During the last few reps of a true 20RM squat, just do what Jesus tells you.

– Mark Rippetoe

I wasn’t doing 20RM squats, but I think Jesus was talking to me today.

Squats

• 2x5x45 (warmup)
• 1x5x90
• 1x3x135
• 1x2x180
• 3x5x230 (work)

This was the toughest work set so far. The bar speed was slow. A time or two I had to take two breaths before the next rep. Last rep of each set involved a good involuntary yell. I almost didn’t get rep 15 out… around rep 12 I thought “Lord, am I going to make it? should I give up now? hell no! keep going… if you can’t do it, then you won’t do it, but until that point, keep doing it.”.

It felt good to accomplish it, but holy crap….

There were two guys in the gym that were watching me: the owner, and another guy that’s certainly the strongest guy I’ve met in the gym. They offered some observations about my form going to shit during the work sets. I didn’t agree with 100% of what they said, but there’s no question some of the things they said jived with things I myself observed and felt. Biggest things? 1. my abs were NOT tight, 2. my chest was not up. Now, before this workout I was wondering to myself if I had been going low enough, hitting parallel, so I think that was more on my mind than anything else. I know when I got under the bar I would cue myself to tighten my abs, but once the bar started moving all I cared about was moving the weight and getting the reps. Form went to hell.

After thinking about it, I’m going to do a full reset on squats. Is this the right time to reset like this? Well, in reading the Rippetoe tomes I don’t think this merits a full reset… I think I would just forge ahead, either keeping the weight the same for the next workout or microloading (e.g. going up 2.5# instead of 5#). It’s probably too early for a reset. But, I don’t care. The program is a little biased towards young guys, and while I’m not old, I’m not young either. I don’t need to risk injury… better to lift today and tomorrow than just today. Plus, going to less weight will help me get my form in order. I know I’ve been chasing the weight numbers because hey… it feeds my ego like it’s never been fed before. I’ve never done this before, never moved weights like this, and with all the other crapola in my life, having something good like this is wanted and needed. But, ego is starting to take over. I have to remind myself of Henry Rollins:

I used to fight the pain, but recently this became clear to me: pain is not my enemy; it is my call to greatness. But when dealing with the Iron, one must be careful to interpret the pain correctly. Most injuries involving the Iron come from ego. I once spent a few weeks lifting weight that my body wasn’t ready for and spent a few months not picking up anything heavier than a fork. Try to lift what you’re not prepared to and the Iron will teach you a little lesson in restraint and self-control.

I’m old enough to know to learn from the wisdom of others. No, my ego didn’t want to hear what the 2 guys in the gym were telling me, but it’s what I needed to hear. When I thought about all my possible options, I think that a full reset, dropping 10% (25# in this case), and working my way back up with a greater emphasis on the form points that I’m not hitting (chest up, abs tight) is what is needed.

Oh, and the belt… wore it lower today, that felt better. I also think I should tighten it up one more notch… it’ll be really tight when I’m standing around, but when I’m under the bar it’ll be just right. As it was, tight when I stand around lead to being a little too loose when I was under the bar.

Bench Press

• 2x5x45 (warmup)
• 1x5x75
• 1x3x105
• 1x2x135
• 3x5x150 (work)

Put more of the Dave Tate “So You Think You Can Bench” series into play. Had the feet further back, rolled the bar to the front of the pegs, pushed into my heels as I pressed, squeezed the bar. I wasn’t perfect with it, but it was better. I can feel the difference the “whole body” and pressing with the legs makes. A long ways to go before I really get it, but this is a start. Also, I was doing better at remembering to squeeze my grip really hard… made my wrists a lot happier.

Pull-ups

• 1x12xbw
• 1x9xbw
• 1x8xbw

I admit, I’m getting tired of doing these reverse/inverted rows. I really want to move to actual pull-/chin-ups. Today I thought, “maybe I’ll just work my way to 10 reps across” and see how that goes… then move on. But no no no. I said I have to get to 3×15 before I move on, and I need to stick to my plan. I still am getting stronger, because reps are going up… and hey, bodyweight is going up too. So if both weight and reps are increasing, I am getting stronger. Just forge on. I’ll be there soon enough.

