Stronger every day, week, month, year

[Webbie]

Starting a log to further my learning on the subject of strength training.

Baseline:
36yrs old, family guy, work about 55hrs a week
211 lbs from 190 lbs in September, 6ft tall
Current PRs
Squat 320 5X3 (just did 296 after a 10% reset on Friday)
Deadlift 330 5X1
BP 192 5X3
P 125 5X3
PC 170 3X5
Snatch 140 single
Gear: Belted, VS shoes, TK Bands neoprene for knees, Chucks for DL

Started SS last spring and made linear progress up until cycling season took over. Tried to just maintain gains while training ~12-15 hrs a week. I have worked out mostly 6 days per week until just recently(3 days in the weight room, the rest on the bike). Recently, I decided to take some time off of the bike and see how strong I can get. Back on a Novice progression this fall but I just did a 10% reset on my squat because I had a workout where was I about an inch high for all but 3 or 4 out of the 15 total reps. My form has been solid since the reset. Hoping to keep the linear progress going until I hit 220 bw.

[Mr.City]

Nice numbers. Do you have a home gym?

[Webbie]

Thanks! I started last spring at 165 sq 175 DL, 135 BP, 80 P

Oh yeah forgot to mention that. With my schedule I can't fathom driving around town to get to a gym...that and there only the cheesy type gyms around so I decided to just outfit my garage. I have a platform that I built, a half squat rack, a bench, york bumpers, olympic bar, a rower, a GHD, and bike rollers and power trainer.

So yeah, I get home, change out of my work clothes, walk into the garage, and get started.

[Mr.City]

I knew it! I'm jealous. I'm stuck with my university gym. No chalk, crappy bars with baby's bottom smooth knurling, and the plates are made out of shitty plastic that seems to be breaking apart.

[K.Diesel]

Webbie, you got it made! I usually work around 50 hours a week, but with no garage and low ceilings in the basement, I'm kind of stuck. I'm a 33 year old family guy, so I can definitely relate to that time situation. Look forward to keeping up with your log.

[Webbie]

Workout tonight:
Squat 308 5X3
BP 193 5X3 PR
PC 154 3X5
Chin-ups 7 PR

Squat form felt solid with good depth. I may have a budding thumb injury. I felt a big pop in my left thumb the last time I did PCs. It has been sore and swollen but I thought I could just train through it. As soon as I tried my first warm-up pull (hook grip) I let it go. The pain is similar to how a sprained ankle feels but is only during the hook grip. So I went for the conventional grip for the rest of my reps. I pulled less but didn't have any more sharp pain. My left thumb is swollen right now so I think I'll ice it and see how it responds.

A couple of equipment observations. Belt: I wore my belt backwards for PC tonight. Felt supported and I didn't bump the buckle at all. Shoes: I realized that I had been wearing them loose enough that my feet would slide forward in the shoes and I would end up getting on my toes at some point. I really cinched them down tight and felt solid and balanced for the whole set.

Milk: My wife bought me two gallons of milk today with expiration dates of Wednesday. Pretty good deal...2 for 1 and the bonus is I have a deadline on those two gallons...I have to drink them in the next two days or risk getting sick :)

[Webbie]

12/9 Workout
Squat 315 5X3
Press 127 5X3
DL 340X1 fail

I think I ran out of juice in this workout. I had been dealing with some digestive issues over the last week and let my eating go a bit light . I think it caught up with me by the time I made it to the DL. I'll eat a lot and hit it again on Monday.

[Webbie]

12/14 workout
sq 320 3x5
bp 195 3x5
ghd bw 3x5

I took Friday off for parties and i learned that 4 days off is just too much time off for me. I should have done some light recovery stuff on Saturday. My squat was a fight. BP was solid.

I'll be drinking milk and watching MNF for the next few hours :)

[Webbie]

oh and I had my wrist/thumb adjusted this morning. The chiro said it was definitely out of place and some of the swelling and range of motion are back to normal this evening. He asked me to rest it for a week or so before trying out PCs again since this is in the strain/sprain category.

[Mr.City]

Nice squat numbers and I hope your thumb recovers quickly.

