[quote]novaeer wrote:
Squats looked good. Good call on not getting greedy and going for a heavier set.
P.S. When did your bench get so out of whack? Regardless, 485 for 4 reps is pretty awesome. ;-)[/quote]
Haha I wish I could bench 485 for 1 let alone 4!
Thanks, the squats have been feeling better lately
edit: haha I see my mistake now!
MON APRIL 23
SQUAT w/ BELT - 1RM: 505 lbs
465 lbs x 1 reps x 1 sets @ 9 RPE - 92% of 1RM
510 lbs x 1 miss x 1 sets @ 11 RPE - 101% of 1RM
505 lbs x 1 reps x 1 sets @ 10 RPE - 100% of 1RM
BENCH PRESS - 1RM: 337 lbs
305 lbs x 1 reps x 1 sets @ 9 RPE - 91% of 1RM
322.5 lbs x 1 reps x 1 sets @ 9.5 RPE - 96% of 1RM
335 lbs x 1 reps x 1 sets @ 10 RPE - 100% of 1RM
341 lbs x 1 miss x 1 sets @ 11 RPE - 101% of 1RM
DEADLIFT w/ BELT - 1RM: 648 lbs
596 lbs x 1 reps x 1 sets @ 9.5 RPE - 92% of 1RM
661 lbs x 1 miss x 1 sets @ 11 RPE - 102% of 1RM
First the Pros: Benching today was awesome, the reps have been adding up and today it all came together. 305 and 322 felt like an empty bar. 335 was a big PR and felt like there was more in the tank. 341 was close but I just didn’t have the strength left to grind it. All in all an awesome bench day.
Cons: Squatting was not as good as I was hoping. 505 and 510 both felt pretty light comming out of the rack but had a wicked tough sticking point in the middle. I think because I round my mid back slighly in the hole I come forward a little. I could feel the weight shift ever so slightly onto the balls of my feet and I noticed my bar position seems to have migrated higher so I had to fight extra hard to get it back in the groove. I’m going to try a lower bar position and maybe even a neutral spine/head position to see if that helps any.
Meh: Deadlifts felt a little tired, 596 felt heavier than I would have liked but I was told it moved very fast. 300kg was a long shot and I got it up to just below my knees. On a good day I know I can smash it. I could have definitely pulled something in the 620-640 range, so even on a modest day I’m pretty close to my PR pull.
THURS APRIL 26
BENCH PRESS - 1RM: 333 lbs
315 lbs x 1 reps x 1 sets @ 9.5 RPE - 95% of 1RM
330 lbs x 1 reps x 1 sets @ 10 RPE - 99% of 1RM
336 lbs x 1 miss x 1 sets @ 11 RPE - 101% of 1RM
SQUAT w/ BELT - 1RM: 507 lbs
463 lbs x 1 reps x 1 sets @ 9 RPE - 91% of 1RM
507 lbs x 1 reps x 1 sets @ 10 RPE - 100% of 1RM
518 lbs x 1 miss x 1 sets @ 11 RPE - 102% of 1RM
518 lbs x 1 miss x 1 sets @ 11 RPE - 102% of 1RM
DEADLIFT w/ BELT - 1RM: 629 lbs
585 lbs x 1 reps x 1 sets @ 9.5 RPE - 93% of 1RM
629 lbs x 1 reps x 1 sets @ 10 RPE - 100% of 1RM
So benching didn’t feel as strong as monday, 315 was heavy and 330 felt like I was going to miss but at the sticking point I tried the trick of driving my shoulders back like Clint and I spoke of and I managed to finish the lift. Woohoo now I know monday’s benching wasn’t a fluke and even a little off I feel confident for a 320+ bench. 336 was just too much today.
On the squats I used a lower bar and a head down/neutral spine. It felt… interesting. I was told I looked pretty folded over and it looks a little ugly but 507 moved well and felt much better than 505 felt on monday. I also felt like I could grind better with this technique. Not sure what to make of it, I felt like I had the strength for 518 but just couldn’t seem to get the technique to work. Maybe I’ll stick with this for a while and see if I can make it a little more natural. Again not sure if this is the best idea.
