Better Than Yesterday

Training Training Logs
386

15Feb23

BW: 231.3 lb

Workout 13/18

BTN Press
115x10
115x8
115x8

Bench Press
165x12
165x12
165x8

Wendler Rows
125x15
125x15

BB Curl
85x10
85x8

Squat
275x18
275x5

DB Pullover
20x20

SLDL
230x2

DB Pullover
20x20

Crunches
1x25

My back was not recovered from the Monday workout. I could tell before I even started lifting. But I felt strong early in the workout, so I thought I could just muscle through the squats. Even though I’m disappointed that I didn’t get all 20 squats, I know that I fought with every ounce I had to get those 18. When I finally made it back to the top after the 18th rep, I had a hell of a time getting it into the j-hooks. I was shot. Following @simo74 lead, though, I reloaded and smashed five more.

The stiff-legged deadlift set above is not a typo; I only got two reps. It took me probably 15 minutes just to load the bar for these. After the squats, I just could not get my back to calm down. Nothing I could do would lower the pump or the burning or the cramping in my erectors.

My weight is still steadily climbing, but I was under recovered for this workout. I will have to remedy that. I don’t know if the cardio sessions on off days are hurting me or helping me.

I’ve gotten several comments from co-workers this week about my size and jacked-ness. That’s nice. Here’s a snapshot of my weight gain since hunting season ended:

image
image1110×386 20.5 KB

Onward.

III

6 Likes
387

The purple line is my actual weight on those days; the green line is the rolling 7-day average.

1 Like
388

17Feb23

BW: 232.3 lb

Workout 14/18

BTN Press
115x10
115x10
115x7

Bench Press
165x12
165x12
165x10

Wendler Rows
130x15
130x12

BB Curl
85x10
85x10

Squat
275x20

DB Pullover
20x20

SLDL
230x9

DB Pullover
20x20

Crunches
1x25

Got 'em. This whole process is so interesting. 275 crushed me on Wednesday. I tried to eat a bunch and rest plenty on Thursday, then was able to crush these squats today at 275. I guess that’s how it’s supposed to work. I guess it also means I’m eating enough and getting stronger. I got video of this set. If I can figure out how to easily post it I will. Though I hesitate to post this video; it looks like it was too easy. It was not. Everything below the barbell was shot by rep 14 and I was just gritting through the rest.

This was also a cool milestone for me. I remember when I fist dedicated myself to getting stronger a few years ago, 275 was my first sticking point with my squat. I “plateaued” there and it took me a long time to get past it for a set of 5. So even though I’ve squatted a lot more than that since, it’s still satisfying to hit 275 for a set of 20. And breathing squats at that.

III

4 Likes
390

275x20

3 Likes
391

20Feb23

BW: 234.1 lb

Workout 15/18

BTN Press
115x10
115x10
115x8

Bench Press
165x12
165x12
165x12

Wendler Rows
130x15
130x15

BB Curl
90x10
90x8

Squat
280x19
280x1

DB Pullover
20x20

SLDL
230x12

DB Pullover
20x20

Crunches
1x25

So you’re going to look at my squats today and you’re going to say “Kurt, if you can do 19 squats, certainly you can do 20.” Well, let me tell you, I thought the same thing. I’ll tell you what happened, and you can decide if it’s an excuse or a reason. I just say it’s the story.

I was doing ok. As usual, it was soul-crushing, but once I get to 15 reps, I do not stop. I just keep getting one more rep, until I hit 20. I realized on rep 17, however, that the bar had really slipped down my back a fair amount. I’m a low-bar squatter anyway, but by this point, it had slipped down to the point that the bar was hitting the safety pins on rep 17, 18 and 19. (actually the right side of the bar was hitting the safety bar; I tend to lean a little to the right when I get fatigued. This makes hitting the pins even more distracting, as I’m all off kilter coming out of the hole.) Anyway after hitting the safety catches and getting back to the top of rep 19, I realized how far down the bar had slipped.

“No problem,” I thought. I’ll just grit out one more no matter what horrible position it puts me in. So I was basically just going to lean forward and get me an old-fashioned good morning squat. The issue was, though, that the bar had slipped low enough that in order to keep my center of gravity to where I could still stand there, I had to kind of kick my pelvis forward a bit, which put me in an anterior pelvic tilt kind of position. So to get my ass back behind the bar to start the squat, I was going to have to push everything below the bar, back. Mind you, as all of this is happening, I’ve had 280 lb sitting on my back - and my erectors - for over two minutes. Try as I may, I could not get those erectors to push back behind the bar. I wanted it badly. I just could not get my muscles to cooperate. If I had gone down in that position, I would have fallen over backwards. That’s how out-of-whack my positioning and the bar had become.

So I racked it. Well, I tried to rack it. I was so fatigued and the bar had slipped so far I almost had to jump it up into the hooks. Anyway, the long and short of it is, I was strong enough and had the capacity to get all 20 squats. The reality is, I didn’t. I know this was a very long-winded way of saying so, but I tend toward being a bit of a story teller.

I don’t know if I’ll re-squat this weight on Wednesday, or go ahead and move up to 285 lb. I feel confident I can do 285, but I also want to make sure I’m following the spirit of the program. Maybe @simo74 or @T3hPwnisher have a recommendation? (though the two of them may just tell me to load 315 and go for it. Maybe I should…) Either way, I’m going to chalk the back of my shirt up the best I can.

III

4 Likes
392

Hell yeah, dude! Amazing effort. You’ll either get it next time, or you’ll crush 285.

And I, for one, love a good story…

2 Likes
393

Thanks @SvenG . Man, I wiggled around under that bar for (what felt like) forever trying to get it into a position to where I could start a squat. It was a very odd feeling not being able to get my body to cooperate in any way!

