Time and Patience

[pastorgbc]

Your question about jumping to 165 from 135 at 12 is a very interesting one. A lot of that dynamic has to do with fast twitch dominant/slow twitch dominant muscles. Being able to do high reps at a certain weight, then increasingly to a relatively close weight and not being able to many or any rips shows that you may be slow twitch dominant. This does not mean you cannot lift heavier weight, it means there may be less of a correlation from certain weight levels to the next. In the situation, you can do as suggested and not burn out on the lower weight, but you can also utilize more of a baby step strategy to keep increasing and progressing. The micro plates can come in handy here.

I would keep doing your 12 at 135, then follow that with two sets of 5, one at 150 and one at 145. For the next three sessions, try and add 1 rep to each of the two sets until you reach 8. Once you do that, try this: 12x135; 1x145; 1x155; then as many as you can at 165.

I am slow twitch dominant myself. The best advice I was ever given about making increases in my lifts was to train for specific lifts. It provided much in the way of structure and goal setting.

Ray

[BergMuscle]

There are lots of 4-day split routines that allow you to train, get big and strong, and still have a life. Seek and you will find a balance.

[lochinvar76]

You've already had some really good advice in here so I don't think I need to pile on even more. I do want to say that a lot of times a lack of tightness will suck out strength at a higher weight. Work on that set up like DNG said and maybe try to get some videos of you doing bench. A lot of times just a slight tweak in form will get the ball rolling again but we have to see where you are to give any kind of advice.

[lochinvar76]

So, on the computer I actually got to see that you do have bench videos. Watched them and I saw a couple of things that jumped out at me. I looks like you have a bit of an unregular bar path when pressing as well as some trouble balancing the weight as you move it. I see that you're getting an arch into your back but the rest of your body looks loose and I don't see any real leg drive. A lot of this is going to be solved with proper set up and staying tight. Like DNG said, the video he posted as well as Johns set up video is a good start.

The big thing is that once you've got set up and are tense, to maintain it throughout the set. There are several things that you'll see people talk about for this. One is to squeeze the bar hard which is going to signal the rest of the body to get tight. Second is to imagine bending the bar in half to pull the back tight and engage the lats. Control the descent of the bar, squeeze the bar as hard as you can and imagine trying to bend the bar in a horseshoe shape as you lower it to your chest just below the sternum. You should be keeping your legs firm on the floor or platform and if your arch is tight, it should feel uncomfortable in your lower back. Pause with the bar on your chest a second then initiate the press by pushing with your feet on the floor and let that energy get the bar moving up off the chest and PUSH.

Any chance you can get a vid of you benching from a front angle so we can see your hand placement on the bar? From the angle I see that you might be getting a better arm angle if you brought your grip in and tucked your elbows slightly but it's easier to tell from a direct front view.

[Jtbny]

Lochs and DNG are on point with the bench advice.

Dave there is absolutely no reason you can't make great gains doing this 3-4 times a week. I ran most of 5/3/1 4 days a week and did quite well. Balance is key for me too as I have two young kids, back in school and will be working nights coming up. Just know that there does need to be "you" time also but I know you will find the balance that works for you.

[mirroroferised]

Your question about jumping to 165 from 135 at 12 is a very interesting one. A lot of that dynamic has to do with fast twitch dominant/slow twitch dominant muscles. Being able to do high reps at a certain weight, then increasingly to a relatively close weight and not being able to many or any rips shows that you may be slow twitch dominant. This does not mean you cannot lift heavier weight, it means there may be less of a correlation from certain weight levels to the next. In the situation, you can do as suggested and not burn out on the lower weight, but you can also utilize more of a baby step strategy to keep increasing and progressing. The micro plates can come in handy here.

I would keep doing your 12 at 135, then follow that with two sets of 5, one at 150 and one at 145. For the next three sessions, try and add 1 rep to each of the two sets until you reach 8. Once you do that, try this: 12x135; 1x145; 1x155; then as many as you can at 165.

