Novice LP. Session 43 (Greyskull Squats and Press)

BW - 226

Bench -
215X4
192.5X5, 5

Deadlift -
350X3
315X3

Chin-Ups - BWX5, 3, 5, 3, 4
super-set with
Dips -
BW+25X5, 5
BWX13

The pins on the adjustable bench had worked their way out and kept hitting the plate during the reps on my workset.  The spotter tried to fix it, and ended up lowering one of the supports entirely.  I thought I would still get rep 5, but I didn't.  I'll just go get it next week.

350X3 is a Rep PR on Deadlift.  First one in a long time.  Set felt pretty good.  Back-off sets are still feeling harder than the top set since I started using a belt.

Felt ready to start adding weight to Dips.  Upping the intensity on pressing, I thought I better try to balance it out with a few chins.  Started off with +25 for two very do-able sets of 5.  Wanted to start very easy to make sure I get acclimated to the differences the weighted dip belt causes in the movement.  For the 2nd set, I ended up pinching the plate between my knees to try and get more control.  Full body movement, hahhaa!

Novice LP. Session 42 (Greyskull Squats and Press)

BW - 228

Press - 125X5, 5, 8

Squat - 325X5, 5, 8

Chins - BWX7, 4, 4

8th rep on Press was a grinder.  I was hoping another 9 rep PR was going to be there, but it wasn't.

325X8, however, is a Rep PR.  Still having trouble staying upright with a straight bar path, but videoing the first two sets is helping me correct that going into the AMRAP set.  Strength feels like it's there for more, but my wind isn't there for more.  Feel like I can't get full breaths between the last couple of reps.

Chin-up strength was a little better than last session.

Novice LP. Session 41 (Greyskull Squats and Press)

BW - 228

Bench -
212.5X5
192.5X5, 5

Squat - 320X5, 5, 8

Chin-Ups - BWX7, 3, 3

Negative Chins (0/0/3) - BWX4, 4

Bench went really well.  Warm-ups felt a little off-kilter, but the top set was fairly easy.

320X8 is a Rep PR in squats.  Was getting hard to breath by the end.  Focused on a more upright torso, and it felt good, and the bar path looks good:

Not a lot of gas left for chins, though.  Plus a little bit heavier.  So I threw in a couple sets of negatives to get good volume in there.

Conditioning and Bodyweight Circuit

Chin-ups - BWX2, 4, 6, 4

super set with

Dips - BWX4, 8, 12, 8

and

Intervals - 3, 1/4 mile intervals, 00:12:57 total, 00:02:35/interval

Novice LP. Session 40 (Greyskull Squats and Press)

BW - 226

Press - 122.5X5, 5, 9

SLDL - 190X5, 5, 5

Chin-Ups - BWX5, 5, 4, 4
super-set with
Dips - BWX12, 12, 12

122.5X9 is a Rep PR in Press.  Had to "get up" for it a bit, and also pre-plan how I was going to break the reps up into sections i.e. 3 reps, extra breaths, 2 reps, breaths, 2 reps breaths, 1, breath, 1.

Decided to do SLDL for the first "DL" day back from my vacation.  I will start throwing this in occasionally as necessary if my low back is feeling to fatigued for regular DL.

Used the belt on Press, but wasn't sure if I needed it for SLDL.  My back felt a little wonky on the first set, so I belted up for the next two.  The weight isn't heavy, but trying to keep to form perfect is dicey as I haven't done these in a while.

Had just been doing dips on this day, but through in some more chins to try and help balance out the shoulder work.

Novice LP. Session 39 (Greyskull Squats and Press)

BW - 227

Bench -
210X5
190X5, 5

Squat - 315X5, 5, 6

Chin-ups - BWX8, 4, 4

Took about a week off for an annual camping trip.  Always a little roughed up coming back from that trip, so I took a small reset here.

Knocked 5 lbs. off the bench, and everything moved well.

Knocked 15 lbs. off the squat, and everything was moving okay, but I was having trouble staying off my toes.  That bit me in the ass on my AMRAP set, where I got too far forward on the 6th rep while going for 8:

+1 rep on my first set of chins as well.  Felt good.

