So, some thinking out loud, as I sit here watching other peoples’ kids swim:
I’m still annoyed at this. Really, I just gave up—I mean, I’ve got safeties, what’s the worst that could’ve happened? I get pinned? So what!?!
Honestly, I probably didn’t have a 20th rep in me. But I didn’t even try. I failed to try.
Okay, I’ll let it go now. Because this is the thought that really matters:
Hitting lifts is a habit, so is failing them and a habit can’t develop if it doesn’t happen the first time… Even mentally missing reps stays with you in a subtle way.
Next time you try it you’ll have a slight chip on your shoulder, confidence that you hit 19 once before and anger within that you did not try the 20th rep. That is a much better mindset than going up to it next with lingering doubts because you missed the rep last time
5s PRO, 5x5 FSL - c5w3d1
Sunday - 07 November 2021
Workout: Extra conditioning, 1325-1410 (45 minutes)
4 rounds of:
a) 19 1-pump burpees
b) 25 BFPs - red
25-second rest between rounds
Pwn’s The Last Castle - 10 rounds
a) Farmer’s walk - 25 yards - 2x77 lbs
b) 10 KB swings - 24 kg
c) Farmer’s walk - 25 yards - 2x77 lbs
d) 6 alternating DB snatches - 35 lbs
Watch out! It’s gettin’ crazy up in here. Yep, I switched the order of things today. (Told ya it was gettin’ crazy.)
Wish I could say I took out some frustration on this workout and tore it up or something, but mostly I was just feeling yesterday’s deadlifts. All good, though—I got the work in and now I’m feeling good.
5s PRO, 5x5 FSL - c5w3d2
Monday - 08 November 2021
Workout: Squat, 0745-0855 (70 minutes)
Warm-up
Throws + jumps
Begin: 0806; End: 0846; Duration: 40 minutes
Squat - 120x5, 150x5, 175x5 | 200x5, 230x5, 255x5 | (200x5)x5
HLR - 20, 20, 10
Dip - 60 - 12, 12, 12, 4
Chin-up - BW - 10, 10, 10, 10
Good morning - 95 - 15
Push-up - 25
BPA - red - 10 high + 10 mid + 10 low
Squat - 195x20
Assistance totals:
Push - 65 reps
Pull - 70 reps
Single-leg/core - 65 reps
I JUST KILLED 195 LBS FOR 20 REPS. I ABSOLUTELY KILLED IT.
Following a tough 1s week squat workout.
Fasted.
Way too much emotion to eat this morning, guts were doing flip-flops as it was. The actual workout began chipping away at my mind yesterday afternoon, never mind the stupid Widowmaker. Slept well, however, and woke up feeling good. Physically, anyway.
Fine, so let’s do the workout and wage war with myself the whole time regarding the merits of a 20-rep set immediately following v. putting it off until this afternoon. What a stupid conversation that was…
Okay, workout’s done, now what?
Squat more, of course.
Took about 5 minutes rest between BPAs and the Widowmaker attempt, because it took that long to work myself up. Yeah, I had to do it. I much prefer to just get under the bar and do the work, but I’ll admit: there was a fair amount of proverbial chest pounding going on during those 5 minutes.
But I knew I had it the second I took the full weight on my back.
11 slow and steady reps, breathe. 3 reps, breathe again. 2 reps, more breathing. Yep, that’s 16 down. I’m not dead. I’m not lightheaded. I’m not seeing stars. I’m not folding.
Are my quads burning? Absolutely.
Are my lungs burning? Absolutely.
Are the reps ugly? Probably.
Do I care? Absolutely not.
Let’s finish this: rep 17, 5 breaths, rep 18, 5 breaths, rep 19, 5 breaths, rep 20, primal scream.
Rack it, stand up.
Step back, collapse.
So that’s that: 20 reps at 70% of my projected anchor TM following a strong 1s week squat workout.
Burpees, swings, and BFPs this afternoon. But now it’s time for food, whether I want it or not.
195 x 20, hell yeah! Great job. You did a lot before that as well. Congrats.
Dude… awesome. No words.
nice work
Love it mate.
Sucks so bad, but works so well.
