2018-01-02
3ct Pause Deadlift
5x286 @6.5
5x313 @7.5
5x335 @8
5x308 @8

Comp Bench
3x225 @6
3x235 @7
3x245 @8
3x225 @7.5
3x225 @7.5
3x225 @7.5
3x225 @8

Cheat Rows
6x264 @6.5
6x274 @8
6x252 @7.5
6x252 @8

Nordic Leg Curls
3x5


My deadlifts weren't the strongest, but this was a great opportunity to groove better technique. I focused on trying to force my shins to be straight before starting the pull, and the difference is night-and-day. This is a great exercise for forcing myself to keep the weight on my heels, supported by my hamstrings.

I decided to try some cheat rows since they're all the rage right now. I almost always cheat whenever I do pendlay rows so these weren't that different. The only main differences were that I never put the bar back down on the ground once lifting it up, had a more narrow grip (like a deadlift, not bench), and touched a bit lower on my abdomen.

2018-02-06
Squat (no belt)
8x265 @5
8x287 @6
8x315 @7.5

TNG Bench
10x185 @6
10x195 @7.5
10x205 @9.5

I was on the fence about how I wanted to approach this week but opted to go with a high-volume deload. I've been getting ****ty sleep lately and have been feeling run down, so it seems like a good time.

Squats sucked, I was getting gassed and they felt uncomfortable.

I'm still deloading. Using this time to try out different assistance exercises and groove my form on the main lifts

2018-02-07
Deadlift (no belt)
5x264 @5
5x308 @5.5
5x353 @7

Cheat Rows (these are so fun)
5x220 @5
5x242 @6
5x264 @7
5x286 @7.5
5x308 @9

Shrugs
Did sets of 10, working up to 10x375

Incline Bench
Did sets of 10, working up to 10x155

Nordic Leg Curl 5x5


Didn't feel like I got much out of the shrugs. I'm experimenting with some assistance work to hammer the traps.



2018-02-09
Constant Tension Squat
3x15x220

Squat (no belt)
2x10x220

OHP (let's test my 1RM!)
1x154 @7
1x164 @8
2x0x176
1x170 @10

Comp Bench
5x185
5x195
5x205 @7


The constant tension squats are something I recently picked up from a Candito video. You basically just don't lock out, so that your quads and hamstrings are always engaged. They were incredibly exhausting and my quads absolutely hate me right now. I also decided to test my 1RM in OHP because why not? I haven't done anything less than 3 reps on OHP in well over a year. 170 is kinda weak but whatever.

I've mentioned in this log a few times that I play in a basketball league on Saturdays. We just finished up our recent season a couple weeks ago and I once again led the league in rebounds, rebound average, offensive rebounds, and came in 2nd in defensive rebounds. I averaged 10.4 boards per game and second place was only 8.6.

I'm still very limited offensively. I shot 23.5% from the field - almost all of the shots from very short range, and I'm bad at dribbling.

I'm barely 6'0" and a bit undersized for the league so to dominate the boards is a fun accomplishment. I definitely gotta give a lot of credit to the powerlifting for giving me a solid vertical and the strength to rumble down low.

Constant tension squats sound terrible.

I often wonder how much better I'd be at basketball had I actually lifted when I was younger; I guess I'll have to settle for getting destroyed by my kids in 10 years. I do remember you talking about your league, though, and it does seem like a pretty cool accomplishment (and even cooler that they keep stats).

Yeah I sometimes wonder how good at organized sports I would have been if I lifted seriously before ~23. It makes a big difference.

2018-02-12
Squats /w Belt
3x398 @7
3x430 @8
3x465 @9 (PR)
3x420 @9

Comp Bench
3x230 @6.5
3x245 @8
3x261 @10 (PR)
3x235 @8
3x235 @8.5
3x235 @9

WG Bench
6x155 @6
6x175 @7
6x195 @8
6x205 @9
6x185 @9


Squats felt good today, I'd like to think the deload helped. My unrack was pretty poor however. I was able to get away with it today but some of them were sloppy enough to completely ruin a 1RM attempt. I like driving my elbows under the bar when I squat, and I set up this way too, but I have a tendency to jack my elbows up and push the bar into my back when I unrack, so that's something I can work on.

