You are still rounding your lower back on the last ~1/3 of the descent. Focus on keeping a super strong, solid ("block of concrete") lower back all the way, especially just before you hit depth + the moment you are changing direction from down to up. For me, this means I don't go as deep as I could if would allow my lower back to soften / round.

Also, knees out! (Maybe point your toes out a bit more as well?)

Also, don't count too much on estimated 1RM based of a 12-repper.

You said in words exactly what I was feeling! I do need to keep my lower back straight for the last bit of the descent and push my knees out. I will keep that in mind for next time and hopefully it gets better.


Yeah, but last time I got 100x6, which probably meant I was being a wimp as renton pointed out. This gives me the confidence to do 8+ in 2 weeks at 100.

I know 5/3/1 calls for an amrap but for the sake of improving technique, I'd almost rather you did the same weight for a bunch of 5s with short rest intervals. It would be a very similar training effect while allowing you to reinforce a better movement pattern. The first few reps look fine to me and I don't think some slight spinal flexion is a big deal. If you're really concerned about it then descend a little slower with more control and brace harder. Also consider trying a belt.

I also think that if you're getting pitched forward slightly in the bottom, it might be because you needed to keep that torso angle all the way down. Again, not a HBBS expert, but I see lots of advanced olympic lifters on youtube squat with a slightly positive torso angle because their levers necessitate it.

I'm doing 8 working sets per day and a few warm up sets, so there is plenty of time to work on my technique. The PR set is probably my favourite part of 531, so I'm not getting rid of it.

Fair enough. Whatever you find motivating is probably more important than actual programming reasons. I think that 67.5x7 is a little light to really reveal errors in your form or even to constitute a working set, given you're capable of squatting 90 for at least 12 reps. Some people run 5/3/1 by cutting that 5+ set at 5 and just adding weight for ascending joker sets of 5, which are still PRs and just as motivating. Some do the amrap + the jokers + the FSL which ends up being pretty brutal for deadlift day.

Yup, going to include joker sets when I feel good. This probably isn't a good time for it with my left knee hurting me.

Also, this is week 1 of cycle 1, so the 67.5x5 is as light as it gets.

Weight Update

7 day weekly average:
Week 1 - 67.6
Week 2 - 68.2
Week 3 - 68.8
Week 4 - 68.8
Week 5 - 68.7
Week 6 - 69.2
Week 7 - 69.1
Week 8 - 69.2
Week 9 - 69.3
Week 10 - 70.0
Week 11 - 70.1
Week 12 - 70.2

I'm pretty happy with this. I still don't feel too fat so I think I can keep going until 72 or so.

Average daily calories over the 12 weeks - 3060 (quite a few guessing, but I think I'm pretty good at it)

This puts my TDEE at ~2710

Weightlifting class

Some snatches and cleans. Forearm and bicep tendonitis is back after the rope climbs from last week. I just need to manage it, I don't think it will ever go away

agree. Form tends to get poor anytime you're doing so many reps with significant weight.

The squats look better to me. Resist letting your chest drop as you approach the hole.

Bench is better, but there are ways to get a lot tighter before you pick up the bar. I'll see if I can find a good video on this.

This is my coach teaching a good, tight setup. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LXNJHrLy0Lw

His PRs are 771 in a meet, ~550 or 575 raw and 805 in the gym in a shirt, all at 220 body weight. He's one of the best bench press (and squat) minds in the world.

Thanks, but my main problem is getting into that super arched position. In the video, she gets into the position without explanation and then he talks about various things.

Google thoracic mobility - various pt drills, etc can help.

Degree of arch is less important than that you arch.

531 - C1W2

Deadlift
85x5
100x5
112.5x9 (video below)
85x5x5

OHP
35x5
42.5x5
47.5x9 (RPE 9.5)
35x5x5 supersetted with 10 face pulls

One arm DB rows



These started feeling like pure cardio in the end. I could have done a few more ugly reps.

My main cues were hips down and chest up. My upper back is a bit bent over even when standing, so that may be a reason why it looks like I'm not doing the chest up cue, but I really am doing it as hard as I can.

I've decided to blast my upper back with accessories and hope it improves my posture.

Thoughts on the deadlifts?

I seem to be getting into a slightly better setup position (shoulders not ahead of the bar anymore), but my first movement off the ground is to get my shoulders ahead of the bar again and shoot my hips up.

I noticed this during the set, but I have no idea how to fix it. What should I focus on to fix it?

Hips are too low. You're kicking the bar forward as you lower your hips and your shoulders are directly over the bar when they should be in front (scapula is what needs to be over the bar). Then your hips rise and shoulders move forward with each rep, when those are the positions they should have started in all along.

The weight is light enough that the above mistakes arent costing you much. When you get tight before pulling, those angles will correct themselves and you can pull in earnest from a more advantageous position, i.e. this:

edit: upon rewatching the video, it looks like you're trying to do this, but there is a missing link somewhere sincd once your really start pulling, the hips rise and shoulders go forward. Tightness is really hard to do.

Next time get a front view from hip height. Its clear you dont have issues with back rounding and the low side angle sucks for observing anything else.

Sigh, have my hips now gone from too high to too low?

That's the first time I've noticed that I am pushing the bar away as I lower my hips during setup. I will stop that next time.

Start at 0:29 and watch where her feet are and look at what she is doing.

This might help get a bigger arch.

This is true. You need to get the slack out. When you have slack in your setup, you have no chance of making any leg drive get to the bar.

Crossfit

Squats
90x4
95x4x5

12 minute AMRAP:
15 pull ups
12 explosive push ups onto 2 20kg plates
9 double DB box step overs @22.5kg

3+21, scaled to 2 14kg KB

Bike

10.8k in 21 minutes on the assault bike (163 cals)

Yoga

An hour

Crossfit

Today was a girl benchmark workout that I've been eyeballing for a while - Lynne.

It is 5 rounds for max reps:
Body weight bench press
Pull ups

We did a round every 4 minutes and the pull ups strict.

My reps were:
Bench press - 6, 4, 3, 3, 2
Pull ups - 11, 8, 7, 6, 6

So 56 reps. This is the 7th girl workout I've RX'd. The forearm pump from all the max sets is insane

Treadmill run

6.5k at 6:04 pace. I was planning to run until I could feel my knee hurt and then switch to the bike, but it never did hurt!

531 - C1W3

Squat
72.5x3
85x3
95x10 (could have done a few more, but 10 was my goal)
72.5x5x5 (super setted with face pulls)

Bench Press
52.5x3
60x3
67.5x9 (RPE 9.5)
52.5x5x5 (super setted with lat raises)

One arm DB Rows
Hammer curls

Skipped dips and leg stuff due to bicep and knee pain.



I really tried to keep my chest up and knees out. I also didn't go as far down to avoid my chest dipping. Rep 5 onwards, the bar goes a bit forward out of the hole, I will work on that for next time. Thoughts? I feel like they look a bit better



I think my setup position is getting better. I see a very small arch!

Knees need to be lower than hips to get leg drive. Take a wider stance and get your feet farther back.

Squats look better. Its hard to keep form perfect doing so many reps, so some of them weren't perfect, but they generally looked good.

Bench setup is slightly better. Dont necessarily think about "more arch", instead think about getting your whole body tighter. What Renton is suggesting might help with that.