bigm141414

H'okay so busy busy week for me. Work decided to ramp up to 11 and which meant lots of running around. I was glad for Wednesday to roll around so I can take a crack at setting a new deadlift max. Barbell therapy was needed after the hectic-ness. Okay so let's get right into. Deadlift one rep map day: Warmup - 45,135,315,405 475 in a descending rep scheme where I pulled a single at 475. Things were feeling pretty good even after sleeping poorly, and running around all day. I tried hard to get to the work gym before the afternoon crush because I knew I was going to need all of the plates and I didn't want to inconvenience other lifters too much. ( I did in fact inconvenience one person who wanted to do some squats in the smith machine with 2 plates, but I needed allllll of the 45s [my work gym only has 4 sets of 45s, woefully inadequate in my opinion]) Opener - 535lbs Success Opened with my previous max to test how things were going to feel. It went much smoother than my last attempt. Last time my legs were shaking quite a bit during the lift. I will also mention that I weighed in at 206.5lbs this morning which is almost 20lbs lighter from my last attempt at this weight, so even if I failed everything else I would be satisfied with a bodyweight multiple. Second Attempt - 545lbs Success +10PR This felt rough but the video looks solid. After setting the bar down I got the tingly sensation all over my body which has happened a few times before when I hit a heavy single so I was a bit worried that I wouldn't have more in me. I paced around the small gym floor and the sensation went away so I loaded up for another attempt. Third Attempt - 555lbs Success +20lbs PR This was definitely heavy. The video doesn't do it justice. As soon as I broke the bar from the ground time slowed down and I felt like I was stalled in mid pull. My entire inner world screamed "push through the floor!!!" for what felt like minutes but in real time it was a half second or less. The bar went up and I got locked out. It was a quick lock out because my right hand was giving way under the combined force of sweat and gravity. My work gym doesn't allow chalk so nothing could be done about the increased perspiration. But I lifted it! Fourth Attempt - 565lbs Lol Nope. Failed Riding the high of my 555lbs PR I attempted to add 10 more pounds because why not? It was a big newp moment, I was spent and the bar didn't even budge off the ground and I didn't even have it in my to try real hard to make it move. So I called it a day, content with where I am, and as I was stripping the bar, handed 2 sets of 45s to the waiting squatter. Video of the 3 successful attempts for completeness sake. All in all a great day and a great month of max attempts. With all three lifts (245 bench, 405 squat, 555 deadlift) I now have a gym total of 1,205lbs. Woo 1,200lbs club! This makes me strong yeah? After years of fits and starts the consistency I put in this year has finally paid off. Right now I am on vacation for the long holiday weekend in the US and I am going to spend the next few days thinking about where to go from here. I still need to hit a 585 deadlift by the end of the year which doesn't seem as far fetched as it did back in January. I also went and checked out an actual powerlifting gym on Tuesday which I am 95% sure I will try out for the month of September. It's expensive but given where I am now and where I want to be I need access to more than what I have in my garage gym and at my work gym. The powerlifting gym does also have a (rarely used) olympic lifting platform which means I have the option of getting back into snatches and clean and jerks. I just need to think about how to work in everything I need to do into a reasonable plan for next month. Anyways, that was my month. I can't wait to see how much more I can add to the bar in the coming months.

Thanks! Definitely. And also as I start to get older. I am not as spry as I was when I first joined these forums, but while I may be slowing down I can at least say I am just as strong.

You should definitely be pleased. Good job getting through those envelopes and conquering the fear of paper cuts XD

405lbs 4 PLATE SQUAT CLUB MEMBER BAAAAAAAABY!!!!! (It's probably a little high for a comp, but ya know what I'll take it). It's also 1.94xcBW. Sooooooo close to 2x. I have time left before the end of the year, new goal of 2xBW squat???? Video proof (even got fancy with two angles) That is all for now. I am gonna not move for a while XD

It definitely has been quiet in here lately. So here's a stupidly strong squat (Olivia Reeves, 19yr old 71kg class weightlifter, top video is 210kg squat, bottom is 200kg) that I posted in my thread. May such a mighty display inspire your lifts, fellow warriors!

