Went out to LI to get my back looked at by Doctors Petrizzo and Alter today, and we got to train together afterwards, which is always a treat. How could I not PR under such conditions?
Bench Press - belt
405x2 @8.5 - PR double
435x1 @9.5 - PR single
445x1 @10 - PR single
Notes: FINALLY YES. My oldest 1RM in a major lift was the 420 bench I did, now nearly 3.5 years ago, in November, 2013. At that time, my best double was 375. I subsequently PRd my double with 382.5 in 2014 but never got a chance to hit a max single before coming down with an infected cyst that knocked me back for months; I did the same again in 2015, with an even higher new max double at 387.5, but got hurt before I could surpass my old max single. Then I tore my shoulder in November, 2015, couldn't bench for 5 months, and hit a hard but solid 402 bench a couple days before surgery after only three weeks being able to bench again and no right labrum.
Then the surgery, rehab, tried to bench but couldn't yet, and finally was able to start training the bench again in August after a false start in July. Though I had to start very low, this is the longest consecutive stretch of time I've been able train my upper body lifts without an injury or set-back, in over 4 years. Hitting these PRs now is super fun and nice but is really the culmination of work I did in 2014 and 2015, and then the last 7 months uninterrupted by injury (excepting about 3 weeks totally off when I had that horrible flu in December).
SO. This was a long time coming. And it feels really fucking good.
405x2, 435x1, 445x1 bench press:
Press - belt + wraps
225x5x5 @9.5, then 9s across for the rest
Notes: After going heavy on bench, and the first of these sets being a grind, I was worried I'd have to drop back to 205-210 to finish them out. But the first set was harder because I was distracted by the mirror at Siege (I'm used to pressing with no mirrors at Solace). John suggested a cue to get my gaze out of the mirror and it worked like a charm. The rest of the sets were hard, but doable.
225x5x5 is a pretty cool milestone. It again is built on hard work done before my shoulder injury: 215x5x5 + 185x10 back off about two years ago, and then right before my shoulder injury, a heavy 6x5 press workout where one of the sets was 225x5 @9 (the other sets, IIRC, were at 195, 205, 205, 215, 215). Could I have gotten here sooner if not for all the setbacks? Sure. But later is better than never, and still very sweet.
Chins
BWx4x7 - still cautiously ramping up
Alt DB Curls
50x10x2
Notes: Oddly, this is the only lift where I'm not yet caught up to where I've been before. Maybe because I went without DBs for so long, but I was doing 55x8-10x2 curls in 2014, before Solace opened and then I went without DBs for 2.5 years till Solace got them for the CF Open this year. Regardless, still catching that sweet pump. #neverskiparmday