[Webbie]

Thanks Mr. City. I'm a little worried that my squat is catching my DL number. I had a fail in the last workout at 340...so I have a retry at 340 on Wednesday and then I probably should go up @5 lbs per workout from there. I have short arms so I'm not sure I'll ever have a 100# difference between my squat and my dl. I would like to keep them about 50# apart

The thumb only hurts in a hook grip so I'll give it some rest but maybe I can put in some rows or high pulls in the interim with a standard overhand grip.

[misspelledgeoff]

hey Webbie, do you have video of your squat?

[Webbie]

Sure, I have bunch of video. I'll figure out how to post a set.

[Webbie]

Here's the last set of squats that I videoed at 310.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9C91lpaf2zs

[Webbie]

12/16 workout BW 215
Squat 325 1x4, 296 1x5, 1x6
Press 127 3x5 PR
DL 335 fail, 328 fail

Ok I hit a wall tonight. On the first set I got 4 good reps in and then I just could not make the fifth...so I dropped the weight behind me which spooked me a little bit. I went back to the weight my workout partner is at. I could tell that first set took a lot out of me. I was sort of out of it for a while...I accidently did 6 reps in my last set and was headed for my 7th when my workout partner called to me and told me I was done.

Press was easy. And then I failed big time on the DL. I'm totally exhausted right now. I definitely wasn't recovered for this workout. The question is was it sleep, food, or am I getting near the end of my novice progression. I'm still gaining around 1/4 lb per day or 1 to 2 lbs per week. My sleep has definitely been off this week...I only got 4 hrs last night. We'll see how I feel on Friday. I may just do some light sets on Friday and assess things going into the end of the year.

[Webbie]

12/18 workout
Squat 2x5x198 Recovery
BP 3x5x198 PR

Still letting the sprained thumb rest so no PC. Decided to try out a recovery workout on the squat since I had the fail on Wed and I've felt pretty sore all over. I don't feel much better right now but I did feel nice and loose and warm last night. We'll see if I try 325 again on Mon or Wed of next week. I'm thinking of just staying in recovery mode on squats until after Christmas and then starting TM after Jan1. I'm pretty beat up with a sore right hip, hammies and quads that feel dead, and achy knees. The knees are interesting...one will ache for a little while and then t goes away and then the other one will ache for a little while. Sometimes they are stiff after sitting sometimes not. It's interesting to see and feel how my body is reparing itself constantly. I'll start back with a 10% reset on DL on Monday and I'm going to add GHD to every workout.

My plans for the rest of the day are to get my steak and bourbon ready for the Saint's game tonight. Who Dat?!

[Mr.City]

How often are you deadlifting now?

[Webbie]

Up until this past week I had been on the normal A, B program. I got a little messed up with my schedule around Thanksgiving and missed a workout. And now with my sprained thumb, I've dropped PCs for going on about 3 weeks now.

Also, I just checked my log book and my weight gain has definitely slowed. I've actually been at 215 for the last week and a half. The more I eat and train the harder it gets to eat enough...I think I'm going to have to add more carbs just for the calories. I'm having trouble getting there on Paleo +GOMAD alone. I'm going to eat like it's my job until Monday and see how I feel on Monday evening.

[Webbie]

Advice Mr City?

I'm leaning towards food/sleep being my problem now.

[Webbie]

Just finished up a lunch time workout...time to eat
Squat recovery 220 x3x5
Press 127 x3x5 PR
DL 301 1x5 10% reset after my two fails last week
GHD 3x10 BW

Squat felt fine. I can feel my knees and hips are feeling better and I really focused on my hamstring bounce. It felt like I was working but not that hard. Press was no problem...I got a little slow on the last rep of third set. DL was pretty heavy. I focused on getting a good deep breath before each rep. I think I rounded my back on the fifth set. I'm not sure how I hit 330 1x5 two weeks ago but I figured I would just work my way back up 5 lbs at a time instead of 10lbs.

[Webbie]

In the spirit of learning from my failures...here's my video of my 12/16 workout. My training partner was calling the bottom of my squat but all of these look high to me. He was trying to be helpful but I think he was a little too sympathetic. I made it four reps and then dumped it behind me. I know the squats were shit...depth is the first thing to go wrong for me when it gets heavy. I'd love to hear anyone's critique of the drop...dropping it behind me just felt like the safer way to go.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YPKgXt7eg4I

I didn't feel good going into this workout on 12/16 and I haven't felt right since. Last night I was up half of the night with a fever (101). I haven't really slept well since last Wednesday and right now I'm still so achy it hurts to pick up my coffee cup. I'm thinking I may have endeavored a bit into what Rip describes as "Over-reaching". Thoughts from those who have been there before? I know he says in PP that it's hard for the novice to fall into overtraining but I have seen a dramatic drop in DL and Squat. I've been forcing myself to eat and I'm up to 217.5 but my appetite has not been there.