I am slow twitch dominant myself. The best advice I was ever given about making increases in my lifts was to train for specific lifts. It provided much in the way of structure and goal setting.

Ray

I'd actually started giving that some thought with specific lift training, especially with all this smolov talk running around here lately but even though it's something I do want to fix, I'm not really wanting to focus a few weeks specifically on it yet. I'm just going to keep ploughing away and hopefully fix some of these little issues. In a few months I might do some specific training for it if it's still an issue (and I bet it will be lol)

There are lots of 4-day split routines that allow you to train, get big and strong, and still have a life. Seek and you will find a balance.

Absolutely. I like this split I've been doing and I'll end up back on it one day I'm sure. For now, I have a new plan.

So, on the computer I actually got to see that you do have bench videos. Watched them and I saw a couple of things that jumped out at me. I looks like you have a bit of an unregular bar path when pressing as well as some trouble balancing the weight as you move it. I see that you're getting an arch into your back but the rest of your body looks loose and I don't see any real leg drive. A lot of this is going to be solved with proper set up and staying tight. Like DNG said, the video he posted as well as Johns set up video is a good start.

The big thing is that once you've got set up and are tense, to maintain it throughout the set. There are several things that you'll see people talk about for this. One is to squeeze the bar hard which is going to signal the rest of the body to get tight. Second is to imagine bending the bar in half to pull the back tight and engage the lats. Control the descent of the bar, squeeze the bar as hard as you can and imagine trying to bend the bar in a horseshoe shape as you lower it to your chest just below the sternum. You should be keeping your legs firm on the floor or platform and if your arch is tight, it should feel uncomfortable in your lower back. Pause with the bar on your chest a second then initiate the press by pushing with your feet on the floor and let that energy get the bar moving up off the chest and PUSH.

Any chance you can get a vid of you benching from a front angle so we can see your hand placement on the bar? From the angle I see that you might be getting a better arm angle if you brought your grip in and tucked your elbows slightly but it's easier to tell from a direct front view.

You've already had some really good advice in here so I don't think I need to pile on even more. I do want to say that a lot of times a lack of tightness will suck out strength at a higher weight. Work on that set up like DNG said and maybe try to get some videos of you doing bench. A lot of times just a slight tweak in form will get the ball rolling again but we have to see where you are to give any kind of advice.

Thanks loch, your advice and critiques are always welcome. Next time I bench I'll try and shoot some different angles. I've had sets in the past that have felt rock solid and then ones that don't. I seem to struggle a bit with keeping that consistency.

Lochs and DNG are on point with the bench advice.

Dave there is absolutely no reason you can't make great gains doing this 3-4 times a week. I ran most of 5/3/1 4 days a week and did quite well. Balance is key for me too as I have two young kids, back in school and will be working nights coming up. Just know that there does need to be "you" time also but I know you will find the balance that works for you.

For sure. Building up my home gym is going to help with that too. I found a Northern Lights power rack on sale nearby that I might grab after I do a bit of research on it.

[mirroroferised]

Time and patience is actually the title here for all the people who put up with my nonsense

I reread Wendler's book last night while watching the Blue Jays win again (sorry OT ) and spent some time on blackironbeast.com. The bodybuilding assistance template is right up my alley and will help appease my need for higher reps and volume while working towards building up my crappy main lifts. Switching the assistance programs up after a cycle if I want appeals to me as well. This should be fun.

I'm committing to 7 full cycles before I revisit any goals. I think this should be more than achievable given the versatility of the assistance templates, the variety offered and the ability to go a bit off with the assistance lifts if I want.

I'm not going to shy away from the 2 lifts that have been giving me some issues: Bench and OHP. I'll do everything I can to work on these lifts and put the effort in for each of these 7 cycles. I've lowered my weight for each lift a bit on the calculator to try and bring it back up again and hopefully with some extra attention to form, I'll start making some progress in here.

