Cue: tight.

“Week 1”

• 5 reps – Squat (working max: 270#)
  • 2x5x45 (warmup)
  • 1x5x110
  • 1x5x135
  • 1x3x165
  • 1x5x180 (work)
  • 1x5x205
  • 1x7x230
• Asst. #1 – Chin-ups (supersetted with Squats)
  • 6 x 5/4/3.5/3/3/2.5 x BW

• 5 reps – Bench Press (working max: 220#)
  • 2x5x45 (warmup)
  • 1x5x95
  • 1x5x110
  • 1x3x135
  • 1x5x145 (work)
  • 1x5x165
  • 1x8x190
• Asst. #2 – Back Raises (hands behind head)
  • 3 x 15/15/10 x BW
• Asst. #3 – DB Bench Press
  • 3 x 10 x 100
• Asst. #4 – Face Pulls
  • 3 x 12 x 75

I’ve been reading and studying more on how to improve my technique. Some EliteFTS articles, some stuff from Andy Bolton, and some other articles that I could find. Yes… thinking about driving my neck back into the bar really helped. In all my squat sets today only the 5th and 7th rep of the last set had some sort of falling forward. I was most pleased, but boy it made that last set tough. Still, I’d rather have a good tough set than and easy sloppy, or even a hard sloppy.

The other cue, especially from reading Andy’s stuff, was about keeping tight. This is a BIG thing I need to work on in all my lifts is the whole-body tightness. The place to work on it? All the lighter sets, even the warm-up set with an empty bar. I strove to do this on bench press today too, but gee… I’ve felt so “natural” with bench compared to the other exercises that I haven’t worked it as much, but alas that’s beginning to show. I just need work on everything. 😉 And you know, I think about looking for a good coach… maybe not full-time, but at least a good seminar or a couple private lessons to firm things up. Who knows.

Certainly I’m going to do all my assistance work as a circuit, as that seems to work well for me in terms of pumping me up a bit more and getting me in and out of the gym faster, because 2 main lifts takes up a LOT of time.

Onwards we go.