Commentary

Today was a humbling experience.

It was good for me.

On the one hand, it was nice to have the ego stroke of moving big weights and setting more PR’s. But on the other, it was a time to be humbled and realize that I need to slow down, back up, fix some problems, and from there I can progress. It’s a long-term journey, not a sprint (probably the only way I’ll allow “marathon” to be used in my exercise regimen is here as a metaphor). I have to remember, I’m not doing this for the ego stroke, for a competition, or for anything other than trying to be strong, useful, and healthy… it’s really for my health and well-being. Injury will not help my physical, mental, nor emotional well-being. A little humility will allow my ego to be fed for much longer. 😉

Squats

• 2x5x45 (warmup)
• 1x5x90
• 1x3x135
• 1x2x180
• 3x5x225 (work)

Whoo hoo! 2 plates. 🙂 If you don’t know what that’s about, the bar weighs 45#, and then I have 2 45# plates on each side of the bar, for 225# total. 45# plates are the typical “large plate” you see (there are larger) in the gym, so it was kinda cool to be squatting 2 large plates (well, 4). 🙂

Used my belt for the first time too. I’ll comment more below.

Press

• 2x5x45 (warmup)
• 1x5x50
• 1x3x65
• 1x2x80
• 3x5x95 (work)

The more I press, the more I like the exercise. At first I didn’t care for it, but I am growing to enjoy it.

One thing I found myself thinking, since I hit a “plate milestone” on the squats was that here I was doing 2 25# plates, which is something in and of itself. I did the math on how long until I’d be pressing 135#… 40# increase, if I can keep up 5# per workout that’s 8 workouts, and if everything stays steady and good, that’s mid-August and I’ll be pressing 45# plates over my head. Kinda neat to think about because I never imagined I could or would be doing such a thing. But then I remembered something Jim Wendler said about goals:

It’s always been one of my goals to standing press 300 pounds. In the summer of 2008, I did just that. When someone asked me what my next goal was, my response was simple: “305 pounds.” If you bench press 225 pounds and want to get 275, you have to bench 230 first.

And so, I put my dreams of “1 plate” in the back of my head, and finished out my last set at 95# because I have to get through that set first. 🙂

One day at a time, one workout at a time, one set at a time, one rep at a time. You can so easily get caught up in where you want to be and the dreams of tomorrow, but to do this lift you have to be right here right now and in this moment and not caring about the next rep until the next rep is the current rep.

Deadlift

• 2x5x95 (warmup)
• 1x3x115
• 1x2x165
• 1x5x195 (work)

I wore my belt here, but I knew it would be a little different due to the body position so I figured to wear it on my warmup sets just to get the right feel. Well… as soon as I got into position over the bar a sharp pain shot up the left side of my back and into my left arm. I think I pinched something due to the belt and the fact I had to really bend over to get the bar (remember, it’s using 25# plates so the bar is much lower to the ground). I think it was just too much angle and so a nerve got pinched. I took off the belt and waited a few minutes, it died down, I lifted and used the belt only on the last 2 sets since those were indexed by 45# plates and thus created a better angle.

Commentary

Another strong workout. PR’s continue to happen, tho there’s no question I can feel the weights getting closer to limits and things are slowing down. That’s fine, that’s to be expected.