I'm confident that 4 days a week on this will make home life a lot more manageable but that's enough about home life and crap that doesn't matter in here. I'm excited to get started and stick with it. I might actually show some time and patience


Disclaimer - ALL advice and critiques are not only welcomed but positively encouraged

5/3/1
Bodybuilding assistance
Cycle 1/Week 1/Session 1
OHP

5 × 45 []
5 × 55 [5]
3 × 65 [10]

5 × 70 [10,2.5]
*****://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wMfNvHV-VRk&feature=youtu.be



5 × 80 [10,5,2.5]
*****://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ugMn2PdbncA&feature=youtu.be



5+ × 90 [10,5,5,2.5] - got 9
*****://www.youtube.com/watch?v=puaGy4rINj8&feature=youtu.be



I can still really see the tilt from my right arm with press. I don't notice it during. The weight itself didn't feel too bad until about rep 7 with the 90 lbs. I'll flip the bench around next week for a side view if that helps determine any major flaws. I didn't think about that until now.

Seated DB Press

1 set of 12 w/20 lbs
3 sets of 12 w/25 lbs

I'll need heavier db's at home...or a smith machine. BRB gonna go sweet talk my wife

BH Shoulder Routine

3 sets of 10 w/15 lbs

Still loving this and shouting it from the mountain tops for whoever will listen. 3 moves in 1 and it leaves you fried.

Poundstone EZ Bar Curls w/35 lbs

40
35
25

100 straight reps still appears to be a lifetime away

I just did a push day the other day but took yesterday off and said the hell with it and started in the order listed on blackironbeast. I don't believe Tuesday's workout impacted today in any way.

[Plateauplower]

Sounds like a very good choice and I am interested to see how it works out for you (pun). Did you feel like you didn't do much on the first session? That was one of the things that I was thinking when reading the book, like really thats it? I know it is effective in building strength and mass, and it does allow plenty of options to keep it interesting and fun.

I mentioned the Iron Master Dumbells in Rays Journal, You might want to check them out, kind of pricey not too bad. They are by far the best adjustable DBs you can get in terms of durability and feeling like a standard DB IMO, Plus you can get extensions to take them well over 100lbs each. They are cheaper than a DB rack and take up much less space (and less floor load) which was why I tried them, they are pretty painless to change but not as fast as a rack of DBs . I regret selling them, but I wasn't using them much and the wife was pretty determined to turn my unused weight room and our only unoccupied bedroom into a baby room, sheesh (I had a part in some of that, I guess).

Good choice on the 5/3/1 looking forward to it.

[doughnutgut]

Firstly.

What dafuq you doing wearing a scouse shirt for in America?

Secondly. Good choice of program and good to hear you are giving it a solid 7 cycles. After that time I am sure you will be so deep in thought that you will end up running it through to the 13th for the full year.

The first 3 cycles I managed to pull off a few whopping 11s and 12s on my plus 5 and 3 sets here and there but eventually I got my ass bitten and all fell into place perfectly.

Now I am hanging on by the thread of my arse hair.

Ask me nothing about OHP. I won't pass any judgement apart from tell you to squeeze them ass cheeks together from start to finish.

Welcome aboard the gain train.

[mirroroferised]

Sounds like a very good choice and I am interested to see how it works out for you (pun). Did you feel like you didn't do much on the first session? That was one of the things that I was thinking when reading the book, like really thats it? I know it is effective in building strength and mass, and it does allow plenty of options to keep it interesting and fun.

I mentioned the Iron Master Dumbells in Rays Journal, You might want to check them out, kind of pricey not too bad. They are by far the best adjustable DBs you can get in terms of durability and feeling like a standard DB IMO, Plus you can get extensions to take them well over 100lbs each. They are cheaper than a DB rack and take up much less space (and less floor load) which was why I tried them, they are pretty painless to change but not as fast as a rack of DBs . I regret selling them, but I wasn't using them much and the wife was pretty determined to turn my unused weight room and our only unoccupied bedroom into a baby room, sheesh (I had a part in some of that, I guess).

Good choice on the 5/3/1 looking forward to it.

