Second run of LP

[Michael Cotter]

My long-winded introduction. First, some background info:

- been lifting off and on for 4ish years
- originally ran SS followed by a few short attempts at intermediate programming
- made little progress after LP due to being inconsistent with workouts and taking breaks due to injury, illness, work, laziness, etc.

I'm currently running SS for the second time after a few months of not lifting and losing a lot of progress. My current stats are:

Age 29
6'2" 270lbs
Squat 315x3x5
Bench 285x3x5
Deadlift 375x5
Press 190x3x5
Chin ups 3,2,2 (too fat, not enough exposure to the movement recently)

My all-time best lifts are:
Squat 425x1
Bench 345x1
Deadlift 465x1 (it was ugly)
Press 215x1
Power Clean 235x1
Chins 10,9,9 (when I was 35lbs lighter)

I reset my squat because of multiple form issues I had to work out, as well as being too greedy when first coming back. My first run of LP ended with me doing 360 for sets across, without any resets or using the advanced novice template. I hate to admit that I never pushed my Sq/DL strength after I finished LP, mainly focusing on presses.

My current goal is to milk LP for everything I can get on the squat, while getting my pressing strength back to my old numbers. I'm also aware that my body composition isn't ideal, and would like to get down to sub 20%bf from my current 30ish%. In the short term, I plan to maintain my weight while finishing LP, and then start to worry about dropping weight when I begin intermediate programming. I recently read Jordan's To Be a Beast, and intend to reduce bodyfat at a modest rate while establishing sustainable dietary habits instead of "cutting" quickly and yo-yoing like I've done in the past.

My recent workouts:

Sat 04/15/2017
Squat 315x3x5
Bench 285x3x5
Chins 3,2,2

Squats didn't pose much of a challenge, aside from getting slightly forward of midfoot on the last rep of the last set. Bench was tough but the last set went up fairly easy. Chins were humbling.

Mon 04/17/2017
Squat 255x2x5
Press 195x0, 185x3
Deadlift 380x3

Light squats were nice for a change. Failed to get 195 past my forehead on the press. Dropped some weight and did an easy triple before bagging it. Form wasn't great and I didn't get as much protein as I should have over the weekend. Will go down to 192.5 and forgo any more 5lbs jumps from now on. Also considering switching to press 2.0, I feel weak from the starting position due to relying on the stretch reflex during my sets. Deadlifts didn't go any better, the bar was glued to the floor on rep four. Will retry next time.

[Michael Cotter]

Wed 04/19/2017
Squat 320x3x5
Bench 290x4,5,4
Chins 3,3,3

Squats went well, no problems. Form was an issue on the bench. I had trouble staying in the groove on every set, and lost leverage as I fatigued. I'll repeat and take 2.5lbs jumps from here.

[Michael Cotter]

Sat 04/22/2017
Squat 325x3x5
Press 192.5x4,3,4
Power Clean 175x5x3

Squats went well, felt strong. Press was another story. Dropped a few pounds but had a hard time with keeping the bar over the middle of the foot. Almost got 5 on the last set but the bar was too far out front for me to recover. Will try once more before resetting. PC was easy since I was starting the Press from the floor at a heavier weight. This is my first time doing them as prescribed in SS since I started lifting again. Will go up 5lbs.

[Michael Cotter]

Mon 04/24/2027
Squat 260x2x5
Bench 290x3x4
Chins 3,3,3

Light squats felt pretty heavy. Regressed on the bench. I'm considering intermediate programming for Bench/Press. My shoulders are feeling like it's been too much intensity lately. Considering I ended my first run of LP at 205 on the bench, I think I made good progress and gained 95ish% of my strength back. The fourth chin reps seems to be alluding me.

[Michael Cotter]

Wed 04/26/2017
Squat 330x3x5
Press 192.5x3x5
Deadlift 380x3

Last set of squats was the best, felt nice and solid. On the first two sets I was a little loose instead of locking myself tight. It was great to finally hit my sets for the Press, but form could have been better. Need to keep the bar closer to my nose. I worked harder than I had to on a few reps. The first 3 reps of the Deadlift felt good but I let my hips drop and couldn't lock out the last few inches of the 4th with decent form. I'm dropping down to 345 to address some issues I'm having. I need to get my shoulders out front of the bar and use more lats to keep it against my body, in addition to just getting more lumbar extension.

[Michael Cotter]

Sat 04/29/2017
Squat 335x5x3
Bench 290x3, 245x10x2
Chins 4,4,2

Note: just realized I was logging my rep scheme improperly. It will be weight x reps x sets from now on

First set of squats felt a little hard but I crushed the last two. Time for a reset on Bench, will be going back to 270 and working up again. I always Bench with a close grip, index fingers where the smooth starts. Going to switch to the "standard" SS grip. Figured there was no point attempting 290 again since I failed the first set, so I did two lighter sets with a regular width grip and it felt good. I repped 245 just for fun, but the second set was tough to finish. On a positive note, I got the 4th chin rep.

[Michael Cotter]

Monday 05/01/2017
Squat 270x2x5
Press 195x4
Power Clean 185x3x5

A frustrating workout. Poor sleep last night probably didn't help matters. Light squats aggravated my forearm during warm-ups for some reason while getting under the bar. The Press didn't go well. I was very close to locking out the 5th rep but couldn't finish it off. I failed to get even one on my second set, leading me to believe I need either a reset or intermediate programming. Short rest was not an issue. I just don't feel strong when benching or pressing lately. I called it quits after failing. Power cleans weren't hard, but I can do a better job of keeping straight arms. After reminding myself to rotate the elbows before pulling, my sets improved.

[Michael Cotter]

Wed 05/03/2017
Squat 340x5x3
Bench 265x5x3
Chins 3,3,2

I've been cutting my calories down this past week in an attempt to not gain any more weight. Squats didn't feel as recovered, but it might just be that they're starting to get heavy. I need to keep shoving my knees out during the ascent. Not terribly hard but definitely the hardest yet. I was concerned when my first set on the bench felt heavy, since this is a 25lbs deload. I switched to a wider grip and I guess I needed to adjust to it. I crushed the last set, doing all 5 reps without taking a breath in between. Felt like I had a few more in the tank. Chins suck when you're fat.

[Michael Cotter]

05/07/2017
Squat 345x5x3
Press175x5x3
Deadlift 350x5

I may upload today's squats for critique on the coaches board. I went too low on the last rep of the day but aside from that I feel like they went well. I deloaded the Press and began taking a breath at the bottom instead of at the top. The lack of stretch reflex was a big adjustment, but I feel like I needed to get better at breaking the bar off the shoulders. Deadlifts were terrible today, even with a deload. Recording my set revealed a lot of errors. The bar kept swinging away from me and my chest didn't seem to be extended enough before pulling. My training partner noted that it appeared I was too close to the bar while setting up, and it looked like I wasn't bending my knees much at all while setting up. I'm wondering if I'm not positioning myself properly to facilitate the "chest up" cue. She also noted that my toes were coming off the floor slightly, possibly from pulling from the heels instead of the midfoot. I'll repeat the weight and work on it.

[Michael Cotter]

Wed 05/10/2017
Squat 275x5x2
Bench 270x5x3
Curls 70x8, 80x8x2

Wasn't feeling great today but worked through it. It was more of a motivation factor than anything. I meant to try out TUBOW for light Squat day but left the block at work. Bench wasn't bad but I could have had cleaner sets. Didn't feel like doing Chins so I curled. I'll have to come back strong on Friday.