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[Smolovicus]

Day 2, Final week of Smolov Intense Cycle

Technically, this was the final official Smolov session. Will be going as heavy as possible for doubles this coming Saturday, then finally, finally back off a bit, let my body transform into a god-hulk by means of supercompensation and test my new max by next weekend or so.

Was a pretty messy day as far as consistency goes.

Squats
135 x 3
225 x 3
245 x 3
285 x 3
285 x 2
+belt
285 x 3
285 x 4

Yeah, I don't know either. I BELIEVE I could have finished the full 4 reps on my first set beltless, but my mental game was out of it after that grind of a 3rd rep. Settled into the hole on the second rep of the second set. Bugged the hell out of me. Form held me back on the third set... but finally knocked out all 4 in a bonus fourth set. Decided I was being a bit too cautious, realized I wasn't pushing straightening my core as best I could and just dialed in the conscious aspect of the movement. Seemed to work, though the fourth rep was still pretty rough.

Going to go at 300 for doubles next session. May this be my greatest battle.

Push Press
95 x 3
135 x 3
165 x 2
175 x 1
185 x 1
135 x 10
145 x 6 (30 sec rest)

Also did a 175 BTN snatch grip push press... locked out, finished rep, but let it come forward and it fell, lol. Oh well, just not comfortable stabilizing the weight that way yet. Just wanted some quick shoulder work -- this probably didn't last more than 10-15 minutes.

Bench on Friday, scheduled for another PR at 280 but we'll just have to see how that one goes.

[Smolovicus]

Had some unfortunate things happen within my family, been a rough weekend for everyone. As a result, my focus on diet and rest kind of went to the wayside.

A little catch up:

Bench (Friday)
Bar x 5
135 x 5
225 x 3
255 x 3
250 x 3
275 x 0

I really don't know why the hell 255 is giving me so much trouble. My bench is just floundering right now, and I have no clue why.

Final Session of the Smolov program

Squats (Today, Sunday)
Bar x 5
135 x 3
185 x 3
225 x 3
275 x 2
295 x 2
295 x 2
305 x 0

Not actually a Smolov session. Decided to do my own thing as none of the written versions were anything special. Kept the volume low and focused on keeping my form solid, which it was. Quick and smooth all the way through. Still couldn't get the 305... seems to me to be a mental thing, as 305 shouldn't have been too much of a problem after a double at 295. Had no energy left whatsoever after this... must have vaporized the last remnants of power left in me.

Did some bench for who knows what reason and struggled with 225 for 3. If there could be proof for being completely and utterly destroyed, that would be it.

Time for some rest!

[Smolovicus]

Bench
135 x 5
135 x 5
225 x 5
225 x 5
250 x 2
250 x 2
250 x 1
230 x 4
230 x 4 + 1 assisted

1-2 Second Pause Bench (30 sec rest between)
205 x 2
205 x 2
205 x 2

DB Rows
100 x 5
120 x 5

Wasn't feeling them today, stopped early.

Bonus Event: Deadlifts!
135 x 3
225 x 2
225 x 2
+belt
315 x 1
365 x 1
385 x 1 (+15 pound PR)
405 x 1 (+35 pound PR)
425 x hhhnnngggghhhhh... 0

Textbook max effort pull! Clean, smooth but certainly not quick. Didn't have any noticeable sticking points, just stood up in one motion. Broke off the ground with 425 but it wasn't going to happen. I feel like 410 or 415 could have happened had I made a smaller jump. Very surprised and pleased with today, especially since I haven't pulled heavy from the floor in a long time!

Changing my plan of attack for bench. The Add 50 threw 10 pounds onto it, but it has to be designed for lighter numbers. My pressing strength just isn't staying consistent and the programming expects far too much as far as maximal attempts go.

Thinking I'll take up Smolov Jr. and hit a 290 bench. If anyone's been reading this, feel free to suggest some programs. As far as programming for my other lifts go, I think I'll just hop on Madcow's and see how it rolls. Sheiko interests me as well. This week will be a staging period, I suppose.