Maybe cuz I just did a push session the other day but the OHP part didn't feel all that bad really at all. I'm sure it will get tough soon but for ohp and bench I'm thinking a bit of time in humbleville will do me some good while I still get to do some db and dips as well to keep blasting my chest.

I saw your post and did respond to it. Those aren't a bad idea. Db's are crazy expensive. I have two db bars that I can add oly plates to but they're quite long and very awkward for anything other than rows.

Firstly.

What dafuq you doing wearing a scouse shirt for in America?

Secondly. Good choice of program and good to hear you are giving it a solid 7 cycles. After that time I am sure you will be so deep in thought that you will end up running it through to the 13th for the full year.

The first 3 cycles I managed to pull off a few whopping 11s and 12s on my plus 5 and 3 sets here and there but eventually I got my ass bitten and all fell into place perfectly.

Now I am hanging on by the thread of my arse hair.

Ask me nothing about OHP. I won't pass any judgement apart from tell you to squeeze them ass cheeks together from start to finish.

Welcome aboard the gain train.

ha my father in law is an Evertonian through and through. My wife is from Liverpool as well so we have tons of shirts and hats around. I'm not a huge fan but have been to a few live matches and a couple practices too. The live atmosphere is incredible there.

Well day one is down. Time to eat

[doughnutgut]

Cool to hear about the wife being a scouser.

I can see st james's park from my window.

Hair on the back of my neck stands up as soon as I get to my seat.

[EjnarKolinkar]

Id lower the weight on the OHP. 10 reps perfect form and 2 fatiguing reps would be a good start for a 7 cycle run. Key to having 7 cycles of progression is starting light enough.

Good luck on the new cycle.

[mirroroferised]

Cool to hear about the wife being a scouser.

I can see st james's park from my window.

Hair on the back of my neck stands up as soon as I get to my seat.

It's a cool experience that we don't really get around these parts. The atmosphere and love of the game over there is second to none.

Id lower the weight on the OHP. 10 reps perfect form and 2 fatiguing reps would be a good start for a 7 cycle run. Key to having 7 cycles of progression is starting light enough.

Good luck on the new cycle.

Good point. I will. That OHP is a sneaky you know what and I'd like to do whatever I can to stop it from killing me

Thanks

[fittofattofit]

I like Robert's suggestion, especially for a lift that is giving you grief: dropping back and going for quality is a good move. That being said, your form on the 90 OHPs looked good and there was not one hint of leg drive or thoracic spine hyperextension to get that bar up. A weaker arm is pretty much standard for all of us and you're always likely to see one side always start to fail earliest as you get near your limits, so I wouldn't worry about that

[Flounderbout]

Id lower the weight on the OHP. 10 reps perfect form and 2 fatiguing reps would be a good start for a 7 cycle run. Key to having 7 cycles of progression is starting light enough.

Good luck on the new cycle.

This. Having said that, that + set really didn't look as though you were all done. I thought you had at least two reps left in you!

Also, from one scouser (well I was born there, not sure I really qualify any more) to another, here's a scouse keyboard for your wife...

[SteveWright1]

enjoyed watching the 90 OHP vid Dave - good work on getting those reps

OHP like everything else in this lifestyle of our choosing - seems easy enough when we see others doing it, but the reality is, they are not easy at all

7 cycles of 5/3/1
with 9 reps at 90 on OHP that is a great start in my honest opinion - good to go for next cycle and the one after, and that is all that really matters at this stage - dont psyche yourself out worrying about cycle 7 numbers at this stage - cycle 1 is your focus and when that is done, cycle 2 is all you need to concern yourself with in my honest opinion

good luck with it, I shall follow along even more closely now your training is something I am pretty familiar with

deadlift day next?
looking forward to seeing what weights you will be shifting for deads, bench and squats

[pastorgbc]

Good luck with Wendler. I think it is a great program with a lot of room for making it your own.