The belt will deserve a blog posting of its own, and I’ll get to that once I’ve got a few more workouts under my belt (pun intended). However, initial results are good. It feels strange tho… I’ve lifted with belts in the past but it was alway the “commercial” stuff where it’s 2″ in the front and 4″-ish in the back, which I now learn are kinda pointless because it’s your abs that need to push against something so why the little tiny 2″ wall up front… doesn’t give you much to push against. There’s no question there’s more wall here. The belt is mighty thick and doesn’t flex much, so it is a little uncomfortable, but as I found a groove it wasn’t bad. That will be what I have to do over the next some workouts is find the positions and tightnesses that work for me. I can already tell that the buckle position needs to be rather centered for my squat, but it needs to be a little to the right for the deadlift so the fold of the leather that holds the roller bar is more centered and doesn’t poke into my stomach when I bend over. Squats are tighter than deadlifts. Squat ends up with a fairly even positioning (tho I’ll play with getting it higher or lower, wherever there’s best abs push it seems), but deadlift wants a low in the front and high in the back position… and I really have to push it into that position (and the one-notch looser than squats helps).

All cool.

While I’m sure I’ll be on this novice-style program for many more months, I find myself starting to think about intermediate programs: Texas Method? Starr Method? Greyskull LP? Madcow 5×5? Wendler 5/3/1? Something custom to my needs? I’m not sure and certainly not making any decisions just yet, but I want to be read on the topic so when it’s time I can make a decision and just keep rolling along. I will say that I’m wanting to keep my strength but I will want to try dropping some body fat. Everything else…. we’ll see when I get there.

The gym will be closed tomorrow for Independence Day, so I had to get my workout in today. No worries… just throws things off in a minor way, shouldn’t affect anything of consequence I would imagine.

One cool thing tho… I should get my 4″ powerlifting belt on Tuesday and I’ll use it on Wednesday, just in time for deadlifts. 🙂

Squat

• 2x5x45 (warmup)
• 1x5x85
• 1x3x130
• 1x2x175
• 3x5x220 (work)

There’s no question about the mental game here. I wasn’t into it. There was a time when lifting got really boring to me because there was no mental stimulation. And well, there still isn’t, but I’m realizing it’s quite a different mental game. I really have to get focused and be in a zone, even the slightest thing can throw things off. For instance, being a non-normal gym day, the owner wasn’t there and I think in the back of my head I’ve kept him as a bit of a security blanket — that if the weight got too heavy and I had to yell for help or a spot, I know he’d be there and be strong enough to manage. Well, today he wasn’t there and that sowed a little “oh shit” trepidation in my head… which of course isn’t good because it totally runs counter to what I need! I mean, if I think I’m going to fail, damnit I’m going to fail. I have to think that I will push that weight around like it’s nothing and then I will! Now, I still pounded out the 3×5, but there’s no question it was hard and my form went all to shit. So, the mental game is dawning on me, and it’s different from any mental game I’ve dealt with before. It’s kinda cool. 🙂

Bench Press

• 2x5x45 (warmup)
• 1x5x70
• 1x3x100
• 1x2x130
• 3x5x145

This felt good, almost. I’m trying to remember the Dave Tate advice, planting my feet and really pushing with them too… a whole body pressing motion. But I noticed half-way through my second set that my legs were limp. I firmed them up and the rest of the set wobbled.  Third set I realized that I’m planting my feet at a position fine for resting on the floor but not pushing back: I need to plant my feet closer to my head so when I start pushing into it, everything slides and I end up in a “normal” position.

Chin-ups

• 1x11xbw
• 1x8xbw
• 1x6xbw

Dang. That’s a lot more than I did last Monday. Not sure what gives, but I’ll take it. 🙂

Commentary

The mental game here is very interesting, and until I started to lift heavy — heavy relative to me, where my body and brain thinks “oh gawd what the hell are you doing??!!” — I never really knew it. I can’t say I totally understand it yet, that will come in time. But it’s really an interesting thing.

I’m looking forward to getting my belt and seeing how it pans out. Plus I admit, it’ll be kinda cool to be squatting 225# — 2 plates! 😉

You know one reason I like my gym? Well, one thing I don’t like is that there’s just no way I can do power cleans (yeah whatever Rip… I’m a pussy for not doing them, fine). But apart from that, the gym is really good… especially since most people are there for “modern fitness” so they’re all using the elliptical, treadmill, or machines. Never a problem to use the freeweights. 🙂 Plus it’s always got people but never ridiculously busy. Good music too. It’s nice to get in, work, get out.

