That you manage to get this bench performance after two @9 squat sets is more impressive than the PR itself, IMO.

To be honest I've never really noticed much of a dropoff in my bench strength after squatting.

2017-10-31
Deadlift /w belt
4x386 @7
4x413 @7.5
4x445 @9 (PR)
4x420 @9

Floor Press
3x225 @6.5
3x235 @7.5
3x245 @8
3x255 @9
3x245 @9

Belt Squat
6x180 @6
6x205 @7
6x230 @8.5
6x215 @8


I had this achey feeling throughout most of my back during deads including warmups. It was just a general soreness and didn't really hurt my performance at all. It's possible I good morning'd a squat yesterday.

Lifts were strong. I was really happy with my floor press.

2017-11-02
HBBS
5x315 @7
5x345 @8
3x375 @10 (failed 4th rep)
5x315 @9

OHP
7x115 @7
7x125 @8.5
7x130 @9
7x115 @9

3ct Pause Bench
8x135 @6
8x155 @7
8x165 @8
8x155 @8


Yuck. I completely bombed my 3rd set of squats. Today I was squatting with more of a high bar style as opposed to just putting the bar high up my back and squatting with a low bar style. My legs were closer together, etc. I was having trouble getting the technique right and just had a bad set. This is my 3rd time ever doing high bar.

I actually broke the squat rack when I dumped the bar. I dumped it onto the safety pins, and the whole squat rack bent and now the thing is tilted about 15 degrees forward. My gym JUST bought 3 new squat racks within the last month and I've now broken one if not two of them. In my defense, I didn't do anything wrong. The racks were never bolted into the ground so I'm not sure if they were secured properly.

One of the other racks I *may* have broken on Monday when squatting 435. Before unracking, I like to slide the bar left and right to secure my back on it. After squatting I noticed that the two support bars of the rack were completely misaligned and it's possible it was from my sliding.

These are Rogue racks btw.


Looks like I'll have to squat in the olympic lifting room with the power racks again. This means back to counting things in kilograms.


edit - They're actually squat stands. Here's the product my gym bought - https://www.roguefitness.com/sml-1-r...te-squat-stand

The broken rack was fixed today and no longer bent. My guess is some of the bolts weren't tight enough originally. Additionally, all of the squat racks now have heavy dumbbells laying across their base, presumably to weigh them down since they can't be bolted into the ground. I was starting to feel a bit guilty about the whole thing so I feel vindicated now.

2017-11-03
5ct Pause Deadlift
4x242 @6.5
4x264 @7
4x286 @8
4x269 @8

CGBP
5x185 @6
5x195 @6.5
5x205 @7
5x215 @8.5
5x205 @8

Chest-supported DB rows
6x70s @6
6x75s @6
6x80s @6.5
6x85s @7
6x90s @7
6x95s @8

2017-11-06
Squat /w Belt
5x365 @7
5x400 @8
5x430 @9 (PR)
5x405 @9

Comp Bench
5x220 @7
5x230 @8
5x240 @9 (PR)
5x230 @9

TNG Bench
6x185 @6
6x195 @7
6x205 @8
6x215 @9
6x205 @8.5
6x205 @9


Not including my deload week, that's +17 pounds to my squat 5RM and +10 pounds to my bench 5RM in 3 weeks.

Admittedly, I tend to peak this week of the cycle and regress a bit when I switch to the intensity phase (sets of 2's and 3's).

I'm shifting my weight forward on some of my squat reps as I come out of the hole. This causes my back to lean more horizontal, but it's nothing close to a good morning. I've always thought this was bad, but it definitely makes me stronger. I'm starting to wonder if this is my body re-adjusting to my form leak of shifting my weight backwards.

Nice

2017-11-07
Deadlift /w Belt
5x364 @7
5x398 @8
5x435 @9.5 (PR)
5x400 @9

Belt Squat
7x180 @6
7x200 @7
7x220 @8
7x200 @7
7x200 @8

Floor Press
4x225 @7
4x235 @8.5
2x245 @9 (got gassed quickly today)
4x225 @9


Deads were pretty solid, although I'd like to keep it @9. My lower back is pretty sore right now (I tweaked it a few hours after lifting by bending over to pick something up), so hopefully this is just a passing thing. I may be rounding my back a bit while deadlifting.

God damnit. Woke up this morning and my back is ****ed.