5s PRO, 5x5 FSL - c5w3d2
Monday - 08 November 2021
Workout: Conditioning, 1320-1340 (20 minutes)
4 rounds of:
a) 19 1-pump burpees
b) 19 KB swings - 24 kg
c) 25 BFPs - red
25-second rest between rounds
Did the work, staying loose, feeling good!
I find counting down helps ‘somewhat’ too… i.e. count up to 10, then 10 down to 1 on the latter half…
Great work in here as always.
That was very exciting to read! Congratulations! Great job!
5s PRO, 5x5 FSL - c5w3d3
Tuesday - 09 November 2021
Workout: Press, 1125-1235 (70 minutes)
Warm-up
Throws + jumps
Begin: 1143; End: 1224; Duration: 41 minutes
Press - 60x5, 75x5, 85x5 | 100x5, 115x5, 125x5 | (100x5)x5
Bulgarian split squat - L/R - 2x20 lbs - 20, 20, 10
Incline DB press - 2x60 lbs - 20, 20, 10
Pull-up - BW - 10, 10, 10, 10
Cable crunch - 50 - 15
Band pushdown - red - 25
OA row - L/R - 45 - 16, 9
Press - 95x(18 + 2)
Assistance totals:
Push - 75 reps
Pull - 65 reps
Single-leg/core - 65 reps
Well that sucked! Maybe I didn’t eat enough yesterday…
Felt pretty good going into this, but I just couldn’t seem to catch my breath after that first set of Bulgarians. HR wasn’t out of whack, just shortness of breath more or less the entire workout. And maybe a bit lackluster, mentally.
Press was really tough today. 115 moved alright, but 125 felt like a bazillion pounds—last 3 were grinders, rep 4 was way off balance left-to-right and I was leaning back like there was no tomorrow, and I totally push-pressed rep 5. It was a pretty ridiculous set to say the least.
I think the set of incline DB press just before the top set did me in: I should’ve cut that off at 16 reps, but pushed for 20 (with no good reason, really; just ego, I think). Funny, too, because I ended up overshooting the press assistance by 10 reps today (too many band pushdowns). Luckily the other assistance moves were just fine, even if I was breathing hard through it all.
Took another 5-minute rest between rows and press WM. Not to amp myself up like yesterday—couldn’t have done that if I tried; think my circuits are still a bit fried from the squat WM—but because I totally needed the rest. Definitely could have had all 20 reps, but in my infinite wisdom, I paused after rep 18 and that was that. I wasn’t using momentum or bouncing the prior reps; they were clean. But I just couldn’t get rep 19 out of the rack position after a few breaths. Contorted a bit more, but it didn’t budge; I recognized the ugliness, and racked the bar. Took a 10-second pause and then beat reps 19 and 20 into submission.
Kind of annoyed about that, but I did actually try another rep and then finished out the set as a rest-pause this time, so that’s a win over Sunday’s missed bench rep.
Sled, etc. later today. And food, of course—lots and lots of food.
I do it in 5s, usually. And count down.
@raven78, @dagill2 - My dudes: I’m a CS nerd. Be glad I don’t count in binary or hex or something…
Seriously, though, both good tactics. It’s definitely a mental game past rep 10 regardless.
(You: Is he saying rep two there, or is he saying rep ten!?!)
Absolutely no fucking way am I counting in binary on a high rep set of squats.
agreed, I can barely count properly using normal numbers
My mental trick is to go by twos (one two, two two…)
Truth be told: So much this!
I’ve literally lost track counting to 5 on very hard sets
It’ll be 1, 2, 3, wait how many did I do??? I think 3??? 4, Did I do three or 4??? I’m tired so I’ll say 4, 5
5s PRO, 5x5 FSL - c5w3d3
Tuesday - 09 November 2021
Workout: Conditioning, 1545-1625 (40 minutes)
BFP - red - 4x25
10 rounds of:
a) Sled push - 25 yds, 135 + sled = 222 lbs
b) 10 1-pump burpees
c) Sled push - 25 yds, 135 + sled = 222 lbs
d) 10 KB swings - 24 kg
No rest between rounds
Time: 24:41
That was brutal today. Legs are definitely tired, so it was good to work them over a bit with the sled and stuff. Decent time, considering. Certainly better than last Friday!
Fixed that for you