[Webbie]

Reacquainted myself with the gym today after a 3 workout layoff. It was 48 F inside my garage so I left all of my warm-up stuff on the whole time. I added a space heater but it didn't have any time to cycle the room at all...it was maybe 49 by the end of my workout. I'm sure that this is as far north as I ever want to live :)

Sq 308 1x5
BP 200 3x5 PR
PC 154 3 singles

I felt great in this workout. The squat felt solid...just trying to keep the motor units awake without over loading this week. I'll plan on doing 320 1X5 on friday and then start TM next week. BP is still on a solid linear progression. I have babied these lifts by going to microloading very early on. PC: I tried out the thumb tonight and I'm very happy with the results. 154 just flew up! No significant thumb pain although I did tweak it a little on one of the lighter warmup reps. It happened when I got the bar further out in front of me. So now I have a good cue for the PC...if I don't keep the bar close to my belly going up my thumb will swell up like a balloon :) It is just starting to bruise so I think the healing process is underway...there is still swelling though. I read in one of Rip's books that an injury like this(one with inflamation) can elevate your cortisol levels in much the same way as overtraining. I injured my thumb in the beginning of Dec and started experiencing what I thought was over training in mid Dec. I had all of the signs of overtraining but it may have just been my body dealing with this swollen thumb. Anyway, I've been unable to take any advil due to a colonoscopy I had scheduled for yesterday...now that that wonderful procedure is behind me and I'm a few benign polyps lighter I'm going to take advil three times a day for five days and see if I can get rid of this swelling. Ice alone has not done it. Anyone have any suggestions other than vitamin I?

[Webbie]

Oh, and I think I'm going to test my vertical jump tomorrow. I had tested it in the fall 2008 after doing CF for about a month and I was at 28". I measured it by putting chalk on my right hand and reaching as high as I could without going on my toes and made a mark. Then I jumped and made a mark with my still chalked hand. With this little bit of time off I feel pretty explosive so I want to see if my vert has improved at all.

[Webbie]

SQ 320 5x1
P 130 5x3 PR
GHD 15x3
Chins 4,3,10 assisted

Setting up for TM starting next week on SQ and DL. Not sure what day I should put the DL yet. I'll try to keep the novice progression rolling on the presses. The last rep on the press tonight was a fight. Probably need to stick 2 lb increases or less. I worked out a lot later than normal and felt like I had a hard time getting up for each lift.

[Webbie]

Tested my vertical and I hit 24". I thought I had hit 28" last year but that was wrong...my log said 24". The reason 28" was in my head is that I had read that was the average vert for a college QB so I thought that would be a cool goal. So, I've gained 50 lbs and my vert is still the same so I guess I have become quite a bit more powerful. The goal this summer is to get up to a 28" vert. Once I get my DL and SQ over 400, I'm going to focus on explosive movements so this should help.

[Platus]

The goal this summer is to get up to a 28"

I am interested in seeing how this goes, as it is a matter of much debate on this board. I have an abysmal vertical (18-19"), so let us know if you find any form of training particularly helpful.

[misspelledgeoff]

just started TX method last week and did DLs on Friday intensity day. I was going to do them Wednesday, but based on how I felt I figured it would screw with my recovery on squats. Friday worked well for me on DLs, at least so far.


SQ 320 5x1
P 130 5x3 PR
GHD 15x3
Chins 4,3,10 assisted

Setting up for TM starting next week on SQ and DL. Not sure what day I should put the DL yet. I'll try to keep the novice progression rolling on the presses. The last rep on the press tonight was a fight. Probably need to stick 2 lb increases or less. I worked out a lot later than normal and felt like I had a hard time getting up for each lift.

[Webbie]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I have also read somewhere that through the use of plyometrics almost anyone can improve their vertical. There is a specific program out there that can be followed if you are preparing for some sort of college sports test prep. I'm not sure I want to invest the time and risk of injury involved with plyo. I want to get there through just getting strong and then getting explosive with the oly lifts.