Hey hey everybody. It was a bit of a downer week. The achilles tendon in my left foot has been stiff making it difficult to walk normally. It's better now but 100%. I did manage to squat last night (Thursday) and it went fine. The Lifts: Squats - 6x2@315lbs Not bad, I was careful not to stress the ankle too much. It took 3 work sets to get into the groove of lifting. It's been a tough week at work with some personnel issues and 3 late nights in a row. Today was the first day I left at a reasonable hour even though it was 630pm by the time I got under the bar. Bench - 2x8@165, 2x6@184, 2x4@195 More volume for the bench. I did increase the working weight numbers based on my 245lbs 1RM I set last week. Shoulder hasn't been an issue either. Today I have a day off of work so I plan to go get coffee, practice sketching, maybe finish a book or practice on the piano. Deadlifts session later today as well.

Maaaybe I could have gotten it, but bench for me is weird. Once the bar stops it stops hard like I've run smack dab into a wall. I don't grind out reps on bench like I can on squats and deadlifts. Who knows. There is still time this year to get to 250. I've already changed my program weights to make sure I am training with a 250lbs goal in mind. As for coffee reviews, I went back to the same coffee shop this week and again got the batch brew. IT was still amazing so it wasn't a fluke. There is some black magic sorcery going on and I will understand this so I can replicate it at home! I did do some more sketching, this time trying to practice legs. Which they are freakishly long. I had no idea how weird our legs are until i started trying to draw them Thanks!

Hey hey. Sorry I have been real quiet this week. There were a few things that contributed to it. 1) Just crazy busy at work early in the week, but it got better towards the end 2) Heat Waaaaaaaave - it hit triple digits and was in the uppers 90s(F) the entire week. I don't have AC so it mae for miserable sleep and rest and workouts. It was so bad that I skipped doing deadlifts because the energy was just sapped out of me. I did manage to get in a recovery squat session but that is about it on the workout fronts for last week. Mid Week Squat recovery Sesh: Squat - 6x2@315lbs I did these beltless and treated them as tempo squats. They were okay but this was on Thursday and by then my energy levels were in the single digits So Sunday has rolled around and I am jumping back into my program. It's also not as hot anymore and I finally feel rested enough to face the barbell. Squat 3,2@375lbs (170kg, or 1.8x BW) Program called for 2x3 but I failed the last rep. It wasn't for lack of strength but it was the mental game that got me. On my second rep I thought I was a bit shallow so my brain tried to compensate by going waaaaay too deep and I lost all tightness. Luckily the safty bars were there to catch it. Bright side is I got to do a deeeep ATG pin squat at 225lbs to get the bar back up. Even in failure there are moments to train. The first set was definitely a bit pancake-y and grindy but honestly I wasn't in "oh shit this is real heavy" territory. In fact I have another moment of "was that really 375?" Back in December 2021, 375 was my 1 rep max. It is now my work weight for heavy triples. I'll take it. Hopefully this trend of everything feeling light as a feather will continue through next week, which is test day. Bench - 2x8@165, 2xc6@180, 2x4@195 First bench session since 1RM test day last week. Shoulder feels much better after a week long rest. Also I will leave you all with this stupidly strong squat by american weightlifter Olivia Reeves who competes in the 71kg class and is 19 years old. Note she is not using a belt or sleeves and squats in the high bar way of weightlifters for a 210kg ATG squat. Truly inspirational.