So annoying how I can deadlift 400+, follow that up with some squats and bench, and feel fine aside from some fatigue in my back. But I go home and bend over to pick up a piece of paper off the ground and my back gives out on me. I'm praying I can recover quickly but it's not looking good as of now.

That sucks man; feel better.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2c-fD-9enIw&t=0s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=riq-DfDDimc

GL dude.

Thanks fellas.

I'm already feeling a lot better. This morning I could barely walk and put on my socks, but right now I'm able to walk around and I'm just a bit sore.

Oddly enough, I feel like I'm getting better at recovering from these back tweaks as I age. I remember being sidelined for 5-7 days back in my early 20s when this happened.

2017-11-09
HBBS
4x275 @5
4x275 @5
4x275 @5
4x295 @6
4x315 @7
4x295 @6

OHP
5x95 @5
5x115 @5.5
5x135 @7.5
5x130 @7.5
5x125 @7.5
5x115 @7.5

3ct Pause Bench
4x185 @7
4x190 @7
4x195 @8
4x185 @8


Took things pretty light today and added a bit more volume because my back is still injured. It actually felt pretty good once I got warmed up. It hurt the most on bench so I wasn't able to use much of an arch or leg drive.

The good news is my knee issues are clearing up. The left knee (tendonitis) still hurts but is getting better. The right knee (bone bruise) is basically completely healed.

Not sure what my plan for later will be. I'm supposed to be deadlifting but I'll probably skip it if my back is feeling the same.

2017-11-10
Sumo DL
4x315 @5.5
4x335 @6
4x355 @7

CGBP
3x185 @5
3x195 @6
3x205 @7
3x215 @8

Chest Supported DB Rows
3x20x40s


Kept it light again. My back starting to feel much better now.

2017-11-13
Squat /w Belt
3x393 @7
3x425 @8
3x457 @9 (PR)
3x430 @9

Comp Bench
3x235 @7
3x245 @8
3x255 @9 (PR)
3x240 @9

Spoto Press
6x185 @6.5
6x195 @7
6x205 @8
6x215 @9
6x205 @9



Another good day. I'm trending towards hitting a 500 pound squat in a few weeks.

Squats could have been a bit more balanced. On my heaviest rep I came up out of the hole and tipped to my right side a bit.

Bench was strong. Again I felt like I may have left a bit too much in the tank (3x260 @9 was probably there), but I didn't think it was worth pushing myself to that limit.

crushing it, gl on that 500 squat soon

Thanks TC. Btw I think we may have played HU on stars years ago, right before Black Friday. I went on a sick heater and worked my way up to 5kNL HU before going down in flames. You got me on the down . Those were the days, I haven't played poker seriously in over 5 years...

2017-11-14
Deadlift /w Belt
3x398 @7
3x430 @8
3x462 @9.5 (PR)
3x430 @9

Front Squat
5x220 @5
5x242 @6.5
5x286 @8
5x254 @8

Pin Press
3x205 @6
3x215 @6.5
3x225 @7
3x235 @7.5
3x245 @9
3x235 @9

My final deadlift rep was quite the grind. Once again, I have to praise the pause deadlifts. I'm currently able to grind out slow, grueling reps whereas I used to fail at the slightest sign of struggle (usually right before the knee). I'm so much better now at keeping things tight, keeping that grip locked, and pushing through when things get tough. Previously, when things got tough during the mid-phase of the deadlift, the bar would just fall to the ground - and it wasn't from a lack of effort.

According to my e1RM, these were actually my 2nd-weakest deadlifts this cycle. I don't want to put too much stock into that though. Looking back at my numbers, the first week of triples is usually one of my weaker days according to e1RM.

For the second time this month, someone tried to convince me to start competing (the new SBD knee sleeves are a great conversation starter with the other powerlifters). They're not wrong. I should compete. It's just not a motivating factor for me. I think one of my goals for 2018 will be to get a competition under my belt.

I like how you're just able to @9.5 deadlift within a few days. Are you Wolverine?

Within a few days of what? Hurting my back? My back recovery after minor tweaks has been great over the last couple years and it always feels real solid while deadlifting. It always feels really safe and secure when I brace correctly.

I actually played 40min of basketball on Saturday too . I think training through injuries is an important part of progressing as a powerlifter. With that being said you need to be smart and listen to your body.