[Webbie]

Friday worked well for me on DLs, at least so far. I was thinking of Friday too. In the latest edition of PPST the Jesus Q program has it on Monday. I'm worried I'll not have enough left in the tank to go after a heavy DL after a 5x5 bench and squat. Maybe I'll move it to Monday after I understand how I'm responding to the Monday volume.

[Platus]

Yeah, I was thinking about plyo. I was just reading a big book on Oly lifting, and it was recommending that plyo be integrated into training to support the O-lifts. For now I'm on the same plan as you - get strong and clean and snatch, but I may be interested in experimenting with plyo in the future.

[misspelledgeoff]

yeah after the squat volume on mOnday, i don't think I could pull heavy. i do heavy powercleans on mondays, but they are quite light compared to DLs.


I was thinking of Friday too. In the latest edition of PPST the Jesus Q program has it on Monday. I'm worried I'll not have enough left in the tank to go after a heavy DL after a 5x5 bench and squat. Maybe I'll move it to Monday after I understand how I'm responding to the Monday volume.

[Mr.City]

just started TX method last week and did DLs on Friday intensity day. I was going to do them Wednesday, but based on how I felt I figured it would screw with my recovery on squats. Friday worked well for me on DLs, at least so far.

When you were on SS, how many times did you deadlift in a month?

[Webbie]

Two times some weeks and one time other weeks so ~6 times a month. Sept/Oct/Nov were wonderful. Towards the end here in Dec, I could tell I was having recovery issues.

edit: I just realized you might have been asking geoff that one...

[misspelledgeoff]

half the time, every other workout. the other half, every other week.

i hated the every other week.


When you were on SS, how many times did you deadlift in a month?

[Mr.City]

Are you deadlifting every week on TM now?

[misspelledgeoff]

yessir


Are you deadlifting every week on TM now?

[kunnar]

just started TX method last week and did DLs on Friday intensity day. I was going to do them Wednesday, but based on how I felt I figured it would screw with my recovery on squats. Friday worked well for me on DLs, at least so far.

I had also brief beriod in fall when i did texas method. I did power cleans in Monday, deadlifts in Friday and power snatches in Wednesday. Power snatch is actually fun exercise and fits very well into light day since weights are not as big. If i turn back to texas method i will definitely continue doing power snatches in light days. Just thought to share this power snatch idea in light days :)

[Webbie]

That sounds like a great idea. I think I'll work those in this week.

[zepled37]

yeah after the squat volume on mOnday, i don't think I could pull heavy. i do heavy powercleans on mondays, but they are quite light compared to DLs.

If it helps any to get another person's experience. I've been doing heavy deadlifts on intensity days also and it has worked pretty well for me. I also do the power cleans on Volume day. For me personally, I think I've learned that it is tough to do the volume squats and heavy squats in the same week so am looking at either reducing volume on squats, switching to DE sets on Intensity days or both.

Good luck!

[Webbie]

Thanks for the tips guys. I've decided to go with PCs on volume Monday's...I'll add in some Snatches on recovery Wed's... and I'll see how Intensity Friday's go with SQ and DL

Here are tonights results:
BW 226 Holy cow...Never been this strong or this heavy...My wife said she is enjoying feeding me.
SQ 262 5x5 easy and I was really happy with my form (I went with 80% of where I got stuck) I'll definitely be adding weight here for the next few weeks.
BP 203 5x3 Last rep was a fight. I'm hoping I can stay linear for a couple more weeks
PC 159 12 reps separated by 1 min
C&J 159 3 reps sep by 1 min
GHD 15x3 These are starting to get easier. May need to add weight next week.

Squat form was great and it needs to be at this light weight. May have been too light...we'll see. BP was solid...I'll try to stick with 3lb jumps until I get stuck. PC felt awesome! I felt a twinge of pain in my thumb a little bit but by the 5th rep the pain melted away and I felt like I was pulling the shit out of the bar. It felt fast. And then "Master of Puppets" came on the ipod when I was on my last three reps so I decided to jerk those overhead just for the hell of it.

[Webbie]

Recovery workout

Squat 225 5x2
Press 132 5x3 PR
Power Snatch 110 5 singles

No GHD since I'm going to go heavy on the DL on Friday. I felt pretty good tonight. Sore knees and hips from a month ago are almost gone.

