Bench 235 x 4, 135 x 33

Two Pr's today, although I didn't get my 5 reps at 135 it was still a very good day.

Hate Demon

I did a good job recovering last night, and actually felt pretty decent today as I started benching. Back was real tight but other than that everything was okay. Warmed up really well, got the lats firing, and aside from that basically focused on my mental state. Yesterday and today, instead of "psyching up" for a lift by just listening to music, I really focused on visualization - thinking hard about terrible things, things I am afraid of, things I hate, and taking power from that, imagining that each time I went up to the bar I had the power to defeat those demons. And this visualization, both yesterday and today, made a huge difference. Never before have I harnessed that kind of adrenaline while benching and squatting. Furthermore, never before has my technique been so good that I could release myself like that and still smash reps.

Anyways, hit the bar, 95, 135, 185 x 5, then smashed 215 for a single and loaded up 235. I hit it HARD, and smashed a set of 4 with so much ease that I surprised myself haha. After rep 4, I took a second to try and compose myself, to tighten the lats and try and make sure I got the 5th rep - and I think this was my downfall. I think I simply hesitated a little tiny bit, wasn't quite as fast down because I was over-thinking. I hit my normal sticking point and, although for a SECOND I thought I was going to fight through, I failed rep 5. I was pretty angry, because based on rep 4 I should NOT have failed rep 5. However, I know that next time I need to simply be as tight as possible from the beginning, and in the middle of the set focus on nothing except SPEED. And, 4 reps is a Pr so that's nothing to be too angry about. Furthermore, maybe 2 mins after failing that rep, I jumped under the bar and smashed a paused single at 235. It was cake, which is a very good sign for me.

Next, dropped to 135 and hit it for a max set of close grip, feet up bench. After my rage at failing that rep at 235, I decided to shoot for an ALL TIME pr at 135 - despite the fact that I was doing CGFUBP instead of normal. And I got it! 33 reps is a new PR, which is awesome. I will definitely have to hit 135 normal again soon, I have a feeling I could get 40+ soon enough.

Next, did 2 sets of 25 close-grip cable rows, supersetted with 2 sets of 25 wide-grip lat pulldowns. Got a lot of blood in my back, and got my shoulders feeling good.

Finally, couldn't do bar starz so I did some deadlift holds instead to work the grip. Held 205 double overhand first, then 285 double overhand to failure, then 285 mixed grip.

So, overall a really good day. Definitely feeling beat up though. Back is sore as hell, legs are crampy, knees and elbows are hurting. But that's okay, this is the week to kick my ass. Then, next monday and tuesday I'll hammer the main lifts, but back of the assistance a bit, and then just recovery central until max days next week. Gotta eat and sleep a lot the next couple days, with a reallllll good stretching session tomorrow, because I really wanna smash a big front squat PR thursday, and hopefully have a really solid, hard, and fun workout friday because I'm getting all my friends together to train with. Should be a good time. Lets keep focus on recovery, and lets keep at it.

Great Day: Squat 365 x 5, Deadlift 405 x 3

Great day today. Everything came together and I had one of the best training sessions I have had in a while.

Started with squats. First, I should say that my mind was in the PERFECT place today. I was full of testosterone, but more than that - I was visualizing and focusing perfectly the whole workout. I would listen to my music, focus, and think about some serious, emotional things that just allowed me to ride adrenaline for each set. I was crushing the weight like never before. In addition to that, my technique, speed and strength were all on point today. The result was that I could simply release myself, attack each set with as much hate and aggression as I could muster, and smash it. Warmed up a lot, then hit the bar x 10, 135 x 5, 225 x 3, 315 x 1, and destroyed every fucking rep. Focused in, belted up, chalked up, gathered as much emotion as I could and went after 365. I smashed reps 1-3. 4 was very hard, but I fought through and took time to breathe and focus at the top. Then, I hit rep 5 and although I felt like my eyes were going to explode out of my head, I got it. Really happy with that, a bit milestone and a 2 rep PR. Honestly, I think the ONLY thing that I could have done better today would have been to take a couple more breaths between reps. I think reps 4 and 5 were only as hard as they were cause I did reps 1-4 so fast. But overall, awesome awesome squatting.

