Mr. Al Waze Benchday's Quest for [Starting] Strength

[Mr. Al Waze Benchday]

For weights/sets/reps, please see the weights/reps post on the second page of this thread.

Observations

• General - This workout was tough . . . heavy squats are just plain hard work.
• Squats - 275 was heavy. Didn't want to do them. Increased the rest between each set to complete the workout.
• Bench Press - 280 - Felt pretty good. Got to watch the "bridging" . . . apparently, I need to video set 1 in order to determine whether I'm bridging the weight up (glutes coming off the bench). I'm ashamed of the set that I recorded. Much work to do in order to keep the butt down on the bench for each rep.
• Wraps - I used some wrist wraps for set #2 on the bench . . . I didn't feel they added much to the stability of the movement. Maybe my opinion will change as the weight grows continually heavier. We shall see . . .

[Mr. Al Waze Benchday]

For weights/sets/reps, please see the weights/reps post on the second page of this thread.

Observations

• General - Work has been stressful as of late (budget season) . . . this has affected my mind more than my body . . .
• Workout 22 - Saturday did some presses . . . then come Monday (what would have been workout 22), I just needed a day off.
• Workout 23 - I had an important meeting at 8:00 am, and at 6:00 am I couldn't think about anything else except getting prepared for the meeting. I put 280 on my back . . . felt ok for a rep; so I tried to get into it . . . so, set 2 I went for more . . . ended up going 1, 2, 2 for my reps. The body was ready and willing, but the spirit not so much.
• Workout 24 - Again, what would have been workout 24 on Friday, I skipped. Saturday, I did some benching . . . 275 X 4, 5 and then made the jump to 295 for an easy triple. I think I could triple 315 right now.
• Future Outlook - I'm ready to get back to it on Monday. But, this will be difficult during budget.
• Other Changes - The back hates squats . . . I might mix things up . . . squatting everyday is terrible, especially with my mind other places.
• Other Other Changes - The wife wants me to get on board with a diet change (and I agree . . . I'm at 250+ lbs.) . . . so, going to try to cut back on the calories and reduce the junk carbs.

Onward and upward, as a good friend of mine always says . . . to be continued . . .

[Mr. Al Waze Benchday]

For weights/sets/reps, please see the weights/reps post on the second page of this thread.

Observations

• General - I got back on track, albeit with an abbreviated workout (only 2 sets of squats and 3 of bench). It's nice to be back. Also, taking a week off of squats and deadlifts was wonderful for my lower back. Today's squats were pretty much pain/irritation free. Very nice. Won't last long . . . but nice all the same.
• Squats - Went back to 275. First couple reps of each set felt great. Latter ones felt not so great (difficult).
• Bench Press - I have to set my feet out wider. Only rep 4 of set #3 looked good.
• Chins - 2 sets of 3 reps. Felt decent.

[Mr. Al Waze Benchday]

Here is the log for workouts 30 - 42 . . .

Notation: Weight in pounds X Sets (Set Number of the YouTube Link).
Note: All sets were performed at 5 reps, unless otherwise specified.

#	Squat	Bench	Press	Sumo	Chins
Workout 30
Workout 31	275 X 3 reps, 4 reps	275 X 5 reps, 6 reps			3 reps, 2 reps
Workout 32			135 X 1, 155 X 2	325 X 1	2 reps
Workout 33	275 X 1, 225 X 2	275 X 3			2, 2, 1, 1 reps
Workout 34	275 X 2	275 X 4			3, 2 reps
Workout 35
Workout 36	295 X 2 reps, 275 X 1	315 X 2 reps, 275 X 8 reps		345 X 1 rep
Workout 37
Workout 38
Workout 39	275 X 2	275 X 3			2, 2 reps
Workout 40	275 X 3	275 X 4			2, 2, 1 rep(s)
Workout 41			155 X 3	325 X 1, 275 X 1	1 rep
Workout 42	280 X 3 (3)	280 X 4 (3)			2, 2, 1 rep(s)

[Mr. Al Waze Benchday]

For weights/sets/reps, please see the weights/reps post on the third page of this thread.

