So my problem is sometimes i get confused on my strength progression
For instance last week i did the following weight and reps on squat
275 x 3
285 x 3
295 x 3
305 x 3
I felt really good that day you know you feel pumped and everything feels nice and tight and went for that last set. That was the first time i hit 305 for 3 reps as my previous max was 305 x 1
This squat session felt a bit loose and too relaxed and my form was all weird and stuff so I felt like I could have done better or something but wasn’t quite sure it was my lax feeling or my actual strength
275 x 3
295 x 3
315 x 2
275 x 5
That was the first time i hit 315 at all and i was too nervous to go for the third rep cause my knees were a bit wobbly on the second one.
So my question in general is that if i can hit 305 x 3 one week and hit like 315 x 2 another, would you consider that progress or no? I feel like the missing rep is “cancelled” out by the weight so in reality my strength didn’t go up a slight bit. What do you guys think? Am I just psyching myself out or what? Should i work on the consistency of my weight/rep scheme as well to get a better feel of my strength progression?
I read somewhere on T-Nation that you should dominate the weight for three sessions before moving up. This will off set your feeling pretty good one day but not the next, and you will probably feel psyched up rather than psyched out. In your case, if you hit 305 x 3 for three strength sessions in a row, a move to 310 won’t feel daunting.
Since you’re doing sets of 3, you might want to check out the programs by Doug Hepburn; similar to what you are doing and the progression is built in. They also have CT’s stamp of approval.
Then would a progression look something like the following:
275 x 3
285 x 3
295 x 3
305 x 3
This ^^ for about 3 squat sessions and then the next 3 sessions would be:
280 x 3
290 x 3
300 x 3
310 x 3
Does that look about right?
305 x 3 gives you a theoretical max of 328lbs
315 x 2 gives you a theoretical max of 332lbs
So strictly going from a numbers perspective in the second session you were “stronger”.
However, as it was pointed out, it’s not just about numbers but on how you lifted that weight.
For me a 305 x 3 with solid technique and where you felt in control and had no problem handling the weight is better than 315 x 2 done with wobbly technique.
You should no try to add weight every session, it’s impossible. You need to master a weight before adding more. Certainly don’t go heavier than 315 next time. Work on making weights in the 300-315lbs range more and more solid.
You can get stronger without having higher numbers for a while.
Going from 315 x 3 wobbly and soft to 315 x 3 solid means you are getting stronger. And going from 315 x 3 solid to 315 x 3 while being able to accelerate the weight up also means you got stronger.
Remember adding weight to the bar is not the only way to know you are stronger. And it is impossible to do every week. If it were possible to add even a little 2.5lbs per week it would mean a 100lbs increase in your lifts every year. Someone who bench press 200lbs would thus bench press 500lbs in 3 years, 600lbs in 4 years, etc. Doesn’t work like that (sadly). There will come a point (not now because you are not at a high strength level yet, lots of room for improvement) where you will have to fight for weeks, even months to add 5lbs on a lift.
That’s why you need to find other ways to know you are getting stronger