Next, decided to do some deadlifts, from a dead stop and starting fully in position, without pumping my legs the way I normally do. I decided to work up to a heavy 3, simply because I was curious what I could do, and although I don't think it's as productive as the lighter touch n go stuff I have been doing, it was fun to go heavy and I think the heavy stimulus RIGHt NOW is going to help with super compensation. So, I hit 125, 165, 205, 245, 285, 325, 365, and finally 405 for an EASY triple. I used a lot of back/ had a bit of rounding, but MAN that triple was easy. I did it from a dead stop, without my normal setup, without a belt, after HEAVY squats, and it was still fucking cake which is cool. Now, no more heavy deadlifts for a while. Just going to focus on lighter rep stuff, the stuff that has been making my deadlift stronger. Touch n go, deficit stuff, etc. That stuff seems to be working really well to build my deadlift so I need to keep on it.

Finally, hit 3 sets of 20 back extensions with just bodyweight, focusing on squeezing my butt.

So, great day. Feeling really strong, really happy. Gotta focus hard on recovery, but the rest of this week should be fun! Couple more heavy lifts, then a bigggg taper leading up to maxes in 2 weeks! Lets keep at it.

Bench press 165 x 5 x 15

Good day today. Kept the weight light, did a lot of reps. I feel like I'm on the way to healing and that is good.

Also... weighed in at 237 today. Gonna be 245 before I know it. 

Started with bench. Got warm, then hit the bar, 95, 135, and then went to 165. Hit it for sets of 15, the first 14 BB style - fast reps, higher on the chest, and then the 15th rep I paused, as I would pause a competition bench. Felt good, paused reps didn't feel great, but they were after 14 other reps haha. 5 sets felt good, not cake but not even close to hard. I think I could probably hit 20+ at 165 on a good day without much trouble.

Next, pec flies. I just went up in sets of 15 - 7.5, 10, 12.5, 15, and 17.5.

Next, did some dumbell back work - basically sat face-down on an inclined bench at like 45 degrees and rowed dumbells. Don't know exactly what youd call it, but with 25's it actually hit my lats and upper back pretty hard. did 4 sets of 25.

Next, assorted gripwork - some dumbell farmers carries, light deadlift holds DO, etc.

Finally, did some straight arm pulling to make my shoulders feel nice.

Overall, good day. Pretty light and easy, wanna make sure my tender elbows and whatnot feel better for the next ME days, but I felt like ti was also productive - lot of chest and connective tissue work with those reps. I'm excited to go heavy again, and maybe go a little bit harder next friday as well, before backing off that last week in order to PR. Lets keep at it.

Front squat 275 x 6, 315 x 1

Great day for front squats today.

Started with speed squats. Didn't feel great to be honest. Not bad, but i wasn't quite as fast as I wanted. Form was good though, and speed was good. I worked to focus on it. Tried to keep everything nice and easy, athletic smooth and fast, although I have to say I feel stronger when I am a little more aggressive than calm now. Anyways. hit the bar x 10, then 95 x 5, 135 x 5, 185 x 5, 225 x 5, then 275 for about 5 singles until I was feeling pretty smooth and fast. Then went to 315 and hit it for 3 singles, none of which were too hard but also not very easy or fast. Tried to focus up on being faster into the hole with each successive rep. After the 3 singles, dropped to 225 and hit it for 3 doubles, trying to focus on speed into the hole on the first rep, and doing a double bounced rep on the second. I think the double bounce might be a movement that helps me a lot - like a pause squat, except better for my style of squat (because with a pause squat my butt shifts too far back).

Anyways, next up were front squats. These didn't feel great at first. Hit 135 x 4, 185 x 3, and 225 x 2 all with a double bounce on the last rep. Then, Loaded up 275, belted up, and went after it. I knew I was gonna get an easy 5. I just had to take time between reps and focus. I smashed it for 5, then did a 6th rep with a pause in the bottom. Awesome. It felt so good that I jumped up to 315 because I knew I would make it, and I wanted to boost my confidence because I KNOW I can front squat 325-335 easy in the next week or two. And I smashed it, even easier than last time I hit it (and that's after a huge PR already).

Finally, did deficit deadlifts, using 25 lb plates instead of standing on plates. Hit 95 x 16, 145 x 12, 195 x 10, and finally a little bit of a rep out at 245 - 12 easy reps.

Feeling really good. Wasn't a great day, but I am STILL getting fucking stronger even on bad days. I need to heal up and focus up for the next few weeks, but I am getting STRONGER STRONGER STRONGER, undeniably. Lets keep at it.