With the deads I went for a heavy attempt over 600 as I haven’t done many of those since the meet in Feb. Deads were not feeling very strong today and 629 was a hell of a grinder but it’s only 5kg off my best ever pull and put my “total” for the day @ 665kg which is a PR. I felt some tension in my right bicep near the top and watching the video I think I flexed my arms a little as I finished. This has never been an issue before but could lead to a torn bicep if I don’t address it. I think it’s because I’ve been using straps for my pulls lately and that has let me get a little sloppy at the top. I’ll drop them for a bit and focus on keeping the arms straight throughout the movement and that should fix it.
SAT APRIL 28
SQUAT - 1RM: 441 lbs
286 lbs x 3 reps x 1 sets @ 7 RPE - 65% of 1RM
353 lbs x 3 reps x 1 sets @ 8 RPE - 80% of 1RM
Conditioning:
1 to 1.5 hrs of Krav Maga
SUN APRIL 29
BENCH + CHAIN - 1RM: 265 lbs
225 lbs x 3 reps x 1 sets @ 9 RPE - 85% of 1RM
PRESS - 1RM: 209 lbs
155 lbs x 6 reps x 1 sets @ 9 RPE - 85% of 1RM
Just some light stuff, the Krav Maga training was fun.
TUES MAY 01
PUSH PRESS - 1RM: 244 lbs
205 lbs x 4 reps x 1 sets @ 9 RPE - 84% of 1RM
220 lbs x 3 reps x 1 sets @ 10 RPE - 90% of 1RM
195 lbs x 4 reps x 1 sets @ 9 RPE - 80% of 1RM
BENCH + CHAIN - 1RM: 295 lbs
245 lbs x 6 reps x 1 sets @ 9.5 RPE - 83% of 1RM
235 lbs x 6 reps x 1 sets @ 9.5 RPE - 80% of 1RM
SSB SQUAT - 1RM: 418 lbs
355 lbs x 3 reps x 1 sets @ 9 RPE - 85% of 1RM
345 lbs x 4 reps x 1 sets @ 9 RPE - 83% of 1RM
335 lbs x 4 reps x 1 sets @ 9 RPE - 80% of 1RM
325 lbs x 4 reps x 1 sets @ 9 RPE - 78% of 1RM
I haven’t done push presses in a while, they felt pretty good. On the last rep of 220 I messed up and got out of position and couldn’t lock it out. 220x4 and more is there if with a little more practice. I used the neutral head position on the SSB squats and it was harder since the bar was set so high. My upper and mid back got beat up pretty good and there was some definite rounding as the sets went on. I also noticed my arms seemed to get in the way and I was touching my forearms to my quads at the bottom of the squat.
THURS MAY 03
DEADLIFT - 1RM: 636 lbs
560 lbs x 3 reps x 1 sets @ 9.5 RPE - 88% of 1RM
535 lbs x 5 reps x 1 sets @ 10 RPE - 84% of 1RM
2 BOARD - 1RM: 350 lbs
315 lbs x 2 reps x 1 sets @ 9 RPE - 90% of 1RM
295 lbs x 2 reps x 1 sets @ 9 RPE - 84% of 1RM
Deadlifts did not go as planned today. I was looking to hit 560x5 but my quads and back were shot going in and even the first rep was a grind. I dropped the weight a fair bit and even then I barely made the 5th rep. I think it might have actually been the hardest deadlift rep I have ever completed, my back didn’t even make a courtesy attempt at staying tight. This was obviously a little frustrating as I have pulled more weight beltless. I’m thinking all the SSB work the other night took it’s toll but even still my deadlift just hasn’t been feeling as great these past few weeks. It was skyrocketing for a while so maybe it just needs to coast a little bit. I guess I can’t expect to hit PRs every week indefinitely. Hopefully the past few weeks of coasting will give way to a big pull at Nationals on June 3.
SAT MAY 05
SQUAT w/ BELT - 1RM: 551 lbs
441 lbs x 5 reps x 1 sets @ 10 RPE - 80% of 1RM → PR!