[bmontgomery87]

In on the log. Confused as hell though.
You're trying to be an onlympic weightlifter?

Where's the clean and jerks and the snatches?

I'm just seeing a lot of squats (not a bad thing, but theres no squatting in the olympics)

[Smolovicus]

In on the log. Confused as hell though.
You're trying to be an onlympic weightlifter?

Where's the clean and jerks and the snatches?

I'm just seeing a lot of squats (not a bad thing, but theres no squatting in the olympics)

lol, the title and my signature is in jest. Currently I have no central aim.

However I can tell you that my power clean is 100kg and I muscle snatched 60kg sometime last May or June, maybe before. :P

I do intend to start throwing in some variations of those lifts after I reach my big 3 goals, fear not. (405 / 315 / 495)

[bmontgomery87]

lol, the title and my signature is in jest. Currently I have no central aim.

However I can tell you that my power clean is 100kg and I muscle snatched 60kg sometime last May or June, maybe before. :P

I do intend to start throwing in some variations of those lifts after I reach my big 3 goals, fear not. (405 / 315 / 495)

strong cleans bro. nice!!

[Smolovicus]

Squats
135 x 8
225 x 5
245 x 4
255 x 4
255 x 4

That heavy pulling on Monday really affected today. I had no power in the hole whatsoever -- usually a clear indicator that my hips and hamstrings have yet to fully recover. They're certainly still sore.

This is the last squat session till I max.

Strict OHP
65 x 5
115 x 3
135 x 3
150 x 3
160 x 2 (+1 rep PR)
135 x 5
135 x 8 (+3 rep PR)
135 x 8

Took some more rest for the two final sets of 8. Very happy with how that turned out. Usually I'll struggle to push out 5 reps with 135, and maybe a sixth if it's a good day. Overall 5 rep PR was 140, but I imagine I could do 150 now and 165-170 completely fresh.

Power Cleans
135 x 3 (did these full)
135 x 3
185 x 3

Been such a long time since I've done these. Should have warmed up my form a bit more but time was running short and I just wanted to experiment.

My form from the floor is god awful. I hang cleaned the last rep of 185 and the weight flew so high it nearly knocked me in the jaw, whereas from the ground I was sloppily catching it on my arms. Need to get my wrists flexible again.

[Smolovicus]

Well I'm an impatient bastard for better or worse and went and maxed today. I'm... satisfied, but I know I'm good for more and I probably burned that potential out for awhile by maxing today.

Squats
Bar x 5
135 x 5
225 x 3
275 x 1
295 x 1
315 x 1 (15-20lb PR)
335 x 0
+wraps
345 x 0 lol

So I went from a slow 295-300 with poor form to 315 smooth and strong. On the bright side, I finally hit 3 plates ATG. On the downside, I'm an idiot and made a 20 pound jump when I probably would have been good for 325 with a fight.

The 345 was a result of taking very little rest and not feeling out the wraps for a rep or two first. This always happens when I just throw them on and go at it. Stupid move. Felt relatively light and there's no reason I should not have gotten it.

Poor planning all around.

Bench
135 x 8
225 x 3
235 x 3
245 x 3
245 x 1
255 x 1
255 x 1
260 x 1
270 x .5... 0
270 x .5... 0

270 defeats me today. Not to be unexpected given the previous sets, but bleh.

Front Squats
Bar x 2
135 x 2
185 x 1
205 x 1
225 x 1

Just wanted to hit 225 as I've never been able to before. These take a poop on my upper back... definitely weak as hell.

Parallel Box Squats - slow, slow eccentric
225 x 1
275 x 1
295 x 1
315 x 1

Dunno why I did these really. Let me know how well I can control the weight, for sure.

Hopping on Sheiko starting next week. May the fun begin.

[Smolovicus]

Damn it all, posting this as a way of holding myself to it: Upon further reflection, I will not be using Sheiko.