[Webbie]

Intensity Friday

Squat 325 5x1 PR
Bench 206 5x3 PR
DL 330 4x1

Squat felt solid. Bench felt solid. Now that I'm actually moving some weight on the bench I'll need to make sure and take longer breaks like on my squats. My first and third set were fine...the middle one was a bit of a struggle. DL was tough... I felt like I could have gotten 5 reps but I thought I pulled a hamstring halfway through the 5th rep. It hurt like hell and I was worried that I had just experienced my first muscle tear. But after drinking a lot of water and eating a bit the pain has subsided. I think it was a cramp. I've never had a cramp in my hamstring before. As I was working my way up to 330...I could tell I had that empty stomach running on fumes feeling. I probably should stopped and had a coke or something. The PPST had DL on the volume day and I thought it made more sense on the intensity day...I'll leave it on Friday for now but I want to see how I feel next Friday...maybe it belongs on Monday.

[Webbie]

Volume Monday

Squat 267 5x5
Press 135 5x3 PR
PC 170 1x15
Chinups 4,3,5
GHD 15x3 (added 5lbs on the last set)

Overall felt good tonight. I had some knee pain that showed up in the 3rd set of squats. I kept going though and it went away. The first 5 PC sucked but then I started to find my groove. My last five were my best. My left thumb did not give me any trouble although it is still swollen. Not sure what to do about that. It hasn't responded to advil or ice. Maybe it needs to be drained.

[Webbie]

Recovery Day

SQ 225 5x2
BP 210 5x3 PR
GHD BW+5 15x3

Felt fine. I figured I would alternate GHD and power snatches each week.

[Webbie]

Intensity Day

Sq 330 3x1 PR
P 137 5x3 PR
DL 340 x1 PR

I was supposed to do this workout on Friday. I came home and my wife had an awesome Ribeye steak dinner waiting for me. After dinner, I laid on my bed to let my food settle and then next thing I knew it was 2 am. I guess I was tired :)

Today's workout felt great. I recorded my squat and on the camera at least it looked like my form was solid. I'll post that video maybe tomorrow. DL was a struggle. I need to focus more on my form here now that I think my squat form is pretty solid.

[Webbie]

Volume Day
SQ 272 5x5
BP 213 5x3

Had to cut this one short due to time constraints...had about a 14 hr work day. Not really into this workout but I knocked it out anyway. I'll do PC, Chins, and GHD tomorrow night. Interesting note about the bench weight...when I was in high school almost 20 yrs ago I did 212 one time...so it was cool to do three sets across with one more pound!

[Webbie]

I've been extremely busy the last week and a half and haven't been able to update this log. I attended Rip's seminar in Fl last weekend and learned a ton about the lifts and how to coach the lifts. I highly recommend attending on if you can. Your lifting career will be forever changed for the better. I tweaked several things in every lift so I'm thinking about going back to the advanced novice program and a 10% reset. I'll squat on Mon and Fri and see how long I can keep that up. My goal is to get north of 350 5x3 before switching back to the TM. My longer term goal is to get to a 2x BW ~440 with a 28" vert hopefully by the end of 2010

[Webbie]

SQ 296 5x3
Press 141 5x3 PR

10% reset and going back to the advanced novice program for a few more weeks. One of the main squat changes from the seminar last weekend was rasing my bar position about 1/2". I can feel the difference for sure. 296 felt heavy today, oh well.

[Webbie]

SQ 200 5x2 Recovery
BP 213 5x3 PR
DL 308 5x1

New form on the DL felt great. I think my grip might be my limiter in this movement so I am going to start working in grip work. Bench was heavy tonight. I had to fight for the fifth rep on every set...tough, tough, tough.

[Webbie]

Sq 301 5x3
P 142 5,4,4

Squat was probably the hardest thing I've ever done. I have missed some calories and some sleep due to work this week and this workout was a bitch. I powered through it but I'm looking forward to sleeping until I wake up tomorrow.

[Webbie]

It sucks to realize you are just starting to age. I took Monday off because my Saints won the Superbowl and I was hungover with only 3 hrs of sleep. Wed comes around and I could just tell my strength was not there.