Bench wasn't great. I had trouble feeling the leg drive and my butt came off the bench on at least 2 reps of my 3x261 set. I'm pretty sure the best way to improve here is to work on my feet positioning. Going wider keeps my butt on the bench but the leg drive doesn't feel as good. I've been having issues with this though so it's probably time to go wider.

I haven't done wide grip in a long time but they felt great today. Was able to feel the stretch in my chest for the first time ever. Probably a good sign that I'm activating the right muscles when I do things regularly.

2018-02-13
Deadlift /w Belt
3x398 @6.5
3x435 @8
3x465 @9.5
3x415 @8.5
3x400 @8.5

Front Squat /w Pause
5x198 @6
5x220 @7
5x242 @8
3x225 (failed 4th rep. Completely lost focus and dropped the bar forward)

5ct Pause Bench
3x185 @6
3x200 @6.5
3x215 @8
3x225 @9
3x210 @9


Weird day. I put up some good numbers on deadlift, and my lighter sets felt really good, but I'm still quite unhappy with my form. I have way too much bar drift. It starts to drift forward early on and then I pull it back into me around my knees. I could be standing too close to the bar, but I'm aiming for the mid-foot so I'm not sure what's going on. I do think that my deadlift issues are almost 100% in the setup.

I had a ton of cues running through my head today on deadlift, which probably wasn't a great idea. A new cue I've been using, which I learned from Pete Rubish, is to externally rotate your elbows after locking your arms. It really helps to engage the lats.


Final deadlift set:

I posted that deadlift video on r/powerlifting asking for some form checks and got this response:

To be honest I'm probably not going to take this advice, but I'm interested to see if other posters here have opinions. I do think that I need to get my knees back and out of the way, but I don't think that beginning the lift by driving my hips up is the way to do it. Maybe I'm misunderstanding him.

This could all be upper back weakness as well. I'll try focusing on driving my traps backwards while pulling. Bar path doesn't seem to be a problem at lighter weights.


2018-02-14
High Bar Squat
3x308 @6
3x353 @8
3x380 @9
3x353 @8.5
3x353 @9

OHP
3x132 @6
3x142 @7
3x154 @9
3x142 @8
3x142 @9

Pin Press
6x205 @6
6x225 @8
6x235 @9.5
6x215 @8.5
6x215 @9


I wasn't sure what I wanted to do for my bench press movement during this block on this day, so went with pin press on a whim. I put the pins higher than I have historically put them on this lift. They were about 6 inches off my chest, right at the sticking point. I was able to experiment with my feet a bit and I think spreading them a bit wider gives me a more powerful base.

2018-02-15
Deadlift
Singles up to 444 @8

Cheat Rows
6x243 @6
6x265 @7
6x287 @8
6x265 @8

Comp Bench
3x225 @6
3x235 @7
3x245 @8.5
3x225 @8

NLC
3x5


Decided to do a bunch of singles today while filming myself to see if I can figure out my bar drift issue. At lighter weights, my form is on point, but the bar drift starts to appear in my last 2 sets where the weight gets heavy and I'm getting tired.

I think this is related to upper back weakness. My upper back begins to round and my lats can't handle it anymore, which results in an inability to keep the bar close to my body. This is ultimately shifting my weight forward, putting my knees in an incorrect position, which causes further bar drift to get around the knees.

I'm not sure what the solution is aside from a focus on upper back work. Other than the big lifts, I'm only doing rows 1x a week for my upper back. With all this being said, it's also my understanding that upper back rounding and lat failure is normal and usually the first part of the technique to break down when things get heavy. So I should figure out a way to keep the weight on my heels even when my back starts tiring.

I think snatch grip deadlifts is a good assistance exercise I should start working in.

I went on a snowboard trip this weekend. I only snowboarded one day, but I got pretty sore and ate like complete ****. I expected to do poorly in the gym today but my results were mixed.

2018-02-20
Squat /w Belt
2x408 @7
2x447 @8
2x481 @9 (PR)
2x442 @9

Comp Bench
2x240 @7
2x255 @9
2x230 @7
2x255 @10

WG Bench
8x155 @6.5
8x170 @7.5
8x185 @9
8x175 @9


Squats felt awesome. Very smooth and strong.