Instead, I will return to a linear progression model. Madcows 5x5. I will drain this for whatever I can. (hopefully for around 12-16 weeks)

At the end, I am counting on a 320-340 bench, a 370-400 squat and a 465-495 deadlift. I feel as though this is extremely optimistic, but none of these numbers are especially impressive at my height and weight and should be very attainable.

After that, I will reconsider running Sheiko. For now, it's time to give linearity another honest shot.

Starting 5Rs

Squat: 260
Bench: 225
Row: 220 (subject to change as I have not BB rowed in months)
Strict OHP: 135
Deadlift: 335

PR territory by week 5. Should be fun!

[ExplorerSPL]

Will be following we have similar lifts, same age,etc

I just started a sheiko log running the 13 week dave bates program, thinking I might should go with mad cows, but I love volume

[Smolovicus]

Will be following we have similar lifts, same age,etc

I just started a sheiko log running the 13 week dave bates program, thinking I might should go with mad cows, but I love volume

I can dig it. I enjoy volume as well, and would fully embrace the opportunity to train with 60-80% weights and take a nice, long breather from the heavy monsters Smolov threw on my back. Ultimately, however, I decided Madcows would be a more direct path to my current goals.

It'll be interesting to see how we progress across the same time frame! Will sub to your log for sure.

[ExplorerSPL]

I can dig it. I enjoy volume as well, and would fully embrace the opportunity to train with 60-80% weights and take a nice, long breather from the heavy monsters Smolov threw on my back. Ultimately, however, I decided Madcows would be a more direct path to my current goals.

It'll be interesting to see how we progress across the same time frame! Will sub to your log for sure.

Yeah I did a smolov jr run on bench and squats at the same time I can only imagine running the full smolov, would probably need a break too.

[Smolovicus]

First day of Madcows. So it begins.

Bench
115 x 5
140 x 5
170 x 5
195 x 5
225 x 5

Squats
135 x 5
165 x 5
195 x 5
230 x 5
260 x 5

Not as easy as I would have liked. Combination of not having my PPIIs, lack of sleep and little energy to work on. Felt so unconditioned even under 230 -- had to take pauses to catch my breath during that and the 260 set, when I was hitting 240 for 3-4 in a single breath a couple weeks ago.

Still wasn't too difficult. Once I get into the 5 rep groove again I'll be dandy.

Rows
115 x 5
135 x 5
165 x 5
195 x 5
220 x 5

Sadly, not textbook Pendlay form. Still, maintained what I would consider an acceptable posture for the lift. Dead stop for each rep, explosive as possible as soon as I broke off the ground. Felt a lot better than I thought they would.

GHR + 20lb medicine ball 2x8
Super-setted with:
Pull Ups 1x8, 1x6 + 2 jump'n'hold reps

Decent start... but only decent. Nothing felt really strong today, but the reasons why are clear.

[Smolovicus]

Squats
Bar x 20
135 x 5
165 x 5
195 x 5
195 x 5

Rest between sets: 1m, 1m, 1m, 2m, 2m

Overhead Press
Bar x 10
85 x 5
100 x 5
120 x 5
135 x 5

Rest: 1m, 1m, 1m, 1m, 2m

Deadlift
135 x 5
210 x 5
250 x 5
295 x 5
+belt
335 x 5 (10 pound rep PR)

Rest: 1m, 1m, 1m, 2m, 3m

Accessories
Leg Press: 200 each side 2x8 (450? idk lol)
Close Grip Lat Pulldown: 140 2x8 (more of an overhead row)

Hard to say how it feels to go into the gym, get under the bar and proceed to not squat heavy. Certainly gives my hips and body a nice rest, whereas before I was in a constant state of wear'n'tear.

A pretty good day. Overhead press was more difficult than it should have been cause the bar was weighted unevenly on the left side somehow -- must be warped or something. Won't be using it again.

Deadlifts were great. Very tight, controlled and quick. Technically a PR as the most I'd ever pulled before this was 325 for 5, with huge pauses in between reps. Got each of these reps with no more than a 2-3 second reset on the ground, textbook set.

