Texas Method Team Training. Week 1. Post-Vacation Day

BW - 224

Squat - 265X5, 5, 5

Bench - 162.5X5, 5, 5

Deadlift - 275X5

The rest of the team was doing Intensity Day, but since I hadn't lifted in a week and a half, we just did a simple 3X5 for Squat and Bench, and a 1X5 for Deadlift.  Everything moved fast.

Texas Method Team Training. Post-Meet Week.

Thursday:
BW - 222

Squat - 255X5X5

Bench - 175X5X5

Deadlift - 185X10X2

Saturday:
BW - 221

Squat - 235X5, 5

Press - 105X5, 5, 5

Pull-downs - 5X10 (to a top-set)

Monday:
BW - 222

Squat - 275X3X3

Bench - 195X3X3

Deadlift - 315X5

This was always going to be an odd week, being post-meet and pre-Thanksgiving trip home.  Did a standard reset Volume day on Thursday, and a standard recovery day on Saturday.  I talked to my coach before yesterday's workout, and we agreed it would be wasteful to do a standard intensity day going into a 9 day break, so we did a modified volume day.  The first volume day left me feeling pretty sore and beat up, so we went with 3X3 on Squat and Deadlift to try and get a bit of a training effect without dipping to far back into recovery.

Meet Report

BW - 222

Squat -
314
336
363

Bench -
205
220

Deadlift -
314
352
380

I wasn't feeling very motivated going into the meet this week.  I didn't have my eyes on any PRs because bench hadn't gone as well as expected the last few weeks.  The result was that I took a fairly relaxed, but workman-line approach to the day.  When I weighed in around 10 lbs. lighter than the March meet, I thought, "well, getting anything around those March #'s would be solid, then."

Squat warm-ups all felt amazing.  All the abdominal and low back issues that have been troubling it seemed to have evaporated.  Took my opener.  It was fast, look it once should have been.  Okay, well the heaviest weight I lifted in the training cycle was 325, so let's go 10 lbs. over that.  Fast. Ooookay...  Well, fuck it, let's see what happens if I jump all the way to the same weight I hit at the meet in June.  Went up a little funky, but it went up.

Like I said, heavies weight I touched in training was 325.

Bench was where I had been hoping to get a PR.  205 opener went up solid, but my 2nd was an absolute grinder.

Watching that video, I don't see much of anything that I did wrong.  This was just a limit set.  Maybe the weight loss is part of it, but it definitely means I haven't gotten stronger on this lift since March.

Deadlift warm-ups felt good like the squats did.  I went out and did 314 with no pain, no discomfort, or anything.  I started contemplating a PR, but I went out and took the same 2nd attempt that I did in March.  It was very easy.  My old coach said, "Good.  Now go get a PR."  So that's what I did.  Went one over my March lift.  Felt tougher than it looks, but it looks great, and felt awesome to get.

That goofy moment at the end is because they were having trouble with the lights not always working, so I was looking around waiting for the side judges to give a thumbs up for the lift.

So losing 10 lbs. on the bench, but gaining 5 on the DL gives me a lower total than March.  Oh well. I was 10 lbs. lighter, and I did my first 5K this month, too, and that was the thrust of my training for 10 of the last 15 weeks.  That's not meant to be excuse making, but rather the path to contextualizing the results.  For sure, some of the things I tried to do to push my bench in that time DID NOT work.  I'll be continuing with the TM team training, but that will be something to keep on eye on.  For now, I ended the meet with a lifetime PR, and that ain't nuthin'.

Texas Method Team Training. Meet Week. light day

BW - 224

Squat - 135X5, 5, 5

Bench - 135X5, 5, 5

Pull-downs - 3X10 (straight-weight, light)

Texas Method Team Training. Meet Week. Openers

BW - 225

Squat - 325X1

Bench - 205X1

Deadlift - 325X1

Basically the same openers as the last meet.

Bench felt the best.