Has it been a month already?

Squats

• 2x5x45 (warmup)
• 1x5x85
• 1x3x125
• 1x2x170
• 3x5x215 (work)

Damn. That was… heavy. That was… hard. The first set I pushed through but I could tell it was heavy. I think I need to put more time between the last warmup and the first work set. The second set though… that was very difficult. I’ll say this: I recall upon racking the bar that I realized I was hearing the gym music again… somewhere around the 3rd rep my brain just blanked out. I’m not sure why. From the exertion? from my body going “crap! we need to focus all energies on moving this weight to the exclusion of all that isn’t important, like hearing stuff.” I don’t know, but it was interesting. But on the 3rd set? I powered through it. The difference? Mental. Between set 1 and 2 I was a little distracted from overhearing gym chatter. After set 2 I just shut my brain down and focused on what I was about to do, the task immediately in front of me, nothing else. Powered through it fine.

Nevertheless, I think it’s time for me to stop 10# increments and go to 5# increments. Furthermore, the powerlifting belt I ordered will be here Tuesday and I’ll start using it on Wednesday. I know use of the belt will aid my lifting and it can add something like 25# to your squat… I don’t want to get sucked into that. If on Wednesday I do 225# and it feels extra easy due to the belt, then fine. Friday I do 230# and just keep the program going.

Press

• 2x5x45 (warmup)
• 1x5x45
• 1x3x60
• 1x2x75
• 3x5x90 (work)

This worked fine for me. Biggest thing I need to realize here is keeping my eyes on a fixed point and ensuring I throw my head forward as soon as the bar clears it. It’s partially a balance thing, partially ensuring I get the full “shrug” at the top, and just minding better form for a better benefit of the exercise.

Pull-ups

• 1x11xbw
• 1x8xbw
• 1x7xbw

I’m feeling like I’m not progressing so well here, but perhaps I am. Sure it’s just 1 rep total over last Friday so it’s still something, and I am also doing a lot better about pulling my chest all the way up to the bar. As well, I’m fixing my breathing.. I keep doing that “exhale on the up, inhale on the down” thing, but I’m getting better about breathing at the bottom as I hang, then hold my breath all the way through the movement… which serves to also keep my body more rigid and so I get the chest up to the bar better. So, I think with form and everything getting stricter yeah, I am sure I’m improving. I guess I’m a little impatient here because I want to move on to real chin-/pull-ups and not these inverse row things. But, strength will come. Just must be patient, so long as there is progress. 🙂

Commentary

Damn. Has it been a month already? I’ve been following this Mark Rippetoe Starting Strength Practical Programming -inspired workout for 4 weeks now. It’s not a true SS program since I’m not doing the SS program as defined. It is basically the PP Novice program, but again not 100% since I’m not doing full/real chin-/pull-ups, but am working my way up to that point. But what it is is still adhering to the principles of a constant linear progression, sticking to the big simple exercises, allowing my body to be disrupted and progress at the novice pace which allows for faster gains due to the ability to recover faster and being much further from the ultimate genetic potential I have, etc..

Here’s some numbers, comparing first workout to today:

• Squat

• 105# –> 215# — 110# increase

Bench Press

• 115# –> 140# — 35# increase

Press

• 65# –> 90# — 25# increase

Deadlift

• 135# –> 180# — 45# increase

Chin-ups (inverse rows, supinated grip)

• increased 3 total reps

Pull-ups (inverse rows, pronated grip)

• increased 6 total reps

Total went from 420# (4 exercises) and 355# (big 3), to 715# (4 exercises) and 535# (big 3). That’s a 295# (4) and 180# (big 3) increase, and that’s just what I’m doing for 3 sets of 5 reps… that’s not even 5RM or the vaunted 1RM. Various formulas put my 1RM total for the big 3 just over 600# and all 4 at just over 700#.

