Daily training. Annual improvements.

[DCR]

2024 Feb 13 Tuesday (Off Day)

Dumbbell Bench: 90 x 6 x 6

Got to message John Broz tonight. F yeah! He has always been, to my mind, the most inspiring and logical voice in WL. Was cool to talk to him for a few minutes, even if it was texting over IG.

Don't tease, what did you all discuss?

Btw, thanks for the lengthy response upstairs re: the 500 lb. bencher. Good stuff. Drinking water as I write this haha.

[hector]

2024 Feb 13 Tuesday (Off Day)

Dumbbell Bench: 90 x 6 x 6

Got to message John Broz tonight. F yeah! He has always been, to my mind, the most inspiring and logical voice in WL. Was cool to talk to him for a few minutes, even if it was texting over IG.

Don't tease, what did you all discuss?

Btw, thanks for the lengthy response upstairs re: the 500 lb. bencher. Good stuff. Drinking water as I write this haha.

It was just a few messages back and forth. I told him one of his quotes “The way you feel is lie” had motivated me through a lot of workouts I’d been inclined to take off. He said he was thinking about putting that expression on a t-shirt. I asked him if he would consider putting out more material on PL type training since I’d hobbled together what I knew of his thoughts from fifty or a hundred of his forum posts. He said he intends to.

And you’re welcome!

[hector]

2024 Feb 14 Wed

Main
Ssb Squat: 350 x 3 x 3
Bench: 270 x 4s x 5r
Dumbbell Bench: 90 lb’ers x 6 x 6
T-Bar Rows: 200 x 5s x 10r

Aux
Ab Wheel: update later

Tonnage
Ssb Squat: 3,150
Bench: 5,400
Dumbbell Bench: 6,480
T-Bar Rows: 10,000
——————————————-
Total: 25,030

#####################

Wednesdays have evolved into the easy session of the week. I had only planned on 3 sets of bench of 270 x 5. Felt easy though, so I added a fourth. At first I thought this was progress. Then I realized I might just be better recovered since I skipped skull crushers on Monday. Idk.

[hector]

2024 Feb 16 Friday

Main
Ssb Squat: 360 x 3 x 3 (SSB 3x3 PR!!!!)
Ssb Squat: 270 x 3s x 5r
Bench: 270 x 5 x 5
Dumbbell Bench: 90 lb’ers x 6 x 6
T-Bar Rows: 200 x 5s x 10r

Aux
Tib Curls: 30 x 3s x 10r
Ab Wheel: update later

Tonnage
Ssb Squat: (3,240 + 4,050) = 7,290
Bench: 6,750
Dumbbell Bench: 6,480
T-Bar Rows: 10,000
Tib Curls: 900
—————————————————————
Total: 31,420

##########################}}}}}

Read an IG thing yesterday by John Broz about how if your squat goes up significantly, your bench will also. So I decided to push my squat a little. PR!!!!!!!!

Benching 270 x 5 x 5 isn’t a PR. But it’s definitely my best 5x5 of 2024.

Exodusians, have a great weekend!!!!

[DCR]

Ssb Squat: 360 x 3 x 3 (SSB 3x3 PR!!!!)

Awesome, Hector. Your recent references to Broz sent me down a bit of a rabbit hole. I enjoy a lot of his nuggets because they support my own notions, most especially: "Lunges suck and are very dangerous."

You have a great weekend as well, dude.

[hector]

Ssb Squat: 360 x 3 x 3 (SSB 3x3 PR!!!!)

Awesome, Hector. Your recent references to Broz sent me down a bit of a rabbit hole. I enjoy a lot of his nuggets because they support my own notions, most especially: "Lunges suck and are very dangerous."

You have a great weekend as well, dude.

The Broz rabbit hole goes deep! I remember some ancient BB.com forum stuff he wrote back when Pat Mendez was starting.

