Dang, Julie is killing it! PRs for days!
With sets of deadlifts at 185 I predict she will be exceeding her 205 single by a good amount by year end. Keep it up 💪
Julie sez: Thanks! Julie also sez, "Wait, you're logging me on SS?" Maybe she'll read her own log soon ... heh.
GSIP W6D2
Intensity Squat: 135x5 (5PR!)
Julie fought like hell for rep 5. We've been working on cutting some depth, since she has a tendency to "bury it" which gets her off-slot for hip drive. First four reps were well controlled, last rep got off-slot and she fought for a 6-second grinder.
Intensity Bench: 90x4x2 (4PR!) (V8 PR!)
Supposed to be a PR set of 5. When she bombed out on rep 5, I told her we'd wait 5 minutes and get in a double. Instead of a double, she did another clean set of 4. Mind-boggling that she had two of those in her, but hey. Netted her a new best-4, and a new Volume-8.
Intensity Deadlift: 185x3x2 (3PR!) (V6 PR!)
Told her, "You wanna do 3 sets of 5 at 170, or 2 sets of 3 at 185? She decided she'd rather do the higher intensity for fewer reps. Another 2 PRs out of it: Best-3, and best Volume-6.
Intensity Day result: 5 working sets, 5 PRs. Can't get any better than that.
1 set each at Geoffrey Bischoff on Instagram: “Red letter Intensity Day for Julie: Squat: 135x5 (5PR!) Bench: 90x4x2 (4PR, V8 PR!) Deadlift: 185x3x2 (3PR, V6 PR!) SDG. Julie's training…”
Dang, Julie is killing it! PRs for days!
With sets of deadlifts at 185 I predict she will be exceeding her 205 single by a good amount by year end. Keep it up 💪
I'm super proud of her work ethic. We miss a lot of sessions due to life and kid stuff. I manage to get my sessions in pretty much always, since I have a mental map of gyms I can duck into all along my routes to and from work, and there's also a fully equipped black iron gym at the Army base that I can use.
GSIP W7: Not conducted due to family travel.
We're in California with my parents and the kids for vacation. I slipped away to Irvine twice to lift some short sessions, but Julie stayed back and went swimming with the kids. The time away may actually work in her favor next week. We'll see.
GSIP W8D1
Back from vacation workout: A medium volume workout with hopes of a true ID on Friday.
Squat: 125x5x3 (5s across PR!)
Julie's had a form breakthrough on squats recently; she's learned to cut depth at the correct spot instead of burying it. Leads to tightness throughout the movement.
Bench: 85x5x3 (5s across PR!)
These were easy for her, except rep 4 of set 2, where she slotted too far forward and had to fight for 3 seconds. Every other rep was 2s or less.
Deadlift: 170x3x2, 135x6
Poor girl was worn out by this time. We went to the gym much earlier than usual and she'd missed breakfast. Last night's dinner carried her thru squat and bench, but her DL suffered. We got in a decent volume at a meaningful intensity. I expect great things Friday.
Sadly, it wasn't to be ... (vacation was killer though. A week at Disneyland with three small kids at the perfect age to love it. Won't do it again soon, though!)
GSIP W8D2
Intensity Squat: Not conducted due to injury
Got a pulled hammy on the left side from, of all things, picking up a 3-year-old. Julie got a set of 5 at 45lbs, then tapped out. We switched to bodyweight squats (20 total reps, on her initiative, 1 at a time) to begin rehab. Motion is the lotion. We'll keep her squatting to tolerance so she heals stronger than before.
Intensity Bench: 100x1 (Lifetime PR!) Video at Geoffrey Bischoff on Instagram: “Julie joins the 100 club for bench! Lifetime PR single. #22000lbs4johnson #22miles4johnson #weights #wendler531 #teamssoc #texasmethod…”
She's had it in her for a long time, and with no fatigue from squats, I was confident she'd have it. Glad for a big win on a down day.
Intensity Deadlift: Not Conducted due to injury
I had 365lbs loaded on the bar for my deadlifts, so I had her set up to it like she was going to pull, and just "pull the slack out" of the setup, to get what I hope was some therapeutic stretching to go with her bodyweight squats.
Injury is a bummer. This one's minor but always a bummer.
Still: Big win today on the bench.
GSIP W9D1
Only session this week; Thanksgiving travel
Squat: 127.5x5x3 (V15 PR)
Julie's pulled hamstring self-adjusted nicely with bodyweight squats between sessions. A new sets across target: Success.
Bench: 86x5x3 (V15 PR)
New sets across target: Success
Deadlift: 170x5x3 (V15 PR!)
Better breakfast and sleep made this doable today.
Great session: Three new targets hit. Next session in 8 days.
GSIP W10D1
Back after lots of food and rest.
Squat: 130x5x3 (V15 PR!)
These came up nicely. Julie's sets-across PR is only 5lbs off of her 5lb PR. Big gains inbound is my guess.
Bench: 88x5x3 (5PR! V15 PR!)
I had intended 87.5, but when I saw that Julie's best-ever 5rep set had been 87.5, I added half a pound for the double-PR session. Rep 5 of each set was about 3.2 seconds, but smooth; first 4 reps each set were greasy-clean-easy. Good times.
Deadlift: 190x3x2 (3PR!) (V6 PR!)
Went for double-PR here as well, and Julie killed it.
Next session Friday: Planning on ID for SQ/BN; VD for DL after.
To think about: Getting some press volume in somehow, some way, but without bollocksing-up her bench progress. With only 2 sessions per week, and the occasional missed session, I'll have to think through this some.
GSIP W10D2
Top sets at Geoffrey Bischoff on Instagram: “Julie crushes PRs! 170 squat (prev PR 155). 103 bench (prev PR 100). SDG! #22000lbs4johnson #22miles4johnson #weights #wendler531…”
Intensity Squat: 145x1, 157x1 (PR!), 162x1 (PR!), 167x1 (PR!), 170x1 (PR!)
Ran singles up; haven't done singles since February before her layoff, so 5 heavy ascending singles, 4 of them were lifetime PRs. Wootwoot!
Intensity Bench: 90x1, 98x1, 103x1 (PR!)
Singles here, too, with another PR. Tried at 107 but missed.
Volume Deadlift: 175x5x3 (V15 PR!)
Lower back rigidity is improving vastly with these extra sets. A great day.
GSIP W11D1
Volume Squat: 125x5x5 (V25 PR!)
Back before her layoff, Julie had 120x5x5 as her top Volume Day load. Her depth is normalizing (was too low; then briefly a bit too high; think we hit Goldilocks zone today). Hip drive is improved. 24 of these reps were < 2.5s. 1 rep she mis-slotted and took 3.7 to squat it.
Volume Bench: 80x5x5 (V25 PR!)
Up from 77.5.
Intensity Deadlift: 195x5 (5PR!)
Hits keep on rolling.