Texas Method - Week 3 - Recovery Day

BW - 231

Squats -
BarX5
135X4
185X3
225X2
235X5, 5

Press -
BarX5
65X3
85X2
105X1
112.5X5, 5, 5

Chins* -
BWX6, 6, 4, 4
super-set with
Hypers - BWX10, 10, 10, 10

Recovery day.  Squats and Pressing went well.

*The last few weeks, I've had some pain in my "good" shoulder after the first set of chin-ups.  This last week, the pain seemed to linger a bit.  I tried to warm-up with some pull-downs, but the first chin-up rep hurt.  I went and did some single-arm cable pullovers, and it still felt pretty shitty but I tried to gut it out for a few sets.  My coach was in the gym, and I finally went and told him what's going on.  He was surprised, but he's going to just have me do pull-downs for now.  The meet's in 5 weeks, and I won't have to do chin-ups there.  Better to avoid what hurts, and try to make sure I'm good to go on the three main lifts.

Texas Method - Week 3 - Volume Day

BW - 228

Squat -
BarX5
135X4
185X3
225X2
265X1
295X5, 5, 5, 5, 5

Bench -
BarX5
95X3
125X2
155X1
182.5X5, 5, 5, 5, 5

Deadlift -
135X3
225X2
295X1
335X5

Really tired on this day.  Had a busy Sunday, and then stayed up late watching basketball on Monday night.  Definitely the hardest the 295X5X5 has felt so far on Squats.  Rallied a bit for bench.  Then I gave myself plenty of rest before and during Deads, and I tied a lifetime 5 Rep PR.  Last rep was the slowest deadlift rep I've ever completed.

Texas Method - Week 2 - Intensity Day

BW - 229

Squats -
BarX5
135X4
185X3
245X2
305X1
340X5

Press -
BarX5
75X3
105X2
125X1
145X2

Cleans - up to
4 sets of 3 @ 133
1 set of 3 @ 141.8

340X5 is an all-around PR on Squats.  Heavy, but smooth reps throughout.

145X2 is a Rep PR on Press.  Not sure why I failed on rep 3 on the Press.  I did 5, 4, 5 with 140 at the end of the LP, and I would have thought that put me much closer.  Oh well, go for it again next time.

Cleans were feeling very smooth, with the bar flying up and landing very nicely on my shoulders.  So I added 2kg to each side and did one more set.  All good.

Texas Method - Week 2 - Recovery Day

BW - 231

Squats -
BarX5
135X4
185X3
215X2
235X5, 5

Bench-
BarX5
95X3
135X2
147.5X5, 5, 5

Chins - BWX5, 5, 5, 5, 5
super-set with
Hypers - BWX10, 10, 10, 10, 10

Everything went well.  Bench felt much stronger at the recovery intensity than Press did.  I dunno.

Keeping my body in a tight, straight-ish line on Chins.  I'll give it a few more weeks and see if I start to see improvement.

Texas Method - Week 2 - Volume Day (coached)

BW - 228

Squat -
BarX5
135X4
185X3
225X2
265X1
295X5, 5, 5, 5, 5

Press -
BarX5
75X3
95X2
110X1
125X5, 5, 5, 5, 5

Deadlift -
135X3
225X2
285X1
330X5

Day went pretty well.  Squats are still very strong and smooth at this weight.  Just heavy enough that I have to take it seriously and make sure my form is good throughout.

Press was a bit more challenging than I expected.  Half-way through it got be that the first rep or two would be excellent, but I was having to fight a bit on the last reps.

Got that damn 5th rep @ 330 on Deads.  I made a bit of a mental adjustment here.  Rather than go into the reps looking for speed off the ground, my  mantra was, "It will be slow.  Keep the bar against your legs, chest up, and don't stop pulling."  This set was very hard, but that got me through it.

Texas Method - Week 1 - Intensity Day

BW - 227

Squats -
BarX5
135X4
185X3
245X2
305X1
335X5

Bench -
BarX5
95X3
135X2
185X1
205X5

Cleans - 133X5X3

First intensity day, or "PR Friday," on the TM.  Squat is an all-around PR and Bench is a Rep PR.

Squats were a bit slow, but fairly smooth.  Bench felt pretty strong.