Update:

Starting to feel better! Really took today to rest and stretch, and HOLY SHIT the difference some serious stretching makes. I was in the gym for an hour tops, AND I took my time.... and walking out of there, I felt the best I have in WEEKS. I don't know how I will feel lifting tomorrow, so I'm going to play things by ear, but probably I will keep things relatively light and just try and focus on movement quality. MAYBE I'll front squat heavy, if I'm feeling decent. But anyways, just wanted to note that 45 minutes of stretching = feeling the best I have felt in a LONG time. I need to be doing this every single wednesday, saturday and sunday.

Bench 215 x 8

PR today, but not what I wanted nor what I should have gotten.

Started warming up today, and just wasn't feeling 100% once I started benching. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that I had to wait on a bench, so my warmup was a little out of synch with the start of my lifting, but I just wasn't feeling great - especially compared to last tuesday, when I was very clearly feeling great. Hit the bar, 95, 135, and 185, trying to both hit a few reps as singles, with my focus on tight lats, a low touch and bar speed, and hit some reps more "BB" style to get my pecs and tendons all warm and my stabilizers stabilizing. Then, went to 215 and hit it for a set of 8. Attempted a 9th and failed, after a good fight. I really wanted to hit this for 10 today, so I was a bit angry. Basically, I think there were two factors - first, I needed to be tighter. Like yesterday, each rep wasn't perfect, and I think that's probably the reason I got 8 reps instead of 9. Lats needed to be tighter so I could really spring the weight off the chest, arch could have been tighter, bar path could have been straighter, and elbows could have stayed tucked better. However, I also think it was just not a great day. I have been sick, I trained really hard yesterday, and to be honest I think I am a little over trained and under-recovered. My joints feel like shit, I am achey and sore and tired, and I think that is also probably part of the reason I didn't EXCEL today. However, a PR is a PR. I will do my best to be happy with it for now.

Next, backed off to 175 and hit it for cgfubp. This felt really heavy today, maybe cause it's just a little too heavy for this movement, but I think probably because this movement ALWAYS gives me the most trouble when I need rest. Hit it for 11, and then another set of 5.

Next, hit the lat pullover machine for 4 sets of 25 - one at 50 lbs, one at 65, and the last two at 80. Felt good.

Finally. bar starz with the fat bars that hurt my hands like a motherfucker. Did one set of 8 wide grip pullups, kipped, that felt good.

So, nothing crazy today. Not the day I wanted, don't feel great after, but it was still quality work. I think now that the heavy part of the week is over, I REALLY need to emphasize recovery for the rets of the week - that means lot of food, plenty of sleep, a real focus on stretching and foam rolling tomorrow on my off day, and if need be light weights thursday and friday. I wanted to hit some heavier front squats and some heavy volume bench, but maybe I will trim both of those workouts if I have to. I really want to come in feeling strong, healthy, fast and flexible when I try and hit 365 and 235 for reps - the hight reps were tough on form, but I'm hoping that I will be able to keep my technique really nice on these next weights, and hopefully hit some PR sets of 5-6. Lets keep at it.

Squat 335 x 8

Really solid day today. Far from perfect, but very good.

Started with my squats. I wasn't feeling great this morning. I have this nasty cold/flu thing that isn't bad yet, but I am afraid is about to get worse. Aside from that, squats thurs just didn't feel amazing, so I was a little unsure/tentative about squatting today. However, I was honest;y feeling really good. Got nice and warm, got my attitude and my focus right, then started hitting the weights. Hit the bar x 2 sets of 5, 135 x 5, and 225 x 3, all focusing on speed and form, all easy. Went to 315 and hit it for a really beautiful rep, although it was slower than ideal. But I was feeling strong and confident, so I loaded up 335. Threw on the belt, a notch lower than I normally do because I knew I was gonna need to breathe, and went at the weight. First thing I will say, is form was far from perfect. First rep I was quite a bit forward, which made the rep significantly harder than it should have been. I don't really remember reps 2-5, but I'm willing to bet at least one of them was forward too, and none of them were quite as fast as they should have been. I know that reps 6, 7, and 8 I speed up the descent (out of necessity). However, at that point form wasn't ideal either because I was tired, and form always breaks down on the last reps of a set. So, technique wasn't great on this set - I think simply a result of nerves, of knowing that I had a lot of reps to do, and therefore not treating each rep as a single, with real focus on precision and speed. However, that being said 8 reps at 335 is still a 2-rep PR. It's pretty fucking cool I could PR with my technique less than perfect. However, I really need to crack down on myself, focus on each rep as a single. I honestly believe I might have had 9-10 reps today if I had been better. The mental toughness was there, the strength was there, but I wasn't efficient enough and all that leaking energy results in lost reps. HOWEVER, I honestly believe I can squat 365 for 5 or 6 reps, without a doubt next monday. Yes, that is a high goal, but I think with my technique being perfect, I can hit a set of 6 so I'm making that the goal. I just need to focus on each rep as a single, and just breathe at the top.

