Yeah, deload weeks can be boring (which is probably why I don’t like to take them) but necessary and allow to maybe get a weeks worth of some serious volume done.
Good luck with the new job, and the lifting, and all that.
So it was supposed to be a deload (again) but that was boring. After a few sets of 225, traditional and sumo, I said fuck it. I’m sure Wendler would call me an undisciplined bastard. lol.
This is the 2nd pull at 405. The first one, the camera was off angle and didn’t catch it. I need to bring a real camera instead of my blackberry, but this wasn’t a planned thing.
Form/technique critiques welcome and indeed invited!
[video]1896[/video]
11.21.10 Cycle 4, Week 1 Bench
Bench
135x10w
135x8w
195x5e
225x5e
255x8F Damnit, lost a rep here.
315x0F WTF!?
315x0F OK, let’s reset
275x1M
295x1h
315x0F
295x1h
The only possible reason I can think of for this regression is doing heavy deads yesterday. Plenty of sleep, easy deload week to recover… Fawk. Next week.
WG pullups
9F lost 2, blaming it on deads.
5m
+25x3f
inc db bench / db rows supersets
80x6E / 80x8E
100x2e / 100x5M
120x4F / 120x5H + 1 rep there. Some good news on the day
— / 120x3h
chinups
+25x3F
+25x3F
+25x3F
WG pullups
4F
I’m a little concerned about the bench coming down. That’s gonna bother me all freakin’ week.
Nice pull dude. What I noticed were two things. Looked like you need to try and sit back/pull back at the start, instead of pulling straight up. Second, as for the top half of that rep, your hips don’t appear to come forward at all until the last few inches. Maybe starting the hip drive sooner would bring it to lockout faster? I’m not expert though, far faaaaaar from it!
Oh, and I’d keep out of the camera view of that chick behind you next time, you were blocking my view!!
Don’t sweat the bench man, you’ll get that shit next week.
Semper Fi
Oh, and I thought your shirt said “Leatherneck” at first, haha
Haha yeah, she was a stunner.
Thanks for the tips. I’ll try to implement those things this week. Maybe it’ll help me get 425. 
I’m already chompon at the bit for next Sunday. Shooting for 325.
[quote]Racer377 wrote:
Maybe it’ll help me get 425.
[/quote]
On second thought, maybe you should skip it…how am I supposed to beat your ass to 495? New tips…lean really far forward when you start to pull, and lift one leg up behind you like a scorpion tail when you start too. 
11.24.10 Squat & press
the holiday and a 80hr work week is fuckin my schedule up, so I did a combined day.
Press
barxalot
95x8
135x5e
145x5e
165x9 New rep PR. previous best was 155x9
175x1m
205x1f super ugly… uneven lockout, probably shouldn’t even count it, really.
squats
135x5w
135x5w
185x5e
225x5e
255x4q - Lameass excuse time! - something has been bothering my stomach the last 2 days. My own fault for eating shitty fast food 3x in the last 2 days. Every time I squatted, I felt like I was about to drop a bomb that would have cleared the gym.
11.27.10 deadlift
Quick and easy, had to go shopping with the woman.
Deadlift
13510
1358
135*6
2255
2755
315*10 new rep PR. Felt like I had 1-2 more, but I would have puked and/or passed out. Felt nauseous and light headed after 10. It was awesome. Lol
Had to fight the urge to do heavy singles. My back was sore from sitting on my ass all day and stuffing my face yesterday.
Deadlight/sumo deadlift supersets for form
2255/2255
2255/2255
11.28.10 Bench c4-w2
Bench
135x8
135x8
135x8
185x3e
225x3e
245x3e
275x5H
295x1H
315x0f Fucking fuckshit. Why the fuck am I losing progress?
Pause bench
275x2f
275x1m
275x1m
275x1m
wg pullups
10f
5f
5h
5h
incline bench
225x5h
225x5h
chins
5h
5h
5h
decline bench
225x5e
225x5e
cable rows
100x10e
140x8e
180x5m
220x4f
220x3h
200x5m
Tri pressdowns
70x10e
85x6m
85x6m
100x5m
100x5m
That’s 2 weeks in a row I haven’t made any progress on bench. Getting plenty of sleep, at least 150gr of protein every day… I’m at a loss. The only thing I can think of is that the regression on bench coincides with starting deadlifts again. But I can’t figure out how that would effect my bench.
I’m thinking maybe I should switch squat and deadlift day so I’m doing Bench>DL>Press>squat.
