Curls and Abs, baby! Curls and Abs!

[fogbutter]

Weight: 163.6 lbs
Squat: 3x5 @ 177.5 lbs
Press: 3x5 @106 lbs
Clean: 5x3 @ 112.5 lbs
Chins: 6x3 @ BW

- Dead God . . . Everything felt really heavy. Food and sleep have both been in excess so not sure why it was so challenging today. I did not have my intra-meal BCAA's the past 2 days . . . are they really that important? I did still notice a bit of soreness from last workout . . . (barely, but it was there)

- Added chins at the suggestion of the SS app

- Took a bigger leap on cleans than I intended to (forgot to change increment in app). On the first set I was like, 'WTH?', but got it done along with the other 4 sets. Got home and realized my error at which point it all made sense.

- Thought I might miss my final rep on each set of presses (but did not)

- Same thing with squats, especially on the first set (which always seems the be the worst for me). Had some problems with thoracic flexion. This always seems to show up when I take 5 lbs jumps, although I don't feel it during the lift. Smaller increase next session and reevaluate.

[fogbutter]

Weight: 165 lbs (actually from yesterday . . . for some reason I failed to weigh myself this morning)
Squat: 3x5 @ 145lbs (deload to fix problems in form as discussed here)
Bench: 3x5 @152.5 lbs
Deadlift: 1x5 @ 255 lbs

- Squat deload was [extremely] disappointing, but need to get some of these problems fixed. They didn't feel heavy so much as they did uncomfortable, although I think this represents a significant improvement in form. The battle wasn't so much in lifting it as it was in maintaining thoracic extension during the descent. They all 'felt' high, but video shows the depth to be below parallel. In retrospect, I think the deload was not terribly helpful in resolving this, as the same results could have been accomplished by just trying to get tighter. I initially thought it was going to affect my depth.

- Final rep of each bench set was pretty slow

- Deadlifts were heavy but felt better than expected (still feeling the chinups in my lats from the last session), and I was able to get and keep my back flat much more easily today (no doubt because of the related work on my squat). Also adjusted my gaze to a closer point, which felt much stronger.

[fogbutter]

Weight: 163.6 lbs
Squat: 3x5 @ 177.5 lbs
Press: 3x5 @107 lbs
Clean: 5x3 @ 115 lbs
Chins: 7/7/6 @ BW

Weight - I don't think this is food related (3000 - 3500 cals/day). I'm likely dehydrated. Needs fixing, in any case.

Squats - Heavy sigh. Grip was better, but these were too high (right at parallel) and too heavy. Would that I had never switched to 5 lbs increments, which was the start of a host of problems. I am going to go back to 160 lbs, which was the last time I really felt like I had control over these. Frustrated and probably need to see a coach. The last week feels like a complete lack of real progress. Didn't help the the only squat rack in the gym was technically out of service, although I managed to rig it to so as to complete my workout (this has nothing to do with my squats being high, of course . . . just a source of irritation).

Presses - Very heavy. Again thought that I would miss the last rep, but managed to push through it.

Cleans - Heavy but good.

[fogbutter]

Weight: 165 .8lbs
Squat: 3x5 @ 160lbs
Bench: 3x5 @155 lbs
Deadlift: 1x5 @ 257.5 lbs

- Squats: These felt and looked much better today. The weight felt just right. Decent grip (still need some work), flat back, good depth. Hip drive could have been better on most reps.

- Bench: Heavy but good. Bar speed on the last rep was pretty slow, although no real danger of missing.

- Deadlift: 50/50 toss up on whether I would have rather died a slow, torturous death or finished the last rep. I opted for the latter. Slight deterioration of form on the last rep, but nothing to get worked up over.

[fogbutter]

Weight: 166.4 lbs
Squat: 3x5 @ 162.5 lbs
Press: 3x5 @108.5 lbs
Clean: 5x3 @ 117.5 lbs
Chins: 7/7/5 @ BW

Weight - continued decent gain, but probably still a bit dehydrated because I suck at remembering to drink more water

Squats - form looked good, felt it but not too heavy.

Presses - added 50% more than programmed because of plate availability (+1.5 lbs instead of 1 lbs), very heavy but felt better than past couple of sessions, very slow bar speed on last rep but no significant danger of missing.

Cleans - felt light!

Chins - first set fairly easy, probably could have cranked out 1 or 2 more . . . last set very hard with 5th rep being a tremendous struggle

[fogbutter]

Weight: 167.2 lbs
Squat: 3x5 @ 165lbs
Bench: 3x5 @157.5 lbs
Chins: 1x5 @ 7/5/5 @ BW

Felt tired today

Squat - heavy but good, questionable height on 2nd set but buried it on 3rd.

Bench - extremely slow bar speed on last rep of each set

[fogbutter]

Weight: 165.4 lbs
Squat: 3x5 @ 170lbs
Press: 3x5 @109.5 lbs
Deadlift: 1x5 @ 260 lbs

Everything felt pretty heavy, but not as bad as I thought it would. Unlikely to have any trouble falling to sleep tonight!

Squats - took a bigger jump here than I meant to. math fail. felt decent about these in any case. extra warm ups and staying in the stretch at the bottom of those seems to help quite a bit with form/depth on working set.

Presses - last rep or 2 of each set is slow.

Deadlifts - sheesh!

[fogbutter]

Weight: 167.8 lbs
Squat: 3x5 @ 172.5 lbs
Bench: 2x5 @160 lbs, 1x4 @160 lbs
Chins: 1x5 @ 7/7/5 @ BW

Bench - extremely slow bar speed on last rep of each set, and needed a light touch as a spot on complete the last rep of the last set (5-6 min wait between 2nd & 3rd set)

Squats - heavy but good