Cleans took awhile to get going, but I finally got them popping up and receiving on my shoulders.

Texas Method - Week 1 - Recovery Day

BW - 229

Squat -
BarX5
135X4
155X3
185X2
215X1
235X5, 5

Press -
BarX5
65X3
75X2
95X1
112.5X5, 5, 5

Chins - BWX7, 7, 4, 3

Hypers - BW - 5X10

Recovery day so everything was easy for the most part.

On chins, a gym buddy of mine suggesting that I stay tighter through my whole body by keeping my feet together and extended.  Did that on the 3rd and 4th sets.  Reps are about where I would have expected either way.  His experience was that he took a few steps back when he started doing that, but then surged ahead.  No harm in giving it a shot.

Texas Method - Week 1 - Volume Day (coached)

BW - 230

Squat -
BarX5
135X4
185X3
225X2
265X1
295X5, 5, 5, 5, 5

Bench -
BarX5
95X3
125X2
155X1
182.5X5, 5, 5, 5, 5

Deadlift -
135X3
225X2
285X1
330X4

First session of the TM.  Volume day with slightly shorter rests (3-4 min.).

All the Squat worksets were fast and easy.

Bench is still a bit more technical/less intuitive for me, but these were still fairly smooth.

....and once again I bounced off of a Deadlift.  The strength was there for the last rep, but I felt my hips trying to curve "under" the bar just past my knees, and I'm so paranoid about aggravating my back issues that I set it back down.  Disappointing.

Novice LP* - Session 35

BW - 230

Squats -
BarX5
155X4
205X3
255X2
305X1
332.5X5

Press -
BarX5
85X3
105X2
125X1
140X5, 4, 5

Cleans -
up to around 133 for 4 sets of 3
then a very ugly 155X3

332.5X5 is an all-around Squat PR!

*My coach only programmed a single set of 5 here, because we'll move on to the Texas Method with the next session and that will be a 5X5 day.

140X5 is an all-around Press PR!  Missed the last rep on set 2.  Oh well.

Cleans started feeling good so I tried adding some weight, but I kept catching it in my hands instead of on my shoulders.

Novice LP* - Session 34

BW - 229

Squat -
BarX5
155X4
205X3
245X2
295X1
330X5
285X5, 5

Bench -
BarX5
95X3
135X2
175X1
202.5X5, 5, 5

Chins - BWX7, 6, 5, 4

* Moving to the Texas Method next week.  Coach modified the squats for this and the next, final LP session.  Today was a PR set of 5, and two back-off sets.  330X5 is an all-around PR!

Got all 15 reps on Bench.  Last bench session of the LP.

7 chins at a 229 BW is a Rep PR!  I read Rippetoe's article on the TM from about 5 years back.  He recommended taking 5 minute breaks between chins sets, so tried that here.

Novice LP - Session 33 (coached)

BW - 229

Squat -
BarX5
135X4
185X3
235X2
285X1
327.5X5, 4, 1

Press -
BarX5
75X3
100X2
120X1
137.5X5, 5, 5

Deadlift -
135X3
225X2
285X1
327.5X5

Not a bad session despite running out of juice on squats.

327.5X5 is an all-around Squat PR!  First set felt great, ran into some trouble on set 2, and then didn't have anything left on the last set.

137.5X5 is an all-around Press PR!  Approached the bar with aggression and got the sets.  Got a very helpful cue from my coach not to let my chest drop when I receive the bar at the bottom of reps.

Got through the Deadlift plateau from last time.  Felt pretty strong on it.

I've stalled out enough times on Squat that my coach is going to start transitioning me to the Intermediate program, the Texas Method.  I've got some instructions for how to adjust my Squat workouts the rest of the week.  I'm fairly clear on how Squats will be handled going forward, but not sure about the other lifts.

Novice LP - Session 32

BW - 231

Squat -
BarX5
155X4
205X3
245X2
295X1
325X5, 5, 5

Bench -
BarX5
95X3
135X2
175X1
202.5X5, 5, 4

Cleans - Up to 133 for 3 sets of 3

Good session.  Got all my set of 325 and felt strong doing it.

Bench felt pretty good, but didn't have enough left for that last rep.

Cleans went okay.