Bench really sucked. Not sure what happened here. My technique felt okay today but I just didn't have the strength. I was hoping for 2x270. I weighed in pretty light this morning and ate like **** over the weekend. I also might be benching too frequently. I'll keep an eye on this.

Beastly SQ double

What is your weekly pressing volume? You do 1 comp bench + 2 auxiliary bench? 1 "comp" OHP and 1 auxiliary OHP?

Right now, I'm doing

2 Comp benches (one heavy /w belt, one working up to @8)
3 Variations
1 OHP

For the variations, 2 of them will usually be minor tweaks (e.g. pause bench) whereas the 3rd might be incline, floor press, etc.

I was doing 4 variations but recently swapped one out for a lighter comp day.

2018-02-21
Deadlift /w Belt
2x403 @7
2x435 @8
1x474 @10 (wtf!!!)
2x420 @9

Front Squat
8x132 @6
8x154 @6.5
8x176 @7
8x198 @8
8x186 @8

5ct Pause Bench
4x195 @7
4x205 @8.5
4x210 @9
4x195 @9

Deadlift was a disaster today. My first couple of sets felt pretty nice and decently strong, but when I got to 474 I couldn't even break the floor. I had to try multiple times, working my way down and back up again to 474 before I was able to break the floor. From there, I was only able to get 1 rep.

This is a terrible performance considering my 1RM is 508. Not being able to break the floor is worrisome.

I think my performance can be related to:
1. Terrible diet over the weekend. We're talking mostly cookies and beer with few good protein sources.
2. I have too many cues running through my head, and I'm neglecting the fundamentals. I'm thinking too much and I'm psyching myself out.

Considering that my first 2 sets were pretty good, I really think it's quite likely I was simply overthinking things. I'm trying to keep my shins straight and chest up, which resulted in me setting up a bit differently today. For the lighter weights, this wasn't a big deal, but when things got heavy it became problematic.

2018-02-22
High Bar Squat
4x308 @7
4x330 @7.5
4x353 #9
4x330 @9

OHP
5x132 @7.5
5x137 @8
4x132 @9.5 (wanted 5)
4x132 @9.5 (wanted 5)

Pin Press
5x225 @9
5x205 @7
5x210 @8
5x215 @9


Both pressing movements were weak, especially bench. I'm trying to work on getting more mobility in my hip flexors so I can tuck my feet under myself more on the bench.

2018-02-23
Snatch Grip DL
5x220 @6
5x242 @6.5
5x264 @7
5x286 @7
5x308 @7.5
5x330 @8
5x308 @8

Cheat Rows
7x220 @6
7x242 @7.5
7x252 @8
7x230 @7
7x230 @7.5
7x230 @8

Bench
5x195 @6
5x205 @7
5x215 @8
5x205 @8

Snatch grip was pretty hard, so hopefully that means this is a good movement to focus on for a bit.

2018-02-26
Squat /w Belt
3x403 @7
3x435 @8
3x469 @9 (PR)
3x420 @9

Comp Bench
3x240 @7
3x250 @8
3x262 @10 (PR)
3x230 @7
3x230 @8.5
3x230 @8.5
3x230 @9

WG Bench
5x185 @7
5x195 @8
5x210 @9
5x200 @9

Squats had me seeing stars today but I was able to power through and continue progressing. I've had extremely consistent improvement on squats this entire cycle.

I went too heavy on bench, but it felt okay today. It takes a lot of work for me to get into a position where my knees are under my hips and producing good leg drive, but its absolutely key.

2018-02-27
Deadlift /w Belt
3x403 @7
3x435 @8.5
2x466 @10 (fail)
3x413 @9

Front Squat /w Pause
6x198 @6
6x220 @7
5x242 @10 (dropped the bar forward. I need to work on my technique for FS)
6x208 @8

5ct Pause Bench
2x205 @6.5
2x220 @7.5
2x235 @9
2x220 @8.5
2x220 @9


It's official. My deadlift is broken. This is now two weeks in a row where I've had an apples-to-apples comparison in terms of rep ranges and I've been weaker both times. Two weeks ago I hit 3x465 @9.5 and today could barely break the floor on my 3rd rep of 466.