I loved the little wave after the 6th rep XD 👋 I always appreciate seeing your focus and state of zen when doing KB snatches

A classic. XD

Happy Sunday nerds! I woke up and went to a lovely new coffee shop. The coffee was amazing easily one of the top 5 cups I've had in my life. It was a just a regular batch brew coffee but it was super intense in flavor and not just some watered down bitter liquid. Quite a lovely way to start off the day. I also spent some time doodling in my sketchbook and reading.......What's that you say? Hurry up and get to the lifts? That's what you're here for? Well fiiiiiiine. I'll put my coffee reviews on hold for now The Lifts! Sundays are for moving lots of weight. So today I had heavy squats and a 1RM bench test day. Squat 3x4@355lbs (161kg, 1.706xBW) Again, another week, another rep max PR session. It honestly wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. Sure it was heavy, the most I've had on the bar since December, the most reps I've done at this weight ever, but it moved just fine. Maybe a low RPE 8. This just proves to me that a lot of my hang ups about squatting heavy has been mostly mental blocks. I've put in the work this year and I guess I am just surprising myself with the results. At least on squats. Bench Test Day - 1@235, 245 (PR, 111kg, or 1.177xBW), 265 (lol silly Bigm nope), 255(lol nope failed). Started out at my previous max and it moved really well which gave me a good confidence I could set a new all time PR. The next attempt at 245lbs moved fairly well too. A little grind half way up but I pushed through without much trouble. Which I was ecstatic about. Maybe toooooo ecstatic. I loaded up 265 because why not. Going down wasn't a problem, I was able to control it fairly well, going back up was a different matter. Failed about an inch off my chest. Lol After the 265 I tried at 255 because I was thinking, okay well 245 wasn't too bad, 265 was bad, maybe 255 is just right? Nah. Still failed. At least it went higher on the way up than my last attempt. So that's the result of 7 months of training, a 10lbs PR. I should be happy about it, but it is tinged a bit with frustration because I thought I was going to be stronger. Video evidence of my 245lbs PR So some good today, some just meh today. Rest of this week is a bit heavier on DLs, and lighter on squats and bench like last week. I'm going to go eat some ice cream to celebrate my PR.

Today's lifts! Another deload and active rest type session. Deficit Deadlifts -6x4@295lbs 1.5in block with double over hand grip Floor Press 3x8@155lbs Florr presses always put me in a napping mood. I mean I am already on the floor lying down, just hand me a blanket between sets. Not very exciting today because on Sunday we're back into rep max territory for squats and also it will be bench press test day. So fingers crossed that all goes well.

Today's Lifts! Quick deload squat session to get teh ol' joint moving. Most of yesterday and today I was running low on energy because work has been hectic, so I was glad for something easy and not mentally taxing. We save that stuff for sundays. The Lifts: Squat - 6x2@300lbs No problems. I did these beltless and they were closer to tempo squats, slow on the way down a decent pause at the bottom and slow on the way up. It was a good stretch for the hips Pause Bench 3x8@165 First set was a little cold, I didn't do too many warm up sets but after that it wasn't bad. 8 paused reps is a lot even at this medium of a weight. Anyways, I am still sleepy so I am going to call it an early evening.

Tuesday! Today was a deload deadlift day, which my body badly needed after yesterday's squats. I wasn't DOMS-y in the traditional sense but definitely not moving optimally. The Lifts: Deadlift 6x4@320lbs No issues at this weight and I used the time ot focus on form, specifically pulling my lats down and back and getting the slack out of the bar. Close Grip Bench 3x8@155lbs Another deload focusing on form and trying to get a good stretch when the bar is at the bottom. Shoulder is still achy but better today. Pause-at-the-knee Deadlifts 4x4@320lbs These were written as Pause Deadlifts, but I decided to just pause at the knee and set it down. I used it for some extra grip training as well holding on to the bar with double over hand instead of my normal mixed grip. All in all a decent active rest day. I was in and out of the gym in like 30 minutes which was a nice brisk change from the nearly 2 hour heavy sessions I had been putting in. Make me wonder if I should do some more body care stuff during this lightly loaded down time...🤔

D'awww thank you! I'm pretty proud of them Get the popcorn and...err..protein powder ready and settle in, it's gonna be a month full of suspense!