419 lbs x 5 reps x 1 sets @ 10 RPE - 76% of 1RM
BENCH - 1RM: 317 lbs
285 lbs x 3 reps x 1 sets @ 10 RPE - 90% of 1RM
275 lbs x 4 reps x 1 sets @ 10 RPE - 87% of 1RM
265 lbs x 5 reps x 1 sets @ 10 RPE - 84% of 1RM
DEADLIFT AGAINST BANDS - 1RM: 528 lbs
475 lbs x 2 reps x 1 sets @ 9 RPE - 90% of 1RM
455 lbs x 2 reps x 1 sets @ 9 RPE - 86% of 1RM
455 lbs x 2 reps x 1 sets @ 9 RPE - 86% of 1RM
Well my deadlift wasn’t great this week but the squat sure made up for it. 200kg (441) is a 5rep PR! It felt pretty good, there might even have been a couple pounds left in the tank. This was the first really excellent set of squats I’ve hit in a while and to say I was happy would be an understatement. I think I’m going to stick to the neutral / head down style of squat, it felt very strong. Benching wasn’t as great, 285 was a long shot for 5reps, I think on a perfect day it’s there but just not today. Even though the weight felt light I think my technique was off a little, so I’ll need to be more vigilant about that.
SUN MAY 06
2ct PAUSE SQUAT - 1RM: 417 lbs
375 lbs x 2 reps x 1 sets @ 9 RPE - 90% of 1RM
355 lbs x 5 reps x 1 sets @ 9 RPE - 85% of 1RM
SNATCH GRIP SLDL - 1RM: 481 lbs
385 lbs x 4 reps x 1 sets @ 9 RPE - 80% of 1RM
365 lbs x 4 reps x 1 sets @ 9 RPE - 76% of 1RM
FLOOR PRESS - 1RM: 295 lbs
245 lbs x 4 reps x 1 sets @ 9.5 RPE - 83% of 1RM
235 lbs x 4 reps x 1 sets @ 9 RPE - 80% of 1RM
I was suppose to get the pause squats on Thurs but didn’t have the time so I finished them now. I also set a stop watch and actually paused for a full 2 seconds with the squats… wow that sucks. It also demonstrated to me just how fast I was counting to 2 before. It was still a strong showing and demonstrated to me the benefit of tucking my chin on the way up to grind through the sticking point. The snatch grips were ok, setting the straps was the hardest part. Floor presses felt weak today.
MON MAY 07
HALF BOARD PRESS - 1RM: 551 lbs
264 lbs x 3 reps x 1 sets @ 8 RPE - 79% of 1RM
286 lbs x 3 reps x 1 sets @ 9 RPE - 85% of 1RM
275 lbs x 3 reps x 1 sets @ 8 RPE - 82% of 1RM
275 lbs x 3 reps x 1 sets @ 9 RPE - 82% of 1RM
275 lbs x 3 reps x 1 sets @ 9 RPE - 82% of 1RM
264 lbs x 3 reps x 1 sets @ 9 RPE - 79% of 1RM
SNATCH GRIP SLDL - 1RM: 500 lbs
400 lbs x 3 reps x 1 sets @ 8 RPE - 80% of 1RM
375 lbs x 6 reps x 1 sets @ 9 RPE - 75% of 1RM
375 lbs x 6 reps x 1 sets @ 9 RPE - 75% of 1RM
350 lbs x 6 reps x 1 sets @ 8 RPE - 70% of 1RM
350 lbs x 6 reps x 1 sets @ 9 RPE - 70% of 1RM
Lots of volume today. The half board presses felt ok, maybe a little heavier then I would have liked but they all moved very strongly. On the snatch grips I couldn’t seem to set my one pair of straps properly with 400 so I used a pair of leather ones and mid way through the set the left strap tore in half. I dropped the weight a little and managed to set my first pair of straps reasonably tight and got some work in. 400x6 was there no problem if I could hold onto it.
WEDS MAY 09
BENCH + CHAIN - 1RM: 294 lbs
250 lbs x 3 reps x 1 sets @ 9 RPE - 85% of 1RM
245 lbs x 3 reps x 1 sets @ 9 RPE - 83% of 1RM
240 lbs x 3 reps x 1 sets @ 9 RPE - 82% of 1RM
235 lbs x 3 reps x 1 sets @ 9 RPE - 80% of 1RM
230 lbs x 3 reps x 1 sets @ 9.5 RPE - 78% of 1RM
225 lbs x 3 reps x 1 sets @ 9 RPE - 77% of 1RM
SSB SQUAT - 1RM: 461 lbs
355 lbs x 5 reps x 1 sets @ 9 RPE - 77% of 1RM
345 lbs x 5 reps x 1 sets @ 9 RPE - 72% of 1RM
335 lbs x 5 reps x 1 sets @ 9 RPE - 69% of 1RM
325 lbs x 5 reps x 1 sets @ 9 RPE - 67% of 1RM
Nothing crazy, just plenty of volume. I’ve been miscounting my safety bar as 65 for a while even though it’s 80 lbs. Not really sure how long exactly, it doesn’t matter I remembered the right weight today. They felt much better than last week.