Ray

[mirroroferised]

I like Robert's suggestion, especially for a lift that is giving you grief: dropping back and going for quality is a good move. That being said, your form on the 90 OHPs looked good and there was not one hint of leg drive or thoracic spine hyperextension to get that bar up. A weaker arm is pretty much standard for all of us and you're always likely to see one side always start to fail earliest as you get near your limits, so I wouldn't worry about that

I agree. That benchmark of trying to tough it out to get 12 reps is a good one and give this a bit of a new perspective in the beginning.

I'm a little paranoid with this move so I'll be taking it slow at the beginning anyway. I'm sure I could've push pressed it for a few more reps but that's gotten me into trouble before. Slow and steady this time.

Encouraging to hear that the tilt is normal too.

Thanks Andrew.

This. Having said that, that + set really didn't look as though you were all done. I thought you had at least two reps left in you!

Also, from one scouser (well I was born there, not sure I really qualify any more) to another, here's a scouse keyboard for your wife...

I think I could've gotten a couple more maybe, definitely a couple with a bit of a push like mentioned above but I don't want to rush myself on this lift. Strict on ohp or not at all right now.

I'll show her that when she gets home lol

enjoyed watching the 90 OHP vid Dave - good work on getting those reps

OHP like everything else in this lifestyle of our choosing - seems easy enough when we see others doing it, but the reality is, they are not easy at all

7 cycles of 5/3/1
with 9 reps at 90 on OHP that is a great start in my honest opinion - good to go for next cycle and the one after, and that is all that really matters at this stage - dont psyche yourself out worrying about cycle 7 numbers at this stage - cycle 1 is your focus and when that is done, cycle 2 is all you need to concern yourself with in my honest opinion

good luck with it, I shall follow along even more closely now your training is something I am pretty familiar with

deadlift day next?
looking forward to seeing what weights you will be shifting for deads, bench and squats

Great to have you back on board Steve and great advice, thanks.

I'm definitely gonna be taking it slow on at least those 2 lifts. I'm hoping deads and squats will keep moving along properly and I'm a lot more confident with those two lifts as well.

Deads are today at some point. Looking at the schedule this will not be a tough week as far as they are concerned or squats. I also bumped down my bench max a little too so I can keep focusing on fixing that mess too.

Good luck with Wendler. I think it is a great program with a lot of room for making it your own.

Ray

Thanks Ray. It really seems like this might do the trick for me at this stage. I love the versatility of the program.

[lunchbreak]

Oh boy, glad you aren't any taller, in several cycles when you have 45s on the bar you might be re-modelling the ceiling!
The bodybuilding template looks good, I'm sure it'll work out well for you.

[mirroroferised]

Actually a couple of good holes in the ceiling, if done with perfect form, would really help nail down future perfect form for years to come. Great idea really

[lochinvar76]

Actually a couple of good holes in the ceiling, if done with perfect form, would really help nail down future perfect form for years to come. Great idea really

I keep picturing this happening in my mind and can't help but feel like it would be something out of a Chevy Chase movie lol

[doughnutgut]

Any chance of an insight to what your current 4 main lift maxes are and to what extent you have cautiously dropped some of them to for this 7 cycle start Dave.

Just curious tis all.

I do hope you have that squat number dialled in enough for you going for the 2pps in a cycle plus set before the 7th cycle.

Remember to outrule your mind. The weight will always feel the same as it does last time you had it on your back until you conquer it.

[mirroroferised]

I keep picturing this happening in my mind and can't help but feel like it would be something out of a Chevy Chase movie lol

lol sounds about right

Any chance of an insight to what your current 4 main lift maxes are and to what extent you have cautiously dropped some of them to for this 7 cycle start Dave.

Just curious tis all.

I do hope you have that squat number dialled in enough for you going for the 2pps in a cycle plus set before the 7th cycle.

Remember to outrule your mind. The weight will always feel the same as it does last time you had it on your back until you conquer it.

This is what I plugged into blackrionbeast basing it on my past few months and being cautious with bench and ohp.