I really appreciate all of your encouragement. For real.

1 Like
394

I feel misunderstood…

If you know you had that 20th in you and it was just a mechanical failure, I’d advance the weight. If there was doubt about getting the 20th, I’d stick with it and conquer it.

You got this dude. Great to have more Super Squatters here.

2 Likes
395

HA! It was intentional hyperbole. Because I should be squatting way more than I actually am. But here we are.

I’ve been leaning toward moving up to 285. I’ve only got three more workouts to go to have this completed; may as well leave it all out there. And I had no doubt I could have gotten that last rep; I just got myself stuck in a really weird position.

Thanks.

1 Like
396

Agree with @T3hPwnisher of you know the rep was there and it was just the bar slipping then move up to 285 and crush it.

1 Like
397

22Feb23

BW: 234.7 lb

Workout 16/18

BTN Press
115x10
115x10
115x8

Bench Press
170x12
170x12
170x10

Wendler Rows
135x15
135x12

BB Curls
90x10
90x10

Squat
285x19

DB Pullover
20x20

SLDL
230x10

DB Pullover
20x20

Crunches
1x25

Oy. So this set of squats was almost a carbon copy of Monday’s set, only with a little more weight on the bar. I swear I’m trying, gang. I’m now not so sure it’s the bar slipping so much as it’s the weight just compressing me so much that my erectors can’t allow me to fully stand up. On Monday the bar definitely slipped. I’m not so sure on this set. Either way, I just could not get my ass back behind the bar to start that last squat. As a matter of fact, I’m not sure how I got reps 18 and 19. They were super ugly, but they got done.

The only other difference on this set was me trying to get the bar back into the hooks. I wish I had this one on video for you all. When I came up from squatting rep 19, I knew I was losing it. My first attempt to rack the bar was a total miss; I was well below the hooks. My second lurch ended up getting the left side in the hook, but the right side missed.

Now I was really in trouble, because I had also had the bar on my back for a few minutes and had no strength/power/stamina left. I was trying to glance over and see where I was at with that right side, but I didn’t even feel like I could turn my head without dropping the bar. So now I can’t just dump the bar, because I’ve got one side racked. I weakly bumped the right side of the bar into the rack a few times. Finally, with a last surge of panic, I jumped my left side up enough to get it out of the rack, surprising my already-confused body by unexpectedly throwing the entire weight of the bar back onto my shoulders.

Not wanting to destroy myself, my safety bars or my barbell, I lowered it all the way to the pins, in what can only be described as a controlled backward fall, baby giraffe style. (of course this happened in the blink of an eye, because I didn’t have time to actually think all of this through; the bar came out of the rack and I immediately began falling backwards.) Crisis averted? Anyway, I think I got the intended training effect from this set, but it’s still not a set of 20. I’m very frustrated. I’ll probably do this weight again on Friday. Then Monday will be my last Super Squats workout.

6 Likes
398

Conquering this weight will be a great finish to the program

3 Likes
399

Agreed. I was really hoping to get to 300 by the end of this run, but considering the strength and the body weight I’ve gained on this program, I’ll consider it a success either way. I’m stoked to see how the last six weeks will translate over to my lower-rep strength training!

2 Likes
400

I’m sure you’re tracking, but it definitely pays to use some manner of intensification to bridge the gaps there. Going right from Super Squats to low rep work can feel a bit flat, but over the course of another 6-12 weeks it really shines.

2 Likes
401

24Feb23

BW: 234.9 lb

Workout 17/18

BTN Press
115x10
115x10
115x8

Bench Press
170x12
170x12
170x10

Wendler Rows
135x15
135x15

BB Curl
95x8
95x8

Squat
285x20

DB Pullover
20x20

SLDL
230x15

DB Pullover
20x20

Crunches
1x25

Well, there you go. I guess. It wasn’t pretty, but I got all 20. My entire back was in pain before I even started this workout. Not any specific area. Just pain. So I knew it was going to be a struggle. But sometimes you’ve got to just grit your teeth and get mean.

I set my j-hooks a notch lower in the rack in order to avoid a recurrence of Wednesday’s racking issue. I have no recollection of doing the last five reps of this set; I was in some sort of cognitive, functional blackout. If you watch those last few reps, though, my entire body is shaking like a terrier on the Fourth of July. The safety factor for the structural integrity of my back had been exceeded long before we got to rep 20.

There are certainly people who can squat a lot more weight than I can, and for a lot more reps. But I will shamelessly admit that this is challenging me, both mentally and physically. And I will also humbly say that I am proud of what I have been able step up and get done. I get one more opportunity on this program to push myself a little bit further and do a little bit better.

III

3 Likes
402

And you should be! Well done.

2 Likes
403

Thanks man!

1 Like
404

27Feb23

BW: 235.0 lb

Workout 18/18

BTN Press
115x10
115x10
115x8

Bench Press
170x12
170x12
170x10

Wendler Rows
140x15
140x12

BB Curl
95x9
95x8

Squat
290x14

DB Pullover
20x20

SLSL
235x15

DB Pullover
20x20

Crunches
1x25

Well, there you go. Back to regularly scheduled programming.

3 Likes
405

I assume you’re just taking a well-deserved break, but… All is well with @hillbillyk, right?

I mean, “as well” as it can be after Super Squats, haha!

1 Like
406

Haha yeah. I’ve been doing some conditioning-type stuff and staying somewhat busy, but nothing worth logging. I’ll be back to my normal training starting after work today. There should be a log post for you to enjoy in the morning.

Thanks for checking in.

1 Like