Next, decided to go a little heavier on deads than normal, cause it's the beginning of a cycle and I have time to recover. Started of doing 5's, and hit 125-165-205-245-265-285-305-325, all for sets of 5. I'm pretty happy with that! Yes, 325 x 5 is nothing monumental, but it was a lot of volume, and I was pulling that first rep "Bryce Lewis" style, without my normal dynamic start, and it was feeling solid and great. And, I definitely had 2-3 reps in the tank at 325. Good stuff.

So, solid day! Getting stronger, I just need to keep focusing on speed and technique, and REALLY focus on thinking of my heavy sets as a bunch of singles strung together. I always just get afraid that I am not going to hit my goal, so I get all worried about the reps, and then each individual rep suffers. What I need is to think about each rep alone, and then I will almost certainly get more reps overall.

Also, one more small thought: I might play around on thursday with not only trying to squat each rep as fast as possible, but also squatting each set fast as well (i.e. not necessarily pausing at the top to breathe, but rather dropping back down immediately). I have had a bit of success with this technique on benching - it teaches me to better stabilize, and to make each rep consistent and precise, even without a moments pause at the top. I think that squatting like this might be really weird at first, but might ultimately teach me how to make every rep more in the groove/precise, because I will have to learn how to stabilize/stay in the groove with this much less stable technique. I might not stick with it - honestly, I think speed into/out of the hole is more important, so if the "fast reps" is affecting my rep speed, I might drop it. However, if I can train speed into and out of the hole at the same time as training myself to better stabilize/make my reps consistently straight up and down, I think it might be a really useful tool for me. We will see. Lets keep at it.

Bench 205 x 4 x 5, 225 x 5

Really good day today. Got to watch some buddy's max bench, and had a good benching day myself as well.

Got nice and warm, then got cracking on my benching. Again, today I really am trying to focus on benching like a bodybuilder - lots of reps, moderate loads, keeping tension, repping weight out fast as I can, controlled and tight. Hit the bar x a slew, then 95 x 15, then 135 x 10, all of which were feeling realllll good. Hit 185 x 6 which also felt great, so I loaded up 205. Goal was to hit a 5 x 5 and it was feeling really good. Pretty fast and easy, reps were no problem, so I hit 4 sets and then for the 5th, loaded up 225. I was able to hit the first 3 reps fast and in bb fashion, then on the final two had to "powerlifter" up a little, pull the weight a little lower and really treat them as fast singles. Still, I got them which ties my PR at 225, and AFTER 20 reps at 200 +. Pretty damn good.

Next, pec flies. hit 10's for a set of 15, then 15's for 3 x 15.

Next, t-bar rows, did 4 sets of 20

And finally, some half-assed grip work.

So, overall a really solid day. Bench is feeling great, and I really think I have had a breakthrough on how to improve it - on my heavy day, really work on PERFECT technique, speed, and treating each rep as a single. On the lighter day, focus on tension, banging reps out BB style, and really building up my chest, triceps, connective tissue, etc. I'm getting REAL hopeful that 275 is going to go up in just a few weeks. Lets keep at it.

Speed Squats + Front Squat 225 x 10

Good day yesterday.

Started with speed squats. As I stated before, I think I am really going to try and make thursdays' squat days all about speed. The plan is to basically get nice and warm, and start of squatting the bar as fast as I can. Then, just work up from there, trying to keep each successive set moving as fast as the bar moved. It's going to vary from day to day how heavy that is - maybe some days it's sub-225, maybe some days it's 365. But I'm going to try not to worry much about weight, or even sets/reps. Just goign to focus on bar speed and trying to get in a good number of really fast reps.