THURS MAY 10
2ct PAUSE SQUAT - 1RM: 429 lbs
365 lbs x 3 reps x 1 sets @ 9 RPE - 85% of 1RM
355 lbs x 3 reps x 1 sets @ 9 RPE - 83% of 1RM
345 lbs x 3 reps x 1 sets @ 9 RPE - 80% of 1RM
335 lbs x 3 reps x 1 sets @ 9 RPE - 78% of 1RM
DEADLIFT w/ BELT - 1RM: 675 lbs
550 lbs x 4 reps x 1 sets @ 9 RPE - 82% of 1RM
560 lbs x 4 reps x 1 sets @ 9.5 RPE - 83% of 1RM
540 lbs x 4 reps x 1 sets @ 9.5 RPE - 80% of 1RM
520 lbs x 4 reps x 1 sets @ 9.5 RPE - 77% of 1RM
2 BOARD - 1RM: 347 lbs
295 lbs x 3 reps x 1 sets @ 9 RPE - 85% of 1RM
275 lbs x 3 reps x 1 sets @ 8 RPE - 79% of 1RM
275 lbs x 3 reps x 1 sets @ 8 RPE - 79% of 1RM
275 lbs x 3 reps x 1 sets @ 9 RPE - 79% of 1RM
275 lbs x 3 reps x 1 sets @ 9 RPE - 79% of 1RM
275 lbs x 3 reps x 1 sets @ 9 RPE - 79% of 1RM
A solid day, I started w/ 550x4 on the deads but it moved pretty easy so I tossed another 10 lbs on there and hit a solid set of 4. Seeing as how I missed this last week I’m pretty stoked. The pause squats were good, I used the stop watch again. Got in plenty of volume with the 2 board.
SAT MAY 12
SQUAT w/ BELT - 1RM: 502 lbs
452 lbs x 2 reps x 1 sets @ 9.5 RPE - 90% of 1RM
452 lbs x 3 reps x 1 sets @ 10 RPE - 90% of 1RM
430 lbs x 4 reps x 1 sets @ 9.5 RPE - 85% of 1RM
408 lbs x 4 reps x 1 sets @ 9.5 RPE - 81% of 1RM
BENCH - 1RM: 331 lbs
275 lbs x 4 reps x 1 sets @ 9.5 RPE - 83% of 1RM
269 lbs x 4 reps x 1 sets @ 9.5 RPE - 81% of 1RM
255 lbs x 4 reps x 1 sets @ 9 RPE - 77% of 1RM
245 lbs x 4 reps x 1 sets @ 9 RPE - 74% of 1RM
Squats weren’t so good this day. I forgot to arch my back as hard as last time and got pushed around by the weight, also had some stomach issues which made keeping tight difficult. Went to support a few friends at a local meet afterwards and benched in the warm up room.
MON MAY 14
SQUAT w/ BELT - 1RM: 529 lbs
445 lbs x 3 reps x 1 sets @ 8.5 RPE - 84% of 1RM
450 lbs x 3 reps x 1 sets @ 9 RPE - 85% of 1RM
BENCH - 1RM: 359 lbs
275 lbs x 5 reps x 1 sets @ 9 RPE - 77% of 1RM
287 lbs x 5 reps x 1 sets @ 10 RPE - 80% of 1RM
Did a much better job of keeping my back arched on the squats today and they were much easier. The benching was great, huge PR here!
TUES MAR 15
DEADLIFT AGAINST BANDS - 1RM: 538 lbs
500 lbs x 1 reps x 1 sets @ 9 RPE - 93% of 1RM
485 lbs x 1 reps x 1 sets @ 9 RPE - 90% of 1RM
Got some deadlifts against bands in to complete day one.
THURS MAY 17
DEADLIFT w/ BELT - 1RM: 647 lbs
550 lbs x 3 reps x 1 sets @ 8.5 RPE - 85% of 1RM
2 BOARD - 1RM: 361 lbs
315 lbs x 2 reps x 1 sets @ 9 RPE - 87% of 1RM
325 lbs x 2 reps x 1 sets @ 9 RPE - 90% of 1RM
I felt tight on the deadlifts and couldn’t seem to get set properly. 550 was a little sloppy but still 550x3 on an off day isn’t too bad.