Today I tried to forget most of the cues that have been running through my head and just went back to what feels natural. I simply didn't have the strength.

Diet, sleep, etc has all been good. The only real change to my programming this cycle is that I haven't been doing paused deadlifts. I love pause deadlifts and frequently praise them in this log. I didn't think that taking some time off from them would make me weaker. I assumed at worst I would just stop gaining strength. Maybe I'm wrong. I'll be adding these back in next cycle.

The optimist in my isn't too concerned. This isn't the first time that my deadlift has regressed for seemingly no reason. I'll get it back on track.


On the bright side, the bench felt fantastic. I realized that if I curl my toes up inside my shoe, it's much easier for me to properly drive through my toes. My setup was extremely tight today and leg drive was great.

2018-03-01
High Bar Squat
2x330 @7
2x353 @7.5
2x275 @8.5
2x390 @9
2x2x353 @(8, 9)

OHP
3x132 @7
3x142 @7.5
3x154 @9
3x3x137 @(8.5, 8, 9)

Pin Press
3x225 @6.5
3x235 @7.5
3x250 @9
3x235 @9


Squat felt a bit off today. It's tough to keep good high bar form when doing heavy doubles since my muscle memory just wants to take over and do it low bar style.

Both presses were great today. I've been putting in extra effort over the last week to work on my shoulder mobility, so I'd like to think that helped. I basically do various **** with a band while I'm resting between squat sets. Thinking about curling my toes is turning out to be very helpful for me. It helps cue me to drive through my toes, which is actually pretty hard for me because it feels so unnatural.

2018-03-02
Snatch Grip DL
4x264 @6
4x286 @6.5
4x308 @7
4x330 @8
2x4x308 @(7.5, 8)

Cheat Rows
5x264 @6
5x286 @8
2x5x264 @(7.5,8)

TNG Bench
10x185 @6
10x195 @7.5
10x205 @8
10x215 @10


Bench was feeling good this week so I wanted to go all out on high volume before the weekend. It ended up going really well.

2018-03-03
Squat /w Belt
2x420 @7
2x452 @8
2x486 @9 (PR)
2x440 @9

Comp Bench
2x245 @7
2x255 @8.5
2x265 @10
2x2x235 @(8,9)

WG Bench
7x175 @6
7x185 @7.5
7x195 @9
7x185 @9

Squats were great and bench sucked. Vids below. My bench form was terrible. I couldn't keep my butt on the bench and my pauses were a bit short as well. It's getting a bit frustrating failing to make progress on bench when on my alternate/lighter days things feel really good when benching.

^ that took place on 3/5. My dates are out of whack

squat double looked more like 9.5/10 considering the second rep was pretty grindy. very impressive double nonetheless. still amazed you don't get a handoff and spot on max effort bench sets. what's the reasoning behind the wide grip work?

It could be a 9.5, I'm pretty good at grinding out squats though. On some of my 1RM attempts I've actually come to a complete stop at the mid-point and been able to push through.

I probably should be getting liftoffs and I'm sure it would help. Many times I'm in the gym by myself but if I'm not I often just don't feel like asking anyone. I still have no problem unracking even though it might hurt my numbers a tad.

The reason I'm doing wide grip bench during this block is to improve my power off the chest. This slot is reserved for a bench variation and since I'm weak off the chest, I chose wide grip this time. I switch this up every month or so, though.

2018-03-06
Deadlift /w Belt
2x403 @7
2x435 @7.5
2x469 @8.5
2x486 @9.5 (PR)
2x435 @8.5
2x435 @9

Front Squat /w Pause
7x176 @6
7x198 @7
7x220 @8
7x198 @8

5ct Pause Bench
3x205 @7
3x215 @8.5
3x220 @9
3x200 @9


I think I finally got my deadlift back on track. Things felt absolutely great today. Two weeks ago I attempted 2x474 and could only get 1 rep (after failing to break the floor a couple of times).

This week, I implemented a little bit of a leg pump by cranking my hips down right before starting the pull. Over the last couple of weeks, I've been so focused on setup cues that I just wasn't pulling in a way that feels natural to me, and was probably stiff-legging the thing up.

So my deadlift now begins with a slight rollback of the bar towards my shins, finishing with a leg pump, and then the pull.