Anyways, yesterday I was feeling pretty good. hit the bar for 2 sets of 5, 95 x 5 135 x 5, 185 x 3, 2, 225 x 3, 2, then went up to 275 and hit it for 3, 1. At 275, my form just started to break down, I wasn't staying as tight as I needed to and I wasn't as fast as I needed to be, so then I dropped back to 225 and hit it for 3, 2, 1 reps, all pretty fast and clean. Overall, the speed work is interesting. Obviously I have been consistently doing light squats for speed and form, but never emphasized speed this much. It's definitely tough to get used to. It's hard to stay as tight as I need to - at times I just came down a little too hard and soft, and my joints and lower back are feeling that today. At other times, I simply slipped out of position a bit, which meant by butt drifting back and my chest dropping. I really just need to 1) get my joints and connective tissues used to the forces, and 2) be able to maintain my tightness and my very upright, forward squat position. If I can do those two things, then I really think faster will equal better on my squat. But, despite not feeling GREAT today, I think simply working on speed might make a big difference for mondays workout. We will have to see how I feel then.

Next, front squats. Had the idea today that I wanted to try and rep out 225 for 10. Hit 135 x 5, 185 x 5, then just sacked up and went for it. It was honestly not too hard. I definitely had more reps in me. I rished some of the earlier reps, so form wasn't perfect, but the weight moved easy, I did it without a belt, and paused the last rep. Pretty cool little PR.

Finally, did 3 x 10 deads from a deficit with 205.

So, good workout. Nothing crazy, but some fun front squats and some quality learning/practice with speed squats. Lets keep at it.

Max bench 255, 260 x 1

Great day today.

Started with a nice long warmup, got the shoulders really warm, then got to work. Right away, I was feeling solid. Weight felt light. I really tried to focus on separating my reps out, trying to really rocket them down and up with as much speed as I could muster for the first couple reps, then banging the others out quickly, keeping tension on the muscles and really getting my stabilizers, chest, and lats warmed up and working hard. Hit the bar x 20, 95 x 15, 135 x 10, 185 x 5 all easy, and I knew it was a good day. Kept my energy high and my attitude animal, and smashed a rep at 225, then 240. Went to 255 and smashed it for a new PR. I flared a little early and pressed the weight back, over my face a lot, but it was pretty easy. Loaded up 260 and hit that too, definitely tougher on the lockout, but overall still really fast and a great rep, and that was a 10 lb PR. I knewwww attempting 265, there was a good chance I would fail, but I REALLY want 275 next time I max out, so it was worth the attempt to be that much closer to my goal. However, I just didn't have it. Good fight at the sticking point, but I just didn't have it moving fast enough to lock it out. Still, 10 lb PR is nothing to be angry about! really happy with that, it's 25 lbs on my bench since the start of summer, 15 lbs since coming back to school. I think if I really crack down 275 is realistic. It's gonna be a fight but I am going to get it.

Next, close grip feet up benching. It's been a while sicne I did this! I need to be doing it more, it works so well for me. Anyways, loaded up 145 and hit it for a max set of 25, which I'm pretty happy with. getting stronger for sure.

Next, 4 x 25 cable rows with 110.

Finally, bar starz. My pullup strength and grip strength are really starting to improve due to this, it's such a great tool.

So, feeling much better today about training. I thought things through, and I think the plan for the next four weeks is clear: First and foremost, things are going to stay ALMOST the same. Training had been going great, I have been enjoying it, and I am getting stronger. However, some small changes are goign to make a difference, I think. Number one, doing a 4-week wave instead of 3, so I can get some slightly higher reps in on the first ME day and do a better job of "building." I think that extra really hard ME set, and the extra week, will give me a little more time to build up strength that is demonstrated when I max out. Secondly, I think that I need to focus on SPEED for my squat, and REPS for my bench. Thursday, I think I am going to try and avoid choosing weights, sets, reps, ahead of time as best I can. Instead, I am going to squat with the sole intent of moving that bar as fast as I can, do whatever reps I feel like, and just keep adding weight as long as I can maintain bar speed. Once I start to notice it dropping off, I either stay at that weight or even drop back, so I am REALLY training my ability to move as fast as possible, catch a stretch reflex etc. Some weeks, this might mean staying really light, and some it might mean going up heavy. But the important thing is going to be getting reps in where I am moving that bar FAST. Then, I will use front squats to work my technique, seeing as how all my issues on squat (chest up, hips and knees forward) are emphasized with front squatting anyways. So, get stronger with heavy squats, then really work SPEED with back squats, and technique with front squats thursday. On the other hand, I think I have the hang of speed and really solid technique on bench. I focused hard today on bar speed and it came really naturally to me. What I think I need to focus on for fridays is banging out reps, with slightly heavier weights. But the emphasis needs to be on getting through the sets as fast as possible, keeping tension on the muscles, forcing my chest and my stabilizers to work really hard - almost a more "bodybuilding" style of doing a set. This will help me to build up my chest, build my stabilizers, build my back, force me to grow because it isn't as efficient as I might want. Then, on heavy days when I REALLY focus on a tight arch, treating each rep as a single, and being as fast as possible, all that extra muscle, stabilizer strength and pec activation will make heavy singles fly up, like they did today. For squats, I need to focus on being as FAST as I can, and for bench I need to build my bench up with less stable variations (pec flies, high rep BB benching, CGFUBP, dumbell benching, etc) and then, conversely, focus on SMASHING heavy reps, as single, with maximum speed and lat activation.

