Continuous Forward Progress

[RyanW]

Thread title is a reminder to myself to continue pushing ahead even when it gets tough.

I have tried to run NLP several times over the past decade. Mixed in was a dive into long distance running. During 2020 I got bored with running and decided to try to get stronger again. Have been hovering around the same numbers ever since. Hopefully this thread will keep me honest and motivate me to make actual progress!

41 yo Male
190 lb
6’0”

PRs (May 2024)
Squat 260 x 5 x 3
Bench 147.5 x 5 x 3
Dead 295 x 5 x 1
PC 135 x 3 x 5

[RyanW]

Oct 10, 2024

Squat
220 x 5
220 x 5
220 x 5

Bench
142.5 x 5
142.5 x 5
142.5 x 5

Power Clean
115 x 3
115 x 3
115 x 3
115 x 3
115 x 3

Decent sleep last night but only 6.5 hrs. Need to do a better job getting to bed earlier on training days.

Squats relatively easy, working my way back up after reset due to multiple vacation / sickness hurdles.

Haven’t been training power clean so it was fun to work that in again. Will probably take 5 lb jumps on next few workouts, as 115 felt fairly easy.

[RyanW]

Oct 12, 2024

Squat
225 x 5
225 x 5
225 x 5

Press
92.5 x 4
92.5 x 4
92.5 x 4
92.5 x 3

Deadlift
275 x 5

Haven’t trained at night in probably 10 years. Hangover + kid activities all day forced my hand. Definitely did not get great sleep last night. Hopefully can improve on that in the next few days.

First time trying straps on the deadlift. I’ve been using hook grip and always dread it. The straps worked well but it took me forever to get them into place. Something I need to practice. Spent too long bent down messing with them, so my first rep was not great. Rest of the set went well enough, probably a little sloppy. Time to recover!

[RyanW]

Oct 14, 2024

Squat
230 x 5
230 x 5
230 x 5

Bench
145 x 5
145 x 5
145 x 5

Power Clean
120 x 3
120 x 3
120 x 3
120 x 3
120 x 3

Incline Bench - DB
45 x 5
45 x 5
45 x 5

Don’t normally train on Mondays but can’t tomorrow. A little run down from the reduced recovery period. 5th rep on 3rd set of bench was rough. Power cleans did not go as smooth as last time. Need to work on rack position. Another one in the books.

[RyanW]

Oct 17, 2024

Squat
235 x 5
235 x 5
235 x 5

Press
95 x 4
95 x 4
95 x 3
95 x 2
95 x 2

Deadlift
285 x 5

Well that was rough. Squats were surprisingly a grind. Press was rough although my form was generally ok which has been an issue in the past. DL went ok in comparison.

I guess the 4 workouts in a row might have caught up to me? Or maybe it was just a bad day? Work stress? Who knows. This week I’ll only have 2 workouts so maybe I’ll catch back up. On to the next one…

[Matt Dawson]

I'm curious--how long have you been running the program? Because it seems a little early to grind squats and presses if you just reset on October 10.

It is better to remain unstuck and making slow progress than it is to have to figure out how to get unstuck.

The First Three Questions | Mark Rippetoe.

[RyanW]

I'm curious--how long have you been running the program? Because it seems a little early to grind squats and presses if you just reset on October 10.


The First Three Questions | Mark Rippetoe.

Thanks for the advice. Good question and good reminder to read that article again. I’m not really sure how to answer. I’ve been inconsistently (and without much conviction) trying to run the program for over a year now. I looked back through my workout history and it doesn’t really have clear resets because of the lack of consistency. Part of the goal of doing this thread is to try to keep myself on track.

My last “peak” was in May of this year. Squat was at 260, BP 147.5, DL 305(x4). After that I had several vacations, sickness after vacation, and missed workouts that resulted in a perpetual state of reset. This last runup started in Aug then got stalled again due to a week in Hawaii. Building consistently since Sep 26-Oct 3.

Eating - honestly not sure, I’ve been making an effort to get more protein the last 2 weeks but haven’t been tracking it. I need to start tracking weight daily. Eating enough is a challenge for me.

Sleep - been reading through some of the threads for ideas on sleeping more soundly. I do get 7-8 hrs most nights.

Time between sets - may be responsible for part of the grindiness of the squats. I haven’t been paying attention to this until recently I started using a stopwatch. I think the last few workouts I’ve actually been using less time between sets because I see the time accumulating…

Weight increments- I think I’m ok on squat at 5 lb, probably could shift DL to 5 lb increases just to prolong progress, BP ok with 2.5, press maybe should shift to less than 2.5? It’s so weak I hate to do it but I suppose it would be better than not making progress. I do have a set of fractional plates.

[Matt Dawson]

Time between sets - may be responsible for part of the grindiness of the squats. I haven’t been paying attention to this until recently I started using a stopwatch. I think the last few workouts I’ve actually been using less time between sets because I see the time accumulating….

There are better ways to shorten your workouts than cutting rest time short. Definitely make sure you're getting adequate rest between heavy sets. Don't know what space/equipment you have available but there are some good tips here to speed things up. What To Do If Workouts Need To Be Shorter | Mark Rippetoe

Not sure what to advise on press except that I believe sets of 5 are what drive progress. 4s quickly turn into 3s, then 2s, then 1s, and then you're stuck. If you need a small reset and then 1lb increments to keep moving forward with sets of 5 then that's something to consider.

[RyanW]

Oct 19, 2024

Squat
240 x 5
240 x 5
240 x 3

Bench
147.5 x 5
147.5 x 5
147.5 x 5

Power Clean
125 x 3
125 x 3
125 x 3
125 x 3
125 x 3

Felt weird during this workout. Have felt a little sick since, with some sinus issue / minor sore throat. A bit of elbow pain on squats from being a bit aggressive on the grip last workout. Hopefully that will subside. Also getting bruising from power cleans. I need to work on rack position (long forearms) but I fear this is how it will be until I can gain a little more mass on front delts. Nothing I can’t manage for now. I will try to hit 240 again next workout.

[RyanW]

There are better ways to shorten your workouts than cutting rest time short. Definitely make sure you're getting adequate rest between heavy sets. Don't know what space/equipment you have available but there are some good tips here to speed things up. What To Do If Workouts Need To Be Shorter | Mark Rippetoe

Not sure what to advise on press except that I believe sets of 5 are what drive progress. 4s quickly turn into 3s, then 2s, then 1s, and then you're stuck. If you need a small reset and then 1lb increments to keep moving forward with sets of 5 then that's something to consider.

Thanks Matt, I really appreciate the advice. I took longer rests in my last workout. Really, I just need to get to the gym early enough so I don’t run out of time.

On press, I will try to hit 95 for all 5 next time, and decide what to do based on that. One worry I have with small increments is the variability in bars / plates at the gym I go to. I think I’ll try to start using the same bar if I can. Plates are pretty disorganized so I don’t think using the same set is realistic.