate squat. A couple months late, but hey I can't complain.

So I really did a great job recovering this weekend. I did go out, drink, and could have slept more, but I took it real easy thursday and friday for training, ate like a motherfucker, relaxed, slept, and made sure to stretch/move/mobilize so I would heal up. And this morning, I was feeling the best I have in over a week. Took most of the morning to prepare myself, mentally and physically, getting war, stretching out bit by bit. Got to the gym and hit a great warmup, really getting myself loose, limber, moving easily. Then, got started squatting. Hit the bar x 10 with speed and precision, then 135 x 5. 225 x 3 felt a little shitty - idk why, but 225 always seems to feel a little crappy. However, 315 was spot on, down and up, not hard. So, I loaded up 365. Here, I fucked up haha. I don;t know why, but it was  terribly rep. I got way forward, and the rep was harder than it should have been. I could have gotten disheartened, but heres the thing - it was STILL an easy squat, despite being shitty. My buddies and I talked, and I decided to load up 385. I focused, kept this rep exactly like 135, and hit it REALLY smoothly, about twice as fast and smooth as last monday. So, I loaded 405 up, rested, got my head on straight, and went for it. It was heavy, but I kept form good, moved fast, and stuck with it, and I made the rep. Really proud of this squat, and really excited for the future! Clearly, I am on my way up. I just need to balance pushing really hard and recovering properly, and I think I will be seeing a LOT more PR's in the near future. Here's the video.

Finally, banged out some light and easy deficit deadlifts, to just get in a little back and grip work before calling it a day. from about a 4 inch deficit, hit 125 x 12, 205 x 15, and 125 x 15, all double overhand. Not even close to tough.

So, feeling great! I am on the right track, getting stronger, and figuring out how to make this ME/DE split work best for me. Now, some fun is just on the horizon - max deadlift next monday, my reward for this squat! Can't wait. Lets keep at it.

Bench 100+ reps, pull 100+ reps

Great little workout today. Kept the weight light and the reps high.

Started with benching. hit the bar x 20, 75 x a slew, 105 x a slew, 135 x 10, 165 x 10, 165 x 10, 135 x 10, 105 x 10, 75 x 10+, and then the bar for another 20. So more than 100 total reps. Felt decent, not great, shoulder was a little tweaky unracking, but I am getting back to 100%.

Next, cable rows. Used the widest attachment, and used the neutral grip. Loaded up 100 lbs and did 5 sets of 20 with limited rest. These felt GREAT. They are so easy to do, not super heavy or tough, but they made my upper back explode, my shoulder and elbows feel better, etc. I NEED to be doing simple, effective back training like this - tons of reps, lighter weight. EVERY time.

So, overall a good workout. I am finally feeling better. And I feel like I learned a really great lesson from this: I NEED to tone down my workload. I have been having a ton of fun training the way I am, but I simply got to a point where I was pushing myself too often. I need to push HARD on my max effort movement on monday and tuesday, but then do some lighter, gentler assistance - no more max front squat and THEN max deficit dead after lol. Heavy Main lift, lighter assistance work. And less overall movement, even on upped body day. Then, Thursday/friday I REALLY need to keep the weights lighter, and focus on speed and technique, not on smashing my body down. Then, again pick important assistance work, and I'll have a little more juice to go a LITTLE heavier on it. If I am a little smarter and don't push so hard, I should be able to KEEP PRing, instead of simply PRing, then burning out immediately after.

So, for this weekend I'm gonna eat, sleep, and stretch, and do my best to be recovered for monday. I still want to push to a heavy single monday/tuesday and try to PR. Obviously that will depend how I am feeling, so we will see. Lets keep at it.

100 squats and 100 back extensions

Kept it simple today. Starting to feel better now that I'm resting. I think I just need to keep Thursdays and fridays less crazy in general.

Hit a bunch of sets of 10 squats today - bar, 95, 135, 185, 225, 225, 185, 135, 95, bar. Felt good, much harder than ideal and much slower than ideal, but that's okay. I'm healing.

Then, hit 100 back extensions - 5 sets of 20 with a 10 lb plate.

Simple, light workout, but lots of quality work. Lets keep tomorrow light too, and lets keep at it.

Cardio + stretch

Cardio went well today. Hopped on the treadmill, walking, for 20 minutes, increasing the incline every minute until it maxed out at 15, then walking at that for 2-3 mins, then working my way back down till I stopped at 20.

Then, put in some time stretching trying to work on my whole body, but especially mu left shoulder. It is feeling really tight and painful today, like a small injury/inflammation.