Great day, with some great ideas. Can't wait for these next 4 weeks. Lets keep at it.

Bench 185 x 3 x 10.

Light day today. Not feeling my best, a little sore and tight and beat up, but I think that's a good thing! took it easy today, now I have the weekend to heal up nice, super compensate, and hit some Pr's next week.

Started with bench. got nice and warm, and really tried to focus on tight lats and big arch today. Hit the bar, 95 and they were flying up. 135 x 10, then jumped to 185 and hit it for 3 x 10. Wasn't as easy as I might have hoped, but not hard at all. Form was nice, everything was solid. I honestly think I just wasn't having a great day today.

Next, pec flies - warmup set with 7.5 then 3 sets of 12 with 17.5.

Next up, rows. Did some smith machine yates rows today, with 135, did 3 sets of 25. Felt good on my lats.

Finally, did some farmers carries to work grip, although I was having some wrist issue so I called it a little early.

So, solid day! simple, not too tough, but hopefully it got everything healing and worked all the right things, so that come tuesday weight will feel light, back will feel tight, and I'll be able to smash some big weight. Lets keep at it.

Squats, Front squat 295 x 3

Really solid day yesterday. Gonna keep this brief.

Started with squats. I was actually feeling really good, and was tempted to go heavy, but fought the urge haha. The point of today was to try and fix some of the technique issues I have been having. Squatting has just felt a little off lately on heavy days, and I wanted a day where I kept the weights lighter and focused on form. Hit the bar for 10, 135 x 5, then went to 225 for 3 sets of 10. Took time between sets, and really tried to focus on keeping good positions, keeping my hips and knees forward and my toro upright. It took some time, but by the end I was moving really well, reps felt good, form was on point. Basically, I think the key for monday is twofold; one, stretch out on sunday evening, and really focus on getting my ankles and shit warm before my max squat, so I don't get yanked out of position. two, keep my stance wide! Don't let the heavy weight scare me into a closer stance. Wider stance = better squats for me. Also, despite good form my speed wasn't as great as I wanted. No biggie, but I REALLY need to be focusing on speed on every single rep on monday if I wanna PR.

Next, decided to front squat sort of heavy. Warm up went great for these - hit 135 x 5 with a pause on the last rep, 185 x 3 with a pause on the last rep, 225 x 2 with a pause on the second rep. Then I went to 275 and hit it for a beltless single. It wasn't cake, but it moved well and fast, so I went up to 295, belted up, and decided to hit it for a double. However, a double moved so well that I ended up doing a third rep too. So that is a new PR triple, by 20 lbs. Definitely stronger.

Finally, defecit deads at 135, 3 sets of 20.

So, feeling good! Excited to do some work on monday. Lets keep at it.

Cardio and stretching

Short session today because I had to get some homework done.

Did a hard ten mins on the elliptical (lol) and then stretched my shit out. Feeling pretty good, hopefully tomorrows squats will feel nice!

Bench 245 x 2 x 2

Really good day today.

