In Search of Strength

[CharlesSwann]

07/30 - weights in kg
Beltless high bar: 140x5, 145x5, 150x3 -- speed okay but some back twinge on 3rd and stopped
FS hold: 150x20c,30c -- bothered back too so stopped
Pull ups: bwx8,8,5
Bench: 100x6,4,3

Too much too quickly? Don't think I hurt my back badly but was hoping for 5+ on 150kg for sure. Hopefully good in a few days/one week? Not sure how soreness this time around will be either.

Rougher comeback than I expected though haha. Still happy to be hitting squats and all though.

[CharlesSwann]

08/06 - weights in kg
Pause front squat: 100x3, 120x1,1, 130x1, 140x1 -- low back blew up
Bench: 100x7,7,5
Pull ups: bwx8
Low bar: 60x10

What a terrible come back, haha. Bench is creeping back up at least. Not sure really what's going on with my low back, though I could barely walk after 140kg. Felt fine until then. Guess I'm not doing a good job easing back into it eh?

[CharlesSwann]

Low back is doing better, going to start loading again. Work is killing me though. I want to go during the week but I can't bring myself to do it.

09/03 - weights in kg
Paused beltless high bar: 100x10, 120x3, 140x3, 150x2, 160x1, 170x1, 180x1
OHP (bar weight unknown): 60x5, 70x5, 80x4 -- hard to balance, usually don't use WL shoes so might be that + the break
Bent-over-row: 60x5, 100x5,5,10
Fly machine: 80x8, 120x5, 140x7,5
Hypers: BWx15,15,15

[CharlesSwann]

Creeping back up. Maybe ~80% of peak strength, but also like 90% of peak body weight.

09/10 - weights in kg
Front squat: 100x3, 120x3, 130x3, 140x2, 130x1, 140x1,1,1
Front rack hold: 220x(10 counts)
Bench (unknown bar): 100x10,8,4
Fly machine: 170x5,5,5
Pull ups: bwx10,6,7

09/14 - weights in kg
OHP (unknown bar): 60x5, 70x5, 80x5, 82.5x4
SSB: 110x5, 130x3, 150x4
Chin ups: bwx10

09/18 - weights in kg
Beltless highbar: 160x1, 180x1, 185x3 (messy)
Pause highbar: 315x8
Bent over row (unknown bar): 100x,5,8, 120x8
Fly machine: 170x5, 190x5, 210x5,4

[CharlesSwann]

09/24 - weights in kg
Front squat: 140x3, 150x1, 160x1, 130x5
Front squat partial (21 showing on pins): 180x1, 200x1, 220x1, 227.5x1
OHP (unknown bar): 60x5, 70x5, 77.5x4,5,4
Pull ups: 20x5,5,5
Hypers: BWx25

[CharlesSwann]

Still struggling with how busy work is, but plodding along as best as I can. Up to like 84% of peak strength or so.

10/06 -- weights in kg
SSB: 110x5, 150xd5, 160x5
Bench: 100x5, 110x3, 120x3,3,3
Pull downs: 63.5x5,x10, 70.5x10

10/13
Beltless highbar: 140x1, 160x1, 180x1, 185x4
+paused: 140x8
OHP: 70x5,5, 72.5x5
Bent over row: 90x5, 100x5, 110x5

10/23
Front squat: 140x5, 150x1, 160x1, 170x1
FS to pins (at 21): 180x1, 220x3
Bench: 100x5, 110x5, 120x5
Pull ups: bwx10,8,6
Machine flyes: 210x5, 230x5,4

[CharlesSwann]

10/31 -- weights in kg
Beltless SSB: 170x5, 180x1
OHP: 50x5, 60x3, 70x3, 75x8, 50x10
Pull downs: 70.5x5, 77.5x8, 84.5x8

11/07
Beltless high bar: 180x1, 185x5
Paused high bar: 140x8
Bench: 100x3, 110x3, 120x1, 122.5x5, 100x12
Trap bar: 105x5,5, 120x5

[CharlesSwann]

I'd like to lift more often but this work is still killing me. I bet guys on here (when it was still active haha) were working physical jobs with more hours and all but I'm a big baby. Strength still climbing back up to peak levels bit by bit though. My main #1 goal is still 500lbs front squat and then 405lbs bench. Bit far at current levels, but yea, still climbing. Not going to give this one up, and even if I'm just maintaining at this point, going to keep it going as best as I can.

edit: of course also had a bunch of surgeries and health problems this year... was nervous to start lifting back in August again, but I have to say I feel pretty comfortable/safe lately (maybe stupid?), so that's all pretty good. Most of my weight came back up too actually. Probably most of my strength still missing is just from the lifting gap more than the health stuff.

[CharlesSwann]

11/17 -- weights in kg
Front squat: 140x1, 145x5
Front squat to pins (20 showing): 180x1, 200x1, 220x3
OHP: 80x4,5,5
Machine flyes: 230x5,5,5
Pull ups: bwx10,8,7

[CharlesSwann]

12/09 -- weights in kg
Beltless highbar: 185x6
Long pause highbar: 140x8
Bench: 125x5, 100x10
Snatch-grip BOR: 100x5,8, 110x8
Machine flyes: 230x5,5,8

[CharlesSwann]

12/19 - weights in kg
FS: 150x6, 160x1, 170x1, 180x0
FS to 20pins: 220x2,2
OHP: 80x5,5,5
PU: (bw)x10,10,8

12/26
Bench: 130x5, 100x12
Beltless SSB: 175x5, 150x5
Beltless Snatch-grip RDL: 180x5,5,5
Machine Flyes: 230x8,8,5

01/01
HBBS: 180x1, 190x1, 200x5
Pause HBBS: 140x10
OHP: 85x3,5, 87.5x5
Pull ups: 20x5,5,4

01/07
FS: 140x1, 150x1, 155x5,5
FS to 21 pins: 220x5,6
DB bench: 40x5, 45x8,6,6
Pull downs: 84.5x5,5,8

01/13
Beltless SSB: 150x1, 170x1, 190x5
Bench: 132.5x4,3 -- tweaked shoulder so no back-off
Snatch-grip RDL: 190x5,5,5
Machine flyes -- felt shoulder
Triceps push downs: 20x10, 30x1, 40x5, 35x9

[CharlesSwann]

All weights in KG still

01/19
HBBS: 200x6
Long pause HBBS: 140x5
OHP: 87.5 for 3x5
Pull ups: 20x5,8, 40x5

01/28
Front Squat: 160x2,5,5
FS to 21 pins: 220x5, 230x5 ,240x5
Bench: 132.5x4,4
Pull down: 84.5x8,7,5
Machine flyes: 230x8,8,5

02/04
SSB: 195x5, 150x5, 110x5, 70x10
OHP: 80x1, 90x3,3,4, 60x10
Snatch RDL: 200x3,3,5

02/14
HBBS: 210xd5
Pause HBBS: 160x5
Bench: 132.5x3, 120x7, 125x3, 100x3
Pull ups: BWx10,6,6

Think I'm too tired for good bench after HBBS, will rearrange a bit.

+ Unintended break from work and sickness, squat seemed okay but bench hit bad:

03/02
FS: 165x5,1,3
FS to pins: 220x3, 240x3, 260x0,3, 220x5
Bench: 110x8,5,6
Machine flyes: 230x5,4,5
Pull ups: 40x3, 20x5,6