[andom]

At the end, I am counting on a 320-340 bench, a 370-400 squat and a 465-495 deadlift. I feel as though this is extremely optimistic, but none of these numbers are especially impressive at my height and weight and should be very attainable.

Those may seem lofty, but if you're still capitalizing on noob gains you should get it. I mean with my noob gains I went from my first DL ever in July of 2010 with 330lb to a 540lb DL in June 2011. My bench and squat, not so much haha, but if I were you I'd try to pack on as much weight as I can with your frame. Probs aim for like 220 and then eventually 242.


Keep on keepin' on.

[Smolovicus]

Those may seem lofty, but if you're still capitalizing on noob gains you should get it. I mean with my noob gains I went from my first DL ever in July of 2010 with 330lb to a 540lb DL in June 2011. My bench and squat, not so much haha, but if I were you I'd try to pack on as much weight as I can with your frame. Probs aim for like 220 and then eventually 242.


Keep on keepin' on.

I fully intend to inch my way to (at least) 230 pounds. I've got pretty broad shoulders and long legs, so I think filling myself out will help the stability and leverages of my lifts tremendously -- perhaps just as much as building raw strength. However, I take some issue with just slapping on 20-30 pounds of pure fat, so it'll be a work in progress.

Thanks for the reassurance man. If I can stay consistent, I'll smash those lifts and be hyooge in time for the big 20.

[Smolovicus]

Squats
Bar x idk, quite a few
135 x 5
165 x 5
195 x 5
230 x 5
265 x 3
195 x 8

Getting a bit worried about my squats. I didn't have any difficulty performing all of the reps, but I don't feel tight under the bar and I can't seem to explode out of the hole like I want to. Everything is just slow... or at least feels that way. 230 felt about as difficult as 265. As far as strength goes, there's no issue. Weight feels light. Just slowness.

Bench
Bar x 10
115 x 5
140 x 5
170 x 5
195 x 5
230 x 3
170 x 8

Easy. As it should be.

Rows
115 x 5
140 x 5
165 x 5
195 x 5
225 x 3
165 x 8

Form was actually much better on these than last time. Each set was pretty strict up until the 225, where it I had to pull up a bit to get some leverage. Feel it in my upper back and lats pretty well, so I'm doing something right.

Accessories
Good Mornings
95 x 6
135 x 8

First time ever doing these. Very slow and controlled. Felt pretty good! Will probably alternate between these and GHRs, increasing 5 pounds each time.

[Smolovicus]

Squats
Bar x 5
135 x 5
165 x 5
200 x 5
+belt
230 x 5
265 x 5

Bench
115 x 5
140 x 5
175 x 5
200 x 5
230 x 5

Row
115 x 5
140 x 5
170 x 5
195 x 5
225 x 5

Accessories
Front Squat: 185 x 15 total reps (8, rest, 4, rest, 3 beltless)
GHR: 30lb x 8, 40lb x 8

Squats were okay, I felt confident in another 2 good reps and a tough 3rd.

Bench was a bit heavier than it should have been. Had that electric feeling running through my triceps near the elbow, usually means I'm pushing it pretty hard. Reps were all pretty quick though and I wasn't on top of my leg drive, either. No troubles!

Yeah... rows will not be strict outside of the warm up sets. Still keeping a full ROM (from the ground) and hitting each rep as explosively as possible. I'm really starting to enjoy these.

Decided to do some front squats today for whatever reason. Was pleasantly surprised that I was able to hit 8 reps with 185. My legs were good for much more, but my upper back is weak like baby calf. Rests were no longer than a minute and a half or so, if that.

I seem to approach each set in this program with no more than a minute or two of rest. It's a huge change of pace from the 5-10 minute rests I'd take while on Smolov. I definitely prefer it, so far. Having only one heavy work set does incredible things for my mental state and confidence.