Those are alright numbers in my book. I’m not surprised that squat went up so fast because 10# jumps 3x week and the math is simple. I would reason my deadlift would be much higher if I was doing the actual SS program which would have me doing deadlifts 3 times every 2 weeks instead of 2 times every 2 weeks. But what will be more interesting will be looking a my numbers at the end of next month because obviously squat is now going to slow down but everything else is still chugging along. I don’t feel any other lift is really stressing me out like the squat is; tough sure, but not killing me like today’s squats did. Everything else will still chug along at their present increment rates (presses 5#, deadlift 15#).

I’m really liking this program, more than any other weighlifting program I’ve ever done. I started lifting as a teenager because I was tall, lean, skinny, endomorphic, whatever… just a little wuss, and I didn’t like that. Besides, girls like muscles too, right? 🙂  But lifting then as a teenager and all the on and off lifting I’ve done throughout my life has always been “bodybuidling style” and while I appreciated the hypertrophy, 1. it got boring after a while, 2. I never really felt myself getting usefully strong. This program has been the best thing I’ve ever done, lifting-wise, because there’s no ability to be bored because there’s a high level of motivation and positive feedback. You lifted a big weight today, and next workout you’ll lift more… and then you do it, and the feeling of accomplishment is awesome. I am growing, hypertrophy is inevitable, and I am liking those results. But most of all, I’m gaining a lot of strength — real stuff, useful stuff, practical stuff.

I like the program. I’m enjoying this a great deal. Excited to see how things will look after another 4 weeks. 🙂

Strong is more useful than weak.

Squat

• 2x5x45 (warmup)
• 1x5x80
• 1x3x120
• 1x2x160
• 3x5x205

Wow. Broke the 200# barrier. OK sure, in the grand scheme of things it’s not some massive weight, but it’s still a barrier I have NEVER broken before. The bar is moving a little slower, but still moving at a fair pace. Sure it’s a little tougher, it requires a lot more tightness of the abs, really working that Valsalva maneuver, minding every element of form. I’ll tell you, I wasn’t a believer in warm-up sets before, but I am now because there’s no way I could just jump to that weight without moving my body through the motions and getting it ready for the stress ahead of it.

It does feel heavy, every time I put the bar on my back it feels like heavy, a new heavy. But then the second set? It feels lighter than the first set and somehow a little easier to do.

I am wondering when I’m going to hit my limit, when I’ll miss a rep and want to consider dropping down to 5# increments. But I’m not psyching myself out about it, nor am I really caring because it will happen when it happens, and either way I’ll still be progressing, so… who cares. I will say, a belt has been ordered and once it gets here I’ll start using it (see no reason not to). We’ll see how that affects my progression.

Bench Press

• 2x5x45 (warmup)
• 1x5x70
• 1x3x95
• 1x2x125
• 3x5x140

Here I felt strong. I don’t feel as near my “limit” as I do with squats. I was able to really power the 3 work sets, and didn’t even take a full 5 minutes rest before the last set. Felt no problem. I do feel I could jump up in greater than 5# increments, but there’s no real need to… it just means I’ll progress along this route longer, which is fine. Better to train well and recover and grow, than stall or overwork myself. One thing I really like about this program is how it works with ego. Oh sure, you could let your ego get greedy and jump up quickly in weights, but what does that gain you? you stall out faster. If you just to the program, be patient, you’ll get there — it has to be a long-term pursuit. You can always tell yourself that the weight numbers don’t matter… because you’ll get there, maybe not tomorrow, but you will, because that’s how the program works and the proof is in the pudding. It’s very cool.