Sq 306 3x3 ...I could only manage three reps each set
BP 216 1x2...Two good reps and then my muscles just shut down
BP 190 5, 4... I reduced the weight and on the last set my wrists buckled. It scared the heck out of me. They just rolled forward for some reason. I feel lucky I didn't drop the weight on my chest. I'll take Friday as a recovery day and try to go heavy again on Monday.

I chalked this epic fail of a workout to reduced sleep and lower protein this week. Also, I'm not used to drinking like I did on Sunday. I'm not 20 anymore I guess.

[Webbie]

Been eating meat the last two days and sleeping 8+ hrs straight and woke up and felt strong.

Sq 200 5x2
Press 142 5x3 PR

I felt really good on the press. I skipped PC today since it was really a recovery day I didn't want to push things too far. Monday I'll be back on track again.

[Webbie]

Sq 306 5x3
BP 215 5x3 PR

Yeah baby! This workout rocked finally. I had enough meat and sleep over the weekend and felt great when I woke up this morning. Onward!

[Webbie]

Recovery workout kindof...
Sq 200 5x2
Press 144 5x3 PR
DL 318 3x1...missed the 3rd and 4th reps at the knees...took 20s and got the 5th

The DL has been tough for me. I thought my grip might be holding me back so I got some straps to test tonight. I don't think I'm using them correctly. I took the straps off for the last rep and it was probably my easiest rep. My form has improved a ton with the DL but I'm a little frustrated with the lift right now. The press felt great.

[Webbie]

Sq 311 5x3
BP 218 5x3

I still did not feel recovered going into this workout. I might be fighting a slight cold. It felt like my body woke up after the first set of squats. I had a severe hamstring cramp on my last rep of the BP. I really need to make an appt to start taking care of those hamstrings.

[Webbie]

Sq 308 3 then 286 5x2
BP 220 5x3 PR

Shifted my workout to Saturday morning. Felt like I had trouble waking up for this one. I could tell during my warmups that I just didn't have it. I went up to 308 but knew that was jsut too much weight this morning. I backed it down to 286 and focused on form. I don't know if it is a recovery thing or the fact that it was early in the morning. Bench felt great and I just hit the 100KG mark! A few more weeks and I'll be repping my BW on the bench. My chest and arms have really been growing lately...my shirts are all fitting tight now.

[Webbie]

Sq 316 5x3
Press 146 5x3 PR

Focused on 200+ grams of protein everyday since Saturday and I felt a ton better today. I have curbed back my milk consumption (since i'm ~232 right now) and I think I didn't pay attention to protein . This squat felt solid. I'm definitely going for 321 5x3 on Friday. Press felt solid again. I think I'll leave DL out of the program as I make a push toward 350 5x3. I seem to get off track every time I DL since it has gotten really heavy. I'll focus on PCs instead.

[Webbie]

Sq 200 5x2
BP 223 5x3 PR
PC 154, 164, 174, 184

Recovery day for squats. BP was a fight but I made it. 225 next time! I worked PC back into the mix tonight. I warmed up and just did singles until I got to the most I had ever done before. I was surprised how easy I got 184 up. My technique was definitely rusty but getting 184 felt great. Good workout.

[Webbie]

Sq 321 5x3 PR for sets
Press 146 PR

Wow, this workout felt great. My form felt solid, no knee pain, and just a overall high level of focus. My strength was there too...I think it's nutritional; I've really been paying attention to getting 230g min protein per day.

[Webbie]

Sq 326 5x3 PR
BP 225 5,3,4

The squat took a lot out of me. It felt great to hit the sets. I'm looking forward to Friday. I'll try 225 again on Friday on the BP.

[Webbie]

Recovery Day

Sq 200 5x2
Press 148 5x3 PR
PC Warmup then 154, 164, 174, missed 184 and packed it in for the night.

I had a myofascial release massage today and I was pretty beat up from that. All I want right now is sleep. I have some hamstrings that had several pulls/strains over the last few years and there are some scarred up spots that the therapist worked on. I'll try to go back early next week and then again on the Sat after that. Right now my whole hamstrings feel bruised on both sides. Oh, and my traps are sore from the massage too...I didn't have traps 40 lbs ago :)

[Webbie]

Sq 331 5x3 PR

I was excited about setting this PR and since I was training by myself I just stopped right there. I don't like training bench by myself...so I'll wait til Monday for that. My legs felt like bombs went off inside of them. My quads, hams, and calves are sll sore right now. Calories and sleep please!