Started with bench. Got nice and warm - I've got this warmup figured out pretty well now! by the end of my general warmup, plus the shoulder dislocates, tornadoes, band pull aparts and dumbell stuff, my whole upper body is feeling really warm and pumped and ready to bench. Anyways, in my sets working up, I focused on hitting the first 3 reps or so with a lot of speed and precision, separating them out from eachother. I think the reason I didn't do so well at 225 last week is because I tried to bang the reps out, but at that sort of heavy weight I should be working on doing them almost like singles, to fight energy leaks. So, anyways, hit the bar for 20 or so, 95 x 15, 135 x 10, then 185 x 5, all of which felt good. Loaded up 225 and hit it for a solid single, not the BEST single I have ever hit at that weight, but pretty strong. So, I decided, instead of shooting for 240 for 3-4 reps, to load up 245 and try and shoot for 2-3 reps. Went after it and hit a very solid double, and honestly I feel like I might have had a third rep but I didn't have a spotter so I chickened out. But, I wasn't satisfied with 2 so I decided to try for at least another single. Ended up hitting a really nice rep, so I went for a double, and despite being a very tough lockout, managed to get it. So, two doubles at 245 is a nice little pr that I'm happy about. Would have preferred three, but hey you can't win them all.

Next up, did some dumbell benching, which actually felt great. It showed me how great my pressing power is if I simply keep my back and lats really tight - as a matter of fact, it made me think that perhaps I need to be a little more tucked one normal bench, bringing the bar just a tiny bit lower on my chest in order to make that lockout easier by not flaring so early on in the rep. I could THROW these dumbells up when I focused really hard on lat tightness. Anyways, hit 42.5's for 25 like nothing, 55's for another 25, then grabbed 65's and hit them for 19. Felt good, obviously I need to be goign heavier on these but for today this was a great few sets.

Next, cable rowed 100 lbs for 4 sets of 25, alternating between wide ass rows and bench-grip width rows. Felt great, blew my back right up.

Finally, bar starz. First set, did 4 normal pullups, then switched to supinated and did 2 chinups. Second set did some one-handed swings, and third set did 2 wide grip pullups, 2 regular grip pullups, and 2 chinups. Didn't spend as much time on the bar as I should've, but did more pulling than normal.

I'm coming soon

So, feeling great! Pr's yesterday and today, joints feel great, everything is good. So, basically I need to focus on recovery and technique these next few days, and hopefully I will be able to hit some nice PR singles next week. I'm thinking nice, high-rep stuff thurs and fri - light sets of 10, to really drill form and speed, followed by really light high rep assistance stuff (except maybe some moderately heavy front squats). Then, just really focus on resting, eating, and get in some stretching this weekend. I'm pumped, I think good things are soon to come. Lets keep at it.

Squat 375 x 3, 1

Interesting day today.

Basically, felt good today going into the gym. A little tight and off, which I think is simply due to the fact that I haven't been putting in the time to stretch on the weekends. I've been busy, so its not sheer laziness, but I think this weekend I am really going to try and get in at least 10-15 minutes of stretching on sunday, and hopefully the same saturday as well. Anyways, warmed up a long time and got started squatting. Hi the bar x 10, 135 x 5, 225 x 3, 315 x 1, then jumped straight to 375. Got in the zone, tried to treat it like 135, and hit it. First rep was good, second was good but pretty hard. I knew I had a third, so I focused up and tried to hit it. about halfway up I felt certain I was going to fail, and then something strange happened - without even thinking about it my left hand shot out to the collar, and I was able to finish the rep! I must have just been off balance and my body instinctively did what it needed to to get me back on balance.... and once it did that I could stand the weight up. Obviously form wasn't ideal AT ALL lol, so I decided to end on a better note. After a nice rest, hit it again for a hard but very clean single. So that's pretty good! I'll count it as a triple, which is a 10 lb, 2 rep PR. not bad.

Next, kept the assistance high. Deadlifts, touch n go, from the floor, double overhand. Hit 125 x 15, 185 x 15, and then 235 x 15.

So, good day! I need to do some reps thursday, to work on speed, form, keeping my feet wide and my weight in the right place, etc. Then, I need to stretch this weekend to make sure I can keep good positions monday. But overall, I think I'm gonna hit 400+ no problem next monday. Hopefully, 415 will be in the bag. Lets keep at it.

Bench 205 x 8

Decent day yesterday. Again, time limit to my workout meant I was pushing fast. Benching didn't feel quite as good as I wanted, but it was an alright day. 