Deadlift

• 2x5x95 (warmup)
• 1x3x105
• 1x2x150
• 1x5x180 (work)

The biggest thing I noticed here was my grip. First, I know the “right way” to grip is to acknowledge the weight is heavy, that it will hang down and end up in the “hook” of your fingers just due to gravity and the physiology of things. That also helps to avoid the pinch calluses that can form on the pads of your palms. However, I was a little too “hooky” with things and so the pads were still getting bunched up, just in another way and that didn’t let me have a full closed grip. I did a little more adjusting today so there’s still hook but the pad is a little more flat against the bar and I can get a more closed grip. This should serve me better.

This deadlift felt a little heavier, but good. I certainly felt worked here. I’ll do another 15# jump next week. I mentioned before that it bugs me that my deadlift is lagging behind my squat (since the deadlift should normally be more than the squat), but it makes sense when you consider the math (deadlift goes up 15#/week, squat is going up 30#/week). Like I said above, gotta put the ego away and just do the program. It should all even out. I’ll be more concerned, I guess, if numbers haven’t “normalized” say 2-3 months from now.

Commentary

If I total up my 3×5 work set weights, I’m doing 525# total. That’s not even 5RM or 1RM. In theory, my 1RM total would be around 600#. Kinda neat, and watching that number grow makes me keep thinking that yeah, joining the 1000# club  might be neat… just to say I can do it, because I’m only getting older, I obviously got a late start in life on strength training, and I can’t say if it’ll be something I can do at age 70 (tho, it’d be even cooler to do it then). Just one of those “hey, that’s cool” sorts of things.

Results are good. Strength goes up. Hypertrophy is up. And I’m just feeling really good in life, better than I’ve physically felt in a long time. I look forward to the gym. Heck, I just heard the gym will be closed Monday for the holiday and that news really sucked! How odd for me to feel that way… but I’ll go on Sunday instead, no big deal.

The journey of life is interesting, so long as you’re willing to make it so. 🙂

Today’s workout was a little odd.

Squat

• 2x5x45 (warmup)
• 1x5x75
• 1x3x115
• 1x2x155
• 3x5x195 (work)

I struggled a bit on the first work set but got the 5 reps. Ensured a good 4-5 minute rest between the other work sets and actually felt more powerful and stronger in them. Not sure if I just needed a little more rest between warmup and first work set, or if perhaps it was just a neuromuscular adjustment/adaptation to the weight.

I’m kinda stoked tho. Next workout I do 205#… breaking the 200# mark is kinda cool. No it’s not grossly strong, it’s not even my bodyweight. But it’s just a cool milestone/barrier to pass. 🙂

I also think that it’s time to get a belt. I’m not sure I’ll start using it right now, most recommendations seem to be to wait on using a belt until you’re doing more than bodyweight. Nevertheless, I see no harm in getting it ordered now because it may take time to make, ship, and so on. Plus doing some manual break-in work. Might as well get the ball rolling so I’ll have it when I need it.

Press

• 2x5x45 (warmup)
• 1x5x45
• 1x3x55
• 1x2x70
• 3x5x85 (work)

Biggest thing I noticed here was I’m not pressing the bar up in a state where the bar is constantly parallel to the ground. It’s worse with lighter weights, so the fix is to lift heavier. 😉  Still, it’s there and something I’ll need to keep aware of.

Chin-ups

• 1x9xbw
• 1x6xbw
• 1x5xbw

I noticed on my very first rep that my chest was going all the way to the bar, but subsequent reps did not… chin over the bar, but chest was dropping. That is not good. The chest needs to come to the bar to get a proper full range of motion, especially the back muscles squeezing at the top. I worked to combat that, tho it still wasn’t as ideal as it could be. So, reps didn’t go up, but form improved… but needs more.

I’m thinking about perhaps dropping the reps and trying to go uber-strict on form, because I cannot see how I’ll work my way to full-on proper chins if the final bit of the concentric motion isn’t there and is weaker than the rest of the movement.

Commentary

This workout was good and bad.

Good: tickling the 200# mark with squats. That every workout I think damn this weight is going to be crazy, and nailing it every time. It’s really cool. Seeing progress is motivating.

