Z's Log

[Oldman]

Nice work, Zack! Very nice squat vid, too! You'll have some good gains before the meet, no doubt.

[crucified_ego]

Good luck for your November meet. What fed is it? With your current lifts I'd say you're definitely good to hit 365/255/405 already. I look forward to following your log and seeing how the TM works out for you. I ran TM for bench and press for the better part of a year and made some decently good progress. I think I started around 215 for 5x5 and ended up with 282.5 for 5x5 over the course of 9 or so months, starting with adding 5lbs every other week to bench then eventually 2.5lbs every other week.

Thanks! It's a USAPL meet. I'm a little worried about my squat depth and bench pause (and just lifting with commands in general) but I'm gonna keep plugging away at it.

I probably could hit all those numbers now. I *know* I could hit the bench; I hit a single of 270 not long ago. I'm hoping to hit them all comfortably in training well before November. I should be on track for that.

282.5 for 5x5 is nothing to sneeze at!

I've run Texas Method three or four times before, and I've sworn I'd never do it again three or four times. But this is the first time I've felt like I have things dialed in well enough to be making some sustainable progress. Hopefully I can keep it that way for a while.

[crucified_ego]

Nice work, Zack! Very nice squat vid, too! You'll have some good gains before the meet, no doubt.

Thanks Ed! That's certainly the plan.

[elVarouza]

I did a USAPL meet a few weeks ago. I'd be happy to answer any questions about lifting in USAPL if you have any. If you practice with the commands in training you'll be fine. The biggest mistake new lifters make, and I saw it a lot at the meet I did a few weeks ago, is racking the bar on squat or bench before getting the "rack" command. It helps to have someone you know at the meet to remind you of that and of the smaller things like e.g. locking your knees before you squat. You won't get a "squat" command if your knees aren't locked.

[crucified_ego]

August 20
Recovery Day

Almost slept in & skipped this again. Got up and knocked it out in under 30 minutes though. Quick & easy.

Squat
225x5x2

Press
145x5x3

Row
145x10x3

[crucified_ego]

August 22
Intensity Day

Tired, and my hips are beat up. Too much sitting, not enough sleeping.

Squat
345x3

http://youtu.be/XHcso5ihI5Y

Tripled my previously 1RM. Lost it forward on the first try, but came back and hit an easy triple. Way easier than ID has been in a while. Nuts.

Bench
260x3

http://youtu.be/2qwwKVQUJnM

Not much of a pause, and my elbows flared too much. Still a PR.

Deadlift
395x2

Wanted 3 but my back was rounding too much. Still a PR, and at least I loaded the bar right this time.

Shrugs
Up to 405x3

[Alex Kennedy]

Hey, thanks! Good luck with yours as well! Are you doing a weightlifting meet or powerlifting? Looks like you're training both?

Yep, I'm doing both.

[crucified_ego]

August 25
Volume Day

Rough day today. I've spent most of the last 3 days in the hospital visiting my mom. I'm a lot more exhausted than I realized and probably wasn't warmed up as much as I thought. Nothing felt "on" until about halfway through.

Squat
290x5/2/5/5
Might as well have been 500 pounds. I was just divebombing the second set so I racked it after 2. Belted up and knocked out two more sets of 5; much easier. But still, none of these felt right, and my balance was all out of whack. Did a pretty good job keeping my knees out and hitting depth though.

Bench
225x1/2/3/1/2/3/1/2/2/1/2

These were pretty decent but my triceps were giving out.

Chins
BW+10: 5x3

Kind of surprised I pulled these out, but I was finally starting to feel decent.

Speed deadlift (1:00 clock)
205x1x8

RDL
205x5x3

EZ Curl
75x10x3

Ab wheel
10x3

Burpees

I hate burpees.

[crucified_ego]

September 1
Volume Lower

My mom passed away yesterday. I was fortunate enough to have been able to spend a lot of the past week (and the last 4 months) with her.

I've been thinking a lot lately about the reasons I lift and what I get out of it. Today was a great example. It was a pretty average day - very much an 80% day. But mentally it was what I needed.

Squat
290x5x5

RDL
215x5x3

Power Clean
Up to 195x1
185x3x3

[SquatQueen]

Zack-You've posted on oldman's log. He can't respond right now so I will. We both send you our deepest sympathies and encouragement to keep on keeping on.