SAT MAY 19
PIN SQUAT - 1RM: 453 lbs
396 lbs x 1 reps x 1 sets @ 8 RPE - 88% of 1RM
430 lbs x 1 reps x 1 sets @ 9 RPE - 88% of 1RM
430 lbs x 1 reps x 1 sets @ 9 RPE - 95% of 1RM
HALF BOARD PRESS - 1RM: 342 lbs
315 lbs x 1 reps x 1 sets @ 8.5 RPE - 92% of 1RM
325 lbs x 1 reps x 1 sets @ 9 RPE - 95% of 1RM
3 BOARD CG - 1RM: 383 lbs
295 lbs x 5 reps x 1 sets @ 9 RPE - 77% of 1RM
Got in the pin squats from Thurs, they felt strong. The half board presses were also very good and I hit 325 for a very comfortable single.
MON MAY 21
SQUAT w/ BELT - 1RM: 527 lbs
465 lbs x 2 reps x 1 sets @ 8.5 RPE - 88% of 1RM
485 lbs x 2 reps x 1 sets @ 9.5 RPE - 92% of 1RM
465 lbs x 2 reps x 1 sets @ 9.5 RPE - 88% of 1RM
BENCH - 1RM: 344 lbs
292 lbs x 4 reps x 1 sets @ 10 RPE - 85% of 1RM
275 lbs x 4 reps x 1 sets @ 9 RPE - 80% of 1RM
275 lbs x 4 reps x 1 sets @ 10 RPE - 80% of 1RM
DEADLIFT AGAINST BANDS - 1RM: 594 lbs
455 lbs x 4 reps x 1 sets @ 8 RPE - 77% of 1RM
475 lbs x 4 reps x 1 sets @ 9 RPE - 80% of 1RM
455 lbs x 4 reps x 1 sets @ 9 RPE - 77% of 1RM
Today was some very good squatting. 465x2 was a smoke show so I jumped up to 485 which matches my best ever double (I did 485 w/o a belt in sept so still a little behind but not bad). ON the first rep with 485 the bar rolled up my traps so it was harder than it should of been, I had to reset the bar at the top and the second rep was a grinder. With a little cleaner technique that’s an easy 2 and 495-500 for a double is doable. This gives me a lot of confidence going into my meet next weekend. So even though it was a little harder than I wanted I feel much better about my squat after having handled it for a double. The bench was great again, I’m getting close to hitting 300x5. The deads w/ bands were also very strong. All around a great day.
THURS MAY 24
PIN SQUAT - 1RM: 481 lbs
385 lbs x 4 reps x 1 sets @ 9 RPE - 80% of 1RM
365 lbs x 4 reps x 1 sets @ 9 RPE - 76% of 1RM
DEADLIFT w/ BELT - 1RM: 672 lbs
605 lbs x 2 reps x 1 sets @ 9 RPE - 90% of 1RM → PR!
575 lbs x 2 reps x 1 sets @ 9.5 RPE - 86% of 1RM
2 BOARD - 1RM: 371 lbs
275 lbs x 3 reps x 1 sets @ 8 RPE - 74% of 1RM
315 lbs x 3 reps x 1 sets @ 9 RPE - 85% of 1RM
300 lbs x 3 reps x 1 sets @ 8.5 RPE - 81% of 1RM
300 lbs x 3 reps x 1 sets @ 9 RPE - 81% of 1RM
I didn’t feel like I had a lot of power on the deadlifts today, I didn’t eat much and had a busy day before hand and they didn’t have as much snap off the floor as usual. Even still I hit a very comfortable double with 605, this is the first time I’ve ever repped 600+ in the deadlift and that’s a nice feeling. I think a third rep was possible, but it would have been a gut buster. I’m pleased with this. 2 boarding was good. On the pin squats everything felt heavy, even 225 but they moved smoothly so whatever. The pins were throwing me off a little when I touched down either forward or backward a bit.
Are you actively working with Mike T right now? Seems your deadlift has been consistently improving. Or maybe it’s that crowded powerlifting gym in your vids.
[quote]grettiron wrote:
Are you actively working with Mike T right now? Seems your deadlift has been consistently improving. Or maybe it’s that crowded powerlifting gym in your vids.[/quote]
That gym probably isn’t hurting my lifts 
But yea Mike writes all my training right now