[Smolovicus]

Yesterday's session:

Squats
Bar x 8
135 x 5
165 x 5
200 x 5
200 x 5

Overhead Press
85 x 5
105 x 5
125 x 5
140 x 5

Deadlift
225 x 5 +hook grip
260 x 5 +hg
300 x 5 +hg (25 pound hg PR, yay)
345 x 5 mixed

Accessories
Leg Press 200 each side: 2x10
Close Grip Lat Pulldown: 150 2x8

Haven't been wearing my oly shoes the past few sessions... with how my squats are feeling I suppose I'm going to throw them on again. I feel like my form is the best it has ever been, and it can't be my energy reserves or rest because the other lifts go very well, but the sluggishness is still there. Everything from 135 to 300 feels like a sluggish, steady push... obviously slower as it gets heavier. So I'll assume it's a leverage thing and see if it still happens with the shoes.

OHP was easy. Don't think I'll have any real difficulty until around 160+.

Deadlifts felt somewhat heavy, but I could have pulled out another few reps if needed. Bar got away from me on some reps; nothing too bad though. All the reps were smooth and with only a brief reset between them. I'm actually more satisfied with successfully hook gripping 300 for 5 reps, lol.

[Smolovicus]

Gotdam what a day.

Bench
Bar x 20
115 x 5
145 x 5
175 x 5
200 x 5
235 x 3
255 x 1
265 x 1
175 x 8

Group in one squat rack doing curls, guy in the other doing 1/8th squats (no exaggeration, not even 1/4). Did bench instead. Still took a bit of waiting before they opened up, so I did a couple easy singles. Unracked 275 but decided against the possibility of failing.

Squats
135 x 5
165 x 5
200 x 5
+belt
230 x 5
275 x 3
300 x 1

Think I found the form that I shall be using from now on. Lowered the bar a bit so it's sitting at the base of my traps rather than on them. Made everything much more quick and smooth, even the 300.

Rows
135 x 5
170 x 5
230 x 3
170 x 8

Was feeling exhausted during these, considered just not doing them at all. Also realized I forgot to do my set of 8 for squats. Sigh.

Squats...again
205 x 8

Just so exhausted after these. Sweat everywhere, feeling like trash mentally... skipped the accessories and went home.

Anyway, just broke up with the girlfriend of two years today. Been on my mind and, on top of a death in the family and finals, has just produced some depressive symptoms in me lately. Last few days I've just stayed in bed after waking up for around an hour or two, eyes closed. I should correct myself -- we went out for a year, broke up for about 7 months, got back together and have been with each other for the past year. I initiated it for both of our sakes.

No real place for something like this in a workout journal, but hell, logging the memory of how these events affected my work outs is worth doing.

[Smolovicus]

Squats
Bar x 8
140 x 5
170 x 5
205 x 5
+belt
240 x 5
275 x 5

I'm thinking I could have grinded out another 2 reps, but these certainly felt difficult today. I'll be heading into rep PR territory after this week, feels good man.

Bench
115 x 5
145 x 5
175 x 5
205 x 5
235 x 2 ... warped, uneven bar lul
235 x 5

All of my sets up till the final (where I switched bars) dragged a bit and felt awkward, especially the 205. Became unavoidably apparent at 235. Don't know how I keep getting stuck with these old ass bars, but after finding my "usual," I smashed the set no problem.

Dumbbell Rows (racks were taken, decided to forgo the barbell rows in favor of conserving time)
100 x 10
120 x 10
100 x 20

Got some good volume in with the DBs today. My grip has improved immensely in recent weeks. I hope to be pulling my deadlift work sets with a hook grip soon. Back and forearms were decimated by these.

Accessories
GHR 42 x 8, 42 x 8
Incline 135 x 8, 155 x 5, 175 x 5, 185 x 5

The back rest on the incline was narrow as hell. I've got pretty great shoulder mobility and flexibility, but it was still difficult stopping them from slipping off. Muscles put a lot of work into stabilizing the weight on these, which is expected given that I've not done these for 6+ months.

All in all a decent day. Wednesday appears to be an exceptionally boring session. Same OHP weight as last week, only 5 pounds heavier on deadlifts. I suppose I won't complain.

