Convergentsum's log

[convergentsum]

chins: 5, 4, 4
squats: (20x2, 50)x5, 80x3; belted: 95x2, 112.5x3x5
press: (20x2, 30)x5, 40x2, 50x3x3 (PR), 40x5
deadlift: 60x5, 90x3; 110x2, 135x3

Squats are back up to my previous PR, feeling heavy as you'd expect but no undue strain on my elbows this time. Looking forward to further progress.
I don't think I've pressed 50kg before even for a single, so very happy with that.
Repeat attempt at 135 for the deadlift, didn't even break the floor on my first try this morning! I called it a day after 3 because a) I was in a bit of a hurry, but also b) I was worried that I may have been rounding my back. Think I'll deload 10% or so next week, and I wonder if I should add a backoff set of RDLs for some extra volume?

[convergentsum]

squats: (20x2, 50)x5, 75x3; belted: 95x2, 115x3x5 (PR)
bench press: (20x2, 40)x5, 55x3, 68.5x5x3 (PR)
power cleans: (50x3, 52.5x2)x3
chins: before squats: 4, 4, 3; after cleans: 5

A proper PR on the squats, and it was a real challenge -- only got through it mentally by promising myself a light day on Wednesday, but I don't always keep my promises. Didn't take any video, but form felt pretty solid. Nevertheless my right shoulder and elbow complained a little bit, but that could have been from shenanigans outside the gym.
Half expected the bench-press to suffer, but surprised myself with a PR (thanks, microloading).
Didn't want to push my luck so took it easy on the cleans. How to gain confidence racking on the shoulders? Introduce front squats? -- might that be a good light day variation, when one becomes necessary?

[convergentsum]

chins: 1x5
squats: (20x2, 50)x5, 80x3; belted: 95x2, 117.5x(5, 4), 100x5
press: 20x2x5, 40x2, 51x(2, 1), 45x5
deadlift: (60, 90)x5; belted: 100x3, 120x5
RDL: (60, 80)x8
dips: 2x5 (probably shallow)

Missed reps on the squats and the press, plus a premeditated deload on the deadlift, so all in all a disappointing morning.
There is something going on with my right shoulder on the squats. I'll try to keep things symmetrical, but I don't anticipate having another breakthrough in form without coaching (I'm arranging some for next month).
I'm not really disappointed with the progress I've made on the press after stagnating for so long. I suppose now I'll go back and work my fives up to a sticking point, then continue on up with triples. I'd quite like to experiment with sets of 8, as I think a bit of hypertrophy would improve my leverages and set me up for a longer progression; but I'm already introducing the dip, so one variable at a time (or at least, don't twiddle absolutely everything at once).
First attempt at dips, as I read a Bill Starr article that recommended them for shoulder stability, which I think is limiting my progress on the main lifts. I plan to alternate chins and dips, maybe keep one set of chins on dip day for warming up.
Nothing to report on the RDLs. Maybe I didn't do them heavy enough, but thought I'd better start conservatively.

[convergentsum]

squats: (20x2, 50)x5, 80x3; belted: 100x2, 117.5x3x5
bench press: (20x2, 40)x5, 60x3, 70x(5, 3+F), 60x8
power clean: (50, 55, 60)x3
chins: 4, 5, 4, 3

Completed the squats I failed on Wednesday. Consciously used a slightly wider grip, and it felt good. First work-set on bench press felt promising, but I had to bail out of a rep -- rolled the bar down my body and dropped in front of my feet. Hopefully having done that with a (for me) heavy weight will help reduce my fear of the bench-press.
Felt close to fainting on the power cleans -- felt a bit funny, noises became highly reverberant. Might just substitute light deadlifts until I can get some coaching.

[convergentsum]

chins: 4
squats: (20x2, 50)x5, 80x3; belted: 100x2, 120x3x5 (PR)
press: (20x2, 30)x5, 45x3x5
deadlift: 60x5, 90x3; belted: 110x2, 125x4.5
dips: 5, 5, 4

Squats are heavy. It's quite a psychological load, attempting a PR three times a week. I am proud of my progress, though.
Back to 5s on the press -- I selected the weight quite spontaneously, only now looking back do I recall how much I struggled with sets of five at 45kg before I started using triples. Will be interesting to see how much further I can go microloading 5s.
Just slightly missed the last deadlift rep, it was a grip issue -- I wasn't hooking, because I'd hurt one of my thumbs at home and I'm a wuss.

[convergentsum]

Chins: 3, 3, 5
Squats: (20x2, 60)x5, 90x3; belted: 105x2, 122.5x3, 115x2x5
Bench: (20x2, 40)x5, 60x3, 70x2x5

Super tight schedule but fit as much as i could into 40 minutes this morning. Backed off on the squats to use less rest time, also not 100% certain I'd have got all the reps. Bench otoh felt secure, sorely tempted to keep at it for the third set, but no time.
Can see the appeal of shorter workouts focussing on two lifts...

[convergentsum]

Chins: 5,4
Squats: 122.5x(5,4), 100x5
Press: 46x(4,4,3+F)
Dead lift: 100x2x5
Dips: 6,5,5

Particularly nail-biting election last night, so didn't get enough sleep. Related note, I forgot my notebook, so above is from memory.
Felt a back twinge, not painful really but I can't afford to tweak it as I need to ride my bike over 10 miles each way some days to get to work, hence the light deads.
In summary, bit of a shit week, but I feel confident in my judgement eg I'm glad I didn't go all out for a third top set of squats - form note: almost fell forward on final rep of first set.
I may need to change programming up to fit in with life -- I'm getting busier with other things, and two lifts per day might be more manageable than grinding through 3 lifts + ancillaries for over 90 minutes. And I wonder what deadlifting on a different day from squatting would do to my numbers?

[convergentsum]

OK, I need shorter workouts, so on the advice of this thread on the programming board, I'm trying out a four day upper/lower split. Today was bench, volume press and dips. It certainly is faster: about 40 minutes in total.

Bench: (20x2, 40, 50)x5, 60x3, 70x3x5 (PR)
Press: (20, 30, 40x3)x5
Dips: 5,3,4

Finally got 3 sets at 70kg -- bit of a formality really, but it seems wise not to be too intense while I iron out the new programming. I think I'll use 5s for the volume press and keep up with the triples on heavy press days, but not sure how to program volume bench-press, probably 5x5 or 3x8 I suppose.

Tomorrow is squats and dead lift, but working around a grumbling lower-back so not expecting a PR on either.

[convergentsum]

squats: (20x2, 50)x5, 70x3; belted: 95x2, 110x3x5
dead lift: 60x5, 90x3; belted: 110x5
chins: 4, 4, 3

[convergentsum]

Press: (20, 30)x5 40x3 51x3x3
Bench: (20, 40)x5 65x(8, 7, 7)
Dips: 4, 5, 5

Shouldn't be so surprised, but amazed how much extra juice I have for presses when I do them fresh. Touch too much weight for volume bench, interfered with dips.
Squats and cleans tomorrow. Next week I might swap over and do squats Monday and Thursday, and presses Tuesday and Friday, get a feel for how much difference that makes.