Military Press 5 reps × 95 pounds
Bench Press 5 reps × 150 pounds
Squat 5 reps × 210 pounds
Deadlift 1 reps × 325 pounds

This should have me going for 225 again by the 3rd cycle I believe. I think even the benching is a bit high considering the work I need to do but this will have me repping 135 in a few days on the 5+ set which is what I just did for 12 shaky and so so reps. If I can get that form tightened up that weight is easily manageable for me. OHP is going up slower for now.

[mirroroferised]

5/3/1
Bodybuilding assistance
Cycle 1/Week 1/Session 2
Deads

5 × 120 [35,2.5]

5 × 150 [45,5,2.5]
*****://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rUasVzCfb-4&feature=youtu.be



3 × 180 [45,10,5,5,2.5]
*****://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pSLwRRPwUGA&feature=youtu.be



5 × 195 [45,25,5]
*****://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wtflLS-qymE&feature=youtu.be



5 × 220 [45,35,5,2.5]
*****://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2adsR6Q7vCU&feature=youtu.be



5+ × 250 [45,45,10,2.5] - Got 9.
*****://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8CCqT3F0ohs&feature=youtu.be



Realistically I know I could've gotten a few more but in the back of my head I had a little voice saying high reps deads bad. Stop it here. I did but part of me is kicking myself for doing that.

I focused on hand and leg placement to try and get rid of that gap Andrew pointed out last week and keep the entire lift consistent. I think at this point without further studying of the video, I did a pretty good job. Side shots showing maybe a little too much upper back pull and not enough leg drive? Also seemed to be rushing a few of those reps I noticed as well and I did notice during too and didn't take a full reset at the bottom. Thoughts?

That new belt can't get here fast enough. I'm excited.

Chins

5/4/5/5/4/5/3/3/3/3/

3 w/15 lb db in my feet - Thanks to IW for convincing me it wouldn't be the end of the world to try it. The weight belt with a chain has somehow disappeared from the gym, so db it was.

3 more to finish off w/bw only

Goal from here on out is to get 40 reps with body weight despite how many sets it takes. I did the above at home. I'm heading to the gym later for the rest of this workout and will fill in the rest later. Quite a few of these were completely full rom. The rest were all done from a complete hang at the bottom and each rep was at least with my arms breaking parallel. I'm getting there. Was really happy to add a tiny bit of weight on too. Bill, as usual, is right and it can't hurt to try

DB row

3 sets of 15 w/70 lbs per arm
1 set of 10 w/70 lbs per arm

Hard!!!!

Wendler Ab circuit

4 sets of 10 - back extension (1 set with a 25 lb plate)
4 sets of 10 - DB side bends w/ 2 50's
4 sets of hanging leg raises - 3/2/1/2 - holy $@$@#$@# that is hard $#$@ Went with the way described in the book so feet going straight up in the air basically overtop of me. Felt like a mini watered down version of cmoore in the gym

Overall strength felt great on deads today and I was huffing by the end of the 9.

Thoughts on going high reps with deads on the + day? I've read the journals but that part doesn't really stick.

[Plateauplower]

Nice work, you got me thinking real hard about taking 5/3/1 for a test drive soon. If you got your new belt yet how's that feel? It should help a lot when the deads and squats get heavy. That extra confidence is a huge help IMO.

Never seen a journal get spammed before, wow.

[mirroroferised]

Nice work, you got me thinking real hard about taking 5/3/1 for a test drive soon. If you got your new belt yet how's that feel? It should help a lot when the deads and squats get heavy. That extra confidence is a huge help IMO.

That was still the old one I just can't wait for that new one.

I could see you having a lot of success on this tbh.

Never seen a journal get spammed before, wow.

It happens lol I think this is the second time for me. I'm honoured

[mirroroferised]

And of course guess what just arrived after I finished deads New belt is here!! Damn, it is a lot heavier than I was expecting and pretty tough to even get on. I'll have to look into good ways to break it in. Sturdy as hell though.

[doughnutgut]

My personal thought is that cycle 1 is your tester feel cycle. See what your plus set pumps out and adjust cycle 2 accordingly.