[Webbie]

Recovery Day

Sq 200 5x2
BP 225 4,2,1

Big miss on the BP...I guess I'm starting to run out of room on my progression.

[Webbie]

DUDE! Tonight rocked.

Sq 336 5x3 PR
P 150 5x3 PR

I have been short on sleep and calories over the last few days due to some intense days at work and I was thinking I was going to bomb tonight. I was seriously surprised. My form was on, the weight felt lighter than 331 and the bar only slowed on the very last rep. Same for the Press. Good stuff! I need to remember this feeling. Right now I feel like I could continue on to at least 350 with 5x3.

There's that and I bought two new guns this weekend...a 500 Mossberg 12g pump and Rem 700 Milspec -5R in .308...easily a 0.5MOA stick...very cool indeed

maybe that's what I need to do... keep buying a gun every weekend and my lifts will stay unstuck.... and 230 gms of protein and 8 hrs of sleep :) BTW, I'm up to 236.

[Webbie]

One more observation... I got a myofascial torture session last week and while it interrupted my Friday workout( and made Sat iffy, and Mon a big fail) I think it is why today's workout was so solid. Once the soreness left (yesterday) My muscles just felt "free-er" to contract under the weight. Maybe someone has a better term for it but I felt like I was able to access more muscle and bring it to the exercise. I think I'm going back in for another session tomorrow.

[Webbie]

Sq 341 5x3 PR
Press 128 5x3

Squat had a few reps where form broke down. I got behind on calories and sleep this weekend and I could definitely feel it today.

[Webbie]

Sq 346 5x3 PR
Press 132 5x3

Had a recovery day WO on Wed and didn't post it on the log. I waited until Sat morning for this workout because I am traveling next week and can't workout again until Wed. 346 felt solid this morning! 351 is definitely a possibility for Wed...1 pound away from lifting every bumper plate I own. I'm contemplating just going straight to 352 so I can say I've lifted all 4 plates...decisions,decisions...I'm pretty sure I would counsel someone else to just stay in process and not get greedy...we'll see how disciplined I am. Also, I have Easter and a family trip to the beach coming up so two weeks from now I'm expecting my training schedule to get off track. The goal is to get the squat to 400# and then start really mixing in the O-lifts. I have scaled the linear progression back to twice a week and dropped DL temporarily due to recovery issues...I haven't DL'd in a month...I figured I would have gotten stuck already but the weights keep going up. Cool.

[Webbie]

Sq 352 4,3,1 PR
Press 132 5x3

I traveled on an airplane this week. Not sure if that had a detrimental effect or not. I had good form on the first set and then my brain just sort of turned off. Same thing for the next two sets. I'm not sure if it was fatigue or CNS fatigue from long strategy meetings but either way I am toast right now. I had planned to take the next 1.5 weeks off anyway for Easter and Spring break with my son...so...when I come back I'll start the TM. My first Friday weight will be 5reps @ 452. Even though I didn't make this lift today, I'm not at all disappointed.

[Webbie]

Took a week off and got my toes in the sand. I didn't think about working out. Unfortunately, I lost 5 lbs. Coming back I did a recovery workout on Saturday and then started into the TM on Monday...

Sq 308 5x5 PR
Press 120 5x5 PR

The Sq felt heavy and the press felt light. Recovery workout planned for Wed, and I'll go for 352 5x1 on Fri for Sq and 152 5x1 for Press.

[Webbie]

Sq 352 5x1 PR
Press 152 5x1 PR

Both lifts felt solid. I feel like I paid close attention to protein and it made a big difference. The weight was very heavy but very manageable...I didn't feel like I was on the limit. Due a conflict I won't be able to work out again until Tues so I'll be going for Sq 313 5x5 and BP 200 5x5 as my volume day and then PRing on Sat morning.

[Webbie]

Monday
Sq 313 5x5 PR
BP 198 5x5 PR

Both were PRs for 5x5. Squat felt really, really solid. I found my groove and was bouncing out of the hole. In the zone, feeling the flow. I felt the weight in my entire hamstring as opposed to just the proximal attachment like I normally do. I think this has to do with the massage therapy sessions...my legs just feel more efficient with a load on them...Like I have more ability to generate force when I need it.