Observations

• General - Work is stressful . . . in the middle of budget season. Can't wait to get this done so I can get back to lifting heavy.
• Fewer Squats - Squatting 2 times a week will now be a staple for me. The back feels worlds better than squatting 3 times per week.
• Overhead Presses - 135 flew up. Even 155 felt pretty good. I could have done 3 sets. And I think I could have done 3 sets with 160# at 5 reps each. I'm still saving my energy for work . . .
• Sumo - 5 reps at 325 ties my best performance yet. I feel 335 could have been doable today. I look forward to trying it next week.
• Chins - 1 set of 2 reps.
• Incline Dumbbell Bench Presses - 1 set of 13 reps with 80 lb. dumbbells. Remember: it's always bench day. I usually include these on Press/Sumo days, but have not documented them to this point in this thread.

[Mr. Al Waze Benchday]

For weights/sets/reps, please see the weights/reps post on the third page of this thread.

Observations

• General - It was so nice to train today. It's Saturday. I worked this morning, and now I'm back at it, but the break to train was great. This was the toughest workout I've had in weeks. I can't wait to get back to it in September.
• Squats - The back still feels very good. One heavy set, and 2 lighter sets in preparation for a heavy Tuesday.
• Bench Press - I can tell that I'm not lifting as much . . . 275 was heavier than I remember.
• Chins - 2 sets of 2 reps, and 2 sets of 1 rep.
• Dumbbell Curls - 1 set of 7 reps with 50 lb. dumbbells.

[Mr. Al Waze Benchday]

For weights/sets/reps, please see the entry below, as the table above is not complete for this workout.

Observations

• General - Nearly finished with the budget at work. I wanted to lift, but not necessarily do 3X5. Therefore, I thought I'd go a little heavier and skip out on some volume.
• Squats - Felt great. 275 X 1 rep, 295 X 1 rep, 295 X 2 reps, 275 X 5 reps. The sets of 295 felt great.
• Bench Press - 275 X 1 rep, 295 X 2 reps, 315 X 1 rep, 315 X 2 reps, 275 X 8 reps. The sets of 315 were heavy and not the prettiest form, but I wanted to see how if felt.
• Sumo - 275 X 1 rep, 345 X 1 rep. The set of 345 felt great. I think I had 375 in me. After I get back to it, 405 should not be too far away.

The work stress will hopefully decrease sharply after this coming week; then it will be time to lift!

[Mr. Al Waze Benchday]

For weights/sets/reps, please see the table on page 3 of this thread.

Observations

• General - Budget is done. Normal life can resume. These workouts felt great!
• Squats - Felt great. No strength was lost over the 4+ week "break" from my linear progression. 275 for 3 sets of 5 went just fine.
• Bench Press - Bench in workout #40 felt excellent! Definitely had a lot more left in the tank.
• Overhead Press - Workout 41 - 155 felt great. The extra time off recently has helped my left elbow heal some.
• Sumo - 325 for 5 reps was reasonably easy. More plates coming soon to a deadlift near you . . . Since I'm deadlifting only once per week, I decided to do a back-off set of 275 for 5 reps. The lower back is sore due to the increased volume.

[Mr. Al Waze Benchday]

For weights/sets/reps, please see the table on page 3 of this thread.

Observations

• General - Tough lift. Form checks are back. (see table above)
• Squats - Difficult. 3 sets of 280 completed.
• Bench Press - 280 felt good. In the future I would like to do "feet up" bench presses to take the leg drive out of the equation. Maybe when I run out of steam on the linear progression.
• Chins - will improve as I drop some of the stress-weight that was picked up over the last month.

[Mr. Al Waze Benchday]

Here is the log for workouts 43 - 54 . . .

Notation: Weight in pounds X Sets (Set Number of the YouTube Link).
Note: All sets were performed at 5 reps, unless otherwise specified.

#	Squat	Bench	Press	Sumo	Chins
Workout 43	285 X 3 (3)	285 X 4 (3)			2, 2, 1 rep(s)
Workout 44			160 X 3 (3)	335 X 1 (1)
Workout 45	290 X 3 (3)	290 X 4 (3)			2, 2, 1, 1 rep(s)
Workout 46	295 X 3 (3)	295 X 4 (3)			2, 2, 1 rep(s)
Workout 47			165 X 3 (3)	345 X 1 (1)
Workout 48 Vacation	315 X 3, 3 reps	315 X 2, 2 reps
Workout 49 Vacation	300 X 3	300 X 3
Workout 50 Vacation			170 X 3	355 X 1
Workout 51	305 X 3 (3)	305 X 3 (2), 275 X 1
Workout 52	310 X 3	310 X 3			2, 2, 2 reps
Workout 53			175 X 3	365 X 1
Workout 54	315 X 3 (2)	312.5 X 3 (1)			3, 2, 2 reps