Reply With QuoteTotally used these today and they worked great (especially #5)! It's amazing how a cue can make such a difference. Thanks Bill!Originally Posted by Bill Anders
Thanks Cole! One workout at a time!
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nice work Eric. Strength is coming along
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Totally used these today and they worked great (especially #5)! It's amazing how a cue can make such a difference. Thanks Bill!
Thanks Cole! One workout at a time!
✓ Member
8/25/23
33/332
15/15, 15/156
Squat
290x5x3
Press
150x5x3
Deadlift
365x5
Jesus Tapdancing Christ. Today's squats were easily one of the most mentally demanding things I have done in the recent years of my life. I think the last time I felt this way was when I had to climb a 200 ft tall distillation column (I am terrified of heights). I wanted so badly to not squat after the first set felt like it nearly killed me. But I rested for 10 minutes and did the second set. Then I rested for 12 minutes and did the third set, during reps 4 and 5 of which I let out a legitimate whimper of anguish. I don't know how I got myself under the bar those two times but I did. Fortunately all cues I’ve accumulated (including Bill’s two above) gave me lots of confidence to execute. Just focused on those to get through the sets.
Presses and Deadlifts were honestly a haze after that. Squats left me exhausted, and I had to wait a good 10 minutes inside after warming up The Press. Probably a combination of the heat and the squats.
Deadlifts felt strong though. They went a little slower between reps than usual, but I think that was more general exhaustion than deadlifting fatigue. The reps themselves went pretty smoothly.
Rough day. But a good day.
*****
The first big bump in the road of trying to train for a whole year is getting underway next week: my sons' fall ball schedules. So far I only have one of their team practice schedules, and already Monday and Friday are out for lifting.
The general plan is to try to stick to the three-lift-three-day-a-week schedule as best as possible. I will just have to move days around as needed. I was considering lifting Sunday and going to a Su-Tu-Th schedule right away, but after today's session I doubt Sunday would be a successful workout. More to come.
Last edited by Eric Schexnayder; 08-30-2023 at 06:19 AM.
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Monday was baseball practice, and looks like Wednesday and Friday will also have practices for the next few months. I had intended on just lifting after practices to just keep my M-W-F routine, but realized after Monday night that that would be silly. So I've shifted the schedule over a day and will now do T-Th-Sat/Sun (either Saturday or Sunday depending on activities). Trying to be disciplined but flexible.
8/29/2023
37/328
16/16, 16/156
Actually pretty nice outside. Still a little warm. Only needed the evaporative cooler on medium.
Squat
295x5x3
Bench
205x5x3
Power Clean
195x3x5
Squats really rough again today. I'm having to wait at least 10 - 12 minutes between sets now, and that is really starting to drive my workout duration up. I don't know what happened between 285 and 290 to make these so difficult now, but I don't think it's a technique issue anymore. Once again with enough mental resolve, I got under the bar and got all the reps. Reps 4 and 5 of the last set were particularly brutal.
Bench was pretty easy. I've tightened up my back and legs, and benching feels like a whole body lift now instead of just arms and chest.
Cleans were a mixed bag. I had a little trouble racking until I started focusing on just quickly getting into the rack position as opposed to "pulling the bar" into the rack position. Weird how that works. I'm also having to get lower under the bar in order to catch it. But I feel like at this weight (and with some "motivating" elbow pain) I'm slowly getting rid of the arm pull. For the most part, with enough rest between the sets, these were manageable.
Still struggling to put on weight. Was still 230 lbs after last night's workout. I'm trying to make small adjustments to what I'm eating so I don't get too crazy and get fat(ter), but it's still frustrating and I'm wondering where all these damn calories are going. I'm adding cheese to my daily eggs, doubling my oatmeal and rice (and adding lots of brown sugar and butter), using milk instead of water for protein shakes, and now eating tablespoons of peanut butter.
Last edited by Eric Schexnayder; 08-30-2023 at 06:24 AM.
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those are the exact things i do to try to put on weight. you could try buying whole milk instead of low fat. im in the same boat, trying to get to 250 and i cant even get up to 230. no matter how much i eat the scale says 222-226. nice squatting
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It's funny, I started lifting to try to lose some fat and look a little less shitty, now all I want is to gain weight and just can't do it.
FWIW skim milk has never been allowed in my house.
Much appreciated. It's amazing how much more mental work goes into the squat than the other lifts (for me at least).
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8/31/2023
39/326
17/17, 17/156
Nice weather today. But it was a frustrating workout. Pretty sure my Pre-Workout messed with my stomach.
Squat
235x5x3
Press
152x5x3
Deadlift
370x5
After much internal conflict, I opted to change the mid-week squat workout to a light day. The last two squat sessions really took everything I had mentally and physically. I had previously wanted to be more objective and just keep adding until I started failing, but I really don't know that the slightly slower rate of progress is worth the stress created by a failed 300 lb squat.
The thing I've always struggled with when switching to the light day is the concern that I won't retain the skill necessary to push hard on the bar. Realistically though, there will come a point in longer term training where I'll only be adding weight once a week, so it's probably worthwhile for me to learn how to conjure that skill when necessary.
That said, today's squats weren't a walk in the park. Still had to really focus on form. But the weight was light enough that I was able to get away with some bad mistakes, like bending over a little too much, and my low back suffered for that. On top of that, as mentioned above I'm pretty certain my Pre-Workout supplement did a number on my gut. I felt sick for pretty much the entire workout, and it made staying tight very, very difficult. With enough rest between sets I was able to get it done, but certainly with far more effort than expected for a light day.
Presses weren't too bad but the sick feeling carried into them. Elbows were fucked up from not being tight enough in the squat and I felt every bit of that while pressing. No grinding though; had I felt better these probably would have been pretty easy.
By the time I got to deadlifting I started feeling better. These felt pretty easy. I had planned on replacing the "B" workout with chins and alternating cleans and deadlifts on workout "A". But these deadlifts just came so easily that I still don't see the point in adjusting. We'll see when progress starts to slow.
Last edited by Eric Schexnayder; 08-31-2023 at 06:35 PM.
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9/2/23
41/324, 18/156
RPF: 7
Squat
300x5x3
Bench
210x5x3
Clean
200x0
200x3
200x1
Squats were tough but doable. The light day may have helped, but I think the bigger factor is the realization I’ve had that I may have been bending over a little too much. I think this may have been preventing me from hitting depth, which then led me to flex my lumbar to be beneath parallel. Back felt much better today.
Next squat fix is the grip. Between that and my apparently poor baseball throwing mechanics, my elbows are pretty pissed off lately.
Bench was also pretty tough, but doable. Technique feels solid. Needs more leg drive.
Cleans: first rep of first set didn’t rack. Rested and got the next three with some effort. The weight and the elbows had me dreading lowering the weight under control, and so I decided to try dropping the bar. This lead to one of my 2.5-lb plates breaking. Time for more epoxy…
******
Practice schedule looks a little more irregular next week. Training dates will need to adjust accordingly.
Last edited by Eric Schexnayder; 09-05-2023 at 04:37 PM.
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i feel you on the hot garage, its been brutal, i though about inclosing around my rack and putting a small ac in there but thats crazy, also though about getting one of those big fans like they have in some warhouses. it has cooled down here a little now.
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Yeah man it sucks. I have one of those big orange fans from Home Depot and a Hess evaporative cooler. They both work well when I'm sitting right in front of them, but the second I step out of that immediate air zone it's like I'm in a sauna.
How much better would my lifts be if I was in an air-conditioned gym? Fate will never let me know.
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