Recovery workout tonight
Sq 198 5x2
BP 132 5x2

Dude. I was sore. I felt a lot better after the workout and followed up with 4 beers, 3 chicken sandwiches 2 blueberry muffins and 1 ribeye. Goodnight:)

[Webbie]

Sq 357 5x1 PR
BP 228 5x1 PR

Squat felt solid. BP felt solid. I drank a cup of coffee 30 minutes prior to the workout and I think I felt a big difference in terms of being able to be psyched up for each lift. I was going to start working PC back in today but I got a huge hamstring cramp on the last bench rep. It didn't let go for about 4-5 minutes...so I just put them off until next week.

[Webbie]

Sq 318 5x5 PR
Press 132 5x5 PR

Tough one for sure. My legs are shot right now. I had trouble walking around for about ten minutes after the 5th set. The press was solid...no real trouble there.

[Webbie]

Sq 362 5x1 PR
PRess 154 5x1 PR

Felt good. I missed my recovery workout on Wed due to Golf League. I don't know what to say except that it seems that the Texas method is working for my 239.5 lb ass.

[Webbie]

Volume Day
Sq 323 5x5 PR
BP 203 5x5 PR

Another solid day. I felt very, very good on squat and bench. Drank some coffee before my workout and found my groove in the squat again. Maybe the Golf is working...although I did tweak my wrist and shoot a 50 (dang!) Vitamin I for the next week I guess. Tough time with my double prong belt though...I suspect I may be over 240 now and It took me about 1 min to get that thing off of me after each set.

[Webbie]

Intensity day
Sq 367 5x1 PR
BP 233 5x1 PR
C&J 184

Both felt ok today. I got a calf cramp on rep 2 and had to just grind it out. Not sure I was focusing on form too much just depth and survival. Bench went fine...deep breath, 4 reps then another breath before the last rep. I put the C&J back in today and worked my way back up to one heavy single. I tied a PR @184 so I just stopped there. I definitely had more in the tank but I didn't want to push it with my recent Golf induced wrist issue. I can tell I have gotten a lot stronger since the last time I tried the olympic lifts. BTW I missed the recovery workout again this week due to Golf League and my inability to get out of bed in the morning...to lift weights.

[Webbie]

Volume Day
Sq 328 5x5
Press 135 5x5

A rough workout for sure. I think I got behind on protein this week with strange work schedules and a lot of travel with Mother's Day. I'll focus more on protein and sleep for the next few days.

[Webbie]

Intensity Day

Sq 372 5x1 PR
Press 157 5x1 PR
PC&J 189 1x1 PR

Had trouble with the last rep in both the squat and the press. I made it but just barely. I worked 60 hours this week preceded by a lot of traveling the weekend before with Mother's day. I think I lost about 5 pounds this week. I'll focus on recovery over this weekend and next week. Still feels pretty damn good to be making this kind of progress though. I think my long term goal of a 400 lb squat is definitely in sight now. My form on the PC was a "C" but I got it up...

[Webbie]

Volume Day
Sq 333 5X5
BP 208 5x5

Oh man did I struggle with the squat today. I think I'm still recovering from the bump up in work hours from last week...I also spent most of yesterday out at the shooting range in the heat ~90. I had two reps that I know were high and the rest were pretty solid but I was shot by that fifth set. I had trouble walking afterward. I had to take 20 mins before I went to the bench...BP was no problem today btw. I wonder if I should repeat this weight next week or continue on to 338? I'm trying to add five pounds on Mon and five on Fri until I can't anymore but since I had some specific events that impacted my performance this week I wonder if I should just correct them and keep moving on...I did lose exactly 5.5 lbs from not paying attention to eating.

[Webbie]

Intensity Day
Sq 377 4x1 PR
BP 238 4x1 PR

I didn't feel recovered from Monday for this one. I ate better this week...BW back up to 240 but I was still about an hour and a half a night short on sleep. I'll keep up the eating and try to sleep but my schedule has been tough the last 3-4 weeks. I also have a weekend long shooting class and trip to the beach coming up next weekend. I may shift to sets of 3 for Friday until I can get back to a normal schedule. If I can keep adding 5 pounds I'm only 5 weeks away from my goal of 400lbs on Sq.