12.1.10 - another combined day - I need to schedule better.
Press
958
955
1353
1553
175*7 new rep PR
Squat
1358
1855
2253
2453
275*3 new rep PR
2752
2255
Wg pause pullup
9h
5h
25*3f
Clean n press
955
1453
1851
1851
Nice PR’s man.
I don’t think setting MP’s with squats is that bad an idea, if you’re just trying to hit the numbers. Now if you were trying to kill your shoulders with all kinds of accessory work and shit, then squat…yeah that might be an issue.
Keep killing it
[quote]inkaddict wrote:
Nice PR’s man.
I don’t think setting MP’s with squats is that bad an idea, if you’re just trying to hit the numbers. Now if you were trying to kill your shoulders with all kinds of accessory work and shit, then squat…yeah that might be an issue.
Keep killing it[/quote]
I would have liked to do some more accessory work. 4 sets just doesn’t feel like it’ll do anything.
I know I need to work on squats more, and I wanted to work in a Big but boring template there to get some reps in for form. I keep getting up on the balls of my feet instead of driving through the heels, and I’ve got to keep reminding myself “knees out.” Next few weeks, I’m planning doing the BBB to get a shitton of good quality reps in and build some good form muscle memory.
[quote]Racer377 wrote:
I keep getting up on the balls of my feet instead of driving through the heels, and I’ve got to keep reminding myself “knees out.” [/quote]
Try to lift your big toe as you come up, it might help you keep your heels down.
Just a thought, as it’s helped me.
Thanks for the tip, Ink. I’ll give that a shot next time around.
12.3.10 another quickie day cycle 4 week 2.
Felt pretty good today after 9 hours sleep last night. Yay for Valerian root. Last couple days, I’ve been ready for naptime by 2-3pm, which sucks when you’ve got to force yourself to stay awake at work. (lame ass desk job)
Deadlift
135x8w
185x5w
225x5w
275x3e
295x3e
335x10H New rep PR
sumo DL
315x2q
225x5
225x5
Hit the foam roller for awhile afterward to loosen things up.
Next week will be a challenge. 3.5-4 hours of commuting (FML) means I’m going to have lift after work. And I need to figure out a viable arrangement for food. Hopefully they’ll have a fridge in both offices where I can keep some milk for shakes and whatnot. If not, I’m buying mini fridges for my office.
Nice job with a 335x10! I got 350x4 last night and thought I was going to pass the hell out.
I gotta get my ass to 495 before you, damnit.
[quote]inkaddict wrote:
Nice job with a 335x10! I got 350x4 last night and thought I was going to pass the hell out.
I gotta get my ass to 495 before you, damnit.[/quote]
315x10 and 335x10 both had me seeing stars and a little woozy afterward. Nauseous too. The clean and press had the same effect. I literally had to sit down for a minute or 2 after doing 185 on Wednesday.
When I hit 495, it’ll probably look something like this
Haha! If I tried 495 right now, it’d look like that with no bar movement!
12.5.10 bench cycle 4 week 3
Bench
135x8w
135x8w
185x3w
225x5e
255x3e
285x3QNS
285x2
WG pullups
10F
5M
+25x2
speed bench
185+2 heavy bands x5 (not real Elite FTS bands, just my ghetto fabulous rigged bands)
185/2HBx3m
185/2HBx3m
185/2HBx3m
WG pullup/chin up extended sets
5f/2f
3h/2f
3h/1f
Bench
285x3H
DB bench
80x8m
80x8m
80x6m
bb rows
135x10m
155x8m
155x6q
155x5q
JM press
95x10m
135x5m
135x5m
135x5m
135x5h
DB rows
80x10m
100x5m
100x5m
100x5m
Another week, another step backwards on bench. poop.
I hear ya on the bench man. I think I’m going to trade my ohp day for a second bench day and see how that goes.
I think next cycle I’ll try a semi-deload. I’ll do the 531 prescribed sets, and no more for chest. Basically, an “I ain’t doin’ Jack shit” template for weeks 1-3. I’ll still try for rep PRs on the last set, but that’ll be the only max effort set for chest.
After poring over my log, I’ve noticed that bench day is always on sunday, and as a result, I spend a lot of time in the gym since I have no time constraints. The other stuff is all week days, I’ll have to take a quickie day here and there. I’m making good gains on all of those, and that correlation of occasional quickie days and progress seems like a good place to start experimenting.
I’m having a hard time believing that the answer is doing less, but fuck it, let’s see where it goes. If no improvement, then cycle 6 will be balls out.