[Smolovicus]

Deadlifts
135 x 5
225 x 5
265 x 5
+belt
305 x 5
+mixed grip
355 x 5

Was only meant to do 350, but what can I say, I'm an old school badass. ... Anyway, hook grip was holding up pretty well.

As for the overall difficulty of the final set: eh, could've been worse. Had a few variables been removed from the environment, I doubt it would have posed much challenge at all. Had a friend in the gym tonight that wanted to talk to me the entire time; only had one meal today; used the rack that sits slightly lopsided due to the warped floor; the bar had smooth knurling... all these things really only messed with my form a bit. Still completed the set with more in the tank!

Overhead Press
95 x 5
105 x 5
145 x 5

Was only supposed to do 140 here, but I was feeling good today so why the hell bother doing the same weight as last week? Skipped the third set at 125 since I didn't care to add and strip plates, lol. Starting to get heavy... the strength was there today, but my back and shoulders have been sore as hell from those DB rows so power fatigue was setting in pretty quick. Will probably start following the program exactly on these.

Squats
135 x 5
175 x 5
205 x 5
205 x 5

Smooth and got them over with in no time ... but squats are squats, ya know?

Accessories
Close Grip Lat Pulldown: 160 x 8, 160 x 8 (kinda loose form on the last 2 reps of this set)
Leg Press: 4 plates x 8, 5 plates x 8

And Friday cometh once again.

[Smolovicus]

Pretty good session today boys and girls.

Squats
Bar x idk
140 x 5
170 x 5
205 x 5
240 x 5
280 x 3
205 x 8

240 was feeling pretty heavy and I considered cutting the set to 3 reps. Decided against it and ended up cruising through 280. Well, maybe I didn't cruise; but they were all smooth, fluid reps. Will smash the set of 5 on Monday. 8 rep set was done a minute or so after the triple... once these get heavier it's going to come down to sheer iron will to overcome my immense lack of cardio. lul

Bench
120 x 5
140 x 5
205 x 5
240 x 3
225 x 6

All the 10s within a reasonable vicinity were in use so I skipped one of the ramping sets. 240 was cash. Decided to do a set of a 225 for kicks. Aimed for 8 and with a lot more bounce probably coulda hit it. Missed it most likely due to lack of rest after the last set and my shoulders were set horribly.

Rows
135 x 5
175 x 5
205 x 5
235 x 3

Gotta say I don't enjoy doing these. I get them done but they just don't have the effect that DB rows do. Didn't do the volume set since it seems to fatigue my lower back more than the upper back and lats. Might just replace these for chin ups and DB rows.

Accessories
Failed attempts at incline and push press, just no strength left in me above the waist.

Front Squats: 195 x 2, 205 x 2, 215 x 2, 225 x 2, 235 x 2 (PR), 265 x 0

265 felt so god damn light. Even on the descent I was thinking in my head "Wow, I'm going to smash this." Then I hit the bottom and lost some tightness. Weight pulled forward and I knew the ascent wouldn't happen. I had this, damn it. Even had a corral of curlbros watching from afar. Feels good anyway, man.

[Smolovicus]

I have a sore throat, a moderate cough and a general feeling of lethargy. I lifted anyway. I shall probably behold the consequences of this decision in the coming days.

Squats
Bar x idk
135 x 5
205 x 5
240 x 5
280 x 5

Didn't care too much about the ramping sets, so I skipped one entirely. Just wanted to get in there and do the heavy set. Still put some work in at the lighter weights, though.

In spite of my condition, these were probably my best squats ever. I felt like I was stapled into the ground, the bar felt damn near weightless through the entire motion with the exception of a few inches out of the hole. Descent and lockout was cheeseburgers.

Sadly, this victory was about the only thing my body had to offer me from its reserves.

Bench
135 x 5
175 x 5
205 x 5
240 x 3
240 x 4.... 1 second... 2 seconds... 3 seconds ... 4 seconds ... 5 seconds... nope

My triceps were so gone. I had no focus whatsoever. During the 205 set everything around me felt kind of surreal, like my mind was elsewhere and my body was just flailing around -- only coincidentally moving the bar up and down. The lethargy was getting to me.

