Burnsie's Log - Part II

[Oldman]

Gym was only open limited hours today, so had to lift in the morning. I'm not a fan of mornings.

Squat
335 lbs x 3 x 5

RDL
225 lbs x 3 x 8
Lower back was toast after these.

Lat Pulldowns
150 x 3 x 10

I'm not much for mornings, either. Great job in getting it done, though!

[Burnsie]

Thanks OM. I used to lift on Saturday mornings for a long time while on SS. I only ever had coffee beforehand, and this was also my DL day.

I think I'll have to do an early morning session this weekend too, unfortunately.

My lower back is getting a lot more work than it used to. It should pay off eventually.

[Burnsie]

Wow...today went well.

Press
212.5 lbs x 5 x 1
Technically just a tad more, as the 2.5lbs plates I used turned out to be 1.25kg, but whatever. Also, I never count the collars as weight either, which I use on everything but bench press. First rep was really tough, and the reps actually get easier as I adjusted to the weight.
225 lbs x F
I thought I'd attempt it again. Close, but no.

Bench
257.5 lbs x 5 + 1 assisted...just a tiny bit
I repeated the same weight as last time to be conservative. Then I thought...what the hell, lets do a heavy single.
275 lbs x 1 That went well, why not...
280 lbs x 1 (PR)
285 lbs x 1 (PR)
290 lbs x 1 (PR)
Well holy shit. I sure as hell didn't see that coming. Naturally I'm quite pleased. 275 was the most weight I believe I've ever had on the bar for bench, and my best was a double a couple months ago, followed by getting pinned by the same weight the following time. I think I need to make more of an effort to do heavy singles on the bench when I'm feeling up to it, as it is definitely helping my confidence on that lift. I'm now 10lbs away from breaking through that 300 lbs plateau. Oh damn, that's gonna be sweet...then 315...

Dips
3 x 15
These actually felt great tonight.

BB Curls
5 x 10 (85, 85, 80, 75, 75)
Seeing some progress on these as well.

Overall a really good night of training. I think the reduced volume last week helped me recover a bit...hopefully I apply this more often when needed rather than being stubborn.

[Oldman]

Dude, holy shit is right! Wow, 3 great PRs! You'll hit 300 in no time.

[Burnsie]

I know right! I'm so excited about hitting that. Last week the press and this week the bench. Woohoo!

[Burnsie]

Wednesday's session left me quite sore and tired, no surprise. Got out of bed and I knew it was going to be tough. I could definitely have used another day of rest. Took my time warming up, and dragged my ass for the entire workout.

On a positive note, I tried a new flavour of this pre-workout that I've been using and it is pure awesome. Grape Bubblegum. This pre-workout stuff saves the day for me.

Squat
390 lbs x 2 x 1
I just did 1 single last week, and I would like to stay at a minimum of 3 singles (preferably 5) before moving up.
First rep was decent, but a touch less depth than normal. I went for a second single, and gave up an re-racked. Pissed off, I gave it a few minutes then got a solid rep. Then attempted another, it felt like 500lbs unracking it, and quickly re-racked it.

Deficit DL (on 2 plates)
255 lbs x 5 x 5

Block Pulls
345 lbs x 2 x 8

BB Rows
170 lbs x 3 x 10
Finally got the full 3 sets of 10

[Burnsie]

Bench
242.5 lbs x 5 x 5
Could increase next time.

Press
162.5 lbs x 3 x 8
Challenging. May increase.

LTE
75 lbs x 3 x 15

[Oldman]

Great squats, B. It really seems like it's all coming together. Adequate recovery is always the key, ain't it?

[Burnsie]

Great squats, B. It really seems like it's all coming together. Adequate recovery is always the key, ain't it?

It sure is. Too bad I'm so stubborn though!

[Burnsie]

Got my Rogue order and was excited to put it to use (as sad as that is). 3 shirts, wrist wraps (for heavy pressing days) and some DL socks. I almost look like a Crossfitter now.

This was a long session, as lower body volume days always are. Squats took me well over an hour today, not sure exactly how long though.

Squats
340 lbs x 5 x 5
I've been at 335 so long, that I just got fed up and increased to 340 today. First 3 sets went fine, so I did the full 5x5 volume. Felt great to get that done. We'll see how ID day goes on Thursday.

RDL
230 lbs x 3 x 8
Grip is becoming an issue now for the last couple of reps, and I find it distracting to worry more about my grip than my form. So I used straps for the 2nd & 3rd sets.

Lat Pulldowns
150 x 5 x 10
Increased back to 5 sets.

BB Curls
5 x 10 (85, 85, 80, 75, 70)

I'm finally starting to notice a slight bit of bicep growth. Just in time for summer!