So, overall I feel pretty bad. It's hard to tell if I am just pretty overtrained, or actually sick. I feel achey, exhausted, am in a bad mood, and this left shoulder is really painful. I think I am definitely gonna take it easy these next two days. Probably keep it nice and simple - light sets of 10 squats and back extensions tomorrow, then sets of 10 bench and cable rows friday. Try and recover while still working on speed and technique, get that shoulder feeling better, and hopefully feel fresh again come monday so I can attempt a new PR (405 I'm looking at you). But be careful, and take that workout in stride. And no matter how I'm feeling, I need to take it easy these next two days. Better to heal up and come back strong then to keep beating myself to shit. Lets keep at it.

Bench 240 for 2 x 2

Pretty interesting day today.

Gonna keep it brief. For reasons out of my control, didn't sleep well at all last night. At the gym today, felt alright warming up. Hit the bar for a slew, 95, 135, 185, then jumped to 225 x 3, and while it wasn't cake it felt good. Went to 245 and hit it for a solid but tough double, then attempted a third rep and, despite fighting for it for a few good seconds, failed. Re-Racked and took the weight again, hitting a very hard double.

NExt, dropped to 185 and tried to hit it for 5 x 8, close grip feet up, but my elbows were KILLING me and I just generally felt like a big sack of shit. Did a set of 8, and set of 7 and a set of 5 before calling it.

Next, lat pullover machine for 3 hard sets

Next, dumbell bench - 50 x 15, 60 x 12, and 70 x 6 or so.

Finally, bar starz. No pulling, just monkeybarring today, to save the elbows.

Overall, feel terrible. Idk if I am sick, or just overtired, or a bit over-trained. Either way, I am thinking about perhaps REALLY keeping the weight easy on thursday and friday, focusing on technique and speed, and trying to get myself feeling better. That is, after all, the point of this style of training - to ride the good days, and allow myself some slack on the bad. Not sure exactly how I'm gonna handle the next few workouts, but we will think about it and see. Lets keep at it.

Squat 385 x 1

Good day today. A little disappointing, but it was still a good day.

Started with squats. Got a good warmup in, then started squatting. I was trying to be vicious and aggressive today, and my technique/positions were good, but something was just a little off with my speed and strength. the bar, 135 and 225 moved fine, then I hit 315 for a double. First rep was just a little slow down and slow up, second rep was a little better. Then I loaded up 355, belted up, and hit it for a REALLY solid rep, but again it was just a little slower and harder than squatting has been. Finally, Loaded up 385 and tried to give it 100% focus. Ended up hitting it for a really solid rep, but it was so slow and hard that I couldn't attempt a double. So, overall, not bad - it wasn't a great day, and I hit like 99% of my PR. Only 20 lbs off 405, so there is a good chance that, on a better day, I might have the magic 4-plate squat in the bag. But it was still a little disappointing - I really wanted to double this weight today, and it is frustrating to simply not be as strong as I wanted to. BUT, I also neglected my "speed work" last week, in order to hit that 20 rep PR,  so perhaps moving lighter weight fast and for reps this thursday will get me ready to smash 405 on monday.

Next, front squats were especially shitty. I was hoping to maybe try and push for a PR here, since I didn't get what I wanted on back squats. Hit 135, 185, 225, then smashed 275 for a single but then missed 305 three times. It was close every time, but just not quite there. that made me very angry.

Finally, did some deadlifts from about a 1-1.25 inch deficit, wearing the oly shoes. Worked up heavy - pulled 245 for a few, 325, 365, and then finally pulled 405 for a single with the straps. Tried to hit another rep but just couldn't, so I rested, went strapless, and hit it again. Actually feel really good about this, hitting 405 for a few singles, tired out, from a deficit, in my oly shoes, and beltless, without any real psyching up. Can't WAIT to finally test my deadlift again, that is gonna be a fun day.

Anyways, not a great workout, but not bad. I need to focus on thursday, and put in the work I need to to get my 405 monday - lighter weight, fast and beautiful reps for my squat, then lots of back work to build me up for when I finally do that max deadlift. Lets keep at it.

Bench 205 x 8, 215 x 7

Really solid lift (yesterday) haha. Only issue is, my elbows were flaring up a lot. Probably just cause it was a very heavy week, and I did that HUGE set of heavy squats yesterday. A little bit of a bummer, but still not too bad.

What a man

Started with benching. I was doing some higher rep stuff today, working up in sets of 8 with the goal of hitting 205 x 8 or more, which would be an all-time PR for me. Took quite a while warming up, trying to get those shoulders loose and feeling good. In the end, everything was really moving nicely, but my elbows just would not get warm enough that they didn't hurt. Anyways, hit the bar, then 95 x whatever, then 135 x 8, 165 x 8, 185 x 8, loaded up 205 and (despite someone unloading all my weights while I wasn't looking and trying to take my rack) hit that for a really solid 8, definitely had a rep or two in the tank. So, instead of pushing that set, I loaded up 215, and tried to hit THAT for 8. It was a pretty good set, a little bit wobbly but I really worked to focus on those last couple reps and managed to hit a 6th and 7th. I MIGHT have even had an 8th in there, but I had no spot and 7 was hard enough that I didn't go for it. However, 8 at 205 is a PR, and 7 at 215 is maybe a 2-rep PR or something like that. Pretty damn good.