2017-11-16
Double-Pause Squat
3x265 @6.5
3x309 @8
3x341 @8.5
3x354 @8.5
3x376 @9
3x354 @9

Push Press
3x133 @5
3x155 @6
3x177 @7.5
3x200 @9.5 (barely missed lockout on the first rep, but the last 2 were clean)
3x187 @9

TNG Bench
6x185 @6
6x195 @6.5
6x205 @8
6x195 @7.5
6x195 @8


For the squats I did 3-count pauses in the hole and about 1/3-1/2 of the way up, which is my sticking point. I'm not sure if these will be effective at all but I've been getting lots of benefits out of pausing.

I was pretty impressed with my push press. I haven't done them in 4-6 months and I'm definitely a lot stronger now.

2017-11-17
Double Pause Deadlift
3x221 @6
3x243 @6.5
3x265 @6.5
3x287 @7
3x309 @7.5
3x331 @8
3x314 @8

5ct Pause Bench
3x185 @6
3x195 @6.5
3x205 @7
3x215 @7
3x225 @8
3x215 @8

Pendlay Rows
6x176 @5
6x198 @5.5
6x220 @6
6x242 @7
6x264 @8
6x247 @7
6x247 @7
6x247 @8


For the deadlifts, I'm pausing a couple inches off the floor and then again right below the knee. These are the two hardest parts of the lift for me.

2017-11-20
Squat /w Belt
2x408 @7
2x442 @8
2x475 @9

Comp Bench
2x245 @7
2x255 @8
2x265 @9
2x250 @8.5
2x250 @9

Spoto Press
8x185 @7
8x190 @8
8x195 @9.5
8x185 @9


Squats were really strong. My estimated 1RM is starting to eclipse that of my deadlift. Great cycle so far.

Unfortunately I injured my back on the squats, hence no fatigue sets. During my warmups I started feeling a strain in my left lat/oblique, and it really flared up when I was unracking 408. I decided to finish the workout but it ended up getting worse because my lat was doing a lot of work to support the weight.

Deadlifts may not happen tomorrow, we'll see. My bench didn't suffer much.


I took some videos this week. First rep at 475 had some knee cave which I mostly fixed in the 2nd rep.

2017-11-22
Deadlift /w Belt
2x408 @7
2x440 @8
2x475 @9
2x452 @9

Front Squat
8x200 @6
8x221 @7
4x248 -- Cut things short here. My back started hurting me again.

Pin Press
4x225 @7
4x235 @8.5
4x240 @9
4x230 @9


Deadlifts felt really good and didn't bother my back at all. Vids below (form critiques welcome). I matched the same numbers as I did with squat this week which is a bit shocking. My deadlift has been progressing, but my squat is progressing even more.

My back started bothering me again during front squats. Something about supporting the bar in either the front or back position is causing me to strain my left lat and/or lower trap. I could have powered through these squats but my main goal is to be fully recovered by next Monday, when I do my belted squats again.

2017-11-25
Double Pause Deadlift
5x220 @6
5x242 @7
5x264 @7
5x286 @8
5x269 @8

Hip Belt Squats
10x75 @5.5
10x100 @7
10x125 @7
10x150 @8
10x140 @8

5ct Pause Bench
5x185 @7
5x190 @7
5x195 @9
5x185 @9


This was a weird workout. Due to Thanksgiving and my back injury, I haven't been able to get into the gym for all 4 days this week, so this was a mix of days 3+4 and I took the most important exercises.

My back is still hurting, but I wanted to get some squat volume in so I did the belt squats because that means I don't need to support the bar with my traps. My back didn't bother me during bench or deadlift.

For whatever reason I felt like **** today. Was weak and sluggish.

I really wanted to avoid doing this, but I'm going to need to take a deload week.

My back just isn't healing. I went in to the gym yesterday to test things out, expecting to take things light. I worked up to 308 on the squat and my back started flaring up again. I simply can't support heavy weights without straining my back right now. The funny thing is that deadlift and bench don't bother me.

The pain is in my left lower trap/upper lat. It's a dull pain that also wraps around to my oblique a bit. This injury is different than my recent back injury which was a lower back strain (I heard a pop for that one). Throughout the day, the injury manifests itself as a minor ache but nothing too noticeable. As soon as I start unracking heavy weights, these back muscles start doing work and things flare up.

Usually it doesn't take me this long to recover from injuries, so this is disappointing. I'm going to take things easy for a week and see if that helps. I really want to try powering through it but it's not worth it.

Yesterday I worked up to 5x308 on the squat (no more squats this week), 5x215 on the bench, and threw in some leg presses as well.