Novice LP. Session 63 (Greyskull Squats and Press)

BW - 227

Bench -
235X3
207.5X5
212.5X4

Squat -
390X2
350X3
315X5

Chin-Ups -
BW+15X5, 5
BWX6, 5

235X3 is an all-around PR on bench.  I mis-loaded one side of the bar on my first back-off set.  Gonna go right ahead and blame that for missing the 5th rep on on the second back-off set, haha.  Top set felt pretty good.  Probably RPE 9.5.  I'll go ahead and go up again next week and see what happens with the various sets.  Final back-off set shown in the 2nd clip.

390X2 is an all-around PR on Squats.  Worked really hard on warming-up my adductors today to see if I could lessen the discomfort I've been dealing with.  I'd say it felt about 50% better.  Lots of dynamic stretches and empty-bar warm-ups.  Still, my mental game just felt a little off heading into the work sets, and nothing felt locked-in.  The 2nd rep of the top set felt pretty fucking hard, so I didn't go for a third.  First back-off set still felt off, so I also cut that short at 3.  Final back-off set was fast.  Bar path and technique generally look really good in the video despite everything.

242(BW+15)X5 is a Rep PR on chins.  These felt pretty good, and the BW back-off sets felt very strong.  Video is of 2nd weighted set.

LRB 365: Big-15. Phase 1. Week 3. Arms and Squats

Friday
BW - 202

Incline DB Curls - 25sX20, 20, 20, 20, 15 (30 sec. rests)

PJR Pullovers - 40X20, 20, 20, 18, 15 (30 sec. rests)

Ab Wheel - 12, 12, 12, 12, 10

Saturday
BW - 202

Calf Raises - 305X15, 15, 15

Squats -
BarX10 (paused)
95X5 (paused)
115X5
145X4
175X3
215X2
245X1

205X15, 6
145X15

Leg Curls - X20, 18, 18, 15
super-set with
Lunges - BWX20, 20, 20, 20

Stretched my triceps out really well before the pullovers by tying a band low on a squat rack, grabbing it behind my head and slowly stepping away from the rack.  Take a step, hold for 15-20 seconds, take another step.  Right triceps still got sore at the shoulder, but it seemed to help, and my triceps isn't nearly as sore there the next day.

205X15 is a big all-around PR since I rest to squat deeper last year.  If I get 18 reps, that would represent my best all-time lift.

I've got my birthday coming up at the end of the month, and just like last year I'm going to do my Birthday Squats.  Last year I squatted 125X35 for my 35th, and this year I'm aiming for 135X36.  So I'll be doing 145XAMAP sets at the end of all my squats to get ready for it.

Decided to super-set my leg curls and lunges.  Pretty good/hard.  Drastically reduced the number of lunges because my quads had so much less time to recover from the squats.  Bodybuilding, y'all.

UB: Strong Week 1. Bench

Defranco Shoulder Mobility

Neck Machine - 3X20

Bench -
85X5
95X5
105X5
115X5
135X5

Incline DB Press - 55sX10, 5

Dips - Gym BW198+10lb.X11, 4

10 min. lope on the treadmill

I hate the bench.  I keep trying to dial my form in better, but sometimes that seems to make everything feel heavier.  Lately I've been focusing first on driving my upper-back into the pad.  Then I break the bar out of the rack.  Make sure my hands are straight so that the bar is above my wrists.  Look at where the bar is "at" on the ceiling to make sure it comes back to that same point every rep.  Squeeze hard, pull the bar apart, tuck elbows on the way down.  I'm having trouble the last couple of times remembering to flare the elbows while hitting my "target" on the ceiling.  Anyway this session sucked as all this shit makes it a pain in the ass.  Additionally, I was making sure to get a full touch at the bottom, and then drive that shit up.  This made sure the muscles got worked hard with relatively light weight.  However, all this shit in combination, plus only enough rest between sets to reload the bar, meant I was mentally and physically pretty taxed afterwards.

5/3/1 Log: Cycle 2. Week 2. Pressing

Defranco's Simple-6

Press -
BarX10
65X5
85X3
95X3
110X7
super-set with
Chin-ups - BWX7, 7, 5, 7, 6

BB Overhead Extensions - 65X8, 8, 6

Hammer and Tire - 5 sets of 40 (switching grip every 20 reps); 10 minutes

110X7 is a Rep PR, and a minor increase to my projected 1RM.  I wasn't even planning on going for that today, but it just kind of happened.  Although, the last rep was a grinder.  I lost some tightness trying to grind through the sticking point (right above my head), and took a step forward.  I didn't stop the press though, and managed to press it out.  I try to play things by ear, but I may just get in the reps, or go for a minor rep PR on Bench this week since I went all out on the Press.