Only got 3 reps on the 240 for the same reason. I took 2-3 minutes, buckled down and tried to push everything I had into another attempt and ended up holding the bar 2 inches from lock out on the 5th rep for 5 or so seconds. Possible that I could have locked out one arm then finished the rep, but I didn't have clips on (never do) and didn't want to risk the plates sliding. Sigh.

Could have gotten 5 on Friday with this weight, so I know it's just that I was zapped. This also means that regardless of how all right I feel, this cold is definitely having an affect on my performance. Hopefully it doesn't worsen, else I may have to skip over deadlifts. Or not... because I love my deadlifts... :'(

[Smolovicus]

Squats
135 x 5
175 x 5
210 x 5
210 x 5

Pretty slow and no fun at all. Felt heavier on my back than 280 did, lol.

OHP
95 x 5
105 x 5
125 x 5
145 x 5

Felt pretty good, working on getting my hips more involved.

Deadlifts
225 x 5 hg
275 x 5 hg
315 x 3
365 x 5

The hook wasn't holding up too well today. I was losing it on the final 275 rep and just wasn't feeling confident after one rep of 315, so I threw on the mixed. Cut it off 2 reps and went for the heavy set.

Crazy hard set. Form probably broke down quite a bit as well. Still no sticking points, and there was no lower back strain, so I'm content for now.

There's no way I've had more than 4000 Calories between the last two days, so I wasn't working on much energy and it's unlikely I've even recovered properly from Monday. To make things worse as far as being a responsible lifter goes, I had 3 or 4 shots of assorted creations Monday along with a tallboy. Didn't cause anything more than a tiny buzz but I'm sure it didn't help. Expected to do much worse today than I did.

Going to eat bigger tonight and tomorrow and hit Friday strong as I am not planning to deload my bench at this point.

[Smolovicus]

Squats
135 x 5
175 x 5
210 x 5
+belt
245 x 5
285 x 3

On the bright side, since adopting a lower high-bar placement, everything feels extraordinarily light. Additionally, staying upright at the bottom is far more natural. Getting that power and speed back into the lift as well. Feels good man. 285 was a challenge, but still nothing too bad at all.

On the down side (sort of), some guy started giving me an explicit critique on my squat form after my set with 175. Said "Keep your back straighter. Also, your knees are coming over your toes a bit. Really focus on pinching your back together." Sounds like valid advice, if not for the fact that I already do the latter; my upper body was as upright as physically possible; and there is no possible way I could keep my knees back without losing balance and falling.

A deep squat is some kind of mythical thing to too many people. Coincidentally, the guy was the soccer coach at the high school I went to -- which explains why my best bud has such inane ideas of fitness. Before giving me advice, he was talking to some guy about how "benching, squatting and those other generic lifts don't do anything for your functional strength... when are you ever overhead pressing anything, right?" Then he supersetted plyometric push ups with light weight, mixed foot push presses. Oi, anyway...

Bench
150 x 5
185 x 5
210 x 5
250 x 3
185 x 8

Skipped over the super light sets and opted for some slightly heavier poundages on the way to 250. Felt strong today! Not a PR but if it keeps up I'll be there on Monday.

DB Rows
110 x 10
130 x 10

These suck every last drop of energy right out of me. Even moreso today. Grip was still sucking ass today. Usually makes for nice bruises on my wrists, but I was able to avoid that today.

Took no rest then went to finish my volume set of squats

210 x 8... not fun; plenty of strength for it but god damn I was tired.

Monday's going to be a big day. The week of the walking PRs!

[Smolovicus]

Had a mini 3 day vacation with the boys down to Cali, so I missed Monday and Wednesday. Decided I'd still give Friday's weights a go.

Squat
135 x 5
185 x 5
215 x 5
255 x 3
295 x 3 (+1 rep PR)

Heavy but easy enough. Shouldn't be a problem just going for the set of 5 next Monday.

