You win some, you lose some.

“Week 3”

• 5/3/1 – Squat (working max: 270#)
  • 2x5x45 (warmup)
  • 1x5x110
  • 1x5x135
  • 1x3x165
  • 1x5x205 (work)
  • 1x3x230
  • 1x3x260

• 5/3/1 – Bench Press (working max: 220#)
  • 2x5x45 (warmup)
  • 1x5x95
  • 1x5x110
  • 1x3x135
  • 1x5x165 (work)
  • 1x3x190
  • 1x6x210 (PR)
• Asst. #1 – Chin-ups
  • 1 x 5 x BW
• Asst. #2 – Back Raises (hands behind head)
  • 1 x 15 x BW
• Asst. #3 – DB Bench Press
  • 1 x 10 x 110
• Asst. #4 – Face Pulls
  • 1 x 2 x 80
• Foam Rolling

Today was a mixed bag.

I’ve been reading a lot of stuff from Andy Bolton. He said some things that helped me with the need for being “tight”. So today I was really thinking about “tight” as my cue. It was really good. Every set of squats was being really tight, which was awesome.

Until the last set.

See, I don’t have technique something that’s unconscious to do; I have to think about everything, but I can only think about so much. So focusing so much on tight, and being really impressed with how it was working, paying attention to the feedback my body was giving me well…. I wasn’t able to focus on “head back” and driving my neck into the bar. Consequently on that first rep of the last set I about didn’t make it out of the hole…. it surprised me, then it all hit me, and my concentration was gone. I was able to squeeze out two more reps, but I was leaning badly and had blown all my tightness and everything. FML. Later on I realized what I should have done:

1. immediately rack the bar, rest for a couple of minutes, get my head back together, and do it again.

2. stop trying to think about too many things. It was bad form to try to change things up for PR week. I know better, but I did it because I knew it was something I was already working on so I felt this was just reinforcing, but alas, it became consuming and other things faltered.

Iron teaches you many things.

It was my goal to get 5 reps, and I’d have been happy with 4. But I’ll have to take 3 reps plus some good lessons.

Bench went really well. I have already been working on fixing my foot placement. I think foot placement is better, but now I just need to work the drive into it more, making it one smooth motion out of the hole. But this was a rep PR, so I’m happy about that. 🙂

Alas, once I moved to assistance work things went ugly. I opted to NOT work chins into my squats but instead just do it as a circuit today. I took a wider grip than usual and also tried to ensure a more complete range of motion. Well, that doomed something in my shoulder and after the 5th rep I had pain in a bad way. Kept working my way through, but it only took 2 reps on face pulls to say “no mas”. It was pain in a bad way and I figured it was better to take my PR and go home. I’m not sure what I did, but it feels like if I could just pop my upper back… a little chiropractic work, a little massage, and I’ll be alright. After a hot shower it feels better, and I’ll see how it progresses through today.

I’m not totally happy with today’s results, but there were lessons learned and so I’ll take those and move on. The journey is an interesting one.