already deviating from my 5x5…
squats last night
warmups
2 sets 315x5
2 sets 365x3
1 set 315x5. last rep paused for about 5 seconds at the bottom.
3 sets 275x10
that’s all. this somehow took me an hour to complete, lol. regardless, legs are killing me today. the last set at 275 was pretty tough.
That’s a lot of squats. No wonder you’re sore
Bench press:
225x5
275x4
245x5
225, 3 sets of 5
185x10
185x8
I didn’t trust my spot on the 275 at all, and on the 4th rep he started doing the 2 finger bro spot, so I cut the set off there, and did the rest unspotted. So I didn’t push it. Finished with pullups, then cable tricep/bicep superset.
I deadlifted Friday. Worked up to a relatively easy 515, went for 535 and missed it at the knee. Very close.
Did some other stuff. Some speed deadlifts, and then hamstring curls.
OHP last night
Once again deviated a little from the 5x5, added in a lil’ extra.
135x5
155x5
185x2 - felt easy, definitely had more reps in me
205x1 - was not easy, but maybe a PR for strict press? I’m not positive, although I’m pretty sure this was a PR.
225x0 push press - apparently I get exactly 0 lbs of benefit from leg drive. I don’t think I was mentally ready for this lift either. I know I’ve said this before, but I really need to practice the push press.
165x5, 4 sets - this was the weight I had intended to do for 5x5, but I cut it short by 1 set since I did so much extra work first
135x5
This was easily the best OHP session I’ve ever had. Got a lot of work done.
Barbell rows, strict - 135x10, 205x8 (3 sets), 135x10. I did these as dead stop reps, with my torso pretty much parallel to the ground, so bent waaaaay over.
DB flyes, supersetted with pullovers - 35 lbs for the flyes, 70 lb db for pullovers. sets of 8,6,4, and 2, minimal rest. I just did these because a friend was doing them, looked like fun.
pullups - 12, 10, 8, 6, 4
bodyweight after training - 191. Up about 10-12 lbs in the last 3 weeks. May hit 200 lbs sooner than expected.
I just read the Bret Contreras article today. What a great article! One of the best reads on here in awhile. Very, very practical. I hadn’t heard of at least half the suggestions, and the article wasn’t all about hip thrusts, lol. I usually just skim the training articles on here these days because it’s hard to find information I haven’t read before.
There are definitely 5 things on this list that I plan to implement in my training sessions this week, specifically some of the band work (face pulls, dips, and extensions), and the 1 second pause front squats (I know these are good, I just don’t do them). The leg press in oly shoes part was also interesting, and I wish I could try that one. Unfortunately the plate situation at my gym is limiting, so leg presses aren’t happening. I could try this on the hack squat machine though.
DOUBLE PR ALERT
squats last night
225x5
315x3
315x5 (belt added)
365x3
385x2
415x1 (10lb PR… first squat PR since September 2013, lol)
435x1 (30lb PR, obvi)
335x4
315x5
225x5 front squat
135x5 front squat
some cleans, some clean and jerks, and some power cleans @135
I did my 385x2, and I definitely had a couple more reps in me, so I figured, I HAVE to set a PR today. It’s been way too long. So I put the 415 on, and it flew up. No sticking point at all. 435 was definitely a grinder, but I got good depth. I’ve brought my stance in and I’m kind of dive bombing my squats now, so I bottom out all of them. The bar sits fairly high on my back. I’ll probably post a video of a heavy rep next time I squat to show my current technique.
Bench press
225x5
275x5
255, 4 sets of 5. Missed last rep of last set
My right arm felt like shit. I’m still having problems with it from the front squat accident from several months ago. It doesn’t bother me every time I lift, but it has the last 2 times. This was the worst it’s been.
I did reverse curls to get some blood flowing through the part of my arm where the injury is. Seemed to provide some relief. Followed this up with tricep push downs, then called it a day. rows and pullups definitely bother my arm when I’m having this issue, so I skipped back work.
At least my bench numbers were good. Still progressing there.
didn’t lift this weekend, so I made up for it last night
OHP 175 5x5. I actually missed the last rep of the last set. I could have push pressed it up though. All other reps were strict.
Deadlift worked up to a 515 single. Didn’t try for more.
Pullups alternated between wide grip and close grip each set.
That was all I had time for. Good session though.
[quote]flipcollar wrote:
Pullups alternated between wide grip and close grip each set.
[/quote]
Dude don’t do pullups with a narrow grip or you’ll make your back narrow!
[quote]csulli wrote:
[quote]flipcollar wrote:
Pullups alternated between wide grip and close grip each set.
[/quote]
Dude don’t do pullups with a narrow grip or you’ll make your back narrow!
8)[/quote]
#themoreyouknow
5x5 squats @ 365.
The first set was pretty tough, and I wasn’t sure I could get 5 in my second set. I’m still not sure how I made it through all 5. I considered dropping the weight and finishing with a couple sets at a lighter weight, but a fellow lifter had been waiting patiently for plates to deadlift, so I moved on.
