Today’s workout

Squat: 245 lbs x 5 x 3
Bench: 195 lbs x 5 x 3
Accessories

Squats were good tonight. Ended up doing paused squats on first and last rep of each set. I think I will continue doing that next week except on last set as I think I will start doing some extra reps. Bench went well and surprisingly my wrists weren’t shaky tonight (no wrist wraps), maybe it was just my inner p**** trying to speak up last session. Paused the first rep of each set. Still hate benching though.

Today’s workout

Press: 150 lbs x 5 x 2, x 8
DL: 345 lbs x 7
Accessories

Session went fairly straight forward. 8 on the press was probably about right. Strength wise I probably had a couple more reps on DL but was getting a little winded so I stopped at 7, hopefully I can get my lungs up to speed over the next few sessions.

Today’s workout:

Squat: 255 lbs x 5 x 2, x 10
Bench: 200 lbs x 5 x 3
Accessories

Definitely need to work on some cardio. Stopped at 10 reps as my lungs were shot and I didn’t want to mess up form due to breathing issues. Paused the first and fifth rep of each squat set. Knee still feels good. Kept bench to sets of 5 with the first rep of each set paused. Left shoulder didn’t feel 100% so I didn’t try for extra reps on the last set.

Today’s “workout”

Press: 155 lbs x 5 x 3
DL: 355 lbs x 1

Felt tired and sluggish all day. Didn’t think it would affect my lifting but it definitely did. The press was tough to get through all reps. 355 didn’t feel good and was really slow. While I pushed through the press, I didn’t want to screw anything up on the DLs so I stopped there. I’m guessing I’m not recovering well enough (long work day, food hasn’t been that good so I’m not eating much, and sleep hasn’t been the greatest). I’m going to start doing DLs once per week and see if that helps as I don’t have a say in workday length or what food they are serving.

I’m heading home a week from tomorrow through Labor Day (1 week home). Hoping I can “catch up” on my rest and see how things go. If I remember to film my sessions while I’m at home I will post the videos for critiques.

Real life is stupid and kind of a jerk. You should feel pretty good that you are doing something despite reality not working in your favor.

Thanks man. I plan on resting after work tonight. Tomorrow, if the weather holds up, I plan on grabbing a canoe and going pike fishing. Then back to the gym after work on Monday.

Just catching up on your log as I haven't read it in a while.

I know these vids are from a while ago, but your squats reminded me of something I've been wondering about myself.

It looks like your bar path is slightly in front of mid foot. Is that something you think is critical? It's possible that the weight is just so light on these that you're not really dialed in as you normally would be. Like Monte said, RPE on these is ridiculously low.

At that weight it is and is not an issue - it is not an issue as I can easily push through any form issues but it is an overall issue as practicing improper form isn't good. I have always had an issue going forward on the balls of my feet rather than mid-foot. Fixing it at these weights is very beneficial as it will ingrain proper form so you don't run into the same issue at heavier weights.

At heavier weights it is a lot more noticeable while I'm lifting as I feel it more due to the extra weight. Ideally it wouldn't travel forward at any weight but that is one of my flaws with squats.

Today’s workout:

Squat: 265 lbs x 5 x 2, x 10
Bench: 205 lbs x 5 x 2, x 6
Accessories

Was super hot in the gym tonight, but didn’t seem to bother my strength. The set of 10 is definitely a cardio workout, which I need to work on. Paused the first and fifth rep of each squat set. Paused the first rep of each bench set. Overall it was a good session.

Well if you come up with a good idea to fix it, please post in thread. I've got the same problem.

I'd try messing around with tempo and eye gaze. I don't think looking at the same spot works for everyone but I do think that where you look has a big effect on how far you lean forward and on balance.

That has helped me a lot. I was trained using the Rippetoe advice which is to stare at the ground several feet in front of you. I now look more straight ahead.

I'm a weirdo. I look downish on the descent and ahead on the ascent.

Today’s workout:

Press: 160 lbs x 5 x 3
DL: 355 lbs x 5
Accessories

Session went pretty well. Probably going to switch to a 5/3/1 format soon. I don’t see the need to beat myself up too much right now since I’m not competing anytime soon. Nothing set in stone on switching, but think it might be beneficial for press, bench, and DLs. May keep going with squatting twice a week for a bit longer as those still feel super easy.

As for eyes on squat - I tend to look fairly straight forward. I think my lean comes from laziness. I think I try to get depth too quick, allowing my back angle to go to crap instead of staying more upright and sitting a little bit further back (leading with shoulders instead of leading with hips/butt).

Yeah in that case just slow the descent some. It really doesn't have an effect on how much you can squat or how many reps. Whatever efficiency you lose from going down slower you end up getting back from having better balance.

Haven’t lifted lately- ended up being busy at home with the family as it was the first full week I was home since I came out May 4th (had a few weekends between then and now). Been on site for this past week but wasn’t feeling great so I didn’t lift. Might be having a few 12-14 hour days this week so I probably won’t lift until the following week.

Decided to go fishing this morning- was a little chilly when I got to the pond at 0900 and was able to catch 5 fish. Let the first 4 go and kept the fifth to have for dinner later this evening.

Temp at 0900


Fog off the pond




First - released


Second - released


Third - released


Fourth (baby) - released


Fifth - tonight’s dinner


Happy fisherman


Calling it 16.5 inches



Lure comparison


The middle silver lure has been my go to lure for rainbows and caught the first 2 today. The one on the left was a lure picked out by my youngest daughter years ago and caught a fish with it a few days ago. The bigger orange/yellow/black lure caught the last 3 fish. Tried it today on a whim as it seemed too big for rainbows but it worked really well. The baby fish is a savage and went after this one.

Haven’t been lifting. After some long days at work I decided to focus on doing outdoor activities (mostly fishing) until it gets really cold out.

Woke up yesterday morning to a dusting of snow and a temp of 18F. Figured fishing was done for the season. Near the end of work I decided to give it a chance as long as it wasn’t windy. Got to my spot at about 1800 and the temp was 21F (-6C for the Frenchman), but no wind. Figured the fish probably weren’t going to go after anything on the surface as there were no bugs around so I went with regular lures.

Got no bites and was about to pack it in around 1900 when I saw a couple fish break the surface- they didn’t jump, just broke the surface and went back down. Figured it wouldn’t hurt to tie a hook on and float some power bait. Second cast and I had this monster hooked! Had to break a thin layer of ice to get him as I didn’t want it to snap the line. A nice 17” in 21 degree weather is a nice thing, until you try and wash your hands in the pond after gutting it. I was fine with the temp until then. Quickly finished up and headed back to camp.

Temp (pressure sensor in my work vehicle isn’t working)


Start of the session selfie


A little bit of ice is starting to form


Nice and calm




Selfie with the fish


I think that this is a good looking rainbow


Biggest rainbow that I have caught! 17” (43.18 cm for the Frenchman)