Warmed up, got my shoulders really warm and focused on getting my chest and my lats warmer today. Then started benching, without much rest and focusing on speed and precision. Hi the bar x 20, 75 x 12 or so, 105 x 12 or so, then 135 x 8, 165 x 8, 185 x 8, and finally 205 x 8. The 205 x 8 was harder than I wanted it to be, I was hoping to rip through the reps but it wasn't that easy. Still, I probably had a rep or two in the tank. I think, with heavier weights, the secret is going to be to do a better job separating the reps, while with lighter weights I should continue working on banging out the sets as fast as possible, so that with max attempts I conserve energy and every rep is precise, and with lighter work I am working on building up my stabilizers and really working my muscles in the same motor pattern over and over. 

Next up, pec flies. did 3 sets of 20 with 10 lb dumbells, just to mix things up. 

Next, cable rows, 4 sets of 25. I really tried to think, with these, about treating it like the opposite of a bench press. Keeping the form exactly the same, basically. It was interesting, and felt a lot like a bench press, which is good. I think I am finally figuring out how to really utilize my back in the bench, maybe that's why it has been improving lately. 

Finally, bar starz was good. For the first time in a while, did some actual pulling which felt good! shoulders and elbows weren't bothered by it at all. Grip is getting pretty damn strong. 

So, Good day. Trying to rest up for the rest of this weekend, and hopefully hit some PR's monday and tuesday! Last week was aight, so lets try and make this week REALLY solid. Lets keep at it. 

Speed squat and Front squat

Good day. Ripped through my workout cause I was on a time limit. Went really well.

Started with speed squats. I was NOT perfect today. Something was a little wonky with my squats. I think I'm just a little bit tight, and because of that I was having trouble keeping my positions perfect. My feet kept sneaking closer during my sets, and I was having a little bit of "butt shoots back, chest dip" at times. But I tried to fight it, to keep my bar path straight, and to really focus on speed and precision. Working up in sets of 5, hit the bar, 95, 135, 185, 225, 275, then went up to 315, belted up, and hit it for a really nice single - again form was a tiny bit off, but it was really fast and easy. Then, went back down with really little rest - 275 x 5, 225, 185, 135, 95, and the bar. So 60 squats plus a nice rep at 315. Felt good, although my legs were really tired from moving so fast, both rep speed and speed through the sets haha.

Next, front squats. Plan was to do some heavy singles today, anywhere between 275 and 315, and it went well! Not perfect, but really well especially considering how many squats I had already done and how fast I was moving. Hit 135 x 3, 185 x 2, 225 x 1, then belted up and hit 275 x 1, 285 x 1, and finally 295 x 1. That last one was hard, but considering how much I had done, and how shitty they were feeling I'll take it haha.

Finally, made a small deficit (maybe and inch and a half) and did some touch n go deads. hit a set of 12 at 135, then a set of 12 at 225, then back down to 135 for 15, all double overhand, all easy, all with a focus on squeezing my butt.

So, good day! Hopefully my body will get healing, and next monday I will be moving fast AND be able to keep better technique. I want to do some serious damage to whatever weight I pick that day. Lets keep at it.

Bench 225 x 5, 185 x 15, 135 x 32

Alright day today. Not perfect, but good.

Felt good going into the gym. Did a nice long warmup, including lots of shoulder stuff that felt great and had my shoulders feeling nice while I was benching. In retrospect, however, I think I could have warmed up my chest and my lats more. Anyways, hit the bar, then 95, then 135, then, all of which felt light and easy. Jumped straight to 225 and went after it. Form was good, reps were fast and whatnot, but I think I could have been a little tighter and smoother. However, I think perhaps that wasn't really my fault - I am REALLY sore and tight from yesterdays workout for some reason, and my lower back was CRAMPING after a set at 225. Anyways, got it for a nice set of 5, then failed the 6th. Maybe I needed to be a little tighter, maybe I just needed an extra second of rest, but whatever. I failed it, I was angry, but it was still a PR tie, and it was easier than last time.

Next, backed off to 185, and hit it for a PR set of 15. It was really solid, might have had a 16th rep in there. Then, dropped to 135 and hit it for a PR set of 32. Definitely had 2-3 more reps in me, plus my breathing was a little weird on the set, which definitely hurt me a little. So, 2/3 Pr's isn't bad, but not perfect.

Finally, did 4 x 25 t-bar rows with a 45 lb plate, blew my back up, and then a couple sets of bar starz, although it was a little halfhearted it still felt good and worked my grip.

So, alright day. Hopefully, even though I didn't PR today, I got some quality building work done, and after some recovery and speed/technique stuff friday, I will hit a nice lil PR next tuesday. Lets keep at it.