[hector]

2024 Feb 19 Monday

Main
Ssb Squat: 340 x 3 x 3
Ssb Squat: 300 x 3s x 5r
Bench: 275 x 3s x 5r (F yeah!)
Dumbbell Bench: 90 lb’ers x 6 x 6
T-Bar Rows: 210 x 5s x 10r

Aux
Ab Wheel: 10r

Tonnage
Ssb Squat: (3,060 + 4,500) = 7,560
Bench: 2,475
Dumbbell Bench: 6,480
T-Bar Rows: 10,500
—————————————————————-
Total: 27,015

###############################

Tonnage was lower than normal. But intensity was a little higher. Been a minute since I benched 275 for 3 sets of 5, so that was cool.

[EricK]

2024 Feb 19 Monday

Main
Ssb Squat: 340 x 3 x 3
Ssb Squat: 300 x 3s x 5r
Bench: 275 x 3s x 5r (F yeah!)
Dumbbell Bench: 90 lb’ers x 6 x 6
T-Bar Rows: 210 x 5s x 10r

Aux
Ab Wheel: 10r

Tonnage
Ssb Squat: (3,060 + 4,500) = 7,560
Bench: 2,475
Dumbbell Bench: 6,480
T-Bar Rows: 10,500
—————————————————————-
Total: 27,015

###############################

Tonnage was lower than normal. But intensity was a little higher. Been a minute since I benched 275 for 3 sets of 5, so that was cool.

275 for reps on bench is always cool. Nice work.

[hector]

2024 Feb 19 Monday

Main
Ssb Squat: 340 x 3 x 3
Ssb Squat: 300 x 3s x 5r
Bench: 275 x 3s x 5r (F yeah!)
Dumbbell Bench: 90 lb’ers x 6 x 6
T-Bar Rows: 210 x 5s x 10r

Aux
Ab Wheel: 10r

Tonnage
Ssb Squat: (3,060 + 4,500) = 7,560
Bench: 2,475
Dumbbell Bench: 6,480
T-Bar Rows: 10,500
—————————————————————-
Total: 27,015

###############################

Tonnage was lower than normal. But intensity was a little higher. Been a minute since I benched 275 for 3 sets of 5, so that was cool.

275 for reps on bench is always cool. Nice work.

@EricK , thank you!!

[hector]

2024 Feb 21 Wed

Main
Ssb Squat: 340 x 3 x 3
Ssb Squat: 300 x 3s x 5r
Bench: 275 x 3s x 5r
Dumbbell Bench: 90 lb’ers x 6 x 6
T-Bar Rows: 210 x 5s x 10r

Aux
Tib Curls: 30 x 3s x 10r
Skull Crushers: 110 x 5 x 5
Ab Wheel: update later

Tonnage
Ssb Squat: (3,060 + 4,500) = 7,560
Bench: 4,125
Dumbbell Bench: 6,480
T-Bar Rows: 10,500
Skull Crushers: 2,750
—————————————————————-
Total: 31,415

###############################

Benching 275 for 3 sets of 5 continues to get easier.
Working theory is that my pecs were weak relative to my triceps and that dumbbell bench is mitigating the discrepancy, resulting in a stronger barbell bench.
But, who knows? Maybe sleep is just a little better and next week everything will go to shit.

[hector]

2024 Feb 22 Thursday (Off Day)

Dumbbell Bench: 90 lb’ers x 6 x 6

[hector]

2024 Feb 23 Friday

Main
Ssb Squat: 300 x 5 x 5
Bench: 275 x 5 x 5
Dumbbell Bench: 90 lb’ers x 6 x 6
T-Bar Rows: 210 x 5s x 10r

Aux
Tib Curls: 30 x 3s x 10r
Skull Crushers: 110 x 5 x 5
Ab Wheel: update later

Tonnage
Ssb Squat: 7,500
Bench: 6,875
Dumbbell Bench: 6,480
T-Bar Rows: 10,500
Tib Curls: 900
———————————————
Total: 32,255

######################

Surprised to get 275 x 5 x 5 on bench today. Thought it would be another week or two.

Work was dead today. Almost nobody else was there. So I read about belt squats for an hour. Would love to get a Squatmax MD, but seems cost and space prohibitive.