Next up, some strict press. I tried to keep it touch n go the most I could - I think part of my problem with strict press is, I have gotten so good at the MOVEMENT that when I do it, my muscles don't actually get much bigger/stronger, because I am so efficient with it. So, I think by keeping it touch n go I am keeping more tension on the muscles, forcing my stabilizers to grow and my shoulders to grow and then, when I go back to doing the MOVEMENT really efficiently, I will be much stronger. (I think that exact reason is why my bench has been growing). Anyways, hit the bar, 95 x 10, then 135 x 12, 8, and 7. Pretty happy with that! Haven't been strict pressing much, and that 12 is my PR. So I am at LEAST maintaining all my strength, while significantly improving my bench strength.

Next, did some pec flies. Felt good, but I was kind of coaching a friend as I was trying to do my sets, so I wasn't super focused. Still, hit a few warmup sets then the 15's for 3 sets of 15.

Finally, I did a slew of t-bar rows. I really wanted to do bar stars, but my elbows were already REALLY acting up, so I thought better of it. Did a set of 20 rows with a 45, 20 with 2 45's, then 16 with that + a ten, and finally another set at the same weight, of 15. The pulling helped my joints, that's for sure.

SO, In summary not just a great workout, but a great week, full of PR's! Literally a bench of squat PR on every single workout this week. What that tells me, however, is the smart thing to do is to back off a little bit. So this is what I am thinking: next week, push for PR double/triple on the ME days, then really don;t be afraid to keep the weight lighter and the reps higher on the rep days. I have been pushing pretty hard on those days, so I think to avoid pushing myself to much I should take at least this next week and just focus on a bunch of really good, lighter, faster reps. Then, the next week on ME day perhaps I will push up and try and hit a new PR single. I know I am in "PR territory," so one more heavy and hard workout, followed by some workouts that are easier to recover from + a long weekend will hopefully mean that, two mondays from now, I will hit my 405 squat, and two tuesdays from now I might hit a 255 bench. We will see! lets keep at it.

Squat 315 x 10

Today's workout was pretty funny. Basically it went like this - incredibly minimal and inconsequential warmup. Huge PR. Incredibly minimal and inconsequential assistance work haha. But hey, I'll take it.

Started with squats. I was running short on patience and high on hate today. Did the best, most thorough warmup I could, before getting started on squats. I was feeling okay, not great but what I lacked in smoothness I made up for in anger haha. Hit the bar x 10, 135 x 5, and 225 x 3, and besides some reps being forward and my lower back being a little tweaky, they were okay. So, I loaded up 315, rested, boiled over with hate, belted up, and took it. It went really well. I kept my focus on speed into the hole, and it went great. Fast down = fast up for me, and just like monday I felt super fast, smooth and powerful. I honestly barely remember the set. I remember it took a lot of balls to keep at it those last few reps, and on rep ten I was having an insanely hard time breathing haha. But I kept my head, focused on SPEED SPEED SPEED, and smashed rep 10. Really happy with that, it's been a long time coming.

Next, literally didn't know what to do lol so I did some front squats. Hit 135 for a few, 185, 225, then jumped straight to 275 with the belt and hit it for a single, tough but solid. Went up to 305 after, and unfortunately missed it. It wasn't a bad attempt, but I just didn't have it. However, couldn't really be too bummed after that 10rm.

Finally, did 4 sets of 15 back extensions with a 25 lb plate. Got a nice lower back and butt pump.

So a little bit of a strange lift haha because I feel like I didn't do much. But I did one, big, awesome thing. Focused hard and smashed a PR, 10 reps which are gonna build some serious muscle haha. I can definitely hit 405 VERY soon, it's just a matter of getting my mind right and feeling good on the day. Can't wait. Lets keep at it.

Bench 225 x 5

Solid day today! Classes were very long before I got to get to the gym, so I was perhaps a little less focused and single-minded than I would have liked. BUT, still got in some serious lifting.

Started with a nice long warmup, focusing on getting the shoulders loose and warm. Then, got started benching. Pretty much, focused on the big jumps with a rep-out at 225 in mind. Hit the bar, then 95, then 135, all of which felt just a little bit off. Wasn't quite in the right position, hips and ankles were a little tight and it was keeping me from properly setting up. However, by 185 I had loosened up enough that I could better command the weight, and I hit it for an easy 5. So, I loaded up 225, got my attitude straight, and hit it. Got a really solid set of 5, which is a new (and long awaited) PR for me! It wasn't a perfect 5. Definitely could have had a straighter, more perfect bar path (eliminated some wobble), but hey I will take the PR. Really happy with that.