Bench
125 x 5
155 x 5
220 x 5
255 x 3
195 x 10
135 x 10 (30 sec rest, triceps were numb)

Really tough. I'm going to give the set of 5 a chance on Monday, but if I can't make it I'll just hop back down to 250 for Friday.

Did some light upper back work to loosen up my shoulders. Thought about trying this week's deadlift weight but I was burnt up.

Reason dictates that I should simply repeat this week starting Monday, but I'll go by feel. If it feels like I can lift heavy things, I will.

[Smolovicus]

What a horrible day back in the gym. Didn't even get a New Year's kiss either, man.

Squats
150 x 5
185 x 5
225 x 5
+belt
260 x 5
295 x 0
295 x 0

Could have easily hit 5 on Friday. Pinned with no chance of getting a rep today.

Bench
135 x 5
185 x 3
225 x 3
255 x 1
185 x 10
185 x 10
185 x 10

If I ain't got the strength, I'm going to do something to tear up my body.

DB Rows
100 x 20
100 x 20

Overhead seated row: 135 x 20

GHR: 50 x 8, 50 x 8

Shouldn't have expected a victory story today coming out of new year's weekend. Slept for 13 straight hours today after 3 days of very little food and fairly large quantities of alcohol. My apologies, weight lifting gods. I dedicate the next 6 months to you. On top of everything, I currently weigh 188 fresh in the morning (recorded 3 days straight).

Regardless, I'm going to continue with the assigned weights for this week and eat as large as I can. My mind is in the game, and my body will keep pace whether it likes it or not.

[Smolovicus]

Just bad really. Re-evaluating my game plan.

Overhead Press
Bar x 8
95 x 5
115 x 5
135 x 5
155 x 5

Not fun, not smooth, probably some cheating.

Squats
135 x 3
185 x 3
225 x 3
295 x 2, fail 3rd

Don't ask me why I did this. At the very list I was able to hit some reps, but I clearly wasn't in any state to be working with this weight so soon again. Dumb.

Deadlift
135 x 3
225 x 3
315 x 1
385 x 1

Just lazy at this point. 385 was a grind and a half, mostly due my horrible starting positions today.

Going to jump back and regain some lost ground a bit more fresh.

For Friday:

Squat: 285
Bench: 250

Following week:

Deadlift: 375
OHP: 150

[Smolovicus]

SUUUUCK IT IRON, SUCK IT.

Squats
135 x 5
185 x 5
225 x 3
+belt
300 x 3 (FUUUUARK! PR)
265 x 3

It was a tough set, but god damn it I did it. I know for certain that I'm still not at 100%, either. Weights felt heavier than they should have, but 300 felt pretty good on my back.

Bench
135 x 5
155 x 5
195 x 5
225 x 3
260 x 3 (PR)
225 x 5
195 x 8

Similar to the squats, the set was a real war. The deed is done though. I think my pressing movements may just be reaching the end of linear gains. If this is shown to be the case, I'll start up a Smolov Jr and hopefully grind out the home stretch to 315.

DB Rows
100 x 8
120 x 8
+straps
135 x 8
145 x 8 (PR)

Felt powerful as hell! The straps make a world of difference. I had em a bit loose so that the dumbbell didn't feel attached to my hand -- just a handicap. Forearms got beat up real nice like.

Dat volume squat set
225 x 8

I've been doing these at the end of my workouts to conserve energy, but Jesus they always suck so bad. If I hadn't experienced true agony in Smolov, I'm not sure I could get through em. lol

Barbell Curls 80 x 12, 110 x 2

Biceps were already destroyed from the rows and benching. Haven't curled in ages; thinking about tossing them in at the end of every other workout for fun.

Had a guy straight out mirin me the entire workout, made at least a dozen comments like "Dude I need to work out with you, haha;" "You're showing me up bro, damn;" "Wow how much is that? Strong as hell bro." Regardless of the validity of these statements, feels good man.

Eating big has saved the day once again. Still under 190 as well.