[hector]

2024 Feb 24 Saturday

Running: 30 minutes

I usually run and take walk breaks as needed to extend distance.
Today, legs were fried from squats last night. Could only run in 2 minute bursts. Took walk breaks constantly.
F.
This has happened past few weekends when I go hard with squats or Deads on Friday night, just failed to log.
Eh, better than nothing.

[DCR]

2024 Feb 24 Saturday

Running: 30 minutes

I usually run and take walk breaks as needed to extend distance.
Today, legs were fried from squats last night. Could only run in 2 minute bursts. Took walk breaks constantly.
F.
This has happened past few weekends when I go hard with squats or Deads on Friday night, just failed to log.
Eh, better than nothing.

Nothing wrong with confirming on Saturday that you went hard on Friday.

[platypus]

Congrats on the 275x5x5 bench! You've convinced me to start dumbbell benching.

[hector]

Congrats on the 275x5x5 bench! You've convinced me to start dumbbell benching.

@platypus , thank you!

I think 5 x 5 dumbbell benching some weight you can do for good depth with short rest periods, after your main bench work, is awesome and time efficient auxiliary work.

I hope they work for you!

[hector]

2024 Feb 24 Saturday

Running: 30 minutes

I usually run and take walk breaks as needed to extend distance.
Today, legs were fried from squats last night. Could only run in 2 minute bursts. Took walk breaks constantly.
F.
This has happened past few weekends when I go hard with squats or Deads on Friday night, just failed to log.
Eh, better than nothing.

Nothing wrong with confirming on Saturday that you went hard on Friday.

@DCR , I like this way of looking at it! Thank you!

[hector]

2024 Feb 26 Monday

Main
Ssb Squat: 340 x 3 x 3
Ssb Sauat: 300 x 3s x 5r
Bench: 280 x 3s x 5r (F Yeah!)
Dumbbell Bench: 90 lb’ers x 6 x 6
T-Bar Rows: 210 x 5s x 10r

Aux
Tib Curls: 30 x 3s x 10r
Skull Crushers: 100 x 5s x 10r
Ab Wheel: update later

Tonnage
Ssb Squat: (3,060 + 4,500) = 7,560
Bench: 4,200
Dumbbell Bench: 6,480
T-Bar Rows: 10,500
Skull Crushers: 2,500
—————————————————————-
Total: 31,240

##############################

Before benching today I thought “Oh, shit. I’m scheduled to bench 280 for 3 sets of 5!” Sometimes it’s only a 5lb increase, but mentally it seems like more.
I start benching my first set and it feels easy. Not stupid easy, but manageable easy. And I think “Nice. This is going to happen.” But then, around rep 3, I think “Am I going to make all 5 reps?”.
And that sort of thinking has done me in before. Not even because the doubt fucks with me directly, but because the doubt distracts me. Once distracted, my form goes just a little off, and on a high RPE set that minute form deviation might be all it takes for failure to ensue.
So I just answered myself, before shit could go sideways, “Yes, we are going to get all 5 reps” and re-focused me efforts. Success followed.
To bring me back to reality, I saw Jen Thompson on IG dumbbell benching the 120’s today. Besides being a woman, she also weighs 130lb.

[DCR]

Before benching today I thought “Oh, shit. I’m scheduled to bench 280 for 3 sets of 5!” Sometimes it’s only a 5lb increase, but mentally it seems like more.
I start benching my first set and it feels easy. Not stupid easy, but manageable easy. And I think “Nice. This is going to happen.” But then, around rep 3, I think “Am I going to make all 5 reps?”.
And that sort of thinking has done me in before. Not even because the doubt fucks with me directly, but because the doubt distracts me. Once distracted, my form goes just a little off, and on a high RPE set that minute form deviation might be all it takes for failure to ensue.
So I just answered myself, before shit could go sideways, “Yes, we are going to get all 5 reps” and re-focused me efforts. Success followed.
To bring me back to reality, I saw Jen Thompson on IG dumbbell benching the 120’s today. Besides being a woman, she also weighs 130lb.

This was quite the journey to read. The hope… the doubt… the comeback and the victory! .. and the kick in the nuts lol.

[Renascent]

I saw Jen Thompson on IG dumbbell benching the 120’s today.

Yeah, she's a fucking monster.