Next, backed off to 135 and did some higher rep feet up close grip bench. No real reason to use the lighter weights, except that I felt like it. First set was a joke, I hit it for 24 reps. However, despite quite a bit of rest I dropped off pretty quickly from there, only hitting 16 on set to and then a mere 9 on the third set. I don't know if lack of focus and intensity played a role, or perhaps I just got really tired out haha. Either way, I think it was good to do some higher reps! really work on muscular endurance and force myself to spend some serious time under tension. However, I think I need to keep the weight on these heavier for the next few weeks at least, in the 175-205 range.

Thirdly, did some lateral raises. A ton of them haha. I just wanted to hit my shoulders, but didn't feel like pressing. I did sets of 10 with: 5, 7.5, 10, 12.5, 17.5, 20, 22.5, 35, and finally 17.5 for a burnout set. So that's around 100 total reps. Granted, weight didn't get hard till like 12.5 and 35 was just way too heavy, but I was working around people and feeling the movement out. Definitely got a pump! But If I was to do this again, I would probably stick to the 15-25 lb range, and simply do more reps with stricter form, only letting it break down to squat in an extra rep or two.

Next, bar stars went well today! Used a different pullup rig, which was SO much better for this kind of thing. I'm still nowhere even close to doing a muscle up, but I hit quite a few pullups, mixed grip pullups, chins, and leg raises, with significantly more monkey-bar type stuff and even some one-arm swinging and stuff. Definitely my three rounds were at LEAST 30 seconds, probably closer to 45. My palms hurt, but grip didn't even get close to failing, and I got a SERIOUS forearm pump from this today, which is a great sign! Building that grip, that back, and that overall upper body athleticism. Can't wait to be able to do a muscle up haha. Might be a while, but I'll get it.

Finally, wanted to do some lat pullovers on the machine but it was busy so I did 4 sets of 15 lat pulldowns. Felt alright, a little rushed cause I didn't really want to do these, but not bad.

Anyways, great day overall. Having fun with the bar stars, and my bench is going up! 225 x 5 is sweet, there was a time not long ago when I couldn't even hit that for 1. Lets keep at it.

Squat 365 x 3

Great day today! The weekend was really busy and rough, so I had no time or energy to train at all, and I was nervous about how it would affect my squats today. However, I took like 20 minutes to stretch yesterday, and did a really great and thorough warmup today and ended up feeling absolutely amazing while squatting. My form was just on point, I didn't have to think at all about technique or position, and because of that I could just focus on making every rep insanely fast and powerful.

How I feel today

Started with the bar x 10 and I was feeling great. Then went through the most minimal ramping up I have ever done. Hit 135 x 5, 225 x 3, and 315 x 1. All felt crazy powerful, and CRAZY fast. I was a tiny bit soft on the last rep at 225, and a tiny bit forward on 315, but I was moving so fast and powerfully that it barely affected the rep. So, I loaded up 365, belted up, and went after it. Smashed the first rep, hit a really solid second, then simply sacked up, focused on speed, and hit a third. I hit a nasty nasty sticking point and it took some serious pushing and screaming, but I locked that shit out! My first real squat PR in a while, 365 for a triple. really happy about that. Strongest I have ever been.

Next up, dropped the weight to 135 and started doing some paused front squats. Lately, simply going up heavy on fronts has felt great, but I want to try and throw in some higher-rep shit every now and then, and some paused shit to help build my power. I think paused is especially good because it takes out the stretch reflex, which I have been nailing lately, as well as forces me to get a good stretch in the bottom, and to build my back, which I need. anyways, hit 135 x 5, 185 x 3, then 225 x 1 which was cake, so I went up to 245. I hit it for 10 paused singles, taking about 2 mins per rep. They got tough by the end, but the first few were very solid and strong. And, I doubled the 10th set, so that's awesome.

Finally, did some deadlifts to hit the back. Felt like going a little lighter today, and going strapless to work the grip a little. I worked in with some kids, and just hit what they were hitting, touch and go, from the floor. I pulled 145 x 10, 205 x 10, and then finally 295 x 10. Grip felt great, didn't feel very hard at all. My power is growing. A couple more weeks of pushing my squat, and a couple more sessions where I really train my back hard, especially with deficit pulls and back extensions. Once I nail a 405 squat,  and I have improved my back strength even further, it will be time to summon up some hate and, quite simply, destroy my pr deadlift. I think the next time I pull heavy, I have the potential to hit almost 500. How close I get is going to depend entirely on how hard I work these next few weeks to build my squat and back, and how much hate and raw emotion I am able to muster on the day of the max. I cannot wait.

So, great day. Squat PR, and some quality assistance work. I am so very excited to keep getting stronger. I know exactly what to do, and I am fucking doing it now. Only thing left is to keep at it.