Bad: distraction.

Instead of the usual rock music over the stereo, the gym was playing… NPR. WTF? The thing is, music is something I can tune into the background. But the sound of people talking distracts me. The people in the gym I can usually tune out because their conversations are usually chit-chat and something I don’t care much about. But when you hear news, inevitably you’ll hear a trigger word that keys something in you, some issue or some news topic that perks your interest. And try as I might to filter it out, I can’t. So, my brain wanders… the hard part being that then I’ll recognize I’m losing focus and then actively try to filter things out, but that’s still a problem because now I’m focused on being focused, not on lifting. *sigh*

So it threw me a bit, and is perhaps one reason why my lifts felt a little off. Nevertheless, you adjust, you deal with it, and you still get your work done and get out of the gym.

I’m not sure I want to put the iPod earbuds in. We’ll see.

Anyways, I still feel overall good and am enjoying the progress on this program. This marks week 4 of following this “Starting Strength”-inspired program. I’ll reflect back on my first month come Friday.

Here’s today’s workout.

Squats

• 2x5x45 (warmup)
• 1x5x70
• 1x3x110
• 1x2x145
• 3x5x185 (work)

The bar speed was slow today. I’m not 100% sure what to attribute it to. My sleep has been horrible since the prior workout so I’m thinking I may not have recovered well enough. As well, I was at the gym almost an hour earlier than usual, and I did get a fair sleep last night. I had to go early because I have something time-sensitive to do today… could my body have not been fully awake and firing on all cylinders yet? Don’t know. But the weekend is here, so that’s an ‘extra’ day of rest, plus I plan on eating a shit-ton of protein over the weekend (took a couple of steaks out of the freezer this morning).

One thing that I focused on, beyond just hip drive, was overall form. I was flipping through the “Mean Old Mr. Gravity” book and there was something in there that resonated with me and reminded me about keeping my chest up. That helped.

Really tho, while things are getting heavier, I’m meeting every challenge and setting a new PR every day. Tis awesome.

Bench Press

• 2x5x45 (warmup)
• 1x5x65
• 1x3x90
• 1x2x120
• 3x5x135

OK. A little male ego happiness here, to be doing my bench pressed with the 45# plates. 🙂  First time the bar went down, my peripheral vision caught the plates moving up and down and threw me off a bit — it’s a different visual landscape than the much-smaller 25# plates. But this feels cool. It’s just weight, but when you’ve spent most of your life only moving little weight around, it just feels nice to break through that barrier.

I felt very powerful on these, comparing to how I felt on the squats. Not sure why. Was there a bit of adrenaline happiness from using the big plates? Maybe my body and mind was woken up a bit better? Maybe I’m just not closing in on my limit like I am with squats? I don’t know. But whatever… things felt good and powerful here.

Earlier this week I started watching Dave Tate of EliteFTS “So You Think You Can Bench” series of videos. I worked on putting my weight on my traps, which really does require a “from the ground, up” working of your whole body. I don’t think I kept it there and didn’t keep my legs tight and so on, but it’s a first time and I’ll get there.

Pull-ups

• 1x10xbodyweight
• 1x8xbodyweight
• 1x7xbodyweight

I only rest about 2 minutes between each set of these, and so long as I continue to improve, that’s fine, even if it’s only 1 total rep per workout. I admit that I’m considering switching up and just doing something like 5 sets of 1-3 reps of real pull-ups (instead of these inverted row things) and seeing how well that does for me… but no, I need to stick with how I want to get to 3×15 first.

Commentary

I didn’t feel so hot this workout. Sure, I had some good moments and there’s a lot of good things I can take… like even during the squat, there’s a lot of little things that I just can’t relay here but that are filed away in my head about movement and being explosive, driving, form, etc.. So, I do feel there’s constant improvement, so I’ll take it. Just need to rest up this weekend and hit the gym hard this Monday.