Novice LP. Session 38 (Greyskull Squats and Press)

BW - 224

Press - 120X5, 5, 9

Squat - 330X5, 5, 7

Chin-Ups - BWX5, 5, 5

Good day.  Belt helped a lot with both barbell lifts.

Reset Press to the Greyskull protocol and 120X9 is a Rep PR in Press. If I hadn't known it would take 9 for a PR, I wouldn't have gotten there.  Last rep is maybe the slowest rep I've ever put overhead.

Low-back is feeling much better.  330X7 is a Rep PR in the squat.  6 would have been a PR, but I felt like I could get 7 going into this set, and planned my 'breaks' accordingly.  3 reps non-stop, 2 reps, 1, 1.  Still getting forward a bit coming out of the hole on some reps, but by keeping a more upright torso, I'm fixing that a bit, and some of these reps look damn near perfect despite the relative intensity.

Because I did a ladder up on chins the day before as part of a conditioning circuit, today I just tried sets of 5 across.  Still mulling over how I want to progress these going forward.

Conditioning and Bodyweight Circuit

Chin-ups - BWX1, 2, 3, 4, 5

super set with

Dips - BWX2, 4, 6, 8, 10

and

Intervals - 5, 1/4 mile intervals, 00:12:57 total, 00:02:35/interval

Chins and Dips both felt good.

While the average time on the intervals was slower this week, by and large, this was a better day.  I was able to keep a much more consistent pace than previously.  The past couple of sessions, I'd jumped out of the gate, and finished the first run or two far under pace.  Then I'd be out of gas for the last two.  This was better.

Novice LP. Session 37 (Greyskull Squats)

BW - 229

Bench -
215X5
192.5X5, 5

Deadlift -
345X3
310X3

Dips - BWX11, 11, 11

215X5 is a Rep PR.  Some form breakdown really started to show though here, although it was also totally do-able.  My spotter kept saying "drive your legs," and it made me realize how loose my legs were getting after the initial lift.  Something to focus on.

First week deadlifting with a belt.  Made a huge difference.  These lifts were all much easier that last time.  Almost zero back discomfort.  Video of the top-set below.

At 11 reps, dips are starting to get much more challenging by the end of the 3rd set across.  I'll take it up to 3X12.  At that point, if the final reps are grinding, I will reset and start adding weight.  If they're still very do-able, I may try to run up to 3X15.

Novice LP. Session 36 (Greyskull Squats)

BW - 225

Press -
140X2
120X5, 5

Squat - 325X5, 5, 6

Chin-Ups - BWX6, 4, 4

Press failed again to get 3 reps with 140.  Everything felt good, it was just too heavy.  Hit back-offs to get in volume on this day.  I will take a full GSLP reset, and work back up with 2X5, 1XAMRAP.

Squats felt heavy on this day.  A lot of variables at play being in the middle of a rambunctious holiday weekend.  Still managed to get an extra rep on the last set.  Despite the belt, the bar path looked much worse today than last time.  Saw it on the warm-ups, and still wasn't able to correct it very much.  Back didn't give me too much trouble, though.

Gonna try out 3XAMRAP, 2/wk. on Chins for a few weeks and see if I can get them moving again with more full range, fully loaded volume.

Conditioning and Bodyweight Circuit

Chin-ups - BWX7, 5, 4

super set with

Dips - BWX10, 10, 10

and

Intervals - 4, 1/4 mile intervals, 00:09:05 total, 00:02:16/interval

Much easier to get both conditioning and a light/recovery/assistance day in if I can do them all at once.  I hate running on a treadmill, but luckily there's a little bodyweight station down at the beach near where I live.  I mapped out a 1/4 mile route around the paths that brings me back there, and I can knock this all out pretty quick.

Chin-ups felt much stronger going first like this (duh).

Dips were fine.  I capped the reps at 10.

Intervals feeling a little better as I acclimate.  Still hard to pull back on the throttle out of the gate and hit target pace.