Get in the Gym, Blackbird.
The most recent training-related entry is 01 March, and today is 22 March. What the fuck have I been doing for the last three weeks?
I don't know what went down between 01 March and 07 March, except that we re-tested some of my max lifts, and my max squat went up to 375. My bench dropped down to 275, though, although I guess that was to be expected given the previous couple of months of race-oriented training. We're back to powerlifting again, though, which makes me pretty happy, because it's much easier to actually see improvement. So, here are a few weeks' of workouts.
08 March: chest/triceps
pause bench (I don't remember all the sets)
pause incline DB press: 40x15, 40x15, 40x15
pause push-ups: 5
regular push-ups: 10
Let me say here that pause-bench workouts SUCK, but R is trying to get me used to how it works in actual PL competitions in the event that I decide I want to try one, and when you bench in competition, you have to pause for a couple of seconds with the bar on your chest before they tell you to press it. This is nothing like a typical bench workout, where it's all one fluid motion (more or less).
09 March: squats
squat: 45x10, 135x10, 225x5, 260x8, 260x8, 260x8, 280x5, 300x2, 300x2, 320x1
hip thrusters: 105x15, 105x15, 105x15 (these suck!)
10 March: deadlift
deadlift: 155x10, 265x10, 315x8, 335x5, 335x5, 315x5, 315x5, 315x5
14 March: back/biceps
lat pulldown: 130x20, 130x20, 135x15, 140x12
1-arm DB row: 50x20, 50x20, 50x15, 50x12
seated row: 9x20, 9x20, 10x15, 11x12
db hammer curl: 30x20, 30x20, 35x15, 40x12
machine curl: 8x20, 8x20, 8x15, 8x12
15 March: legs
R suggested that I get some squat shoes, which are much more rigid than a typical running shoe or sneaker, and they're supposed to help keep your feet in the proper position when you're, well, squatting. I got a pair, so he wanted to re-test my squat max. Keep in mind that the previous week I maxed out at 375, so I wasn't expecting a whole lot of difference. I was wrong.
squat: 45x10, 135x5, 225x5, 275x4, 315x3, 365x2, 405x1, 275x8, 275x8, 275x8
Yeah, I just put 30lbs onto my max squat by having proper equipment, and I probably could have done a little bit more. Holy fuck. Of course, R also thinks that I can bench 315 right now if I just get my technique right. I'm less convinced of that one, but we'll see.
16 March: chest/triceps
For bench, we are doing something called Smolov Jr, which is an abbreviated version of the 13-week Smolov program. It's brutal, and I was only able to do the full 6 reps without assistance on the first couple of sets.
bench: 45x10, 135x5, 185x5, 225x6, 225x6, 225x6, 225x6, 225x6, 225x6
18 March: legs
For squats, we're doing the full Smolov, which means that I have to find time to get into the gym and squat on my own without R - not going to make much progress only training once a week when the program actually calls for 3-4 squat days per week.
squat: 45x5, 135x5, 225x5, 275x8, 275x8, 275x8, 295x5, 315x2, 315x2, 340x1
19 March: shoulders
DB side raise: 10x20, 10x20, 10x15, 10x12
DB front raise: 15x20, 15x20, 15x15, 15x12
shoulder press: 70x20, 80x20, 100x15, 120x12
DB shrugs: 50x20, 50x20, 50x15, 50x12
1-arm DB snatch: 50x10, 50x10
20 March: legs
squat: 135x5, 225x5, 295x5, 295x5, 295x5, 295x5, 315x3, 335x2, 335x2, 375x1
21 March: chest/triceps
bench: 45x10, 135x10, 185x5, 225x5, 235x5, 235x5, 235x5, 235x5, 235x5, 235x5, 235x5
Yeah. 7 sets of 5 at 235. Fucking hell. And again, once I got past the first set, it was hard to complete the rest without some assistance. That last rep in every set is a real bitch.
22 March: legs
squat: 135x5, 225x5, 315x5, 340x5
DB step-ups: 40x12, 40x12, 40x12, 40x12
hip thrusters (+10s hold): 105x20, 105x20