I also did hamstring curls. That was it.
Don’t you just hate days like that. When for no apparent reason your strength is not were it normally is. Usually I try to pr in some way or another. I remember one day I was so fucking weak on squats and I knew I wasn’t going to get close to the weight I had planned on moving. So I said fuck it was like I’v never done a 100 reps of 225 in a single squat session. Ill try that. I did it in like 15-20 minutes. Its actually kind of hard. Especially after grinding out 8-10 shitty reps at 315 for a set or two.
Is there a plate shortage at your gym or something?
[quote]flipcollar wrote:
5x5 squats @ 365.
The first set was pretty tough, and I wasn’t sure I could get 5 in my second set. I’m still not sure how I made it through all 5. I considered dropping the weight and finishing with a couple sets at a lighter weight, but a fellow lifter had been waiting patiently for plates to deadlift, so I moved on.
I also did hamstring curls. That was it.[/quote]
[quote]A-rod wrote:
Don’t you just hate days like that. When for no apparent reason your strength is not were it normally is. Usually I try to pr in some way or another. I remember one day I was so fucking weak on squats and I knew I wasn’t going to get close to the weight I had planned on moving. So I said fuck it was like I’v never done a 100 reps of 225 in a single squat session. Ill try that. I did it in like 15-20 minutes. Its actually kind of hard. Especially after grinding out 8-10 shitty reps at 315 for a set or two.
Is there a plate shortage at your gym or something?
[quote]flipcollar wrote:
5x5 squats @ 365.
The first set was pretty tough, and I wasn’t sure I could get 5 in my second set. I’m still not sure how I made it through all 5. I considered dropping the weight and finishing with a couple sets at a lighter weight, but a fellow lifter had been waiting patiently for plates to deadlift, so I moved on.
I also did hamstring curls. That was it.[/quote][/quote]
2 things.
I chose 365 because I really wanted to push something heavier for reps than I’m used to, and after my first set, I felt like there was no way I’d get through 5 sets. But the second set was actually a bit easier, and I managed to get through all 5 sets without missing a rep. After I re-read my first post, I see that my language wasn’t very clear at all.
But yea, I’ve definitely done what you suggested. When weights just feel unbearably heavy and grindy, I’ll drop the weight and hit a challenge set or 2 to mix things up. 100 reps at 225 is huge, that would take me forever to get through.
[quote]A-rod wrote:
Don’t you just hate days like that. When for no apparent reason your strength is not were it normally is. Usually I try to pr in some way or another. I remember one day I was so fucking weak on squats and I knew I wasn’t going to get close to the weight I had planned on moving. So I said fuck it was like I’v never done a 100 reps of 225 in a single squat session. Ill try that. I did it in like 15-20 minutes. Its actually kind of hard. Especially after grinding out 8-10 shitty reps at 315 for a set or two.
Is there a plate shortage at your gym or something?
[quote]flipcollar wrote:
5x5 squats @ 365.
The first set was pretty tough, and I wasn’t sure I could get 5 in my second set. I’m still not sure how I made it through all 5. I considered dropping the weight and finishing with a couple sets at a lighter weight, but a fellow lifter had been waiting patiently for plates to deadlift, so I moved on.
I also did hamstring curls. That was it.[/quote][/quote]
Of course there is a plate shortage when you are dominating like that
Deadlift PR!!! Actually 2 of them I think.
Since I deadlifted in a slightly fatigued state on Monday when I missed 535, I was curious how much that fatigue had really affected me. So i deadlifted Sunday afternoon, fresh.
Worked up to 515, which I thought was 505 when I pulled it, and it felt good, so i figured I’d go for 535 again. So I added 30 lbs, at which point I realized my math was 10 lbs off. But I said fuck it. My feel told me to add 30 lbs, so it really didn’t matter what that number was.
Anyway, 545, no hitch, for a 20 lb PR. I liked my approach on this one. Didn’t fuck around too much before the pull, just gripped and ripped.
After this, I threw on the straps and pulled 425 tng for 10 reps, which I think was a PR, then added 7 more.
Then I did a set of leg extensions for some reason, cramped up like crazy, and limped home. Seriously terrible cramps. Not doing that again any time soon.
PRs don’t count cheater.
[quote]infinite_shore wrote:
PRs don’t count cheater.[/quote]
like they always say, ‘if a thing is a PR, that is a thing that doesn’t count.’
OHP last night
Push press only. Because I suck at push pressing. I think maybe I got a little better. 5x5 as usual, used 185 lbs. I got 4 reps on the 4th set, and 3 on the 5th. Nothing amazing, but good enough I guess.
Accessory work was some close grip bench, some band stuff, 5 sets of 10 pull ups.
Squatzzzzz
315x5
315x5 add belt
365x3
385x3
385x3
385x3
385x3
315x5
315x5
315x5
done.