The Return of: The Weenie in the Squat Rack

[48mpg]

Oct 30:

Squat: 250
ohp: 95
DL: 355

squats feel good, rep 4 & 5 are hard but, doable and I feel like it will keep progressing well

OHP: 95 lbs feels like where I should be for 3 sets of 5, i need the reps anyhow

DL: I'm having a hard time getting pumped up for it. 355 went ok, speed was ok, but I feel like there was more rage before, if that makes any sense. I'll keep at it from here.

 

[48mpg]

Nov 4:

squat: 225, 3,3
bench: 135


squats: dont know why, but was feeling so bleh just didnt have it. 225 felt pretty heavy. I probably could've done more, but i just didnt feel like i had the energy to

bench: 135, meh was ok i guess

gym was really crowded today. benched at a regular bench and i didnt feel like waiting for a free spot to do some rows, so I just did some pull ups. it sucked too, bleh.

 

[48mpg]

nov 6:

squat: 260
OHP: 100
DL: 365

squats felt good, heavy but good
OHP was heavy, will need to micro load it
DL felt good. i need to re-learn how to get all pumped up again. I lost that "rage"

started eating more carbs for the past two days, hopefully i can keep it in control

 

[48mpg]

Nov 8

Squat: 265
Bench: 140
row: 140

 

[48mpg]

Nov 11

Squat: 245 x 3, 3
OHP: 102.5
DL: 375

Squats were really heavy and it took a lot of reps to warm up my knees. I havent been sleeping much lately, so i dunno. figured getting some reps in is better than nothing. also, I think this is about the same spot where I was having trouble progressing 3 times a week

OHP: felt fine. 3x5 went pretty smoothly

DL: had to really try to psyche myself up for it, but I got it with out much issue

 

[48mpg]

Nov 13:

Squat: 270
Bench: 140
Row: 140

got 5 reps at 270. felt good. i dont know what it is that kept me from hitting it last workout. also, am trying to figure out the warmup. seems like I need to warm up more now. maybe cause its getting cold outside?

bench felt fine, benched on a bench as the rack was taken. unracking still weird as it is pretty low for me,

rows felt really good, I felt form was good, very little jerking up with my back.

also, i should really look into getting knee sleeves. I feel that it is taking quite some time to warm them up and is hard to keep them warm. just gotta bite the bullet and spend the money.

 

[48mpg]

Nov 15:

Squat: 225 x 3, 3, 185 x 3
OHP: 105
DL 275 x 5

I'm not sure what was up today. not sure if my legs were just still tired and recovering, or its from lack of sleep lately.

squats were pretty heavy

and DL at 225 felt a bit heavy already. 275, was slower than when I pulled 375 the last time, so I just called it there.

OHP felt ok. grinded out the last few reps but nothing major. still not getting much sleep on my days off. too many distractions.

 

[48mpg]

Nov 18:

squat: 225 x 3, 3
Bench: 150
Row: 150

squatting 185 for 2x3 felt fine for warmups, but 225 was really heavy.i dont know why. could be my sleep, could be that I can no longer progress every workout anymore on it. My knees are also creeky for quite a bit longer and need to warm up quite a bit more.

bench felt fine. benched on a regular bench again as the power rack was taken. the Rack on it bench is really low. I wish it was ~4 inches higher. the weight is at the point where I can barely do a tricep extension to get it out and need to half rep it up. But I need to learn to deal with it as that is the equipment I have at hand. waiting for the 1 power rack is a pain and I dont want to be that guy taking up equipment for the wrong reasons.

row: felt fine. i rushed it because someone was waiting for the bar. i could have rested a bit longer between sets and I think I would have used less jerking with my back.

will try to get to sleep at a better hour

 

[48mpg]

Nov 20:

Squat 135 for a few sets of 5, 185 for a few sets of 5

just wasnt feeling it at all this day. I made it to the gym and changed, got into the rack, and just did something. i didnt want to be there at all

 

[48mpg]

Nov 24:

Squat: 275
OHP: 107.5
DL: 385

squat felt good again. I had a long break since the last heavy squat session and it felt good, even through the warmup sets. Lately the warmup sets have felt heavy, but today, they felt like warm ups. Its just another sign that I"m nearing (at) the end of progression each workout.

OHP: felt good. heavy but each rep was very doable

DL: felt strong. a little slow off the ground for the first few reps at 385, but, felt strong. grip was strong even at the end. was able to do a static hold for a bit.

 

[48mpg]

Nov 25:

Squat: 135 3x5, 185 3x5
bench: 155
row: 150

just wanted to get in the gym before the holidays, i wont be back until at least next tuesday

squat: just wanted to get reps in, mobility was great and didnt really have to warm up to get my knees to stop creaking. reps felt good,

bench: I think I can rep whatever I can unrack because the rack is so low, I have to tricep extension it out. I try not to half rep it out because when i do I tend to lose back/shoulder tightness. 3x5 felt fine, no issues on any rep.

row: i did 150 again because I felt that I rushed it last time and used my back to help jerk it up. today, felt fine.

 

[48mpg]

Dec 2:

Squat: 225 x3 x 3
Bench: 160 x 4, 3, 1
Row: 135

feeling so off

squats at 185 felt good. at 225 felt real heavy and i guess my mind wasnt all in it.

still trying to recoop some sleep after delayed flight coming home after Thanksgiving.