IMO after cycle 2 is over. You will be dug deep and comfy to go for the forseeable future adding 10lb to lower and 5 lb to upper.

Keep adding until you can no longer hit plus set figures.

Adjust the weight up per cycle end for next cycle by all means. But no less than the asking figure.

[BergMuscle]

And of course guess what just arrived after I finished deads New belt is here!! Damn, it is a lot heavier than I was expecting and pretty tough to even get on. I'll have to look into good ways to break it in. Sturdy as hell though.

Cool - and, of course, it showed up after you finished today's deads. That's just how the universe works. Have fun breaking it in. Nothing gets me more motivated than new equipment - of any kind.

[mirroroferised]

I don't know whose page ends where but here's my entire workout in one post.

5/3/1
Bodybuilding assistance
Cycle 1/Week 1/Session 2
Deads

5 × 120 [35,2.5]

5 × 150 [45,5,2.5]
*****://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rUasVzCfb-4&feature=youtu.be



3 × 180 [45,10,5,5,2.5]
*****://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pSLwRRPwUGA&feature=youtu.be



5 × 195 [45,25,5]
*****://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wtflLS-qymE&feature=youtu.be



5 × 220 [45,35,5,2.5]
*****://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2adsR6Q7vCU&feature=youtu.be



5+ × 250 [45,45,10,2.5] - Got 9.
*****://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8CCqT3F0ohs&feature=youtu.be



Realistically I know I could've gotten a few more but in the back of my head I had a little voice saying high reps deads bad. Stop it here. I did but part of me is kicking myself for doing that.

I focused on hand and leg placement to try and get rid of that gap Andrew pointed out last week and keep the entire lift consistent. I think at this point without further studying of the video, I did a pretty good job. Side shots showing maybe a little too much upper back pull and not enough leg drive? Also seemed to be rushing a few of those reps I noticed as well and I did notice during too and didn't take a full reset at the bottom. Thoughts?

That new belt got here but an hour late

Chins

5/4/5/5/4/5/3/3/3/3/

3 w/15 lb db in my feet - Thanks to IW for convincing me it wouldn't be the end of the world to try it. The weight belt with a chain has somehow disappeared from the gym, so db it was.

3 more to finish off w/bw only

Goal from here on out is to get 40 reps with body weight despite how many sets it takes. I did the above at home. I'm heading to the gym later for the rest of this workout and will fill in the rest later. Quite a few of these were completely full rom. The rest were all done from a complete hang at the bottom and each rep was at least with my arms breaking parallel. I'm getting there. Was really happy to add a tiny bit of weight on too. Bill, as usual, is right and it can't hurt to try

DB row

3 sets of 15 w/70 lbs per arm
1 set of 10 w/70 lbs per arm

Hard!!!!

Wendler Ab circuit

4 sets of 10 - back extension (1 set with a 25 lb plate)
4 sets of 10 - DB side bends w/ 2 50's
4 sets of hanging leg raises - 3/2/1/2 - holy $@$@#$@# that is hard $#$@ Went with the way described in the book so feet going straight up in the air basically overtop of me. Felt like a mini watered down version of cmoore in the gym

Overall strength felt great on deads today and I was huffing by the end of the 9.

Thoughts on going high reps with deads on the + day? I've read the journals but that part doesn't really stick.

My personal thought is that cycle 1 is your tester feel cycle. See what your plus set pumps out and adjust cycle 2 accordingly.

IMO after cycle 2 is over. You will be dug deep and comfy to go for the forseeable future adding 10lb to lower and 5 lb to upper.

Keep adding until you can no longer hit plus set figures.

Adjust the weight up per cycle end for next cycle by all means. But no less than the asking figure.

That makes sense.

Cool - and, of course, it showed up after you finished today's deads. That's just how the universe works. Have fun breaking it in. Nothing gets me more motivated than new equipment - of any kind.

Right lol I was still warm from the deadlifts when it got here. I can't wait to start using it though. What a sturdy piece of equipment.