Bench: felt ok, but didnt feel very confident I was going to get all 5 reps

Row: just felt heavy.

hopefully I can start eating right and sleeping enough again to get back at it.

 

[48mpg]

Dec 4:

squat: 185 3x5
ohp: 95, 3x5

i dont really know whats going on. i can only assume its sleep.

squats were feeling heavy and a bit sloppy at 185. knees were creaky for quite a while.

I need to really consider spending the money for sleeves. :/ Christmas present for myself i guess.

 

[48mpg]

Dec 8:

Squat: 280
Bench: 160 x5,4,3
Row: 160

Squats felt great. used knee sleeves for the first time and I think they helped a lot. knees warmed up quick and stayed warm, hot actually, the whole time.

Bench: I'm just going to switch to 1 set and gor from there.

Row: same here

my plan is just to grind this out for the rest of the year and maybe a bit more before i switch over to madcow.

I need to start planning how I"m going to do my last lifts for the Powerlift Comp.

 

[The_observer86]

Nice going with squats! I hope to catch up with you on Dead Lifts before the end of the year

 

[48mpg]

Thanks!

I'm finally back to where I was before I moved in October and switched to Oly shoes.

I'm not sure what happened to my DL, I deloaded a bit after moving, and it has been climbing, but slowly.

 

[48mpg]

Dec 11:

Squat: 285
OHP: 110
DL: 395

squats felt really good. call it getting good recovery, warm knees, or 7mm of neoprene. I dont care what it is, its working.

ohp felt good, no issues. I didnt have much left in the tank though, I atempted a set at 95 after and could only get 3 reps.

DL: I started feeling nauseous during the warm ups. not sure what was going on. I was debating with myself to just stop and go home. but I kept going, resting a little more between sets and doing less warm up reps.once I got set for 395, I pulled it without too much issue. speed felt decent. I did tear up my hand a little. I gripped the bar a little higher into my palm for some reason and as it slipped down a bit down to the base of my fingers (where the calluses are) it abraded my girly hands up a bit.

I think lifting twice a week with 2-3 days rest in between is a good compromise/solution to not being able to progress on my squats 3 times a week. I'll do this for awhile before I switch over to madcow.

 

[48mpg]

Dec 15

squat: 290 x 2
Bench: 160

uh oh. at 225, I think I dive bombed going down and i heard/felt something pop/click/snap/something. my knees normally make noise but this was a little different. finshed 225, then stepped up to 255 x 3. felt ok, did 290, got 2 and I stopped, I probably could've gotten more, but I was already wary about it. :/

bench was fine.

but while I was walking around loading/unloading the plates, i felt a little twinge in my leg. uh oh

I called the workout there and went home, figure I'm better of resting it and see what happens.

I feel something on my right leg upper shin on the outside. Walking up and down stairs felt fine, squatting bw feels fine. I have to work and plant my foot and twist a bit to feel it, but now sitting on the couch, I know its there.

I'm thinking its minor, but we shall see.

 

[48mpg]

Dec 21:

Squat: 290
OHP 115 x 4
DL: 405

I have been a bit wary and conscious about my lower right leg. I still feel it every once in a while but it has gotten better over the last week.

Squat: during warm ups, 45, 95, 135 all felt fine. at 185, i could kind of feel something on my right leg, mid/lower shin on the outside. I think I feel it when I go too far forward. I stepped it up to 225, 255 being cautious of it. making sure I sit back on my heels. Felt ok. I decided to go for 290 and did 3 reps without any issue. I think I'll stick to set of 3 for now. I'm basically just trying to stay in the groove of it for a 1RM for the Powerlift Comp any how.

OHP: I should have micro loaded. I felt ambitious for some reason and only got 4 reps at 115.

DL: was being cautious with this as well. got 405 for 5 reps without oo much issue, last few reps were a bit slow but it kept moving.

After my DLs, this older big guy complemented my set and that felt good. Gave me a little boost in confidence.

I think I will get one more workout in before Christmas and then probably go for my 1RMs after that on Dec 30, as my gym closes early on Dec 31 .

Predictions:

Squat: 315
Bench: 180
DL: 465

I've been wanting 315 on squats for a long while. Bench, I'd love to be able to do a BW bench again, even if its only 1 rep. (I think I might actually weigh a little more than 180, we'll see after Christmas how much I weigh). DL, I'd like to get a little more than I did for my last video.

If I can get those, that would be a 960 total at 180-185 bw. A little short of 1,000, but getting closer.

My goal this Christmas weekend, is to eat well but not ridiculously much and to get some good sleep. I was hurting after travelling for Thanksgiving.

 

[48mpg]

Dec 23

Squat: 295 x 3
Bench: 165 x 3
Row: 135 x 3 x 5

Squats felt good. it was heavy but I got 3 ok. my legs are feeling better. I felt a twinge in the outer shin area but not as much, so I think its getting better.

Bench: i only got 3 reps, it was mostly mental I feel. It did feel really heavy. I wasnt very confident that I was going to get reps 4 and 5, so i didnt go for it.

Row: I havent done these in a while, so I just wanted to get some more reps in

this was my last workout until after the long weekend. actually my last workout before PR attempts.

I think Bench PR of 180 might be a stretch. I'll do it in the cage and that'll boost my confidence a bit.